Deuteronomy 29:10 – 31:30
Notice what is happening here in the opening verses of this portion of scripture:
“Today you are standing, all of you, before ADONAI your God - your heads, your tribes, your leaders and your officers - all the men of Isra'el, along with your little ones, your wives and your foreigners here with you in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water. The purpose is that you should enter into the covenant of ADONAI your God and into his oath which ADONAI your God is making with you today, so that he can establish you today for himself as a people, and so that for you he will be God -as he said to you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov. But I am not making this covenant and this oath only with you. Rather, I am making it both with him who is standing here with us today before ADONAI our God and also with him who is not here with us today. “
ALL of the people are STANDING before God. This included the heads of the people, all leaders, men, women, children and ALSO all foreigners that were among the children of Israel; counting themselves as part of them. In the following scriptures God lays out His instructions for obedience. He instructs them as to what will happen if they go astray in disobedience and what will happen if they stay obedient to His Word. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He gives them the warning that He is setting before them a “blessing or a curse”, “life or death”.
The people are warned that if they do not heed ALL the Word commanded of them, then they will receive a curse and death, however, if they OBEY they will receive a blessing and life. God desires LIFE and BLESSING over DEATH and a CURSING, BUT THE CHOICE belongs to each individual! In verse 30:19, God states that each individual is to CHOOSE which one they would like:
“I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants.”
Notice that in the opening verses that God exclaims that He is not making this covenant with only the people who are standing in front of Him that day, but also to the people who would come thereafter; their descendants.
In Deuteronomy 29:18-21 we read;
“So let there not be among you a man, woman, family or tribe whose heart turns away today from ADONAI our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Let there not be among you a root bearing such bitter poison and wormwood. If there is such a person, when he hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself secretly, saying to himself, 'I will be all right, even though I will stubbornly keep doing whatever I feel like doing; so that I, although "dry," [sinful,] will be added to the "watered" [righteous].' But ADONAI will not forgive him. Rather, the anger and jealousy of ADONAI will blaze up against that person. Every curse written in this book will be upon him. ADONAI will blot out his name from under heaven. ADONAI will single him out from all the tribes of Isra'el to experience what is bad in all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the Torah.” (CJB)
Notice the refusal of this person to heed the warning and to make excuses for their rebellion and disobedience to God. God says that He will not forgive a person making such denial of his position of sin, but rather states that He will blot this person's name from under heaven and will bring all the curses mentioned in Torah upon this evil and corrupt, disobedient person.
When a person chooses to go their own way, against the commands, statutes and judgments of God, they have chosen the way of cursing and death. I have heard many people moan and complain against holy living while stating that, “God would never send me to hell because what kind of merciful God would do that?” My friend, let me make this as plain as the difference between light and darkness, GOD SENDS NO ONE TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT BUT HE LETS YOU MAKE THAT CHOICE FOR YOURSELF. Don't blame anyone else, including God, for your choices.
For more information on this very important topic please see the teaching: "Depart From Me I Never Knew You".
God never forgets His people. Although He NEVER WINKS at sin and lets it go unnoticed , He always shows mercy and forgiveness to those who repent and return to the straight paths.
In the Holy Bible, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is within them, has given each of us a road map to eternal life and blessing, but this life and blessing only comes through obedience to His ways. He is a holy God and demands holiness of His children. If we fail then we have an advocate, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah who will forgive us our sins.
What will you choose? Life or death, blessing or cursing?
Shalom! (Peace)
(All scripture is from the Complete Jewish Bible)
