Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 33 The Blessing

1-5 “Moses, man of God, blessed the People of Israel with this blessing before his death. He said, God came down from Sinai, He dawned from Seir upon them; He radiated light from Mount Paran, coming with ten thousand holy angels and tongues of fire streaming from his right hand. Oh, how you love the people, all his holy ones are palmed in your left hand. They sit at your feet, honoring your teaching, the Revelation commanded by Moses, as the assembly of Jacob’s inheritance. Thus, God became king in Jeshurun as the leaders and tribes of Israel gathered.”

The Israelites are gathered and now God is moving Moses to pass on blessings that are also prophecies over the various tribes. To understand some of these prophecies, go back to the descriptions of Jacob’s sons in Genesis.

6 Reuben: “Let Reuben live and not die, but just barely, in diminishing numbers.”  Reuben was not a virtuous man at all. Sadly, Reuben’s sin has left a spiritual stain on his descendants. This prophecy reflects that reality.

7 Judah: “Listen, God, to the Voice of Judah, bring him to his people; strengthen his grip, be his helper against his foes.” Although other tribes receive wonderful prophecies, Judah will wind up being the tribe of kingship. Along with Benjamin, Judah will eventually form the Southern Kingdom. While the ten tribes comprising the Northern Kingdom will be annihilated or carried off by the Assyrians, Judah and Benjamin will be conquered by the Babylonians. The prophet Daniel is one of those exiles. It is Jews from Judah and Benjamin who will return from Babylon to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

8-11 Levi: “Let your Thummim and Urim belong to your loyal saint; the one you tested at Massah, whom you fought with at the Waters of Meribah, who said of his father and mother,
‘I no longer recognize them.’ He turned his back on his brothers and neglected his children, because he was guarding your sayings and watching over your Covenant. Let him teach your rules to Jacob and your Revelation to Israel, let him keep the incense rising to your nostrils
and the Whole-Burnt-Offerings on your Altar. God bless his commitment, stamp your seal of approval on what he does; disable the loins of those who defy him, make sure we’ve heard the last from those who hate him.”

The Levites distinguished themselves several times, first at the time of the golden calf incident, when they slaughtered those indulging in orgies. The Levites had no regard for their relatives, but fulfilled God’s commands.

12 Benjamin: “God’s beloved; God’s permanent residence. Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home.” Benjamin was Rachel’s second son and a favorite of his father Jacob.

13-17 Joseph: “Blessed by God be his land: The best fresh dew from high heaven, and fountains springing from the depths; the best radiance streaming from the sun and the best the moon has to offer; beauty pouring off the tops of the mountains and the best from the everlasting hills; the best of Earth’s exuberant gifts, the smile of the Burning-Bush Dweller. All this on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the set-apart one among his brothers. In splendor he’s like a firstborn bull, his horns the horns of a wild ox; He’ll gore the nations with those horns, push them all to the ends of the Earth. Ephraim by the ten thousands will do this, Manasseh by the thousands will do this.”

When Jacob was blessing Joseph’s sons, he blessed Ephraim more extravagantly than he did Manasseh. That favoritism persists. Eventually Ephraim and Manasseh will become part of the Northern Kingdom, be destroyed by Assyria, and disappear. But before that happens, there will be centuries marked by God’s favor.

18-19 Zebulun and Issachar: “Celebrate, Zebulun, as you go out, and Issachar, as you stay home. They’ll invite people to the Mountain and offer sacrifices of right worship, for they will have hauled riches in from the sea and gleaned treasures from the beaches.” These tribes will eventually settle on the seacoast, enjoying the blessings of that location.

20-21 Gad: “Blessed is he who makes Gad large. Gad roams like a lion, tears off an arm, rips open a skull. He took one look and grabbed the best place for himself, the portion just made for someone in charge. He took his place at the head, carried out God’s right ways and his rules for life in Israel.” Gad continues to follow the patterns described in this blessing.

22 Dan: “Dan is a lion’s cub leaping out of Bashan.” The tribe of Dan will wind up in the northeast part of the country near Bashan. Sadly, Dan will also become a center of Jeroboam’s fake religion that he sets up to prevent his people from traveling to Jerusalem for worship.

23 Naphtali: “Naphtali brims with blessings, spills over with God’s blessings as he takes possession of the sea and southland.”  This blessing says it all.

24-25 Asher: “Asher, best blessed of the sons! May he be the favorite of his brothers, his feet massaged in oil. Safe behind iron-clad doors and gates, your strength like iron as long as you live.” Asher receives a wonderful blessing, one that many of us would like to claim for ourselves.

* * *

26-28 There is none like God, Jeshurun, riding to your rescue through the skies, his dignity haloed by clouds. The ancient God is home on a foundation of everlasting arms. (Other translations read: The Eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.) He drove out the enemy before you and commanded, “Destroy!” Israel lived securely,
the fountain of Jacob undisturbed in grain and wine country and, oh yes, his heavens drip dew.

29 Lucky Israel! Who has it as good as you? A people saved by God! The Shield who defends you, the Sword who brings triumph. Your enemies will come crawling on their bellies and you’ll march on their backs.

If you make it to Jerusalem, do your best to visit Hadassah Hospital to see the Marc Chagall stained glass windows depicting the blessings upon each of the tribes. These luminous creations closely follow the verses above.

This chapter of Deuteronomy is one of my favorites, particularly Deuteronomy 33:27. Although I have used The Message for the Bible study, I am actually fondest of the quote in this image. Throughout our lives, we have faced enormous challenges-tribal war, deaths of parents and siblings, upheavals in supporting churches, turnover in personnel at the various hospitals where we have served. And throughout all those struggles, the eternal God has remained our refuge, and those everlasting arms have continued to hold us-and will hold us-for all eternity.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we praise You for Your love, Your mercy, Your grace, and Your protection. May all who read these words put their trust in You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32:26-52 The Song of Moses Continued God continues to describe the results of Israel’s sins

26-27 I could have said, “I’ll hack them to pieces, wipe out all trace of them from the Earth,”
Except that I feared the enemy would grab the chance to take credit for all of it, crowing, “Look what we did! God had nothing to do with this.”

