Today was all about blessings and curses. It started out with having the people of Israel build an altar. After they had crossed over the Jordan into the land that God had given them, they were to set up large stones and plaster them. The plaster was so the writing inscribed on the stones would stand out clearly.
They were to write all the words of the law on them from Moses’ reaffirmation of the covenant. Then they had to take stones and build an altar on Mount Ebal. This altar was different than those of the tabernacle, both in form and in use.
They had to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on it, and sacrifice peace offerings and eat there. They were to rejoice before the Lord.
Then Moses and the priests, who were Levites, said to Israel, “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. Obey and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”
On the same day, Moses commanded the people when they crossed the Jordan, that the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin would stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people. All six tribes were descendants of Jacob and Leah and Rachel.
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali would stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce the curses to the people. Reuben and Zebulun were descendants of Jacob by Leah; the rest were descendants by the maidservants Zilpah and Bilhah.
Curses
“Cursed be anyone who…“
- Carves an image or casts an idol, a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of the craftsman’s hands and sets it up in secret.
- Dishonors his father or his mother.
- Moves his neighbor’s landmark.
- Misleads a blind man on the road.
- Perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.
- Lies with his father’s wife, because he has dishonored his father’s bed.
- Lies with any kind of animal.
- Lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.
- Lies with his mother-in-law.
- Strikes down his neighbor in secret.
- Takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.
- Does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.
“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’“
Then it went on to discuss the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. The blessings were the opposite of the curses. Ultimately, they had to follow the laws or there would be consequences. Also, it was not enough to assert allegiance to the law, one must live according to its stipulations.
These topics were already covered extensively in Leviticus. To avoid being redundant I have attached that day’s journal.
Day 41, Leviticus: Blessings for Obedience and Curses for Disobedience