Deuteronomy Chapter 21
In our devotion today, I’d like to take a look at the final two verses of Deuteronomy 21:
“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
At the time this was spoken, nobody thought that hanging on the tree was the very curse to be suffered by the Prophet that God had promised to send–Jesus.
Why did He become accursed? The New Testament reveals the reason:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:13-14)
(Notice how this verse here quotes from Deuteronomy 21?)
Jesus Christ was crucified for you and me. Crucifixion is essentially being hung on a tree—two pieces of wood in the shape of a cross.
Having heard the good news of the gospel for so long, we take this mode of death for granted, as if He could not have chosen any other way to die for us.
But God had planned this so that Jesus would die this very form of death. Then He would become this curse, of being hanged on a tree, and redeem you and me from the curse of the law.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (Gal 3:10)
Not keeping God’s commandments in the law makes us cursed. In essence, the law was based on works. Works that we failed to do in our weaknesses.
And so we who were cursed under the law were sold to sin to become its slave.
This is where Jesus comes in: redeeming us by purchasing us with His blood.
Here is a beautiful truth. The curse Jesus bore, along with our sins, have given us the privilege to become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). Whether we are Jews or Gentiles.
A second beautiful truth.
And another: Jesus redeemed us to grant us a beautiful, divine experience with Him: receiving the promised Spirit through faith. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption. He bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Jesus redeems us so we can receive the adoption as sons (Gal 3:14; Rom 8:15-17; Gal 4:5).
From being under the curse of the law, to being a child of God. Because Jesus, becoming a curse for us, redeemed us.
It amazes me how intricate and yet perfect the salvation plan of God is for you and me. It is such a simple truth. Do we believe?
Any stony stubbornness in our hearts, any resistance to God’s call, any voids we fill with the vanities of this world…
May God’s love melt these all away.