Remember that when the Israelites created the golden calf, likely a copy of the Egyptian goddess Hathor, God told Moses He would wipe out the Israelites and use Moses to start a new nation. Moses then reminded God that if God wiped out the Israelites, other nations would claim God wasn’t powerful enough to take care of the Israelites and that was why He wiped them out. God relented because of Moses’ pleas. God doesn’t want anyone else taking credit for His work.

28-33 They are a nation of idiots, they don’t know enough to come in out of the rain. If they had any sense at all, they’d know this; they would see what’s coming down the road. How could one soldier chase a thousand enemies off, or two men run off two thousand, unless their Rock had sold them, unless God had given them away? For their rock is nothing compared to our Rock; even our enemies say that. They’re a vine that comes right out of Sodom, who they are is rooted in Gomorrah; their grapes are poison grapes, their grape-clusters bitter. Their wine is rattlesnake venom, mixed with lethal cobra poison.

The amazing thing is that frequently, the enemies of the Israelites have feared God more than the Israelites did. 1 Samuel 4:6-9 tells about the respect of the Philistines for God. “Then they learned that the Chest of God had entered the Hebrew camp. The Philistines panicked: “Their gods have come to their camp! Nothing like this has ever happened before. We’re done for! Who can save us from the clutches of these supergods? These are the same gods who hit the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues out in the wilderness. On your feet, Philistines! Courage! We’re about to become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they have been slaves to us. Show what you’re made of! Fight for your lives!”

34-35 Don’t you realize that I have my shelves well stocked, locked behind iron doors? I’m in charge of vengeance and payback, just waiting for them to slip up; and the day of their doom is just around the corner, sudden and swift and sure.

36-38 Yes, God will judge his people, but oh how compassionately he’ll do it. When he sees their weakened plight and there is no one left, slave or free, He’ll say, “So where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge, the gods who feasted on the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink-offerings? Let them show their stuff and help you, let them give you a hand!

39-42 “Do you see it now? Do you see that I’m the one? Do you see that there’s no other god beside me? I bring death and I give life, I wound and I heal—there is no getting away from or around me! I raise my hand in solemn oath; I say, ‘I’m always around. By that very life I promise: When I sharpen my lightning sword and execute judgment, I take vengeance on my enemies and pay back those who hate me. I’ll make my arrows drunk with blood, my sword will gorge itself on flesh, feasting on slain and captive alike, the proud and vain enemy corpses.’”

43 Celebrate, nations, join the praise of his people. He avenges the deaths of his servants, pays back his enemies with vengeance, and cleanses his land for his people.

God ends this song by reminding Israel of His greatness and His watchcare for them. Why shouldn’t the Israelites be faithful to such a great God?

44-47 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua son of Nun. When Moses had finished saying all these words to all Israel, he said, “Take to heart all these words to which I give witness today and urgently command your children to put them into practice, every single word of this Revelation. Yes. This is no small matter for you; it’s your life. In keeping this word you’ll have a good and long life in this land that you’re crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Hmm. Notice that Moses AND Joshua recite the words of this song. Moses wants to make sure Joshua knows this song thoroughly, because he’s going to need it. And now it’s nearly time for Moses to die.

48-50 That same day God spoke to Moses: “Climb the Abarim Mountains to Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, overlooking Jericho, and view the land of Canaan that I’m giving the People of Israel to have and hold. Die on the mountain that you climb and join your people in the ground, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his people.

51-52 “This is because you broke faith with me in the company of the People of Israel at the Waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin—you didn’t honor my Holy Presence in the company of the People of Israel. You’ll look at the land spread out before you but you won’t enter it, this land that I am giving to the People of Israel.”

Reading these verses, we’re tempted to beg God, “But God, this is MOSES, THE FAITHFUL, THE PROPHET WHO HAS LED YOUR PEOPLE FOR FORTY YEARS. CAN’T YOU JUST FORGIVE HIM FOR ONE TINY MISTAKE?” But no. God is merciful but He is also just. God must deal with Moses justly because from now until the end of time there will be other leaders who will be tempted to compromise. If God gives Moses a free pass now, untold numbers of other believers will also demand the same free pass. Moses rebelled and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Much as God loves Moses, He must deal justly for the sake of all future believers.

God’s refusal to allow Moses to enter the Promised Land stands as a warning for all of us. No matter how much God loves us, we must remain obedient at all times without whining or complaining. For the remainder of Moses’ life, he will beg God to be allowed to enter the Promised Land; however, he will not complain when God refuses.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to obey You in all things, knowing that You are good and loving but also merciful and just. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 32 The Song of Moses

 1-5 Listen, Heavens, I have something to tell you. Attention, Earth, I’ve got a mouth full of words.
My teaching, let it fall like a gentle rain, my words arrive like morning dew, like a sprinkling rain on new grass, like spring showers on the garden. For it’s God’s Name I’m preaching—respond to the greatness of our God! The Rock: His works are perfect, and the way he works is fair and just; a God you can depend upon, no exceptions, a straight-arrow God. His messed-up, mixed-up children, his non-children, throw mud at him but none of it sticks.

6-7 Don’t you realize it is God you are treating like this? This is crazy; don’t you have any sense of reverence? Isn’t this your father who created you, who made you and gave you a place on Earth? Read up on what happened before you were born; dig into the past, understand your roots. Ask your parents what it was like before you were born; ask the old-ones, they’ll tell you a thing or two.

8-9 When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on Earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians. But God himself took charge of his people, took Jacob on as his personal concern.

