In The Word
Read: Deuteronomy 27:1-28:14
The Curses at Mount Ebal
27 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today. 2 So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime 3 and write on them all the words of this Law, when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime. 5 Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them. 6 You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the Lord your God; 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God.8 You shall write on the stones all the words of this Law very clearly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and listen, Israel! This day you have become a people for the Lord your God. 10 So you shall obey the Lord your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today.”
11 Moses also commanded the people on that day, saying, 12 “When you cross the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 For the curse, these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 The Levites shall then respond and say to all the people of Israel with a loud voice,
15 ‘Cursed is the person who makes a carved image or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall reply and say, ‘Amen.’
16 ‘Cursed is one who treats his father or mother contemptuously.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 ‘Cursed is one who displaces his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 ‘Cursed is one who misleads a person who is blind on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
19 ‘Cursed is one who distorts the justice due a stranger, an orphan, or a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
20 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s garment.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
21 ‘Cursed is one who has sexual intercourse with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
22 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
23 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
24 ‘Cursed is he who attacks his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to attack an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
26 ‘Cursed is anyone who does not fulfill the words of this Law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
The Blessings at Mount Gerizim
28 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the country.
4 “Blessed will be the children of your womb, the produce of your ground, and the offspring of your animals: the newborn of your herd and the young of your flock.
5 “Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated by you; they will go out against you one way and will flee at your presence seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing for you in your barns and in everything that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will give you more than enough prosperity, in the children of your womb, in the offspring of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lordswore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only be above, and not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lordyour God which I am commanding you today, to follow them carefully, 14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or the left, to pursue other gods to serve them.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Moses finished giving the people the commands of God, and once they entered the Promised Land, they were to write all of the commands on large stones. The people confirmed their willingness to obey the Law by saying “Amen.” God promised to bless His people, but that promise came with the condition of obedience to His commands: “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:2) God’s blessings would follow the people wherever they went and would touch every aspect of their bodies, families, finances, and possessions. Moses pronounced the magnitude of God’s blessings, “The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:13)
God’s promise of blessings from obedience is still true today. As Christians, we have all the blessings we need in Christ because of His grace, but we enjoy these blessings only if we trust Him and obey His Word. Many people desire God’s good blessings, but they do not obtain them because they refuse to live a good life as plainly defined by God. Some even get mad at God from the absence of His blessings, but the fault lies in their actions of living outside of His will. A person cannot live to please the enemy and his flesh yet have God’s blessings. God will not reward rebellion!