Quick Note – Deuteronomy 27:26 – Confirmation Requires Obedience

Deuteronomy 27:26 – “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”

Before the people of Israel were to cross into the Promised Land, Moses and some of the elders gathered the people together to give some last words of wisdom. Moses was about to die, because he would not be allowed to cross over into the land, so he had a few last things he wanted to share with them. One thing he told the Israelites to do when they crossed over the land was to build an altar on Mount Ebal and recite some curses to which all the assembly of Israel were to agree upon by saying, “Amen.” This was to remind them that they were to follow and to obey God’s law even when they had reached their destination. Those curses included making an idol, dishonoring a parent, misleading a blind man, perverting justice to those who were helpless, and various sexual sins. However, the last curse is quite interesting and found in our focal verse today, “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.”

I find this to be so interesting, because it seemed like a no-brainer that when you agree with God’s law by mouth, you would follow it in your actions. However, so many Christians today praise God’s name and profess to love His Word but fail to obey it. This verse is a reminder that in order to confirm the words of God’s law, you must do them. Saying that it is a good word, agreeing that it is righteous, talking about how it is an excellent source of wisdom means nothing if it is not followed – if it is not obeyed. How many times have you heard people say, “The Bible is such a good book to learn from. There are a lot of principles that we can gain from it. It is an excellent form of literature.” All these words are high praise, but if they don’t apply what it teaches to their lives, it is completely useless. They are just speaking nonsense.

If a person truly wants to confirm God’s Word, he or she must obey it. That means that you come to agreement that the Bible points to our Savior Jesus Christ, encourages us to accept Him as Savior and Lord, and teaches us how to live our lives. If we love God’s Word, then we must obey it. If not, then curse be on you.

Quick Note – Leviticus 19:1-2 – Be Holy

Leviticus 19:1-2 – ¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

The people of Israel were called to be reflections of God in Leviticus.  They had just left captivity in Egypt, were heading to the Promised Land, and were given the commandments of God by Moses in the wilderness.  After sharing some of these commandments, God told them through Moses, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  Simply put, the Israelites were to live in a way that reflected the holiness of God.  It meant that they were not to live in sin and wickedness but to obey the commandments of God.  They were to put away all uncleanness, whether it be sexual immorality or in what they ate or in how they interacted with others.  They were to be true and honest, for God was faithful and true.  They were to be just, for God was just.  They were to be kind and forgiving, for God was gracious and merciful.  They were to live holy lives, because they were the people of God, who were to be a light and image of God to the world around them.  They were to be holy, set apart for God, because God is holy. 

Just as the people of Israel were to reflect God to the world in the Old Testament, we as Christians are called to reflect Jesus Christ now.  Acts 11:26 tells us that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.  They were called this, because they lived their lives in a way that showed that they followed Christ.  The Greek meaning of Christian is “follower of Christ.”  When we call ourselves Christians, we declare to the world that we are His followers, which means that we trust Him, obey Him, and copy the example that He set for us in this world.  It means that our lives are a reflection of Christ and of the way He lived on this earth and continues to live in heaven.  It means that we love as He loves, that we hate the things He hates, and that we fear God as He feared the Father.  Christ showed mercy and love to sinners rather than judgment and that is what we are to do.  Christ hated pride and hypocrisy and sin, calling those who lived in that manner towards repentance, so we should hate those qualities in our lives as well.  Christ spent time with the Father in prayer, so we should make sure that we spend time with our Heavenly Father each day.  Christ willingly died for us, so we must be willing to give our lives for others.  Christ was holy, sinless, set apart for God, so we must be holy and set apart for Him as well. 

We should be holy, because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is holy.  Look at your life today.  Is there lustful thoughts that you need to repent of?  Is there a hateful heart that you need softened?  Is their self-pride, that you need broken down?  Confess that sin and turn to Him in repentance, and be holy for your God is holy.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  He can make us holy, if we desire to be.  Give your life to Him today and be holy.