Deuteronomy 26:1-29:1
After Moses instructed the Israelites to dedicate the first fruits of
their new land to the Lord, he finished his long address on the laws of God.
Then, in an effort to drive home those commandments in the hearts and minds of
the people, Moses asked them to do something rather unique — to divide the
tribes in half and stand atop two mountains in central Canaan, Ebal and
Gerizim, there to raise up stones on which to inscribe the laws of God and to
proclaim both the blessings and curses of those laws.
It seemed that Moses would do whatever it took to make sure that the
people got the message, that strict adherence to God’s standards determined
their eventual success or failure. It’s as if a parent, after giving instructions
to a child, asked that the child repeat the instructions and the consequences
for either obeying or disobeying them. Moses wanted to make it clear to the
people of Israel that God took their covenant very seriously and so should
they. There were terrific blessings that would follow their faithfulness,
but there were also tremendous penalties should they forsake Him.
While there were many blessings that the Lord mentioned that would
come as a result of Israel’s obedience, my attention was sidetracked by the
long list of curses. God did not spare any details regarding what would take
place if His people disregarded His laws. In fact, He was forthright and very
specific. I found myself wincing, at times, and even desiring to skip to the
end of the list because of its length.
While the blessings sound delightful, the curses are dark and heavy. I
would not have wanted to live under that cloud of judgment; it would have
produced in me a tremendous uneasiness. This effect, of course, was God’s
intent, to put the fear of His wrath in the minds of His people.
Daily Reflection
What thoughts did you have while reading this long list of blessings
and curses?
After reading the many dangers that lurked on the horizon for the
Israelites, I felt sorry for them, in a way. They were certainly people “under
the curse.” However, once the reality of this list of curses set in, Paul’s
description of Christ’s work on the cross came into focus. “For as many as are of
the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone
who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform
them...’ But Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a
curse for us...” (Galatians 3:10-13).
Because of your Savior, you no longer have to fear the Law or
live under its curse. Since He became the curse for you, then you are free! What does this
mean for how you are to live?
No doubt, you will still sin, but in Christ, there
is no more condemnation, “for the law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law
of sin and death” (Romans 8:1, 2). You are no longer under the curse! Live that way!
BiAY.org | Day 78 — 287 Days to Go
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