Deuteronomy - A Curse for Us

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy is a collection of three of Moses' sermons, giving a summary of the history, laws, and covenant of Exodus through Numbers. Jesus is seen in this book as the fulfilment of the law, as the city of refuge which the lawbreaker may flee to for salvation, and in the festivals which point towards atonement with God.

Jesus is most prevalent in Deuteronomy in regards to the blessings derived from keeping the law and the curses which are wrought by breaking the law, whereby he kept the law perfectly and yet faced the curse of lawlessness. Deuteronomy is especially concerned with the consequences of sin and the justice of God. A cursory look at Deuteronomy will crush the sinner under his sin and the enmity that is put between him and God for his transgression, indeed every person who reads Deuteronomy should see that he is under great condemnation for his sins against Heaven.

Jesus Christ came to see that his people will be blessed by obedience, not their obedience, but by his obedience. "The law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them.' 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." – Galatians 3:12-14 (Deuteronomy 21:23)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21