Oxen, Eggs with a Side of Deuteronomy
“Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you.” Deut 27:1-3 (ESV)
I do like me a good breakfast, may not always start my day with one but I do like’em. And having been blessed to be part of men’s fellowships in two different churches has its advantage when it comes to getting a good breakfast on a Saturday morning…as well as getting a good message from God’s Word. Both of these fellowships have that core group that take what was done for them by Jesus Christ very seriously and are not afraid to express it. What is also a cool thing to note here is that men from each of these two groups have shared a devotional at each other’s men breakfast. It is within these devotionals where each fellowship brings a sense of accountability and self-reflecting conviction.
The most recent of these men’s fellowship breakfast devotional’s had its start in Deuteronomy 27 then went into chapter 28 where we all collectively agreed that it ain’t too good to be cursed by God. To set this up you have to imagine the twelve tribes of Israel crossing over the Jordan River, splitting into two groups and placing themselves on different mountains as instructed by Moses. Six of these tribes are on Mount Gerizim to bless the people and the other six are to stand on Mount Ebal and proclaim a curse. They are a blend of importance in relation to the way they had marched in the wilderness. The burnt and peace offerings have been completed to indicate personal consecration and fellowship before and to God.
I can only imagine the quiet that falls upon the nation of Israel, the vastness of the open space and the amount of people that are present as the Levites proclaim the “Cursed is the one who’s”. I guess it would have taken all the Levite priests to say them in unison so their voices could carry and how loud the responsive “AMEN” that followed after each proclamation. Then comes the blessings for obedience, which if you really look at it are the foundational needs for any community or nation for that matter. As the finally blessings resonates throughout the valley we hear a resounding, “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.” (Deut 28:15 ESV)
And quite a list of curses it becomes. There are things on that list that just by the mere wording of them are downright frightening. Being a man that likes a good burger, hearing that my ox shall be killed in front of me and I ain’t getting’ any of it to eat…WHAT? Then you hear that warning again about what will fall upon you when you “CHOOSE” not to obey the “Lord your God.” And the list picks up where it leaves off all the way to point of having to be returned to Egypt (don’t make Him do it) to put oneself up for sale only to find no buyers. This is all a clear sign to me that the nation of Israel would suffer the futility of existence for any disobedience to precepts of the “Lord your God.” Oy vey!!!
As breakfast was being finished up that morning, we quickly turned our conversation for the provision made for us in Christ Jesus. We took a look at the world around us and found that throughout history many civilizations were making bad choices (some still are, huh?) and receiving these kinds of curses placed upon them. But that it is up to us, the Christian man, to turn things around and bring them captive in the mindset of Jesus. I still suffer from making a bad choice every so often, but praise God for what was done on the Cross. I hope you are uttering the same praise this day. After all, a side of Deuteronomy may go well with oxen and eggs but it needs to be seasoned with blessings and not curses…just sayin’!! – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter contributor
GPS – God’s Positioning System: Isaiah 1-4; Psalm 143; Proverbs 24
Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28
Anchored to the Rock: What an awful place is a Christian’s closet. The whole Trinity is about it every time he kneels. Edward Griffin
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