10-14 He found him out in the wilderness, in an empty, windswept wasteland. He threw his arms around him, lavished attention on him, guarding him as the apple (the pupil) of his eye. He was like an eagle hovering over its nest, overshadowing its young, then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air, teaching them to fly. God alone led him; there was not a foreign god in sight. God lifted him onto the hilltops, so he could feast on the crops in the fields. He fed him honey from the rock, oil from granite crags, curds of cattle and the milk of sheep, the choice cuts of lambs and goats, fine Bashan rams, high-quality wheat, and the blood of grapes: you drank good wine!”

In this song, God reminds the Israelites that they began with virtually nothing and He has been the One who has prospered them and protected them. God has pampered the Israelites, even though they don’t realize it.

15-18 “Jeshurun put on weight and bucked; you got fat, became obese, a tub of lard. He abandoned the God who made him, he mocked the Rock of his salvation. They made him jealous with their foreign trendy gods, and with obscenities they vexed him no end. They sacrificed to no-god demons, gods they knew nothing about, the latest in gods, fresh from the market, gods your ancestors would never call “gods.” You walked out on the Rock who gave you your life, forgot the birth-God who brought you into the world.”

God knows that once the Israelites enter the Promised Land, many will immediately abandon His worship to follow demons instead. After all, the One True Living God doesn’t want His people making any images of Him; meanwhile, the idolaters have all kinds of little gods they can carry with them, so they can make ritual sacrifices, hopefully to get what they want without giving up any bad behavior. Those who worship idols feel that they can control the idol. The One True Living God, the Creator of the Universe, is all-powerful and cannot be controlled or manipulated but only worshiped, adored, and obeyed. What’s the fun in obedience?

19-25 God saw it and spun around, angered and hurt by his sons and daughters. He said, “From now on I’m looking the other way. Wait and see what happens to them. Oh, they’re a turned-around, upside-down generation! Who knows what they’ll do from one moment to the next? They’ve goaded me with their no-gods, infuriated me with their hot-air gods; I’m going to goad them with a no-people, with a hollow nation incense them. My anger started a fire,
a wildfire burning deep down in Sheol, then shooting up and devouring the Earth and its crops, setting all the mountains, from bottom to top, on fire. I’ll pile catastrophes on them, I’ll shoot my arrows at them: Starvation, blistering heat, killing disease; I’ll send snarling wild animals to attack from the forest and venomous creatures to strike from the dust. Killing in the streets, terror in the houses, young men and virgins alike struck down, and yes, breast-feeding babies and gray-haired old men.”

These verses are half of the Song of Moses, but where is this song coming from and why is it so negative? God has commanded Moses to teach this song to the Israelites as a witness against them. In turn, the Israelites are supposed to teach succeeding generations so that when they mess up and wind up in exile, they cannot blame God for not having warned them. You might ask, “What loving parent would do such a thing?” But you would be wrong, for subsequently, God will send generation upon generation of prophets to both the Northern and Southern Kingdom to warn them and to beg them to turn back to Him. God knows the end from the beginning, and God knows that even while the huge group of Israelites are standing there, allegedly making covenant, many in the crowd are faking it. After all, those Canaanite fertility rites look pretty enticing. Surely God doesn’t REALLY know human hearts….does He?

Tragically, God knows exactly what is in the hearts of each one of those listening to Moses. God knows those who will faithfully teach this song to their children and grandchildren and succeeding generations. God knows that some of those families will remain faithful to Him throughout exile in Babylon, return to Israel, and subsequent wanderings throughout the world. God knows that the descendants of the righteous will still be repeating the Shemaa as they march to the gas chambers at Auschwitz or flee to America or Israel after World War II. God knows those who remain faithful throughout the course of time. God also knows those who will totally ignore Him, assuming that they can coast along on the obedience of others in a kind of spiritual herd immunity, although that expression does not exist at the time of Moses.

What is herd immunity? Herd immunity is defined as “resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population that is based on pre-existing immunity of a high proportion of individuals as a result of previous infection or vaccination: “the level of vaccination needed to achieve herd immunity varies by disease but ranges from 83 to 94 percent.”

Throughout the world, there are many who refuse to follow God and to obey Him themselves but who hope that others in their country will do so. These same people also hope that the virtuous actions of others will preserve their country so that they can continue to pursue their own selfish interests. But these individuals fail to understand the Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told his disciples, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Later on, Saint Paul will tell the Galatians, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7)

You might read the Song of Moses and think, “Well, that was merely for the Israelites.” WRONG!!! ABSOLUTELY WRONG!!!! Please read Luke 6:38 and Galatians 6:7 again. God is eternal and does not change. In Numbers 23:19, God tells the pagan prophet Balaam, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”  

The lessons from the Song of Moses are just as much for us today as they were for the ancient Israelites. Follow God and live long and blessed lives, even if you must suffer those things common to the human condition. Refuse to follow God and suffer the consequences. Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You know our hearts. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Deuteronomy 31 The Charge

1-2 Moses went on and addressed these words to all Israel. He said, “I’m 120 years old today. I can’t get about as I used to. And God told me, ‘You’re not going to cross this Jordan River.’

3-5 “God, your God, will cross the river ahead of you and destroy the nations in your path so that you may oust them. (And Joshua will cross the river before you, as God said he would.) God will give the nations the same treatment he gave the kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, and their land; he’ll destroy them. God will hand the nations over to you, and you’ll treat them exactly as I have commanded you.

6 “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”

7-8 Then Moses summoned Joshua. He said to him with all Israel watching, “Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people, this land that God promised their ancestors that he’d give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it. God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.”

* * *

Moses knows his time is short. Moses feels as if the last few grains of sand are draining from the top to the bottom of a divine hour glass. Facing eternity, Moses is bending all his efforts to teach the Israelites one last time, hoping and praying that they are listening and will take these teachings to heart. But Moses is a prophet and has led these people for forty years; he has few illusions left. The Israelites are a mixed bunch of people. There are those who are passionately devout and willing to follow God’s commands. Then there are those who are moderately devout, as long as following God’s commands doesn’t inconvenience them. And then there are the rest of the bunch, many of whom have hauled small statues all the way from Egypt, even though God has expressly forbidden idolatry. That last group frightens Moses, for he knows full well that when faced with opposition, the idolaters will turn and flee at the first opportunity.

