“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, 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.” –Deuteronomy
31-19-20 (ESV).
Calling the elements and heaven and
earth in testimony to an oath or covenant was a common ancient Near Eastern
practice. Normally, pagan nations would
call on the name of their deity, but since God Himself is a partner in the
covenant, Moses calls heaven and earth to witness what he is bringing before
the people. The focal verses for today
are a part of Moses’ third speech, his final exhortation to the people to
accept the covenant God has given them.
He reaches a climactic point in his appeal. We might say this is the invitation of his
sermon in which he pleads for the people to choose life or death, blessing or
curse. Notice the great contrast in the positions
he urges them to make: it is either life
or death, blessing or curse.
To choose life is to choose God’s way. The blessing that comes from choosing to
follow God will be life for both current and future generations. The people will love God and He will
reciprocate their love. They will obey
God and He will reward them with long life.
And furthermore, they will dwell in the land promised to the patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Hope was held during
the long years in Egypt when the nation groaned under slavery. How they longed to return to the land of
their fathers. Now, by making the right
choice, they stood on the threshold of possessing the land and living long upon
it. A longed-for reward was almost in
sight. And it hinged on choosing God,
choosing life, obeying God and being steadfast in following Him.
In America the Roe vs. Wade Supreme
Court decision has brought great controversy about the right to life, or what
we call “Pro-life.” The 1973 Supreme
Court decision commonly known as Roe vs. Wade declared that a pregnant woman in
the first trimester of pregnancy was entitled to have an abortion if she so
desired without interference from the state.
Religious and moral leaders have formed anti-abortion groups to fight
against abortion by choice. The sin of
shedding innocent blood of unborn babies is likened to other heinous crimes,
such as many being incognizant and unprotective of Jews being led to
concentration camps prior to and during the World War II years.
Prayer.
Father, forgive our nation that we have both unwittingly and
deliberately shed innocent blood. How
condemned we are in Your sight. Forgive
our trespasses, and turn us again to the true spirit of caring for all peoples
and counting life as sacred and prized, not to be ended on personal whims or
for reasons of personal inconvenience. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to choose
life that we ourselves may live in Your favor.
In Jesus’ name.
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