Has God Abandoned Israel?/ People of Promise

Deuteronic – Land Covenant

Deuteronomy 28, 29:1; Deuteronomy 30

October 16, 2022

I. Introduction:

A. We are continuing our series “people of promise” where we are

looking at the covenant promises that God has joyfully bound

himself to do!

1. We have seen that God promised to Abraham –a seed – a family

line of people, descendants who come from him, to give them a

land forever, to bless them in that land and God would be their

God. Along with a descendant of Abraham who would bless all

the nations!

a. This drives the story line of the Old Testament and the entire

Bible.

2. Last week we learned that God set up a covenant with Israel

through Moses, called the Mosaic covenant or the Law, where

he laid out the principle by which he was going to deal with

Israel, the descendants of Abraham.

a. Simply if you obey me, then I will bless you; if you disobey

me, then I will curse/disciple you and if you repent then I

will restore you to blessing.

b. We also learned that the ultimate discipline for their

disobedience and refusal to repent would be to be expelled

from the land and scattered among the nations

3. When we weave these two covenants together, it helps us make

sense of the twists and turns in the Old Testament story.

B. But here is the dilemma

1. As a nation, Israel not only disobeyed God they even rejected

the Messiah himself resulting in 70 AD when they were

expelled from the land again and scattered throughout all the

nations of the world.

2. While some Jews have returned to the land, and some Jews have

even come to Christ as their messiah and savior - as a nation

they still are in disobedience to God and rejecting Jesus as the

Messiah.

3. Is God done with Israel as a nation? Has the church replaced

Israel in God’s program?

C. To answer that we must look at the most overlooked verse in the

entire covenant program of God and the most overlooked covenant

itself.

1. Because people miss this verse they do not even know that this

covenant in Deuteronomy even exists!

D. So we will see here in Deuteronomy that God proactively makes

another covenant with Israel – the Deuteronic covenant, to

guarantee that he will bring about their repentance, regenerate

them, give them a heart to obey him thus restore/regather Israel to

the promised land and bless them there!

• Let’s take a look at this in

II. The Scripture

A. Many people say that the book of Deuteronomy is a restating of the

Mosaic covenant. I am going to tell you today that is not the case

and there is a completely different covenant in this book.

1. It is true that the standards (civil, moral and ceremonial laws)

and the principle of the Mosaic covenant (if you obey me, then I

will bless you and if you disobey me, then I will discipline you

and if you repent then I will restore you to blessing) are restated

in Deuteronomy.

2. But while all of that is restated, he attached another covenant to

it near the end of the book.

B. Turn to Deuteronomy 5

1. The context is that Israel is standing right across the Jordan in

the wilderness of Moab ready to enter into the promise land for

the first time. This is 40 years after the covenant God made

with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. Moses is reviewing

their history and the Mosaic law

2. In chapter 5, Moses is reviewing for them how they responded

to the Mosaic covenant when God first gave it to them on Sinai,

which is also called Horeb!

a. Read 5:27-28 – God commends them for affirming that they

will do what God asks them to do.

b. But in v29, he states their core problem with obeying what

God says so they can be blessed. Read

3. It is a heart problem – they do not have the kind of heart that

would fear and obey God!

C. So in chapters

1. 6-26 he reviews the laws from the Mosaic covenant

2. Chapter 27 he charges them to obey these laws and reminds

them cursed is the one who does not.

3. Chapter 28 he reviews with them the basic principle of dealing

with them that God set up through Moses, which we learned

about last week in Leviticus 26.

a. If you obey me, then I will bless you; if you disobey me,

then I will curse/disciple you. If you repent then I will

restore you to blessing

D. Now in chapter 29 we see the verse that is so often overlooked thus

overlooking this very important and foundational covenant.

1. Read v1 – did you catch it? This is another covenant God is

making with them in Moab besides the one he already made

with them at Horeb/ Mount Sinai 40 years earlier.

2. Again, while the standards and principle of the Mosaic covenant

are the same; now another covenant is being made with them.

3. Now look down at verse 10 where he is speaking to the people

who are there on that day. Read v10-13.

a. Note in verse 12 that the Lord is making this covenant with a

new generation of Israel!