Now Joshua must assume leadership, and Moses knows the challenges he will face. That’s why Moses is urging Joshua to be strong and take courage. Joshua will need strength and courage and faith before he’s through.

9-13 Moses wrote out this Revelation and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the Chest of the Covenant of God, and to all the leaders of Israel. And he gave these orders: “At the end of every seven years, the Year-All-Debts-Are-Canceled, during the pilgrim Festival of Booths when everyone in Israel comes to appear in the Presence of God, your God, at the place he designates, read out this Revelation to all Israel, with everyone listening. Gather the people together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living among you—so they can listen well, so they may learn to live in holy awe before God, your God, and diligently keep everything in this Revelation. And do this so that their children, who don’t yet know all this, will also listen and learn to live in holy awe before God, your God, for as long as you live on the land that you are crossing over the Jordan to possess.”

God repeatedly warns His people to study His commandments and teach them to their children; otherwise, the Israelites are only one generation away from losing their identity as God’s chosen people.

14-15 God spoke to Moses: “You are about to die. So call Joshua. Meet me in the Tent of Meeting so that I can commission him.”

So Moses and Joshua went and stationed themselves in the Tent of Meeting. God appeared in the Tent in a Pillar of Cloud. The Cloud was near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

16-18 God spoke to Moses: “You’re about to die and be buried with your ancestors. You’ll no sooner be in the grave than this people will be up and lusting after the foreign gods of this country that they are entering. They will abandon me and violate my Covenant that I’ve made with them. I’ll get angry, oh so angry! I’ll walk off and leave them on their own, won’t so much as look back at them. Then many calamities and disasters will devastate them because they are defenseless. They’ll say, ‘Isn’t it because our God wasn’t here that all this evil has come upon us?’ But I’ll stay out of their lives, keep looking the other way because of all their evil: they took up with other gods!

19-21 “But for right now, copy down this song and teach the People of Israel to sing it by heart. They’ll have it then as my witness against them. When I bring them into the land that I promised to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, and they eat and become full and get fat and then begin fooling around with other gods and worshiping them, and then things start falling apart, many terrible things happening, this song will be there with them as a witness to who they are and what went wrong. Their children won’t forget this song; they’ll be singing it. Don’t think I don’t know what they are already scheming to do, and they’re not even in the land yet, this land I promised them.”

22 So Moses wrote down this song that very day and taught it to the People of Israel.

23 Then God commanded Joshua son of Nun saying, “Be strong. Take courage. You will lead the People of Israel into the land I promised to give them. And I’ll be right there with you.”

24-26 After Moses had finished writing down the words of this Revelation in a book, right down to the last word, he ordered the Levites who were responsible for carrying the Chest of the Covenant of God, saying, “Take this Book of Revelation and place it alongside the Chest of the Covenant of God, your God. Keep it there as a witness.

27-29 “I know what rebels you are, how stubborn and willful you can be. Even today, while I’m still alive and present with you, you’re rebellious against God. How much worse when I’ve died! So gather the leaders of the tribes and the officials here. I have something I need to say directly to them with Heaven and Earth as witnesses. I know that after I die you’re going to make a mess of things, abandoning the way I commanded, inviting all kinds of evil consequences in the days ahead. You’re determined to do evil in defiance of God—I know you are—deliberately provoking his anger by what you do.”

30 So with everyone in Israel gathered and listening, Moses taught them the words of this song, from start to finish.”

Forty years! For forty years Moses has led the Israelites and now God is informing both Moses and Joshua that as soon as the Israelites begin to prosper, they will sink into gross idolatry. What must Moses be thinking as he sees the future? And yet, Moses and Joshua must both be faithful. Moses is to teach the Israelites a song that will stand as a witness against them. Joshua is to lead the Israelites, faithless as many of them are, and to conquer Canaan. What must these two men be thinking?

Hard work does not guarantee great results. We can serve faithfully, only to have charlatans come in, spoiling the work of decades. We can watch golden moments, windows of physical and spiritual opportunity, evaporate. We are not responsible for other people’s choices, but we are responsible to remain faithful and to follow God’s commands. It’s shocking and amazing that a group of people who have witnessed divine manifestations on a daily basis can remain so faithless; however, the Israelites have taken God for granted. Even though God has warned the Israelites that He has not chosen them because they were so gifted or attractive but because He wants to make something of them. Meanwhile, the Israelites are still strutting around, basking in the glow of being special.

Moses is nearing the end of his ministry, and he must complete his teaching and then die without ever entering the Promised Land. While we might think God is being unduly harsh, we must remember that God is holding Moses to the highest standard possible, and that Moses agrees with this penalty. Eventually, Moses will enter the Promised Land when Elijah and he join with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Until then, Moses must teach and then die, leaving us an example of extreme faithfulness. Sometimes, people will try to use aging as an excuse for slacking off spiritually; however, we should look at Moses. Here’s this 120-year-old man giving everything he’s got to teach a recalcitrant bunch of people one last time. May all of us be as faithful as Moses so at the end of our lives we can say that we have given God our very best efforts!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain faithful, even unto death. We ask this in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 30 Description of Israelites in Exile

1-5 “Here’s what will happen. While you’re out among the nations where God has dispersed you and the blessings and curses come in just the way I have set them before you, and you and your children take them seriously and come back to God, your God, and obey him with your whole heart and soul according to everything that I command you today, God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered. No matter how far away you end up, God, your God, will get you out of there and bring you back to the land your ancestors once possessed. It will be yours again. He will give you a good life and make you more numerous than your ancestors.”

