Deuteronomy 8

God had promised Israel the blessings of a virtual heaven on earth if the nation would obey His voice. While the Lord had revealed Himself as merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, this did not mean that He would be satisfied with partial obedience. “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.”

God led Israel through the wilderness for these many years, providing daily bread from heaven. But man does not live by bread alone. The nation needed to pay close attention to the voice of the Lord, hearing and obeying every Word that came from the mouth of God.

For Israel to ignore the voice of the Lord would be to forget God. The Lord warned His people about this danger, a danger that they would particularly face in any future days of prosperity. It would be very tempting for God's people to come to this incorrect conclusion: “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.”

The consequences of this national sin would be dire: “If you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

This voice of God in the Law of Moses came with a promise of blessing for obedience, but also with a solemn warning of curse for disobedience. How could any nation of sinful and weak people keep the whole Law of God in this fallen world?

There could be no doubt that Israel would need a Redeemer. This Savior did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He kept the whole Law of God, even the eternal covenant between the Father and the Son that commanded the obedience and love of the cross.

This Savior had such a full obedience to His Father, that He had the power of an indestructible life. He rose from the dead, and He lives forever to intercede for us.

We now have a better word than the Law, better for us because the Law can only bring life to the one who wholly obeys all the commandments. We have the word of the gospel that Christ died for the ungodly. We have the healing word from the lips of Jesus Christ, who brings the dead to life.