There are two important and interesting words in our text for this morning that we need to look at as we begin. These two words are important because they are words we often hear in what we might call religious discussions and settings and often are not used according to the way the Lord has given them, but are used according to man’s failed logic and understanding. The first word is the word “obey.” How often do we hear an exhortation to be “obedient” to the Lord? And rightly we should be encouraged to be obedient to the Lord. In our text for this morning the word “obey” is in the imperfect tense meaning the translation of this word suggests an incomplete action, something a person may have to do, but has not completely done, which makes sense. Now, because we know that we are conceived and born in sin, we know we cannot be completely obedient, instead we have a natural inclination to choose evil as God said in Genesis, “Every intention of the thoughts of [mans’s] heart was only evil continually” (Gen.6:5). Which brings us to the second word that we want to look at in our text and that is the word “choose.” How often we are exhorted to “choose,” such as choose Jesus as our personal Savior and again, this encouragement to “choose” the Lord is not according to the way the Lord has given this word, but according to man’s failed logic and understanding of this word. The word “choose” is in the perfect tense suggesting that this “choosing” is something God has already done for us, that is He has already chosen us. Please keep these two words and their proper translations in mind as we go through our text for this morning.
Before we get to our text, though, let us take a moment to look at the other readings. In the Epistle reading Paul helps us to understand what it means to respond in faith. Paul is writing to Philemon concerning his slave, Onesimus, who has run away. At this time, both Philemon and Onesimus are Christians, truly brothers in Christ and so Paul suggests that he could tell Philemon what to do, in other words he could order him to do the right thing, but he would rather that Philemon respond according to his faith and do the right thing in forgiving Onesimus and giving him his freedom. To do so would be a wonderful response of faith.
In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus helps us to understand the cost of responding in faith. The cost for faith is our life, because either we are the Lord’s and we belong to Him completely and fully, or we are not. We cannot be half-hearted in our faith and faith life, which should remind us of the first commandment and the fact that we should have no other gods before the one true God.
As we move into our text, keeping our text in its context, we will make note that in the verses before this text we read Moses admonition to the children of Israel to reflect on the blessings and curses they have received and to interpret them in light of their faith. Thus, as we move into our text we will understand that the words of Moses are not words of obedience and choosing for those who are heathens and pagans, but are words to those who are God’s chosen people, Israel. In other words, this is not an evangelistic crusade in which Moses is preaching to the heathen, pagan nations and calling them to be obedient and make a decision for Jesus. Instead, this is a regular sermon in which Moses is encouraging his fellow Christians to respond to the faith, forgiveness and life that God has given by striving with God’s help to live lives of faith. Kind of like a regular Sunday Morning here at St. Matthew.
Now, getting to our text, the summary verse of this text is verse fifteen “15See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” (v. 15). So, we begin with life and good. God has set before His people life and good. God has given the children of Israel life and good. He has delivered them from bondage of slavery in Egypt. He has brought them to the edge of a new land. He has taken care of all their needs, providing them with food and drink and protection from their enemies. He has done all things for them.
Not only has God provided for all their physical needs, He has also provided for their spiritual needs. He has given them boundaries to keep them safe, such as the Ten Commandment, which guide them in their relationship with Himself and each other. He has given them good order and peace.
Now, only as a response of faith, responding to what God has done for them can they think in terms of choosing life and good. The fact of the matter is, God has given them life and good and His desire is simply that they continue in the life and good that He has already given them. Because the alternate to life and good is death and evil.
Which brings us to death and evil. Death and evil is an easy choice, it is a natural choice, again as we said earlier, as our Lord tells us in Genesis, it is our natural inclination. Because of the fall into sin, because of the curse, our will has been tainted by sin and our will always runs contrary to God’s will. So, given the choice, in and of ourselves we always choose death and evil.
As for the children of Israel, as they enter the promised land, the land is filled with people who are already living lives that are contrary to God. The land is filled with heathen and pagan nations who are worshiping false gods and idols. As they move into this land, the temptations of those already in the land will be great indeed and God knows this.
God’s warning to His people is that disobedience will bring a curse and death. God knows the influence of those in the land. He knows the natural inclination of the heart of the Israelites and He is giving them every word of warning, exhortation and encouragement to fight against temptation and sin and to remain in a right relationship with Himself.
