Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Deuteronomy 27

In the first half of this chapter Moses commands the people to gather stones, coat them with lime and write the words of the commands in detail. He also commands them to build an altar of uncut stones on which to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings.  In the second half, Moses pronounces curses over possible actions taken by the Israelites. These are to be read aloud to the people, and the people are to respond by saying, "Amen."  

As Brandon pointed out yesterday, it is easy to read these passages and ask, "Why?" or even "How do I apply this today?"  In attempt to answer these questions about today's passage, I'm reminded of growing up and school.  But first, a few questions for you:

Do you keep a diary or journal?

Do you have a box of keepsakes?

What kinds of things do you use to help you remember important things that have happened in the past?

My mom used to always tell me, "Write it down."   Whether it be homework assignments, to do lists, or ideas for a project, mom insisted it would help if I would write it down.  Ya know what? She was right!  I learned to apply this as life went on.  For example, as a music student in seminary, I had to learn 8 songs a semester. If I had trouble memorizing them I would often write down the lyrics of the songs repeatedly. This helped expecially with songs in a foreign language!  As time went on I also learned, particularly in teaching, that the more senses we use gathering information, the more we will retain it.  So, if I see it with my eyes, hear it with my ears, and write it down, I'm gonna have a much better time remembering it and applying it!

Once again, we come back to God's holiness and His command for His people to be holy.  God wanted the people to remember His promises, commandments, and the consequences (curses). What better way to remember and apply God's commands than writing them down and hearing them!  I feel it necessary to say that God may have had a completely different purpose in these commands to Moses, after all, He is God!  I do hope, however, that this can be one way for us to relate to and apply this awesome Old Testament book!

May God bless the reading of His word!