Deuteronomy 18:9-14: Not of the World

"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. . . .You shall be blameless before the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 18:9, 13

This morning we come to a text rather timely for the chaos we find ourselves in on this fine morning of Wednesday, March 18th, 2020. A week ago, none of us could have imagined what is now a reality. Yet amidst it all, what are Christians to do?

In the text we are looking at today, Moses is once again proclaiming the law to the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy. The Israelites have forsaken the covenant of God by their grumbles and complaints in the wilderness, yet the Lord has not given up on them. Thus, he commands Moses to renew the covenant with this new generation of Israelites that are the children of the rebellious generation. Thus, Moses gives the law again, and in the midst of his second spech about the law, we find life-giving words to our situation today.

In the verses quoted above [that you should go back and read], Moses encourages and even commands the Israelites to "not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations" that they would encounter in their conquest of Canaan. In other words, Moses is advocating here that the people of God not follow the sinful practices of the nations around them. In Moses' context, that looked like forsaking the religious rituals of child sacrifice and witchcraft. However, for us, the principle remains the same, although the exact implications might not.

Now, don't get me wrong, we still should not partake in witchcraft and we certainly shouldn't sacrifice our children. However, the heart of Moses' commandment drives deeper and wider for us today, especially in the crisis of COVID-19. Around us, we find an American culture in panic and even a world in panic. We find our world in fear, our country in turmoil, and even our local communities in disarray. What are we do to? Should we join the panic? Or should we "not learn to follow the abominable practices" of the nation around us?

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this is not a time of great fear--in fact, it is. The world has perhaps never seen such an international impact of pestilence since its very foundations. However, what I would like to propose this morning is a correct response to that fear. Scripture commands us in a myriad of places to fear not ultimately because God is with us. Observe Psalm 23:4 for example:

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Yet, the world around us is raging. The peoples of the nations are filled with fear, so ought we to be as well? If everyone around us is convinced that there is no one in control, why ought we do think God is still on his throne? Well, Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 18:9: "you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations." In other words, we ought not to cave to the panic and fear of the nations around us, because their fear simply isn't legitimate, that is, for those who are in Christ. COVID-19 cannot take God off of his throne, and for those who are in Christ, we have nothing to fear, since the same God who sits on his throne is the same God who has promised to be with us both in life and in death (see Psalm 49:15).

Yet, we must acknowledge the fact that there is legitimate terror and fear in this time for those who are not in Christ. COVID-19 has explicitly led people to ask questions concerning life and death that they have never had to ask before, and such questions are fearful for those who do not know what is going to happen to them on the other side of eternity. Yet, Moses' words still ring true. Amidst other peoples' panic, what would it look like if we, the Church, feared not? What would it look like if Christians around the world took a stand to not tremble in the face of adversity, not be anxious in the presence of pestilence, and not fear when the world gives way? Perhaps it would bring your neighbors to Christ. Perhaps it would bring the nation to Christ. Perhaps it would bring the world to Christ.

So, what are Christians to do in this time of great fear? Answer: the same thing we have always done: be in the world, but not of the world. If we start fearing, panicking, grumbling, complaining, and trembling at the sight of COVID-19 just like the nations around us, where is our witness? Where is our outreach? Where is our proclamation of Christ? Yet what if the Church stood firm in these troubled times and grasped a hold of the promises that we have been claiming for centuries? Church, let us realize this morning that the coronavirus may change our circumstances, it may change our lives, and it may even change our world, but it does not change the character of God. And through it all, that Godly character cries out to us: "You shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. . . .You shall be blameless before the Lord your God." Do not fear, for that is what the nations are doing. Rather, let us stand firm on the promises of God in Christ, that we may be a holy priesthood proclaiming the excellencies of God in Christ (see 1 Peter 2:9).