Clarksville Church of Christ

09/14/2026

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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍 𝑰𝒏…𝑫𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒚
James Madison died on June 28, 1836, at his home in Montpelier, VA. Two years earlier, in 1834, he wrote a short statement intended to only be read after his passing. The final words of that statement are as follows: “The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished & perpetuated. Let the open enemy to it be regarded as a Pandora with her box opened; and the disguised one, as the Serpent creeping with his deadly wiles into Paradise.” These are chilling words. No doubt they would have been treasured by Americans after the passing of their 4th president.

We are often intrigued by the final words of someone who is approaching death. If you have ever been in that situation with a loved one, you likely hung on every word that they said. But the speaker who sees death approaching knows better than anyone the importance of those words. So it is with Moses – and even more fully with Christ.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞
Deuteronomy opens by telling us that the people are still encamped on the plains of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It is the first day of the 11th month of the 40th year since Israel left Egypt (Deut. 1:3). They can now see parts of Canaan, the promised land, across the Jordan. Moses knows that his departure is at hand. These are the words of an old man, 120 years old, who knows he is about to die. He knows when he is going to die and therefore chooses his words carefully. In this “second law” Moses does not repeat every piece of the law as it was presented throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Therefore, Israel was to pay attention to the aspects of the law that the great prophet chose to emphasize.

The good news Moses began to proclaim in Genesis continues in Deuteronomy. Moses’ final words reveal a God who delivers His people, gives them an inheritance, calls them to love and obey Him, provides a mediator, promises a greater Prophet, exposes the problem of the human heart, and ultimately points beyond Moses and the old covenant to Christ.

𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞
One of the themes Moses stresses is God’s power and faithfulness to save His people out of bo***ge and suffering. Deuteronomy 5 hearkens the people back to the scene of the mountain that shook and that was wrapped in a thick cloud with blazing fire. After reminding them of this history, Moses repeats the words of Yahweh: “I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” It is this God who brought them out with a mighty hand and not any other god (see Exodus 32). This detail is important because Moses next utters the first two commandments in verses 7-8: No other gods before Yahweh God and no graven images. They were not to give their allegiance to any other god for He is a jealous (zealous) God. His people were to be zealous for the LORD just as He was for them (see Num. 25:11-13).

This sets the stage for one of the most memorable passages in Scripture (Deut. 6:5): “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This sort of love is all-encompassing. It was to touch every facet of the Israelite life. This sort of love was to be taught faithfully to each generation lest they forget the LORD who delivered them and incur the curses.

Christ fulfills this picture of deliverance. His own “exodus” (see Lk. 9:30-31) paves the way for our deliverance from the domain of darkness (Col. 1:13-14). But we must love the LORD with all that is within us (Matt. 22:37).

𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
God does not simply deliver His people out of bo***ge; He brings them forward into something greater. God had promised as early as Genesis 12 that Abraham’s descendants would inherit a great land. As the people camp on the other side of the river, they can see that very land. Picking up in Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Moses warns the people that when they taste the fruit of the land, drink its water, and live in the cities full of houses they should not forget the LORD who delivered them out of the house of slavery. Remember the LORD who brought you into a good land and showered you with blessings.

Do we still seek a land of rest and promise today? Are we wandering in our own wilderness? As Peter tells us we are sojourners and pilgrims. Though we wander, we are not lost. We seek a homeland and a better country. A heavenly country. We have an imperishable inheritance laid up for us. Through struggle and delay, we continue to seek the land of promise where milk and honey flow in abundance. In the meantime, we will continue to be sustained by living waters and bread of life (Jn. 4:10; 6:35).

𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭
Throughout Israel’s wilderness wandering, they proved to be a stubborn and rebellious people (Deut. 9:6-7), grumbling and complaining all along the way, questioning God’s faithfulness. Moses instructs the people to circumcise their heart, and stiffen their neck no longer (Deut. 10:16). This true circumcision would only be accomplished by God and as they loved Him in return with all that they had (Deut. 30:6).

Today, we might say, “Circumcision belonged to the old covenant. We live under the new covenant.” Yet, the principle of circumcision remains: God still expects His people to circumcise their hearts. Paul tells the Romans that true circumcision is that which is of the heart (Rom. 2:29). He tells the Colossians they experienced a circumcision made without hands, that is the circumcision of Christ – being buried with Him in baptism (Col. 2:11-12). God’s expectations were always the same. Neither circumcision or baptism by itself is enough. In both covenants, God desired that we rend our hearts and not our garments (Joel 2:13). He desired that we be transformed.

𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭
Moses continually acted as a mediator between Israel and God. At Mount Sinai, the people asked Moses to stand between them and God lest they die (Deut. 5:23-31). On multiple occasions, Moses interceded on behalf of the people to save them from the wrath of God (Deut. 9:18-20, 25-29). His main concern was that God’s name would be blasphemed among the nations if God chose to destroy the people.

Deuteronomy 34:10 tells us, “There had not arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face. Earlier in the book, God promised to raise up a prophet like Moses who would speak for Him (Deut. 18:15-19).