During the mid-and late-nineteenth century, the Zionist movement sprang up, partially as a response to waves of anti-Semitism in central Europe and Russia. Zionism sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine with as many Jews and as few Arabs as possible. The Zionists based their claims on Biblical evidence. Early Zionist settlers in Palestine suffered. There were swamps, deserts, and religious persecution. The British government veered back and forth in its loyalties to Jews and Arabs. Finally, in 1948 the State of Israel declared its independence, after which a war immediately broke out. But Israel prevailed. Many Jews from around the globe came to Israel as a result of the horrors of the concentration camps. Many more came to build up a Jewish state. Today, Israel continues to face many enemies but has led in technology, dry land farming techniques, and a host of other areas.

6-7 God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live. God, your God, will put all these curses on your enemies who hated you and were out to get you.

8-9 And you will make a new start, listening obediently to God, keeping all his commandments that I’m commanding you today. God, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you’ll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, God will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors.

10 But only if you listen obediently to God, your God, and keep the commandments and regulations written in this Book of Revelation. Nothing halfhearted here; you must return to God, your God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back.

Are all the Jews in Israel devout worshipers? Far from it! There are many secular Jews, many Jews who are observant but not extreme, and then many ultra-conservative Jewish believers. But generally, there are large numbers of Israelis who observe the commands of Moses.

11-14 This commandment that I’m commanding you today isn’t too much for you, it’s not out of your reach. It’s not on a high mountain—you don’t have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it’s not across the ocean—you don’t have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!

Forget Nike! Millenia before Nike came out with this slogan, God was already adjuring the Israelites to “Just do it!”  God values sacrifice far more than any kind of material wealth. Remember that Jesus commended the widow who put two small coins into the temple offering box, for she was giving everything she had.

15-18 “Look at what I’ve done for you today: I’ve placed in front of you Life and Good, Death and Evil. And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. But I warn you: If you have a change of heart, refuse to listen obediently, and willfully go off to serve and worship other gods, you will most certainly die. You won’t last long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”

All of these warnings came to pass. When the Israelites got so far from God that there was no return, He moved the Assyrians and the Babylonians to attack Israel, slaughtering many and carrying others away to their lands. Before that happened, sieges brought starvation and even cannibalism. Those who had worshiped idols were dragged off to pagan nations in chains where those idols were the main religion. Faced with the results of their failures, many did repent and turn back to God.

19-20 I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Moses is desperate! Even though Moses is speaking the words God has commanded him to speak, Moses is also pleading with his people. Moses is fully aware of the idols, the charms, the secret rituals his people have been carrying out when they think nobody is looking. As a prophet, Moses can already see what might happen, and the vision is horrific. Moses is not merely repeating God’s message; he is warning people and begging them to obey. These words are those of a 120-year-old man who has witnessed history and who knows how vital it is for the Israelites to keep God’s covenant. After all, Moses has only failed to obey once in his walk with God and that failure has cost him the opportunity to enter the Promised Land.

We read these warnings and wonder why anybody in their right mind could possibly refuse to follow God’s commands. But people are deceived because they first deceive themselves, convincing themselves that their sin is really not too bad. Nobody wakes up one morning and proclaims, “WOW! I think I’ll worship an idol today!” Our idols are different-we worship work, possessions, social standing, and our personal goals. More than a century ago, James Russell Lowell had it correct:

For a cap and bells our lives we pay,
Bubbles we earn with a whole soul’s tasking:
‘Tis heaven alone that is given away,
‘Tis only God may be had for the asking.

  C.T. Studd, the founder of the WEC Mission, had this to say: “Only one life-twill soon be past. Only what’s done for God will last.”

Once more, it’s all about choices. Will we follow God or our own whims? Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You whole-heartedly without compromise. Help us to be true to You, no matter what. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 29 

“These are the terms of the Covenant that God commanded Moses to make with the People of Israel in the land of Moab, renewing the Covenant he made with them at Horeb.”

God is about to renew His covenant with the Israelites. This renewal is necessary because those who made the original covenant at Mount Sinai have died in the Wilderness. What is a covenant and how does it differ from a contract?

Covenants and contracts are both legal agreements, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics.

Covenant:

• A covenant is a formal agreement or promise in a deed or contract that requires one party to do or refrain from doing certain actions.
• Commonly found in real estate, covenants can restrict land use or impose obligations on property owners.
• They are often enforceable in equity, meaning a party can seek specific performance or injunctions rather than just monetary damages.

Contract:

• A contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties that creates mutual obligations enforceable by law.
• Contracts can cover a wide range of agreements, including sales, services, and employment.
• They typically require an offer, acceptance, consideration (something of value exchanged), and mutual intent to create a legal obligation.

Key Differences:

• Nature: Covenants often relate to property and land use, while contracts can pertain to various transactions.
• Enforcement: Covenants may be enforced in equity, whereas contracts are generally enforced through legal remedies.
• Parties Involved: Covenants usually involve property owners and may bind future owners, while contracts involve specific parties at the time of agreement.

Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the legal implications and enforceability of each type of agreement.

Covenants have a moral effect while contracts are legally binding. How will God take His people to court, or how will the Israelites sue God? Covenants are formal agreements or promises in a deed or contract that require one party to do or refrain from doing certain actions.

Moses Blesses Israel on the Plains of Moab

2-4 “Moses called all Israel together and said, You’ve seen with your own eyes everything that God did in Egypt to Pharaoh and his servants, and to the land itself—the massive trials to which you were eyewitnesses, the great signs and miracle-wonders. But God didn’t give you an understanding heart or perceptive eyes or attentive ears until right now, this very day.

5-6 I took you through the wilderness for forty years and through all that time the clothes on your backs didn’t wear out, the sandals on your feet didn’t wear out, and you lived well without bread and wine and beer, proving to you that I am in fact God, your God.

7-8 When you arrived here in this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan met us primed for war but we beat them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Wow! Not only has God fed and watered 2.4 million people in the midst of a wilderness but their clothing and their shoes have not worn out in 40 years. One pastor’s wife once told me that God also did this same miracle for her husband and her when they were beginning ministry and were penniless. God is Lord over everything, including our closets. And God has allowed the Israelites to conquer Og, one of the remaining giants, giving his land and that of King Sihon to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh because the grazing is so good.

