How Serious Are We?
Scripture: Deuteronomy 27:11-13, 15
"That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: 12 “When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. 13 And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse...And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’"
Observations:
After laying out all of the principles and regulations of Israel's covenant relationship with God, he then called them to commit themselves to obey them. However, this was no casual response. He instructed one group of Israelites to stand on one mountainside while the other half stood on another mountain across from them while the priests stood in the valley in between them and proclaimed a series of curses to which they all had to agree to before the covenant took full effect. It would be equivolent today of someone checking the box that says "I have read and agree to the terms of service" before they are legally bound to a contract, except that in this case, their very lives were at stake. Before they could accept the blessings of God, they had to first accept the fact that their disobedience would invite a series of curses!
Application:
While this same cause and effect system is no longer operational in our lives, it does at least make you reconsider how serious God takes His relationship with us and how much emphasis He places on the necessity of obedience to His commands. Typically we're much more prone to ask for God's blessings despite our sin and never even consider the fact that there are consequences. How differently would we relate to God if we approached our relationship with Him with the same degree of resolute determination to obey God's Word? I'd bet that if we committed to God that He could hold us personally responsible for our sins and curse us if we chose to disobey Him we wouldn't take sin nearly so casually. In fact, we'd probably all think twice, maybe multiple times before we even considered disobeying God's Word. And perhaps maybe that's the point God was trying to make all along. If we truly desire to live in relationship with Christ, the question is not, "how much can I get away with and not "sin", but rather, the closer I bring my lifestyle in line with God's Word, the less likely I am to "sin" and the closer to God I become.
Prayer:
Father, help us to see sin as You see it rather than as we do. Forgive us for not treating our sins as the deadly disease that they are and for taking Your grace for granted. We commit ourselves to Your commands and choose to obey Your Word so that we can live in relationship with You. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: 12 “When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. 13 And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse...And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’"
Observations:
After laying out all of the principles and regulations of Israel's covenant relationship with God, he then called them to commit themselves to obey them. However, this was no casual response. He instructed one group of Israelites to stand on one mountainside while the other half stood on another mountain across from them while the priests stood in the valley in between them and proclaimed a series of curses to which they all had to agree to before the covenant took full effect. It would be equivolent today of someone checking the box that says "I have read and agree to the terms of service" before they are legally bound to a contract, except that in this case, their very lives were at stake. Before they could accept the blessings of God, they had to first accept the fact that their disobedience would invite a series of curses!
Application:
While this same cause and effect system is no longer operational in our lives, it does at least make you reconsider how serious God takes His relationship with us and how much emphasis He places on the necessity of obedience to His commands. Typically we're much more prone to ask for God's blessings despite our sin and never even consider the fact that there are consequences. How differently would we relate to God if we approached our relationship with Him with the same degree of resolute determination to obey God's Word? I'd bet that if we committed to God that He could hold us personally responsible for our sins and curse us if we chose to disobey Him we wouldn't take sin nearly so casually. In fact, we'd probably all think twice, maybe multiple times before we even considered disobeying God's Word. And perhaps maybe that's the point God was trying to make all along. If we truly desire to live in relationship with Christ, the question is not, "how much can I get away with and not "sin", but rather, the closer I bring my lifestyle in line with God's Word, the less likely I am to "sin" and the closer to God I become.
Prayer:
Father, help us to see sin as You see it rather than as we do. Forgive us for not treating our sins as the deadly disease that they are and for taking Your grace for granted. We commit ourselves to Your commands and choose to obey Your Word so that we can live in relationship with You. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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