Welcome to the Matrix: The choice that Matters
I've never been a real fan of sci-fi movies. If they don't have some degree of plausibility to them it is difficult for me to engage with any real interest. There was one notable exception. It was the sci-filler thriller turned instant classic, the Matrix. I can't decide if It was Ne-Yo's glasses or his leather overcoat, or the groundbreaking special effects, or the mind bending altering of what was real or imagined; but whatever it was, it had viewers spell-bound instantly.
In The Matrix, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill by rebel leader Morpheus. The red pill represented an uncertain future—it would free him from the enslaving control of the machine-generated dream world and allow him to escape into the real world, but living the "truth of reality" is harsher and more difficult. On the other hand, the blue pill represented a beautiful prison—it would lead him back to ignorance, living in confined comfort without want or fear within the simulated reality of the Matrix. As Morpheus said, "You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth."
The choice was momentous and not unlike the choice given by Moses to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30. In these chapters, Moses outlines for them a choice that will affect their destiny and the destiny of their children and the ramifications of that decision will span the course of the Old Testament. There comes a point in our lives where we have to make momentous choices as well. And as my friend Jamey Ragle says, "the decisions we make today are the realities we live with tomorrow."
Highlight:
'I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”' Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Explain:
Can you imagine the conviction Moses must have had in saying these words? This was Moses’ swan song, his farewell address to a people He had given to leading. He had walked every step of this journey with them up to the very edge of their destiny and now as he passes from the scene with all the vigor in the heart of man who had so much invested in their lives, Moses pleads with them. With tremendous clarity and concision Moses outlines for them, what they need to do to succeed in achieving that for which God had called them out of Egypt. The chapter begins with forgiveness. Moses knows they will wander from the way, he knows they will give their hearts to other gods. God tells him as much as he enters the tent of meeting one last time. For indeed that is exactly what they do. Judges 2:12 reads, “and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord.”
And yet even still the choice is before them. He clearly outlines for them the consequences of rebellion and the blessings of obedience. See for this people, the issue is not, can they possess the land, the issue is do they believe they can possess the land. Moses has preached to them over and over to be strong and courageous, to trust the Lord, to obey His commands (which is the demonstration of that trust). As he ends his life, Moses now leaves them to it. He says basically here it is, life and death, you choose. Then He begs them, “choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” Who in their right mind wouldn’t choose life? Stiff-necked people who want their own way and would rather flounder in independence than succeed in obedience.
Interestingly enough, Moses composes a song, at the Lord’s command that teaches them this and stands as a testimony taught to their children against them. He does this in view of the forgiveness and compassion that God extends at the beginning of Deuteronomy 30. Those verses read, '“When all these things happen to you — the blessings and curses I have set before you — and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am commanding you today, then he will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there. The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your fathers. The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. ' Deuteronomy 30:1-6
When I think about these verses, I am reminded of the revival of sorts that occurs in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah regarding the word of God. They had been in Babylon precisely because of the reasons Moses outlined. God, true to His word, led them into captivity because of their idolatry. Then their hearts turned to God and they were brought back to the land, the word of God was read in the ears of the people and revival broke out as the people confessed their sin to God even divorcing the wives of their idolatry. And as their hearts turned again to their fathers (the words spoken by the prophet Malachi) the stage was set for the One who would come and indeed circumcise their hearts and cause them to love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul and indeed live. This was the One who declared as much in Matthew 22. Thanks be to God the Father who saw all of this in view before it happened. Who recognized it all from the beginning, their stubbornness, their rebellion, their sinfulness, their captivity, their return, their forgiveness, their revival, their Savior (and ours)!
Apply:
There are several momentous truths to uncover here.
We learn something of the nature of God in these chapters. These people are offered a choice, a choice that God in His sovereignty already knows. He knows that they are going to fall away, He tells Moses as much, but it does not negate the choice they will make or the consequences of that choice. God instead uses that choice to accomplish HIs purposes through all the Old Testament. They are still responsible for the choice that they made for it was indeed theirs to make, and yet God already knew and God was already accomplishing His plans through their making of that choice. So many people get caught up in does God ordain our choices or do we make them? Well according to Deuteronomy 30 the answer is yes. We have a choice between life and death through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are responsible for that choice. The consequences of rebellion and the blessings of obedience are outlined before us. We choose which one we will do and yet God knows exactly what choice that will be in each of us, it doesn’t negate our choosing or the consequences of that choice, but God is nonetheless knowing of each choice made.
God will accomplish His plan. This nation’s previous generation would not accomplish what God had in mind to possess the land because of their fear, but God’s plan would not be thwarted by their disobedience, they merely forfeited their opportunity to be a part of that plan. God’s plans were not thwarted by this people disobedience after possessing the land either. Even though they would possess the land, they would turn from following the Lord, but that didn’t stop Gods plan. In reality it was accomplishing it. As noted earlier, God would use their rebellion and the consequences of it, to bring this people back to the land, back to the word of God and set the stage for the final fulfillment of God’s plan through Jesus Christ. He would be the One who would ultimately fulfill the righteousness that this people could not accomplish. They were hopeless to obey all of the laws of God, their rebellion would not let them and yet all of it set the stage for the One who would come to be their righteousness to fulfill all of the law completely, to circumcise their hearts (to cut away what was unclean) and to turn their hearts to loving the Lord and ultimately to bring them life. Which is exactly what was promised when they obeyed. God turned their choice of death into life for them by choosing death Himself to give them life. What an incredible picture of the gospel and of God’s plan for mankind.
The power of song. Moses composes this song and it teaches us the importance of theology in worship. This song taught and instructed their children. Music has always had a teaching component, our words matter in songs. They teach us depth of theology that instructs and informs our children. We need to embrace songs that culturally are appealing to the next generation (for that is indeed what they are for) but we also need songs that teach Biblical Theology. Depth of truth that inform us of who God is and instruct us in the ways of righteousness and our children. This song did both. It was a song that their children would embrace but it also taught them theologically truths they would need to turn again in repentance to God. Our music must do the same, it must couple engagement of a new generation with a depth of theology that instructs their hearts long after we are gone. Both are critically important and both matter immensely.
Response:
How do we respond to such truth! God You are a God that sees all that is in front of us. You know our future and yet we are still responsible for it. Thank You that You go ahead of us into the land of promise to fight our battles. Thank You that already know the depths of our hearts and have made provision to correct and instruct us. Thank You for the gospel that rescues us from our stiff-necked rebellion. Help us to walk into the land of promise wisely, help us to navigate in faith what our forefathers forfeited in fear. Help us to walk uprightly before You and choose life so that we and our children may life. Help us to respond in worship that is both appealing and beautiful and also theologically instructive. What glorious truths to immerse ourselves in today!
