Deuteronomy 6:17-25 comments: the basis of the ancient Israelites' righteousness, obedience to God's precepts

 

Deuteronomy 6:17 ¶  Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18  And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, 19  To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 20  And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21  Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 22  And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: 23  And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. 24  And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

 

This is a command to Israel to pass on the knowledge and memory of what God had done for them to their children. Their success is dependent upon it and as I pointed out, they failed in this. God would tell Joshua.

 

Joshua 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

 

Verses 24 & 25 show the foundation for righteousness for the ancient Israelite was obeying the Law given to Moses to the letter. That was their justification. It meant that they believed God. It was their work for God. Essentially, God was their righteousness.

 

Jeremiah 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

 

Jeremiah 33:16  In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

 

Contrast this with the Christian’s calling.

 

Galatians 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

 

John 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

 

Romans 3:19 ¶  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

 

This was promised in the Old Testament.

 

Jeremiah 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 

The fact is that both Old Testament Israelite and New Testament Christian find their salvation in believing what God said about Himself and what He expected from them. We believe His word, His promises, and want to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, our Creator. But, you cannot realize the salvation of the Lord God without believing Him. This is one reason why the issue of the Bible is so important. How can a Christian know what God said if he has a Bible version that denies God’s very words based on humanistic translation methods and a need to change enough words to get a U.S. copyright?