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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 36, SEPTEMBER 9, 2007 OUR WITNESS IN COURT The book of Deuteronomy records Moses’ sermon to the second generation of Israelites who had come out of the Egyptian bondage. All of that first generation had perished in the wilderness, save Joshua and Caleb. As Moses addressed the people on the plains of Moab, he pointed out the lessons that they should learn from the recent mistakes of their parents. At the close of his sermon Moses reiterates many of the tenets of the Law that had been delivered at Sinai in Exodus 20. In fact, Deuteronomy means “second law” and is named such since it constitutes the second delivery of the law to Israel, a necessary venture inasmuch as a new generation had arisen who needed to commit themselves to the Lord’s covenant. It is interesting that, as Moses concludes his delivery of the Law to Israel, he calls witnesses to their covenant. Yet the witnesses he calls are unexpected. He says in Deut. 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” God called nature itself to witness His faithfulness toward His people, as well as to witness the people’s obligation to His covenant. These witnesses were not to be taken lightly. In fact, years later, when Israel forsook the covenant, the Lord sent His prophets to declare to the people their breach of covenant. Often in their denunciations of the people, the mountains that had been witnesses to the covenant and had become the sites of the people’s idolatrous practices were called to testify against them, “Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel” (Micah 6:1). The New Testament warns us in a similar way that we may be surprised at the witnesses that may be called to testify to our character on the Day of Judgment. Consider some of the surprise character witnesses of which the Bible speaks. Your material possessions bear witness to your lifestyle. The dusty exercise bike in your garage says something about your lifestyle. So do the slick set of golf clubs and the bass boat in the driveway. Our possessions may stand up in the judgment and say things to justify or to indict us depending upon our use of them. Consider James’ admonition, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:1-3). In Mark 6:10-11, Jesus speaks of another possible witness at the judgment day, “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide til ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.” The dusty, weathered doormat bears testimony to the visitors you have had. It will testify to the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace whom you turned away. On the other hand, it may testify to the strangers you have entertained or to the needy to whom you have ministered. Various characters of the Bible may also bear witness concerning you. The Queen of Sheba may condemn you because you had so little interest in learning of One greater than Solomon (Luke 11:31). The men of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah will stand at the judgment day and testify against those who failed to repent (Luke 11:32). Perhaps those Galileans and the eighteen slain by the tower of Siloam will condemn some men who should have learned from their misfortune the need for urgency in responding to the gospel (Luke 13:2-5). Some surprise witnesses might show up at the judgment. It may be that the sin you have covered up or performed in secret will be declared openly. “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3). Slander, curses, dissension that has been spread in confidence will be made known. It is healthy for us to contemplate the judgment day. In fact, it is imperative! When we do so it forces us to think about where our treasure is, to look beyond the temporary and to think about the eternal, to examine our hearts and our motives, to measure our standing before God before the final evaluation comes.
Jason Moore The Southside Reminder
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