W. Robert Godfrey

These are the great blessings that we should be seeking and that the Lord will certainly give us in Christ.

But here is a warning laid out for us to remind us that there are consequences to the lives we live.

And that's sobering, but it's also very important for us as the people of God.

That's why in the book of Deuteronomy, there is a good deal of effort on

the commands of God, what we ought to be doing, what is the obedience to which we're called.

There's also a good deal of emphasis on threats in the book of Deuteronomy.

I don't think it's too much to say that if we only had the book of Deuteronomy, that might be unbalanced.

But we don't only have the book of Deuteronomy.

We have lots of other books that are much more full of the exposition of the blessings and the grace and the mercy and the goodness of God.

But we need the book of Deuteronomy, too, to remind us precisely that life is serious and that these things matter, and to remind us that when the threats are most dire, there is a mediator.

That's so important here in Deuteronomy chapter 9 in particular, that when it looked like all was lost for Israel,

There was a mediator who came and prayed for them, who came and spoke the Word of God to them, and who God listened to and who God used to lead them away and to lead them ultimately to the promised land.

And so all of these things have to be kept in the right kind of balance.

I had a friend who used to say, living the Christian life is walking a tightrope.

And the trouble with a tightrope is there are two ways to fall off.

And the devil really doesn't care which way you fall as long as you fall.

And that's sort of true.

We have to walk the tightrope of keeping the balance of the Scriptures, both the mercy of God and the holiness of God together so that we will know that and love it and grow in it.

So, Deuteronomy, first ten and a half chapters.

We've been looking at history, step one of our pyramid.