Chapter 27
Verse 8 No one will have an excuse for not knowing the requirements of God.
Verse 15-26 The Curses of Mount Ebal. Again, these were recited and "amened" by the assembly. Everyone knew and understood what God required of them.
Chapter 28
The first half of this chapter is God's promise to bless His people if they follow His commandments for godly living. Verse 11 is a great example. There is no area of their lives that will not be blessed if they follow Him.
But in verse 15, the theme changes. If the first half of the chapter was titled, "If You Do...", this section would bear the title, "But If You Don't..." Notice how many of these curses mirror the blessings from before.
Verse 23. No rain, no crops.
Contrast verse 10 with verse 25.
In verse 10, the promise of being feared by other nations.
In verse 25, the warning is that they will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
The destruction of these curses is deep and far-reaching. There would be no visible end to it. Verse 29 says they would be oppressed and robbed continually...no one to save them. (Have you ever felt like this? I have, but truthfully, it was only when I was living outside of God's will.)
The truly tragic part is that we know most of these curses will be fulfilled due to the nation turning its back on God. For example, verses 32 and 41 we see literally in Daniel. In fact, Daniel himself is one of these children.
Verse 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with all your heart. With the possibility of living out these curses, doesn't God's standard seem like a cakewalk in comparison? Who would ever choose to turn away from Him, when this was the sure punishment? But man's heart is wicked.
And just when you thought it couldn't get any darker, it gets way, way worse. Just look at verse 53, and those around it. And verse 63--can you imagine the Lord delighting in your destruction?
So, after reading this, I'll bet you are wondering how on earth this could be a favorite chapter of mine. The answer is this:
We serve a just, powerful, and yes--rigid--God. The extent of His power is something our tiny minds cannot fathom. His hand reaches as far as the undiscovered galaxies, and yet controls the tiniest drop of rain, the delicate seedling.
His standards are high, impossibly high, but He always gave them (us) a chance at redemption. First through the sacrifice of a perfect lamb, and now through the sacrifice of His perfect Son. The greatest part of this chapter, and the greatest evidence of God's love, is that this chapter exists in the first place. He loved them enough to warn them. He told them what they could expect from disobedience, and He told them how to avoid it. The choice was theirs. This chapter is a huge example of our free will.
God wants to give us every blessing He has to offer. He wants to give us eternal life through Christ. But we have to choose.
Next time: Deuteronomy 29-31
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