4. V 13 so that he may establish with them the covenant promises

he swore to Abraham. Read

a. Note a key distinction here – he made the covenant with

Abraham in the past and he wants to establish it with them.

b. Establish means to confirm, to bring it about, put it into

effect the promises God made with Abraham with his

descendants.

E. So the tension exists – yes God has established obedience as the

principle by which he would bring about these promises to

Israel. But we also saw that Israel does not have the heart to do

them.

F. But just as God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham

where he bound himself to bring about those covenant promises;

now he is going to make an unconditional covenant with Israel!

1. In spite of their disobedience that was so severe that they were

scattered among the nations;

a. He will bring them back to the very land that their fathers –

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived on.

b. He will give them a heart that obeys him.

c. He will abundantly bless them in the land.

2. Thus, he will bring about the covenant promises he made with

Abraham regarding his descendants Israel!

G. This is absolutely crucial because God is making this covenant with

Israel.

1. So God does not disqualify or replace Israel from receiving the

promises made with Abraham because of their disobedience or

rejection of the Messiah

2. But rather God is guaranteeing to them that he is going to fulfill

his covenant promises in spite of their persistent and severe

disobedience!

a. Read Ezekiel 36:20-24

• Now we are ready to see the promises God made with Israel in the

III. Deuteronic covenant

A. Turn now to chapter 30

1. As we look at this today, we will see the Promised Land

mentioned numerous times. Just remember this covenant has to

do with the regathering to the land, not the rights to the land,

which was made with Abraham.

2. Also, note that the only condition in this whole section is a time

condition – not if but when – so it is tied to a time element.

3. Finally, we will see that this covenant is going to take place at a

time when the nation of Israel is plucked off the land for

disobedience and scattered among the nations.

B. Detail out the promises:

1. Future repentance of Israel. Deuteronomy 30:1-2 not if but

when!

a. Repentance = recall, return, restore

2. Regathered from captivity and from all over the world

Deuteronomy 30:3-4. Not Assyria nor Babylon but all the

nations of the world.

3. Restoration to the land given to their fathers. Deuteronomy

30:5

4. Israel regenerated by a work of God to get a new heart that will

love and obey the Lord... Deuteronomy 30:6, 8

5. Israel’s enemies will be judged. Deuteronomy. 30:7

6. Israel will prosper abundantly. Deuteronomy 30:5, 9

C. So the big question now is when will the covenanted promises

made to Abraham which will be established with his descendants,

his seed be carried out. Remember not if but when.

1. Chart

2. Turn to Zechariah 12:9

a. Context – he is talking about the time when the entire world

will come against Israel and Jerusalem. We also read about

this in Revelation 16-19.

b. Read v9-14 - note two things:

1. God pouring out his grace precedes and is the cause of

their repentance

2. We see a national repentance here and not just an

individual. At the return of Jesus Israel will repent.

D. So God brings about the necessary repentance in Israel thus then

God will pour out all his covenant promises/blessing upon them at

that time.

E. Romans 11 tells us why this has not happened yet.

1. It is so the fullness of the Gentiles can come into the experience

of his promised blessings then all Israel will be saved.

2. Read Romans 11;25-27

3. Turn and read 2 Peter 3:9

III. Application

F. If you are here today and you do not know Jesus Christ repent

1. Recall what Jesus says about you and about himself

a. That our sin separates us from God and that Jesus’ death and

resurrection deals with our sin problem and gives us life!

2. Turn to him by calling upon him in faith to save you!

G. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ

1. And you have walked away from Jesus and living just like the

rest of the world I would encourage you today to repent as well.

a. Recall what God says in his Word about who you are and

how to live as a child of God

b. Return to him by admitting/confessing you are not living as

you ought

c. Call upon him to give you the grace to live like a believer in

Jesus

2. Maybe today you need God to bring about in your heart the

willingness and ability to give up some area of your life that is

not pleasing to him or even an area that has taken control of you

and you could not give it up with all the trying, programing and

steps in the world.

a. Read Philippians 2:12-13

3. Open your heart to Jesus this morning and invite him to work

into you both the willingness and the ability to live fully for him