Christ in Deuteronomy: Our Refuge

The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book classified as “Law” in the Bible.  Its name means “second law” or “second law-giving.”  We first saw the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20:2-17, and they are repeated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21.  The theme of this book can be summed up in one word – obedience.  The first four chapters repeat the story of forty years of wandering in the desert, just as we read in Leviticus and Numbers.  I am convinced that the story of wandering is repeated once more to drive home to us the importance of obedience and faith in the leadership of God in our lives, even today, just as it was of supreme importance to the children of Israel as they left Egypt and travelled to the Promised Land.  Chapters 5 – 28 elaborate on the laws given in the Ten Commandments.  Here the children of Israel were given the promise of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.  Chapters 29 and 30 relate the everlasting covenant God made with His people before they entered the Promised Land:

Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may deal wisely and prosper in all that you do… That you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, and into His oath which He makes with you today, that He may establish you this day as a people for Himself, and that He may be to you a God as He said to you and as He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is not with you only that I make this sworn covenant but with future Israelites who do not stand here with us today before the Lord our God, as well as with those who are here with us this day.  (Deuteronomy 29:9, 12-15, The Amplified Bible) 

Chapter 31 tells about Moses appointing Joshua to be his successor, and Chapter 32 is the farewell song of Moses.  The final blessing of all the tribes of Israel is given in Chapters 33 and 34.  The events of this book took place some 1400 – 1500 years before Jesus was born, so around 3400 – 3500 years ago, and yet some of those blessings were not fulfilled until the re-establishment of Israel as a nation in 1947!  God is still fulfilling His prophecies, and it is with great excitement and anticipation that we are able to see events happening today and every day that confirm what He taught us through Moses and the books of the law so many centuries ago.

Deuteronomy was an important book to Jesus.  He quoted from it three times when He was tempted in the wilderness before He began His earthly ministry.  Matthew 4:1-11 (New King James Version) says:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (Deuteronomy 6:16)  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Deuteronomy 6:13) Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

The book of Deuteronomy contains a lot of instructions that applied specifically to the Jewish people in that day.  Those instructions confront customs that were common to those people at that time, so as we read the book, we must be careful to understand that some of those customs are foreign to us today.  As with any part of the Bible, to understand it completely, we must take into consideration the person who wrote it, who it was written for, and the context in which it was written.  But we SHOULD apply the lessons that are taught there to our own lives today.  For example, Deuteronomy 6:7-8 instructs the people to write the Ten Commandments on the doorposts of their homes and to wear them on their foreheads and hands.  For many years, Jewish people did just that, and some still do.  But the lesson being taught was that we should memorize scripture (wear it on our foreheads), apply it to all we do (wear it on our hands), and build our homes and families on the laws of God (write it on the doorposts of our homes).

Another example of that is found in Deuteronomy 4:41 and 19:2-10.  It was an accepted custom in that time and in that culture that if someone was killed, whether it was murder, manslaughter, or an accident, the family of the victim would take revenge for that killing by, in turn, killing the one responsible for the death of their family member.  But God instructed that certain cities be set up as cities of refuge where one who was guilty of manslaughter or any other accidental killing could go and be safe.  The gates to these cities were always open, and Jewish tradition says that signs with the word “Refuge” on them were posted along the roads leading to them.  The offender faced consequences for his deed since he had to leave his home, family, and any wealth he may have had, but at least his life would be spared.  His accusers could stand at the gate and yell at him, try to throw stones at him, and make his life miserable, but they could not enter the city of refuge.  The offender would be tried for his crime by the judges inside the city of refuge, but he would not be turned over to his accusers.  He was allowed to live in a city of refuge until the high priest died.  Then he would be turned back over to the offended family.  These cities of refuge are a picture of what Jesus Christ does for us!  He is our Refuge!  We have all sinned and deserve to be punished, but even though we still face the consequences of our sin, His arms are always open to us and He will not condemn us because of our sin. Our enemy, Satan, the Accuser, is always on our heels, trying to make us miserable through guilt and shame, but Jesus is our Hiding Place.  A sinner who runs to Jesus, believing in Him and trusting Him will have his sin guilt covered, forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus who died for all our sins.  He is our High Priest who saves us forever, because He will never die, and He will never forsake us.

Christ is also pictured in Moses.  Deuteronomy 18:15 (New King James Version) says, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.”  That Prophet is Jesus.  Consider these facts about Moses and Jesus (www.thebookwurm.com/ref-deu.htm):

They were both godly children (Exodus 2:2, Hebrews 11:23, Luke 2:52)
They both refused an earthly kingdom (Hebrews 11:26a, Matthew 4:8-10)
They were both objects of a king’s wrath (Hebrews 11:27, Acts 4:27)
They both acted for the joy of the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26b, Hebrews 12:2)
They were both called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
They were both rejected by their brothers (Exodus 2:14, John 1:11)
They both made the sea obey them (Exodus 14:15, 16, 21; Mark 4:39-41)
They both had people who wanted to stone them (Numbers 14:8-10, John 10:31-33)
They both delivered a parting blessing to Israel (Deuteronomy 33:26-29, Matthew 23:37-39)
They are associated in the song of eternity (Revelation 15:3)

Do you know the Prophet, and do you hear His words?  Do you run to Him, Our Refuge?   He speaks to us, and He stands with His arms open wide, ready to redeem us, ready to defeat our accuser.  I hope you will apply Deuteronomy 10:12 (New King James Version) to your life, “And now, (insert your name here), what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”  I hope you will join me in my prayer of praise this week and apply it to your own life.  It is adapted from Moses’ final blessing of Israel, Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (Amplified Bible): 

There is none like God, (dear friend), Who rides through the heavens to your help and in His majestic glory through the skies. The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy!