Introduction

• Deuteronomy 11:26-29
• Joshua 8:33-34

The curses of disobedience

Did this really happen? Yes!

• Folded lead tablet from Mt. Ebal
  • A folded lead sheet
  • Found on Mt. Ebal
  • Debris to late bronze age (1400-1200 BC)
  • Inscribed on the inside
  • Written in paleo Hebrew
  • Oldest Hebrew inscription
  • It is a “curse amulet”
  • Writing on the tablet: “Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW. You will die cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.”
    • Writing is a poetic form called chiastic parallelism, where the sentence structure is palindromic.

Did the curses come true? Yes!

• II Chronicles 34:24-25
• Babylonian invasion of 586 BC
• Large Israelite cities were all destroyed
• The land was emptied
• The people carried away to captivity

What do we learn?

• The curses of Deuteronomy 27
  • Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol
  • Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother
  • Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone
  • Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road
  • Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow
  • Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife
  • Cursed is he who lies with any animal
  • Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret
  • Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person
  • Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice
• That it matters how we honor God
• That social justice, moral purity, and doing right by others is essential
• That there are consequences for disobeying God
• That sin brings a curse
• It still does
  • The seven woes pronounced by Christ
    • Woe to those who shut the door to the kingdom
    • Woe to hypocrites who make other hypocrites
    • Woe to blind guides who swear dishonestly
    • Woe to nit pickers who ignore justice and mercy
    • Woe to those clean on outside but full of greed
    • Woe to the whitewashed full of wickedness
    • Woe to those who laud martyrs and murder them
• That is why we need Christ
  • Galatians 3:13

Conclusion

• Turning our heart from God brings curses in this life and in the life to come.
• These woes are real and certain.
• We should hate the disobedience as fervently as we fear these curses.

Introduction

• Deuteronomy 11:26-29
• Joshua 8:30-34

The blessings of obedience

Did this really happen? Yes!

• The location is there.
• Its arrangement works.
• An altar has been found.
• Other structures have been found.
  • Joshua 1:3
  • Joshua 4:19-20 – Gilgal means “circle.” It’s not necessarily a city or town.
  • Archaeologists found a large stone circle in the right place to be the “Gilgal” mentioned in the text.

Did the blessings come true? Yes!

• Deuteronomy 28:6-7
  • Late bronze age/early iron age
  • Large Canaanite cities were destroyed
  • Replaced by small settlements of invaders
  • Dietary remains, construction techniques, and inscriptions say …
  • They were Hebrews
• Joshua 11:10-11 – The ruin of Hazor
  • Archaeologists found a thick layer of destruction and ash when excavating Hazor.
  • Joshua 21:43-45

What do we learn?

• Deuteronomy 11:26-27
• The blessings of obedience
  • The blessing of God’s help
  • The blessing of righteousness
  • The blessing of true success
  • The blessing of rest and peace
  • The blessing of a lasting legacy
• How do we receive them today?
  • Ephesians 1:3
  • John 4:14, 23
  • Blessed are the poor in spirit
  • Blessed are those who mourn
  • Blessed are the gentle
  • Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness
  • Blessed are the merciful
  • Blessed are the pure in heart
  • Blessed are the peacemakers
  • Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness

Conclusion

• Obeying God from the heart beings blessings in this life and the life to come.
• These blessings are real and certain.
• We receive them in Christ.
• We should choose these blessings and the life of obedience that brings them.

Introduction

• Many people see the Bible as a list of rules you can’t break.
• When we break God’s rules, we cause harm.
• God’s rules are not arbitrary.

Where’s the harm?

• Many people reject the morality of the Bible.
• They see themselves as being a better judge of what is right and wrong.
• Often, it’s a question of seeing the harm in a particular activity.

What could possibly go wrong?

II Samuel 11 – David’s sin

II Samuel 11:1

• Where’s the harm in David staying home?
• The moral obligation of God’s word
  • The most common rejection of Biblical morality is failure to do what God requires.
  • People just don’t see the need.
  • They see no harm in failing to act.
  • Therefore, they feel no responsibility.
  • No harm, no foul, no guilt.

II Samuel 11:11

• When you’re not with the Lord’s people, you are missed!
• The harm in failing to do good
  • The danger of idleness, II Samuel 11:2
  • Failure to set a good example, II Samuel 11:4
  • Failure to be grateful, II Samuel 12:7
  • Failure to be content, II Samuel 12:8

II Samuel 11:2

• Where’s the harm?
  • Matthew 5:28 – It’s already harmful!

