There are two reasons why Israel will gain the land. The first is a negative reason. The Lord says, "Not because of your righteousness will you possess the land." The second is that the Lord loved the fathers and swore to them to give them the land. And so, we learn the reason that Israel would gain their inheritance. Fist of all we have the reason. Secondly, there is a resulting duty which we read in Deuteronomy 10:12: they are to fear the Lord, to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him with everything that is in them. But this is a response--not the reason--for their getting into the land. And so Moses calls them to make a critical choice. That critical choice comes in terms of the covenant that God has made with them. They are to obey the voice of the Lord as written in the Book of the Law. Moses says, "I have set before you life and death. Choose life by loving the Lord, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him." This is a response to God's getting them into the land and the response that is appropriate to the exercise of God's great power. This is the same case for the believer and heaven and the new heavens and the new earth. It is not because of our righteousness that we will enter heaven. God's great power has been exercised on our behalf and we must trust Him, believe in His provision and love His with all our hearts. As He prepares us for His presence, we are called to consecrate ourselves to Him. But it is not by our righteousness. |