“9 Diligently keep the words of this Covenant. Do what they say so that you will live well and wisely in every detail.” At this point, there are guys standing in the back of the crowd thinking, “Duh! As if we would EVER stray from this Covenant.” Too bad those men are wrong.

10-13 You are all standing here today in the Presence of God, your God—the heads of your tribes, your leaders, your officials, all Israel: your babies, your wives, the resident foreigners in your camps who fetch your firewood and water—ready to cross over into the solemnly sworn Covenant that God, your God, is making with you today, the Covenant that this day confirms that you are his people and he is God, your God, just as he promised you and your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14-21 I’m not making this Covenant and its oath with you alone. I am making it with you who are standing here today in the Presence of God, our God, yes, but also with those who are not here today. You know the conditions in which we lived in Egypt and how we crisscrossed through nations in our travels. You got an eyeful of their obscenities, their wood and stone, silver and gold junk-gods. Don’t let down your guard lest even now, today, someone—man or woman, clan or tribe—gets sidetracked from God, our God, and gets involved with the no-gods of the nations; lest some poisonous weed sprout and spread among you, a person who hears the words of the Covenant-oath but exempts himself, thinking, “I’ll live just the way I please, thank you,” and ends up ruining life for everybody. God won’t let him off the hook. God’s anger and jealousy will erupt like a volcano against that person. The curses written in this book will bury him. God will delete his name from the records. God will separate him out from all the tribes of Israel for special punishment, according to all the curses of the Covenant written in this Book of Revelation.

22-23 The next generation, your children who come after you and the foreigner who comes from a far country, will be appalled when they see the widespread devastation, how God made the whole land sick. They’ll see a fire-blackened wasteland of brimstone and salt flats, nothing planted, nothing growing, not so much as a blade of grass anywhere—like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which God overthrew in fiery rage.

24 All the nations will ask, “Why did God do this to this country? What on earth could have made him this angry?”

25-28 Your children will answer, “Because they abandoned the Covenant of the God of their ancestors that he made with them after he got them out of Egypt; they went off and worshiped other gods, submitted to gods they’d never heard of before, gods they had no business dealing with. So God’s anger erupted against that land and all the curses written in this book came down on it. God, furiously angry, pulled them, roots and all, out of their land and dumped them in another country, as you can see.”

29 God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It’s up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation.

Once more, God is warning His people: Keep this Covenant and all will be well. Fail to keep the Covenant and terrible consequences will happen. Notice the threats: God will reduce fertile fields to barren desert, like the area around Sodom and Gomorrah. When Lot chose to live in Sodom, it was because the area around Sodom was so lush that Genesis 13:10-11 describes the plain of the Jordan resembling the Garden of Eden. Once God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, there was only devastation. Finally, God continues to put His people on notice that they are responsible for teaching these things to succeeding generations, lest the Israelites fall into sin and be carried off from the land God has given them.

A covenant is the most serious kind of agreement imaginable, for it carries moral weight that cannot be argued away. God wants to covenant with each one of us so that we will be committed to Him forever. This is no time for joking; we have no idea how much of our lives might be left. Today is the day of salvation, if you will only commit yourself to serving God forever. What will you lose in the process? Despair. What will you gain? Eternal life. The choice is yours; choose wisely.

PRAYER; Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we give ourselves to You, trusting that You will help us to make this gift complete. Please help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

15-19 Here’s what will happen if you don’t obediently listen to the Voice of God, your God, and diligently keep all the commandments and guidelines that I’m commanding you today. All these curses will come down hard on you:

God’s curse in the city, God’s curse in the country; God’s curse on your basket and bread bowl; God’s curse on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God’s curse in your coming in, God’s curse in your going out.

20 God will send The Curse, The Confusion, The Contrariness down on everything you try to do until you’ve been destroyed and there’s nothing left of you—all because of your evil pursuits that led you to abandon me.

21 God will infect you with The Disease, wiping you right off the land that you’re going in to possess. 22 God will set consumption and fever and rash and seizures and dehydration and blight and jaundice on you. They’ll hunt you down until they kill you.

23-24 The sky over your head will become an iron roof, the ground under your feet, a slab of concrete. From out of the skies God will rain ash and dust down on you until you suffocate.

25-26 God will defeat you by enemy attack. You’ll come at your enemies on one road and run away on seven roads. All the kingdoms of Earth will see you as a horror. Carrion birds and animals will boldly feast on your dead body with no one to chase them away.

27-29 God will hit you hard with the boils of Egypt, hemorrhoids, scabs, and an incurable itch. He’ll make you go crazy and blind and senile. You’ll grope around in the middle of the day like a blind person feeling his way through a lifetime of darkness; you’ll never get to where you’re going. Not a day will go by that you’re not abused and robbed. And no one is going to help you.

30-31 You’ll get engaged to a woman and another man will take her for his mistress; you’ll build a house and never live in it; you’ll plant a garden and never eat so much as a carrot; you’ll watch your ox get butchered and not get a single steak from it; your donkey will be stolen from in front of you and you’ll never see it again; your sheep will be sent off to your enemies and no one will lift a hand to help you.

32-34 Your sons and daughters will be shipped off to foreigners; you’ll wear your eyes out looking vainly for them, helpless to do a thing. Your crops and everything you work for will be eaten and used by foreigners; you’ll spend the rest of your lives abused and knocked around. What you see will drive you crazy.

35 God will hit you with painful boils on your knees and legs and no healing or relief from head to foot.

36-37 God will lead you and the king you set over you to a country neither you nor your ancestors have heard of; there you’ll worship other gods, no-gods of wood and stone. Among all the peoples where God will take you, you’ll be treated as a lesson or a proverb—a horror!

