"Life Is Choices" February 15 Readings: Deuteronomy 24-29

  

Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024

This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened." Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New. 

Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 24-29

Background:  

The lengthy section giving the "Second Law" continues as it has in our last several days of readings. But the key thought here is the ceremony on Gerizim and Ebal, in which the choice of blessing or curses is given.

A note - when we think of "curse" it conjures vivid ideas, but we ought to think more of God's discipline and the consequences of sin.

Daily Devotional: Life Is Choices

Life is a journey in the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. In Deuteronomy 27, Moses gave instructions to Israel for a ceremony that would take place after they had conquered the land of Canaan. They were to go to the valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Half of the people would stand on Mt. Gerizim and half on Mt. Ebal. The Levites would stand between them and call out the blessings that would come from obedience to God’s Law and the curses that would come from disobedience. Gerizim represented the blessing of God and Ebal represented the discipline of God against disobedience.

It was a moment of choice, of decision. Would Israel walk in the ways of God and experience all the blessings that he would give them because of that; the positive consequences of their choices? Or would Israel wander from God’s Word and go their own way? Would they ignore what God commanded, live as they pleased, and experience the consequences of their own sin?

Unfortunately, for most of the Old Testament era, Israel chose disobedience and brought one curse (the awful consequences of disobeying God) after another upon themselves, culminating in the utter destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. On rare occasions, they chose the way of God and experienced those blessings that attended that choice.

Walking in obedience to God is not a guarantee that all of life will go well. Those who love Jesus and serve him still have accidents, tragedies, illnesses, struggles, and heartaches. But those who walk in obedience never have to suffer the awful consequences of their own sin. They do not have to reap the terrible harvest they have sowed because they refused to sow the seeds of sin. Those who live in obedience are blessed by that. Again, they do not have a guarantee to live free of life’s storms, but they walk under the presence and power of God and in his blessings.

We must daily choose those things that lead to blessing and to the glory of God. We are constantly being confronted with moral choices in which we must decide whether we will walk in the ways of God or choose our own rebellious path. 

What will we do? Which way will we choose? Blessing? Discipline? 

Father, I thank you that Jesus Christ died for my sin and failure. I thank you that he rose and lives in me by the Holy Spirit. I thank you that he will give me power when I choose Gerizim and will strengthen me to avoid Ebal. You are so good!

Consider God's Word:

Are you choosing to live daily on Mt. Gerizim or on Mt. Ebal?