“… choose life …”
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20; NIV. Please read Deuteronomy 28-30.)
The Lord put the issue before them … blessings or cursings. They have within their power to choose life or death. He begs them to choose life … for in choosing life, you bless yourself and your children. How do they make that choice? They choose to love God – to listen to His voice – to hold fast to Him.
“The Lord is your life” … may I choose those things that will make this true in me.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: After reading this … is it any wonder that Joshua gave a similar “invitation” in his closing address to God’s people? (We will get there in just a few days.)
February 7, 2008 at 9:38 am
It’s interesting when I look at it … the way it really is … I choose the blessing or curse. I’ve always wanted to believe God was choosing it and I really had no control. In believing that way, I was able to be God’s victim … and I did not have to take responsibility for my circumstances.
Who would knowingly choose a curse? I know that I wouldn’t … or would I? Have I ? The times that I’ve made the choice to go outside of God’s will, I was always able to justify it somehow in my mind … and if i could justify it then it wouldn’t bring the punishment … I hoped. I was either so enticed, so scared, so depressed, so sad, so happy, that I just didn’t think God really knew what was best for me at that time. Surely He would want me to do what I thought was best. EEK … it’s hard to even type that. But it’s how I thought.
In reading the Old Testament this last month or so, I’ve really started seeing the seriousness of God. He does not just say things to say them … He means it. He is the model of consistency. I mean … He told them something was going to happen and it happened … it didn’t matter what the circumstances … He kept His word.
So I’m starting to see … now that the fog is lifting … that I really do get to choose my fate. Why would I choose anything other than God’s blessings?! I pray I never get into the place again where the curse actually looks worth it.
February 7, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I love the words in 30:11 “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.”
God gave us instructions, not too difficult to follow, on how to chose life…to chose the blessings.
I have made deliberate choices…defiant choices…that were against the Lord’s command. I cannot explain the “why” of it…He told me not to do those things, I knew there would be punishment and consequences. I did it anyway. Father forgive me. I hope that I am able to do better now…I want to live my life governed by His commands, by His truths…so that I can have His blessings.