God says, “If a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree but you shall bury him the same day for a hanged man is cursed by God.”
– Deuteronomy 21:22–23
It’s cursed to be hung on a tree. That’s what happens for a crime punishable by death, according to Old Testament law at that point. Now Galatians 3:13. 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. Paul in the book of Galatians is talking about the gospel, but the good news of Jesus dying on a cross and in Galatians chapter 3, he quotes from Deuteronomy 21:22–23 saying, “Remember the Old Testament law, what God said, ‘A hanged man is cursed by God?'”
And the picture here in Galatians chapter 3, Paul is saying, “Jesus endured the curse of sin. He experienced the punishment of death.” Why? So that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law. Are you hearing this? This is good news all over again today when he died. Meditate on the gospel day in and day out all day long and this is that moment today, when you are reminded, when I am reminded that we have been redeemed, we have been made new. We have been blessed by God. We have been restored to a relationship with God. How? By Jesus’ death on the cross, because he took the curse we deserve upon himself. He was cursed. Was hung on a tree. He was hung on a cross so that you and I might have life.
This Verse Praises God For Taking Our Curses
And so we pray today, Jesus all glory and honor and praise and thanksgiving be to you in your name for you took our curse upon yourself. Jesus, we praise you as our substitute who died on the cross that we might be redeemed. That we might be made new, that we might be new creations, that we might have a relationship with you, that we might know you and walk with you and worship you and enjoy you. O God, forever and ever and ever. Jesus, we praise you for becoming a curse for us, that you might redeem us from the curse of the law. We praise you for taking our curse upon yourself so that we might be saved. Above all God, we pray that you would help us to share this good news with somebody today.
Deuteronomy 21:22–23 Prays For The Karata People
God help us to open our mouths and speak by the power of your Holy Spirit to somebody else about the good news of the one who has paid the price for sin, for all who trust in him. So God, we pray asking you to help us to spread this good news around us and around the world. God, for the Karata people in Russia, in the Dagestan region in those Caucasus Mountains. So God, we pray for this remote people group where none of them, as far as we know, have ever heard the good news of Jesus dying on the cross for sinners.
God we know, we know you said it in Revelation chapter 5:9–10. Jesus, you died on the cross to purchase, to redeem people from every nation, from every tribe from every tongue. From the Karata people, God make your glory known among them. Make the name of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the redemption of Jesus known among the Karata people of Russia.
God, we pray you would make the redemption of Jesus known among all the nations of the earth and we pray that you would use our lives as long as we have breath making the good news of your redemption known. Of the one who took the curse upon himself so that we might be saved. The name of Jesus known. Right around us, far from us, help us to make disciples of all the nations. So we pray with this good news. In Jesus’ name, the name of the one who took our curse upon himself. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