So, what does this mean for us to day, or rather better asked, how does this apply to us today? Getting back to the word “choose” in our text, the word is in the perfect tense meaning that this is a completed action, something God has already done. As you hear me say time and again, who is running the verbs? God is running the verb and here we see that this is a perfect verb meaning that it is God who has accomplished this verb, this action. So, God chose Israel. In like manner, how does this apply to us today? Again, God is running the verbs and this is a completed action so that we rejoice in the fact that God chose us. God chose us to create us. God chose us to love us. God chose us to redeem and sanctify us.
God chose Israel. Out of all the people and nations of the world, God chose Abram and promised that the promise He made in the Garden of Eden, the promise to send a Savior, would be fulfilled through the line of Abram and through the line of Isaac, and Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. In particular, in our text for this morning, we have God’s choosing in His choosing to redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt. God remembered His people. God sent Moses to deliver His people. God sent the angel of death to Passover those whose homes that were marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb. In like manner, God chose us to redeem us. God chose us to deliver us from our own slavery, slavery to sin. God chose us and sent Jesus to shed His blood for us so that in the end the angel of eternal death will Passover us who have been marked with Jesus’ blood, the blood of the Lamb of God, so that we will have eternal life in heaven.
God chose Israel and He called Israel to obedience, not obedience as to earn forgiveness, but obedience as a response of faith. God did everything for Israel so that there was nothing left to be done. God’s exhortation to Israel was to respond to all that He had done for them and given to them by living as His people. In like manner, God has done everything for us. God has given everything to us. And He calls, encourages, and exhorts us to obedience as a response of faith.
Unfortunately, because of their inborn sinful human nature, following the history of the children of Israel, they could not do, they could not live as God desired them to live. Time and again they were overcome by the influences of those around them, the heathen and pagan cultures, falling into idolatry and sin. And time and again, God would rescue them, only to have them fall away again. In like manner, because we are conceived and born in sin, because every inclination of our heart is evil all the time, we cannot be the people God would have us to be. Time and again we fall prey to the evil influences of our own world today. Time and again we go chasing after other gods and idols who are not the Lord. Time and again we sin and time and again God rescues us and yet, time and again, we fall back into sin. Thanks be to God when it comes to forgiveness, He has, does and continues to do it all for us.
Ultimately God gave Jesus to do for His people what they could not do for themselves. God sent Jesus to be Israel, to live in obedience. God sent Jesus and Jesus obeyed all God’s laws and commands perfectly. Jesus fulfilled all God’s promises and prophecies perfectly and then, He took all the sins of all people, of all places, of all times, upon Himself and suffered and died, paying the price for our sin. Jesus came for Israel and for us. Jesus gives His all to us. His life, His suffering, His death and His resurrection were for us and are ours, by His grace through faith which He gives to us.
God does and gives and we are done to and given to, it all begins with God. If you have ever wondered what is the most distinct difference between what we teach in the Lutheran church from all the other denominations, it is not the inerrancy of the Bible, although we do teach the Bible does not contain errors. The greatest distinction is in the doctrine of justification. Listen carefully to how your family and friends talk about and use the two important words of our text for this morning, “obey” and “choose.” Listen to who is doing what. Grace, at least Biblical grace is not what we need to do or even can do for God, but is always about what God has done, is doing and continues to do for us. Thus, we are justified, not by what we do for God, as if He needs anything from us, but rather we are justified, we are made just and right in God’s eyes by what He has already done for us. It all begins with God and what He has done, is doing and continues to do.
When we begin with God we begin with the fact that He has chosen us. Even before He began creating the world He had us, you and me, in mind. When Adam and Eve sinned and God promised to send a Savior, He had us in mind. When Jesus was born, we were on His mind. When Jesus was suffering on the cross, He was thinking of us. When Jesus rose He had us in mind. When we were conceived it was according to His good and gracious will and when we were brought into His kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism He and all the angels rejoiced. God has done it all. He has chosen us. And now, He stirs in us to live lives of faith, to be obedient, even if it is imperfect obedience. God knows that in and of ourselves we cannot live as we ought, that is why He continues to run the show, stirring and moving in us to be His people, again, imperfectly. Putting this back into the words of our text for this morning, God has set before us today life and good, death and evil, and even more, He has given us life, faith, forgiveness and eternal life and He stirs in us life and good, for Jesus’ sake. To God be the glory. Amen.
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