II Samuel 11:3

• Where’s the harm?
  • Proverbs 4:14-15 – Avoid the harm at the beginning!

II Samuel 11:4 – David commits adultery

• Where’s the harm?

II Samuel 11:5 – Bathsheba is pregnant by David

• Is this the only harm?
• Is it enough to avoid this outcome?
• If we can avoid this, is it okay?

II Samuel 11:6-9

• It’s hard to manage consequences.
• Too much is outside our control!

II Samuel 11:13

• We can’t control other people.

II Samuel 11:14-15 – David conspires to murder Uriah

• Sin takes us places we never imagined we would go.
• We often do evil to avoid trouble, but we only cause more.

II Samuel 11:17

• The harm of sin
  • It comes even if we don’t see it.
  • It comes no matter how hard we try to avoid it.
  • It comes to people we had no intention of harming.

II Samuel 11:26-27

• Does “getting away with it” mean there’s no harm?
• “the thing … displeased the Lord” – The world does not recognize this harm, but it’s the worst.

II Samuel 12:9

• If it is evil in God’s eyes, it really is evil.

II Samuel 12:10

• A moment of pleasure often leads to a lifetime of pain.

II Samuel 12:11

The harm that David could foresee

• David’s character was stained
• A marriage was violated

The harm that David could not foresee

• Joab’s integrity was compromised
• Several innocent men were murdered
• A child lost his life
• David’s family was thrown into turmoil
• Two of his sons would be murdered
• The nation was plunged into civil war

But is this all the harm?

• II Samuel 12:13 – How could God take away sin? Isaiah 53:5
• When you have a chance to commit sin, look to the cross!

Where’s the harm?

• Many reject the morality of the Bible
• They cannot see the harm in what the Bible calls sin
• But we are woefully incapable of making such determinations

Where’s the solution?

• We must follow God’s will.
• It will keep up from true harm.
• He will deliver us from the harm of our sins by bearing them Himself.

Introduction

• Our faith can’t just be a sideshow or a hobby.
• Your faith should make you different!

Kindness

• Being helpful and supportive
• Acting out of sympathy
• Voluntarily answering a need
• Being gentle and forbearing
• Usually not a big sacrifice

Examples of kindness

• Drawing water for a stranger – Genesis 24:18
• Ruth taking care of Naomi – Ruth 3:10
• Recovery of Saul’s body – II Samuel 2:6
• Anointing Jesus – Matthew 26:10
• Helping shipwreck victims – Acts 28:2

The power of kindness

• Kindness is an attribute of God
  • Psalm 100:5
• It is the example of Christ
  • Christ had all power on earth (Acts 10:38) and He used it to show kindness.
• We are called to embrace it
  • Deuteronomy 22:1-2
  • Proverbs 19:22; 31:26
  • Isaiah 58:6-7
  • Micah 6:8
  • Luke 3:11
  • Acts 9:36
  • Galatians 5:22-23
• It has the power to effect good

What does kindness do?

• It draws people together
• It engenders good will
• It shows the better way
• It defeats malice
• It draws us closer to God
• Matthew 5:16; Romans 12:21; Luke 6:35

Conclusion

• Showing kindness to others is central to our faith.
• It bears all the blessings, power, and goodness of God’s spirit.
• It is how we exercise His power.

Parent and child, continued:

Exercise tough love, continued

Ephesians 6:1-4

• Ephesians 6:1 – “for this is right”
  • This should relieve us of any guilt in asking our children to obey.
  • We want to get beyond mere obedience with our children. They need to obey with the proper attitude. We are trying to teach them how to serve God.
• Ephesians 6:2 – “Honor your father and mother”
  • Proverbs 1:8; 19:26
  • Both parents should be respected. Not just one!
• Ephesians 6:4 – “do not provoke your children to anger”
  • Ephesians 5:18
  • This is a not-but passage. Sometimes are children will be angry with us because they don’t like our decisions as parents. The emphasis here is on not causing them to be angry unnecessarily, driving them away from God.
  • Colossians 3:20-21
  • Ephesians 4:26, 31 – Anger itself is not necessarily sinful, but it can get that way if we don’t control it.
• Ephesians 6:4 – “bring them up”
  • This phrase is translated from the same word as “nourished.”
  • If, as a parent, you see something that needs correcting, speak up and do something about it!
  • I Kings 1:5-6 – David had never crossed Adonijah to correct him!