Imagine that before you are two clearly labeled containers. One of the containers is filled with blessings, and the other filled with curses. Whichever one you open, the contents will be given to you. Which container will you open? Just about everyone would choose the container of blessings. No one willingly wants a curse! Every day in life we come across choices between blessings or curses. We’ve been given plenty of indications of which actions bring which results, yet how many times have we gone ahead and chosen curses for our life rather than the blessings. In our Scripture from the Book of Deuteronomy, we come across one of several guides in the Bible to help us make the better, the wiser choice. Let’s take a quick look.
The Book of Deuteronomy was the final of the five books which Moses wrote, containing the Law of God. At the time he wrote this book, the people of Israel were on the far side of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land. Moses knew that his time on earth was almost over, and that he would not be crossing the Jordan to enter the land with the people. He wanted to give them some final words, to go over the Word of God with them one more time, to give them words of exhortation and encouragement to follow and obey God. This was an important time for the people of Israel. The decisions they would make would have consequences, ones that would not only affect them personally, but would carry on down for multiple generations to come.
God made His people a promise, and we know that when God promises us something, He will keep that promise. God promised the people that He would give them the land that they were preparing to enter. He would defeat their enemies, and He would pour out His blessings upon them. However, this was a conditional promise. The promise was based upon the condition that they obey God and His Word. If they kept up their end of the covenant, the agreement, He would keep His end. However, if the people turned away from following and obeying God and His Word, He promised that curses would come upon them. The decision was up to them. Choosing and following one way would bring one result, choosing the other and the other result would come.
This choice for blessings or curses wasn’t just for the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. This is a choice for people all through history, and it is a choice that we each have every day. God has given us some instructions, that if we follow, will make it easier to follow and obey His laws and Word. It is always easier to follow something if we are very familiar with it and know more about it. This applies to God’s Word, as well as anything else. God knows this, and He has told us to keep His Word in front of our eyes and in our hands, to keep it in our hearts and mind (vs. 18). We should keep our Bibles out and ready to pick up and open, rather than stashed away in a dusty bookshelf. We can even have Scripture framed and on the walls of our house, perhaps as a cross-stitch or embroidery, or painted as part of some artwork (vs. 20).
Moses also emphasized to the people how important it was that they teach God’s Word to their children and grandchildren (vs. 19, 21). This is equally and vitally important today. A person who was raised as a child attending church and Sunday School, and hearing the message of Jesus from a young age is more likely to accept Jesus as their Savior. The older one gets, having rarely, if ever, attended church or opened a Bible, the less likely they are to give their life to Jesus. Of course, some older adults do thankfully get saved. However, as one gets older, one’s heart does tend to get hardened against God, especially in this day and age. Christian parents really need to be instructing their children in God’s Word. They certainly are not going to hear about Him in school or out in the world! Don’t we want our children to have blessings in their life, rather than curses? Of course we do! So it is important to instruct them in the ways of the Lord so that they will make the choice for blessings rather than curses.
Our Scripture closes with the Lord laying the choice clearly out before us. We can choose blessings, which will come if we obey His Word and follow His way in obedience. The other choice is that of God’s curse. That will come upon those who turn their back to Him, to those who toss His Word behind them, to those who have no place for Jesus in their life or heart. The choice is freely ours. Blessing or curse. Which do you choose?
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