This day I call the heavens and the 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. (Deut. 30/19)
God set blessings before Israel at Mt Gerizim if they obeyed and loved Him and curses at Mt Ebal if they turned to other gods. It wasn’t really a choice, but in case the Israelites hesitated and were missing the point, God spelt it out loudly and clearly — choose life!
When you read through those curses, it really is a no brainer to want to choose the blessings of health, prosperity and life over the curses of death and destruction.
I want to briefly sidetrack for a moment.
For a number of reasons the Samaritans worshipped on Mount Gerizim and still do today. It must have been the mount that the Samaritan woman at the well was referring to when she spoke to Jesus in John 4:20.
Jesus’ response to her comments about worshipping on that mountain actually take us back to the Deuteronomy blessings pronounced on Mount Gerizim. If you recall, Jesus explained that Zion is where God is to be worshipped and then He added that mountains and location were irrelevant because God really wanted worshippers who worshipped him to do so in spirit and in truth regardless of their location (John 4:21-24).
So linking the 2 passages, we have blessings on those who love and obey God - those who declare that God is worthy of our reverence both through our emotional essence and in light of what is real. Gerizim was all about worshipping God in spirit and in truth - it went far beyond a few commands, and here is the key —God was wanting to capture the very hearts of His people.
It’s out of our hearts that we worship God based on the truth of who He is, the truth of who we are, the truth of what God does, and the truth of what is going on in our world. Our lives filled with attitudes, actions and words that honour God will be a life of worship, a life in submission and obedience to all that He has been, is and will be.
It is this life of obedience and submission to His will that brings blessings. We don’t need to read the rules of Gerizim if God has captured our hearts because once we are in love with God, our behaviour will be conformed to His heart and desires.
And you know, if our hearts are captured, we receive the even greater blessings that are linked to Mount Zion.
Choose life! Choose life for evermore!
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting (Psalm 133:3)
All quotes are from NLT.
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