Cruficy Him! Deuteronomy 21
When reading through books full of what we might consider mundane and strange laws (like Deuteronomy) we are tempted to gloss over details just to get to the good stuff. The interesting stories and people.
At first glance into this chapter we see more of the same cultural cautions and civil laws we have come to associate with Deuteronomy:
vs 1-9 Ways to protect the those who are innocent from being slaughtered.
vs 10-14 How to be compassionate toward women captured and shamed by acts of war in a brutal culture,.
vs 15-17 Instruction for doing what is right in a time that polygamy (even though discourage by Yahweh) was the norm.
The Jews chose to hang him on the tree. Thinking they were putting on Him a curse that would shame Him. Now Paul uses this to make his point to the Jewish Christians. Jesus became the curse for you....for us! Now we are free of the curse on us. Free from the law we cannot keep to live by Faith. Paul pleads with them. "Don't go back to living by the law that you are no longer under, and stop telling others that they have to".
Christ became our curse. If we accept his payment we are no longer under the curse of sin. We are justified by faith.
So as most of Deuteronomy verses 22-23 serve as a reminder for later use. Paul uses this point in his letter to correct the Jews when they are tempted to make Gentile believers adhere to the old law instead of relying on faith for their salvation.
The Bible is one story. The story of slavery and redemption, rebellion and mercy, sin and grace, the condemned and the rescued. We cannot isolate it from itself.
Hope Wirta
In the case of Deuteronomy 21 that would be a misstep. Deuteronomy 21begs us to PAUSE and TAKE NOTICE!
At first glance into this chapter we see more of the same cultural cautions and civil laws we have come to associate with Deuteronomy:
vs 1-9 Ways to protect the those who are innocent from being slaughtered.
vs 10-14 How to be compassionate toward women captured and shamed by acts of war in a brutal culture,.
vs 15-17 Instruction for doing what is right in a time that polygamy (even though discourage by Yahweh) was the norm.
Duet. 21:22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.Then verses 22 and 23 come out of nowhere and cause us to Pause.
There many interesting moment when we see the New Testament and Old intersect. There is good reason for this! The Old Testament looks forward to Christ, while the New Testament looks back and forward at the same time. It looks back to show what we have been redeemed from: slavery to sin and its consequences (death and separation from God). It looks forward to the hope we have because Christ redeemed us by "becoming the curse" in our place. One who hung on a tree, one who took sin that cursed us and separated us from God on himself. Paul points us back to this in his letter to the Galatians.Why is this here?
Galatians 310 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.The Jews in Deuteronomy were being given a huge clue, a future piece to the puzzle of the identity of Jesus and the grace He offered from the curse of the law.
When Pilate asked "shall I crucify the King? Yes, they said, crucify Him.Everyone who is hung on a pole is cursed!
The Jews chose to hang him on the tree. Thinking they were putting on Him a curse that would shame Him. Now Paul uses this to make his point to the Jewish Christians. Jesus became the curse for you....for us! Now we are free of the curse on us. Free from the law we cannot keep to live by Faith. Paul pleads with them. "Don't go back to living by the law that you are no longer under, and stop telling others that they have to".
Christ became our curse. If we accept his payment we are no longer under the curse of sin. We are justified by faith.
So as most of Deuteronomy verses 22-23 serve as a reminder for later use. Paul uses this point in his letter to correct the Jews when they are tempted to make Gentile believers adhere to the old law instead of relying on faith for their salvation.The Bible is one story. The story of slavery and redemption, rebellion and mercy, sin and grace, the condemned and the rescued. We cannot isolate it from itself.
We are between the already and the not yet. Deuteronomy is written in the before. We are no longer under the old covenant law as the Israelites were. We are in the "already", the redeemed, living under the new covenant of Christ's death and resurrection. We are waiting for the "not yet" of the promise to come.The Bible must be understood in the "before', 'already" and the 'not yet"of time.
Hope Wirta
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