(232) Feb 22/2016 – This Our Son

Monday Meditation
February 22, 2016
From the desk of A.J. Higgins

This Our Son

“And they shall say unto the elders of his city,
this our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice”
Deut. 21:20

“This is My Beloved Son, hear Him”
Luke 9:35

Deuteronomy 21 contains several reminders of Christ: some are in comparisons and some in contrast. The chapter begins with the man found slain in the field, God’s “murder mystery.” Guilt was apportioned by proximity to the crime and a heifer had to be sacrificed because of the innocent blood that had been shed. The chapter closes with the solemn scene of a man hanging on a tree and being cursed of God. The man was worthy of death due to His sin. So there is in this picture, not only a comparison, but a stark contrast.

But in verses 18-21 of Deuteronomy 21, Christ is brought to our remembrance in complete contrast to the scene depicted. In these verses, there is a son who is characterized as stubborn and rebellious. His guilt is attested to by both parents; his fatal flaw being that he “will not obey the voice of his father.” As a result, he is brought forth before elders in the gate. He is presented to them as judges and, while standing before the representatives of the nation, they declare, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice.”

But we are reminded of another Son. He also was presented to the nation. “This is My Son,” is how the announcement began. But instead of a stubborn and rebellious son, instead of a son who refused to hear, this is a Son in Whom His Father had complete delight. “The Beloved, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17) was the declaration.

His ear was opened to hear (Isa 50:4). Into that ear was poured the will of God and the work God had sent Him to do. And He was not rebellious or stubborn. “I was not rebellious neither turned away back” (v 5). There was neither reluctance, rebellion, nor retreat from the will of God. He actually gave His back to those who beat Him and His face to those who pummeled Him and sought to humiliate Him by ripping off His beard.

The stubborn and rebellious son was stoned to death in Deuteronomy 21. He was beyond any hope of recovery due to his attitude to the word of his parents. This perfect Son, in contrast, suffered the shame of the man worthy of death at the close of the chapter – He was hung on a tree. The greatest shame was the portion of the greatest Son.

Consider:

1. In the beginning of the chapter, do you see Christ in both the man found slain and in the heifer that was sacrificed?

2. Can you find other links between Deuteronomy 21 and Isaiah 50?

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