38-42 You’ll plant sacks and sacks of seed in the field but get almost nothing—the grasshoppers will devour it. You’ll plant and hoe and prune vineyards but won’t drink or put up any wine—the worms will devour them. You’ll have groves of olive trees everywhere, but you’ll have no oil to rub on your face or hands—the olives will have fallen off. You’ll have sons and daughters but they won’t be yours for long—they’ll go off to captivity. Locusts will take over all your trees and crops.

43-44 The foreigner who lives among you will climb the ladder, higher and higher, while you go deeper and deeper into the hole. He’ll lend to you; you won’t lend to him. He’ll be the head; you’ll be the tail.

45-46 All these curses are going to come on you. They’re going to hunt you down and get you until there’s nothing left of you because you didn’t obediently listen to the Voice of God, your God, and diligently keep his commandments and guidelines that I commanded you. The curses will serve as signposts, warnings to your children ever after.

47-48 Because you didn’t serve God, your God, out of the joy and goodness of your heart in the great abundance, you’ll have to serve your enemies whom God will send against you. Life will be famine and drought, rags and wretchedness; then he’ll put an iron yoke on your neck until he’s destroyed you.

48-52 Yes, God will raise up a faraway nation against you, swooping down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you can’t understand, a mean-faced people, cruel to grandmothers and babies alike. They’ll ravage the young of your animals and the crops from your fields until you’re destroyed. They’ll leave nothing behind: no grain, no wine, no oil, no calves, no lambs—and finally, no you. They’ll lay siege to you while you’re huddled behind your town gates. They’ll knock those high, proud walls flat, those walls behind which you felt so safe. They’ll lay siege to your fortified cities all over the country, this country that God, your God, has given you.

53-55 And you’ll end up cannibalizing your own sons and daughters that God, your God, has given you. When the suffering from the siege gets extreme, you’re going to eat your own babies. The most gentle and caring man among you will turn hard, his eye evil, against his own brother, his cherished wife, and even the rest of his children who are still alive, refusing to share with them a scrap of meat from the cannibal child-stew he is eating. He’s lost everything, even his humanity, in the suffering of the siege that your enemy mounts against your fortified towns.

56-57 And the most gentle and caring woman among you, a woman who wouldn’t step on a wildflower, will turn hard, her eye evil, against her cherished husband, against her son, against her daughter, against even the afterbirth of her newborn infants; she plans to eat them in secret—she does eat them!—because she has lost everything, even her humanity, in the suffering of the siege that your enemy mounts against your fortified towns.

58-61 If you don’t diligently keep all the words of this Revelation written in this book, living in holy awe before This Name glorious and terrible, God, your God, then God will pound you with catastrophes, you and your children, huge interminable catastrophes, hideous interminable illnesses. He’ll bring back and stick you with every old Egyptian malady that once terrorized you. And yes, every disease and catastrophe imaginable—things not even written in the Book of this Revelation—God will bring on you until you’re destroyed.

62 Because you didn’t listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, you’ll be left with a few pitiful stragglers in place of the dazzling stars-in-the-heavens multitude you had become.

63-66 And this is how things will end up: Just as God once enjoyed you, took pleasure in making life good for you, giving you many children, so God will enjoy getting rid of you, clearing you off the Earth. He’ll weed you out of the very soil that you are entering in to possess. He’ll scatter you to the four winds, from one end of the Earth to the other. You’ll worship all kinds of other gods, gods neither you nor your parents ever heard of, wood and stone no-gods. But you won’t find a home there, you’ll not be able to settle down. God will give you a restless heart, longing eyes, a homesick soul. You will live in constant jeopardy, terrified of every shadow, never knowing what you’ll meet around the next corner.

67 In the morning you’ll say, “I wish it were evening.” In the evening you’ll say, “I wish it were morning.” Afraid, terrorized at what’s coming next, afraid of the unknown, because of the sights you’ve witnessed.

68 God will ship you back to Egypt by a road I promised you’d never see again. There you’ll offer yourselves for sale, both men and women, as slaves to your enemies. And not a buyer to be found.”

WOW! When God begins cursing, He doesn’t mess around! What’s absolutely tragic is that eventually, all these curses come true. The Israelites make a promising start, but then descend into idolatry and fertility rites. The Northern Kingdom is founded on a fake religion while Judah struggles on, sometimes more faithful and sometimes less. But read far enough in the Books of Kings, Chronicles, Jeremiah, and other prophets, and you realize that every one of these chastisements eventually comes true, including the curses of cannibalism and exile to foreign lands.

What goes wrong? The Israelites rebel against God. Oh, they don’t just wake up some morning and say, “I think I’ll rebel today.” No, the Israelites slip away gradually, despite warnings from numerous prophets. Despite Moses adjuring the Israelites to teach their children and grandchildren, despite the commands for kings to write out their own copies of the Books of Moses and to study them daily, despite every bit of advice and every warning, the Israelites just keep sliding further and further away from God, reducing celebrations in the temple to mechanical rituals. Even the priests and Levites fail to remain holy.

In 1977, Paul Simon wrote a sad tune called “Slip Sliding Away.” The chorus could apply to the Israelites.
Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away

The Israelites just kept slip sliding away from God until He had no choice but to cause these curses to begin working on them. What about us? Are we trying to become closer to God each day, or are we taking God for granted in hopes that He’ll give us a pass for being good moral people?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to love You more and to draw closer to you each day than we did the day before.  In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 28

28 1-6 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God:

God’s blessing inside the city, God’s blessing in the country; God’s blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds,
the lambs of your flocks.
God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God’s blessing in your coming in, God’s blessing in your going out.

7 God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads.

8 God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he’ll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

9 God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way he has shown you.

10 All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe.

11-14 God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that he would give you. God will throw open the doors of his sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you’ll always be the top dog, never the underdog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today. Don’t swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.

