Today’s passage: Deuteronomy 27
Helpful thoughts:
- Having articulated what was needed from the law, Moses gave instructions for how Israel was to affirm their commitment to the covenant once they entered the land.
- A monument was to be set up which contained the writing of the law in a way that was easy to read.
- An altar was to be built on which the people could offer sacrifices.
- An event was to take place in which the people confirmed Israel’s intention to keep the law.
- Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim are on the northern and southern sides of the city of Shechem.
- The invoking of cursings was beyond a means of accountability. This was not Israel agreeing to hold one another accountable to the covenant. They were inviting God’s judgment on their secret sins for the sake of the purity of the nation.
Questions to consider:
- Why would it be so important to list off sins that no one else could find out about? What kinds of sins can we be most prone to fear committing? Why?
- Why is being a Christian so much more than keeping up appearances in front of other people? Who is it you are truly seeking to please and glorify? How would your life, fears, and actions evidence this?
- Is there a sin which you have committed for which Christ did not die? What does God’s omniscience (Knowing all things eternally) guarantee concerning the sufficiency of Christ’s suffering at the cross for our sin (John 19:30)?