Nicholas Piotrowski on Gal. 3:13 and Return from Exile

This is my second post on Piotrowski's book Return from Exile and the Renewal of God's People. The first is here. Piotrowski does a wonderful job of tracing exile themes from the Old Testament to the New. For instance, he interprets the language of "curse" in Gal. 3:13 within its covenantal context of "blessings and curses" that were given as covenantal stipulations. Often I've read Gal. 3:13 and assumed Paul is indicating that Jesus was condemned for us. That might not be wrong, but it isn't the main point. Here's an extended quotations from Piotrowski:

To properly interpret this passage [Gal. 3:10-14], we must recognize that Paul's sources for the ideas of "blessing" and "curse." We say in chapter 4 of this work how Moses promised "blessing" in the land when Israel was faithful (Deut. 28:1-4). But he also threatened a "curse" if Israel was unfaithful (Deut. 27:9-26; 28:15-68). That curse would come in the form of exile--just as Adam and Eve were blessed in the garden and experienced curse outside the garden. In Galatians 3:10, Paul invokes Moses's prediction by quoting Deuteronomy 27:26 (perhaps refracted through Dan. 9:11) to explain the ongoing condition of Israel under the "curse" of exile.

Yet, Moses also promised a restoration from exile (Deut. 30:1-10). Thus, in Galatians 3:13, Paul tells us that Christ provides the solution to this ongoing exile dilemma: he "redeemed us from the curse of the law." This does not refer to the law itself but the exile (still employing the language of Deuteronomy) that comes from "not abid[ing] by all things written in the Book of the Law" (v. 10).

That would be enough, but Paul goes on to add that Jesus accomplished this "by becoming a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13). If "curse" means "exile"--as I have argued throughout this book based on Genesis 3 and Deuteronomy 27-28--then Jesus experienced a personal representative (and therefore substitutionary) exile on behalf of his people. Matt Harmon also concludes, Jesus "takes on himself the curse of exile that Israel (and by extension humanity) deserves for rebellion against God." The result is that through his own representative exile, Jesus can bring blessing (the obverse of exile) to all who have faith like Abraham (Gal. 3:9, 14, 29).

To summarize, the Gospels use many theological categories to describe Jesus's death, so much so that it is impossible to exhaust the meaning of the cross. But for our study--given the way we say the prophets deploy Passover and Day of Atonement language to speak of a new exodus that ends the exile--we have observed that Jesus's death is a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for his people's sins necessary for their release from exile. Another angle on the cross is that Jesus goes into exile on behalf of his people. Sin got Adam and Israel expelled from the presence of God and enjoyment of true life; only Jesus's substitutionary atonement and representative exile can forgive them and bring them back.

Get the book here.

Piotrowski, Nicholas. Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024, p. 156-157 of 250 (ebook).