The New Testament is clear that this anticipated Prophet is fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37; Jn. 5:45-47). The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth were fully realized through Jesus. Through Jesus, the Father is made known (Jn. 1:17-18). Hebrews explains that Jesus is greater than Moses: “He was faithful as a Son over His house.” He is also the Mediator of the new covenant and continually intercedes for us (Heb. 7:25; 9:15).

Moses dies at the end of Deuteronomy, and the baton is passed to his protégé, Joshua (Yahweh is salvation). Though the great leader and prophet is dead, there is still work to do. The land must be conquered and inherited. Joshua continues the story, but even Joshua cannot bring the story to its final destination. The greater Joshua - Jesus - does.

-Gabel Duke

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𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝑻𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑶𝒏 — 𝑷𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎 119:41-48

Man’s hunger for certainty is one of the trademarks of human experience.

Everyone desires an unshakable foundation somewhere, whether they admit it or not. Even those who prize doubt or claim that truth is relative usually hold some convictions as unquestionable. Even little children crave the security of a home—a mother and father they can look to when everything else feels uncertain.

Of course, people can be certain of false things. But there is nothing wrong with desiring certainty itself. The question is whether the thing we stand on can actually bear our weight. God alone is unchanging, and His Word alone gives us an ultimate foundation in a fickle and anxious world.

The psalmist is resolute because of this (Psalm 119:41–48). Like a child who looks to his parents for stability in the chaos, this worshiper looks to God’s Word for an answer to the pressures of the world around him.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕'𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓
Throughout this section of the acrostic, the psalmist repeatedly expresses settled resolve: “I will answer,” “I will keep,” “I will walk,” and “I will delight” (vv. 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48). But his resolve isn’t self-generated. He begins with an all-encompassing plea to God (v. 41). What the psalmist wills is wrapped up in his seeking of God.

When reading God’s commands, it is easy to begin mitigating: “How much of this is required? Can I do this later? Is there another way?” But here, the response is quick submission. May my answer be that of the psalmist’s: “I will.”

His answer for everything is God’s Word! It is literally his answer to the “reproaches” against him (v. 42). As a boy, before I learned the courage of faith for myself, I often leaned on the settled answer of my own father. Our family’s standard on drinking, cursing, and lewd behavior was a clear rejection. There was real comfort in having that firm answer amid a sea of naysaying questions. It gave me something steady to stand on.

That is why verse 43 makes so much sense. He pleads that the word of truth not be taken from his mouth, the very word for which he waits and in which he hopes. To have the reliable permanence of Truth (God’s Word) as our steadfast answer is an assuring gift—not only when facing reproach, but amid all the instability we encounter every day.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉
If God’s Word—the very standard of Truth—is permanently settled, then so shall our answer and walk be (v. 44). The one who remembers that “Forever…[His] word is settled in heaven” (v. 89) is is ready with ineffable joy to keep “[His] law continually, Forever and ever” (v. 44). How beautiful that the majority of words in this verse are a vow of relentless, enduring faithfulness to God’s Word!

If this is our understanding, what else could seeking God’s precepts be but liberating (v. 45)? Throughout this series, we’ve discussed how God’s limits and boundaries are actually beautifully liberating. To risk a little repetition. One of the ways God’s Law truly liberates us is the confidence it inspires

The psalmist will suffer no shame nor timidity when speaking God’s testimonies, regardless of audience—even before kings (v. 46). When God’s revelation meets a convicted heart it creates a bold faith that is infectious.

When forced to choose between worshiping an idol or entering the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered with a prime loyalty to God (Daniel 3:16–18). Though that earthy king was enraged that his command had been rejected, they were emboldened by the testimonies of the King of heaven.

Far from shame was Paul’s mind when he inserted Christ (the King) into every sentence of his defense to King Agrippa (Acts 26:1–32). So far was it that instead of focusing on a defense better suited to free himself, his mind was so wrapped up in God’s testimonies that it would keep him in custody even longer (Acts 26:32). His appeal to Caesar would affect his release, but his concern before Agrippa was plainly larger than escaping custody. He wanted his hearers to know Christ!

When we ground ourselves in Truth—God’s Law—we become grounded in what is certain in a world of uncertainties. But enduring in that truth requires love.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆
Love is not only required for a genuine relationship with God (Deuteronomy 6:5); it is also necessary for zealous endurance (Psalm 119:47–48).

Compliance may mimic obedience, but without love it either will not last or the facade will fail. Mere compliance will not be enough to please God ultimately (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1–3), and neither will it please the worshiper in ways that last.

Love is what gives obedience endurance when faithfulness becomes costly. Daniel’s friends did not choose the furnace simply out of dutiful compliance—their love for God chose it. Paul did not prolong his imprisonment because he wasn’t educated in civil law (cf. Acts 16:35–40; 22:23–29)—his zeal for the Gospel chose it.

Love is what produces delight in God’s commandments (vv. 47–48). So if delight in His Law is lacking, it may reveal that love for His law is lacking as well.

What is the answer? The psalmist’s answer is meditation on God’s statutes (v. 48b). The more sustained and thoughtful attention we give something—moving beyond mere familiarity—the deeper our care for it can become. And as love for this Word is cultivated, we will be able to speak like the psalmist—and this Word will naturally become our answer.

-Luke Capps

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