WHAT TYPE OF DEATH IN DEUT 28?

July 3, 2019

READING TIME: 1 MINUTE

“Dave, in Deuteronomy 28, is Moses referring to physical or eternal death?”

At the end of the Torah, two key passages explain that if Israel obeys the law, they will enjoy blessing in the land (Lev 26:11-13; Deut 28:1-14) and that disobedience will lead to suffering and death (Lev 26:14-45; Deut 28:15-68). Neither passage is addressing eternal life or eternal death, but the experience of a rich life or death-like existence in the present time. The law, or Torah, was not a means of justification for Israel, but if obeyed by faith, it was the means of spiritual growth, i.e., experiential sanctification. Life in Deuteronomy is the common term for the experience of God’s blessing on Israel in the Promised Land (Deut 4:1; 5:32-33; 8:1; 16:20; 30:6, 15-20). Moses does not use the term life to refer to a future eternal life.

Source Used

Hawley. Grant, editor. 21 Tough Questions about Grace. Bold Grace.