“My momma DROWNED all her dumb kids!” When I was in pediatric surgery training in Memphis Tennessee, one of my professors who was from the deep South used to say this when a situation was so obvious that nobody should have drawn a wrong conclusion. Look at the fantastic promises God is making: blessings without number wherever the Israelites are living, good health for families and animals, bountiful harvests, economic prosperity-the list is endless.

BUT there are conditions: “If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God… God will make you the head, not the tail; you’ll always be the top dog, never the underdog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today. Don’t swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.”

Even as Moses is pronouncing these commands, there are likely guys standing in the back, trying to figure out ways to avoid them and remain blessed. In the beginning, God keeps His promises and these blessings do fall on the Israelites. But it takes practically no time at all before God’s people pull out the idols left over from Egypt and wander off to explore the wonders of Canaanite fertility cults. After all, why not? Is God really watching them THAT closely? Of course, the answer is yes, God is watching and keeping track of those who obey and those who don’t. Tomorrow we will consider the results of spiritual rebellion; however, the question for us now is this: Were these blessings only limited to the ancient Israelites?

God doesn’t play favorites and when we honor Him, he will also honor us. Sometimes believers feel that somehow God “owes” them-“God, I’ve been faithful so You should do ____ for me! I’m claiming the blessings of Deuteronomy 28!” God is not a machine nor is He stupid. He who has created the human heart knows us better than we do ourselves. Many times, our “faithfulness” is superficial while God is looking for those who will serve Him whole-heartedly. I have heard pastors teach these verses in a “name it and claim it” fashion-again, using God’s Holy Word to manipulate Him. Galatians 6:7-8 tells us, “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”

God’s Word is seamless with no inconsistencies between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The key to God’s blessings is obedience and a willingness to receive God’s Will, no matter what happens. As I write these words, I am sitting with an ankle brace on my left ankle. Here we have lots of motorcycles and Motokings. A Motoking is a small wagon attached to a motorcycle, and Motokings have become one of the most popular means of transporting goods and people in northern Ghana. The problem is that the drivers frequently are careless and thoughtless, speeding along public paths with no regard for pedestrians, bicycle riders, or even larger vehicles. Fed up with these traffic menaces, someone in our village blocked a public path using a log; unfortunately, I found that log with my bicycle and fell, injuring my left ankle. Once I incurred a small injury, those who had placed the log realized that this was a lousy idea and that it could have resulted in tragedy and death for motorcycle riders and disgrace or worse for them. Now I am confined to non-weight-bearing and an ankle brace for six weeks, but I am sure that God will use this time for His purposes and His glory. And I thank God continuously that nobody was badly injured because of my small accident.

May God help each of us, so that we will obey Him because of His great mercy and love!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You that Your promises are forever if only we will obey. But help us to remember that we must be prepared to receive bad things as well as good things, realizing that nothing can come to us except through Your Hand. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.   

Deuteronomy 27 

1-3 Moses commanded the leaders of Israel and charged the people: Keep every commandment that I command you today. On the day you cross the Jordan into the land that God, your God, is giving you, erect large stones and coat them with plaster. As soon as you cross over the river, write on the stones all the words of this Revelation so that you’ll enter the land that God, your God, is giving you, that land flowing with milk and honey that God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, promised you.

4-7 So when you’ve crossed the Jordan, erect these stones on Mount Ebal. Then coat them with plaster. Build an Altar of stones for God, your God, there on the mountain. Don’t use an iron tool on the stones; build the Altar to God, your God, with uncut stones and offer your Whole-Burnt-Offerings on it to God, your God. When you sacrifice your Peace-Offerings you will also eat them there, rejoicing in the Presence of God, your God.

8 Write all the words of this Revelation on the stones. Incise them sharply.

God knows that His people have short memories! So as soon as the Israelites cross the Jordan, God wants them to erect large stones, plaster them, and incise His commands on them. Then the Israelites are to erect an altar with uncut stones and offer whole burnt offerings on that altar. The last thing God wants is for His people to start building pagan altars with images of the sun, the moon, stars, or pagan deities, hence the injunction to use uncut stones.

9-10 Moses and the Levitical priests addressed all Israel: Quiet. Listen obediently, Israel. This very day you have become the people of God, your God. Listen to the Voice of God, your God. Keep his commandments and regulations that I’m commanding you today.

11-13 That day Moses commanded: After you’ve crossed the Jordan, these tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these will stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

Half the Israelites are to stand on Mount Gerizim and pronounce blessings while the other half are to stand on Mount Ebal, pronouncing curses.

14-26 The Levites, acting as spokesmen and speaking loudly, will address Israel:

God’s curse on anyone who carves or casts a god-image—an abomination to God made by a craftsman—and sets it up in secret. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who demeans a parent. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who misdirects a blind man on the road. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who interferes with justice due the foreigner, orphan, or widow. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who has sex with his father’s wife; he has violated the woman who belongs to his father. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who has sex with an animal. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who has sex with his sister, the daughter of his father or mother. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who has sex with his mother-in-law. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who kills his neighbor in secret. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on anyone who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

God’s curse on whoever does not give substance to the words of this Revelation by living them. All respond: Yes. Absolutely.

Wow! Look at the list of curses! Creating false gods, demeaning parents, moving boundaries, misdirecting the blind, interfering with justice for the vulnerable, having sex with his father’s wife, having sex with animals, committing incest, killing neighbors in secret, taking bribes to murder, refusing to live these revelations.

The Israelites have come out of Egypt, where all kinds of sex, incest, idolatry, and other deplorable acts have been common. God doesn’t want anybody to copy the Egyptians or the Canaanites. God does want His people to realize that they MUST live holy lives if they are to enjoy His blessings.

We look at this list and think, “Oh, we would never do such things!” But what about violent video games and videos? What about online pornography? Sadly, even viewing such things once or twice may lead to addiction to online pornography. One pastor friend became a victim of this addiction, eventually dying from cancer. Did that addiction weaken his immune system?

May God help us so that we will follow hard after Him, not getting distracted or addicted.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to lead lives of holiness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.