Historical Prologue: The Works of God
We move from the Preamble to the Historical Prologue, where the great suzerain describes his great accomplishments. The purpose of this is to instill a proper motive for the vassal to conform to the covenantal stipulations that follows. In other words, in light of all the major things the great king has achieved in his reign, you should obey his legal requirements. For ancient kings, some examples would be things such as the conquering of enemies, construction projects, even care for the weak within his dominion.
In the case of the Lord God of Scripture, there is no shortage of remarkable feats for Israel to ponder. Perhaps nothing is more powerful than the Exodus from Egypt. This was such a colossal event in the history of God’s people that it is used throughout the Old and New Testaments as the model of redemption (see Echoes of Exodus by my ole pal Bryan Estelle for more details). The Historical Prologue in Deuteronomy—which the Mosaic Covenant renewed with the second generation of Israelites after the Exodus generation—also records how the Lord made a way of salvation through the Red Sea, the Lord’s provision during their wilderness journey, and Israel’s military victory over overwhelmingly powerful foes (Deut 1:5-4:49).
The New Testament records greater acts of redemption by the true Lord of the covenant, Jesus Christ. Central to the gospel message is the death and resurrection of Christ, after which He ascended to be coronated at the right-hand of God the Father. For our sake, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our advocate. It is through the Spirit of God that believers are brought into union with Christ and receive the benefits of redemption; thus, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom 8:1). Although we are called to live a life of suffering now, what waits for us at the return of Christ is our glorification (1 Cor 15:42-49) and a New Heavens and Earth (Isa 65:17; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21-22), where there will be no death and pain. All the blessings that we have are given to us as a gift from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). All the blessings Israel received were also a gift from the Lord of the Covenant. Deuteronomy is a call to remember this simple yet profound truth.
This call to remember the Lord and His great redemptive acts is an outstanding feature of covenants, especially Deuteronomy. For example, Deuteronomy 8:2 states “And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years.” In fact, Israel is encouraged to remember the Lord repeatedly, time and time again (Deut 5:15; 7:18; 8:28; 9:7, 27, 15:15; 16:3; 24:9; 25:17; 32:7). Moses must have been aware of the tendency of his people to forget the Lord. He knows that this will be detrimental to their covenantal wellbeing. For that reason, he persistently warns them to remember; don’t forget. Moses fears that if they do forget, then Israel will say in their heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth” (Deut. 8:17) when in reality it was the Lord who gave it to them graciously (cf. Deut 8:11-16).
There are several things we can learn from this section of Deuteronomy. First, the importance of life-changing theological truths. I stress the “life-changing” because that is what good theology does—it changes the way we look at life and the way we live our lives. My professor, John Frame, even defined theology as life application. Obviously, theological studies involves much more than that, but it definitely must include that. Because of the highly educated background of Asian American, we tend to overly intellectualize theology. It is limited to a cerebral activity with very little to no practical benefit.
A common complaint of young, reformed Asian American pastors is the lack of practicality in their sermons. As an over-reaction, many have turned more to practical words of advice at the expense of clear theological preaching. In some cases, this has resulted in sermons that are devoid of a strong presence of God without changing the essence of the message. It is ironic. You would think that because of the highly educated and intellectual capacity of Asian Americans, theological sermons would be a big hit. In fact, they tend towards sermons that stress the experience of gospel truths. Perhaps, this is an unconscious overreaction to the intellect that is so characteristic of our background and emphasizing the experiential. The two are not mutually exclusive. The challenge for pastors in these communities is to find creative ways to show that the great doctrines of grace in Scriptures can make a difference in our lives AND also to disciple God’s people on how to turn a theologically rich sermon on Sunday into something that can help us on Monday mornings.
A second lesson from the historical prologue is a lesson of humility and grace. The Asian-American community has a plethora of accomplished individuals who have succeeded in so many aspects of life—academically, musically, professionally, socially, monetarily, even athletically. We had extremely high standards placed upon us (perhaps too high), but for many, it only caused us to excel even more. We have graduated from the best colleges with the highest marks, have permeated into Western society in the most prestigious areas of industry, medicine, business, and education. We have shined in every aspect of life. Therefore, it is so tempting for such an ethnic group to not only look down upon others, but to also forget that “it is [the Lord] who gives you power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18).”
I say this with all sincerity, love, and admiration for my fellow Asian-Americans. Indeed, you did work hard, and you have accomplished much. Yes, your diligence has paid-off and you have reached the pinnacle of success. But I wonder—doesn’t the words of Deuteronomy 8:11-18 have a modicum of truth? Shouldn’t humility and grace be the outstanding virtues that define a community that has received so much divine blessing, or instead is “pride our necklace” (Ps 73:6)? Shouldn’t the Lord receive all the glory for providing all our victories and shouldn’t His name be exalted in the highest place instead of ours? Don’t we want the world to know that we as Asian Americans have received much because our God has given us much?
In some degree, it is just as challenging to live a life of faith for receiving tremendous blessings as it is when we endure excruciating hardship. In suffering, we are left with no other alternative but the Lord for our help. In times of blessing and success, however, there is little to remind us of the truth—we need the Lord every moment of every day or we die! Thus, for the successful it is tempting to lose sight of the Lord of all blessings. Deuteronomy reminds us not to do so, not to lose focus, to remember the Lord. Seek first the kingdom of God because He provided all these other things (Matt 6:33).
There is a third lesson, but I will save that for the next section. Deuteronomy’s historical prologue just has too much to fit in one entry!
So, what do you all think?
Redeeming Chillingworth 