Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (OT)

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

¹¹ “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹⁴ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, ²⁰ loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

I have been reminded several times that you should read the word of God outload to yourself. (Yes, I understand English teachers are screaming, because they spend all this time teaching us to read silently.) I will tell you that when you read out load you have greater retention of information. You generally use the visual sense in reading, but add to it verbal and audio (as you speak and hear). You will find that the word of God truly does become very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your ears and in your head and likewise in your heart.

Moses knew what he was talking about and God knew what he was doing. Previous to our text they lined up the people on opposite sides of the valley and had them scream back and forth the blessings and curses that they would face with respect to the commandments as they enter into the promised land.

But it is not only about recalling these promises of God, both for good and for evil. Moses also reminds the people that it is not himself who bears witness to God what is happening among the people. It is not the judges that have been placed over the people who witness before God. But it is all the creation, which will bear witness to your sinful life. The creation knows that you know the difference between right and wrong. The creation will be called to testify against you when you choose death through your actions.

Thankfully we have one who speaks a word greater than the creation. We have one who knows all that we have done, and yet he still lovingly lays down his life for you. He dies for the forgiveness of all your sins. His blood speaks a greater word than the blood of Abel. He bears witness to our forgiveness and new life (you have n the promise of the resurrection).