Holiness of the Mosaic Covenant
26: 1-46
Blessing and curse formulas seem to have been a common feature in Ancient Near Eastern covenants (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Ah – Treaty of the Great King). They were a way of guaranteeing that both parties would abide by the terms and conditions. After all, no one would willingly agree to be disciplined for breach of contract unless he intended to honor the contract.
National level of Blessings and Discipline: The Blessings and discipline of the Torah generally speak to the national level. When Isra’el on the whole will observe the mitzvot of the Torah, she will reap the benefit of blessings. However, when she on the whole turns away from the mitzvot of the Torah, she will suffer the consequences. Within the Torah there are two principle passages that speak of this. One is the extended passage in Deuteronomy 28, and the other is here in Leviticus 26. The Leviticus passage was given to the Exodus generation, and the word used here is yasar, meaning discipline. While the Deuteronomy passage was given to their children after all their parents had died in the wilderness for their unbelief. After affirming that ADONAI was their God, that they would walk in His ways, keep His Torah, and listen to his voice (see Deuteronomy Ez – Statutes, Mitzvot, and Ordinances), Ha’Shem warned them the second generation that the curses (Hebrew: arar) of the covenant would fall on them if they rebelled as their parents had done (see Deuteronomy Ff – Curses for Disobedience).
Redeemed from the curse of the Torah: It is tempting to suppose that all of the curses of the Torah have been removed in Messiah. It is common teaching, based on Galatians that Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah (Galatians 3:13). This seems to indicate that the Torah has “lost its teeth,” so to speak. The common thought is that in Messiah, the curses are removed, but the blessings remain. But is this really true?
On closer examination, it becomes obvious that the curse of the Torah spoken of in Galatians 3:13 is not the curses for disobedience listed out in Leviticus 26 or Deuteronomy 28. Instead, the curse of the Torah is death – not mortal death – but eternal separation from YHVH. According to Paul, the final curse of the Torah is condemnation in the eternal court of judgment (see the commentary on Galatians Bk – Cursed is Everyone Who Hangs on a Tree). Elsewhere, he points out that the Torah brings about wrath (Romans 4:15). It does so because it defines sin. He said: Now the Torah came in so that transgression (meaning choose to sin, to intentionally and willfully disobey) might increase (Romans 5:20). In other words, one of the functions of the Torah is that we would be made more aware of our sin. In fact, Paul identified the Torah as the ministry of condemnation (Second Corinthians 3:9). When Paul spoke of the curse of the Torah here in Galatians 3:13, he referred to the Torah’s condemnation of sin. It is the condemnation from which we have been redeemed. It is the condition which has been nailed to His cross.
In one of his most often misunderstood passages, the apostle Paul speaks of a written document of condemnation which is nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Too often this document is misinterpreted as the Torah. It is not at all uncommon for well-meaning brothers and sisters to triumphantly declare that Messiah nailed the Torah to the cross. God forbid! Some translations encourage this kind of interpretation by translating the thing nailed to the cross as “the written code,” a term which seems to imply “a law code,” namely the Torah. However, it is not the Torah which has been nailed to the cross. It is the written verdict of condemnation, like the type delivered by a Roman court of law. Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Colossians 3:13 NASB).
The certificate of debt which has been taken out of the way and nailed to the cross is condemnation. And condemnation (i.e. death) is the ultimate curse of the Torah. It is the curse which Messiah took upon Himself when He became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Therefore, it is incorrect to suppose that there are no longer any consequences for sin. The Torah is our blueprint for living. The closer we obey Torah the more we will be blessed. But the more we disobey Torah the more will suffer the consequences of our sin.523
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