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.