Deuteronomy 11:22-32 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 11:22-32. Let’s go!
Deuteronomy 11:22-25 (NIV)
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow–to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him–
23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.
24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea.
25 No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.
On verses 22-25: Whenever you see God making a conditional offer to bless the Israelites if they fully obey God’s commands, let it be a reminder that whereas we completely failed to obey all of God’s commands and were disqualified from God’s blessings, Jesus perfectly obeyed and earned those blessings. Now, we who live by faith in Jesus Christ can enjoy the blessings that Jesus’ obedience made possible, which includes having victory over an enemy who is much stronger than us (Satan) and being given territory that we never could have earned ourselves (such as a place in God’s kingdom, a ministry to serve in, and God’s family to belong to). It is Jesus’ perfect obedience that makes God’s blessings possible in our lives.
Deuteronomy 11:26-32 (NIV)
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse–
27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today;
28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
29 When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.
30 As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.
31 You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there,
32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.
On verses 26-32: Here’s a running message in Deuteronomy: obey God and be blessed; disobey God and be cursed. The choice is yours. To make this message extra clear, Moses tells the current generation of Israelites that when they cross over into the promised land they should go up on two mountains. On the first mountain called Mount Gerizim they were to proclaim all the blessings that God declared would come to them if they obeyed His commands. On the second mountain called Mount Ebal they would proclaim all the curses that God declared would come to them if they disobeyed His commands. Why do this? This was a formal way of renewing the covenant between God and the Israelites. It all was to take place in the region of Shechem, the same place where their forefathers Abraham and Jacob had built an altar (Genesis 12:6-7 and Genesis 33:20) and where their forefather Joseph would later be buried (Joshua 24:32).
What can we learn from this? I believe these two mountains, Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, are a picture pointing us forward to the New Testament. Just as in the promised land there were two mountains, one representing God’s blessings and the other God’s curses, so in the New Testament two mountains get special recognition. First, there is Mt. Calvary where sinners were crucified. Second, there is Mt. Zion, which is a New Testament name for the heavenly city where the righteous get to live in God’s presence. Because of our sin we deserved to be cursed and crucified on Mt. Calvary. But Jesus went up on Mt. Calvary and took all those curses in our place so that we could be found on Mt. Zion and receive all the blessings that come with living in God’s presence. Jesus died so that we could live. Praise God for His incredible love expressed through Jesus!
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for sending Your Son Jesus. Through Christ’s obedience I receive Your highest blessing, and through His death I am relieved of Your harshest curse. It’s all because of Jesus that I am so blessed! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
