Deuteronomy 30:11-20 New King James Version
The Choice of Life or Death
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is [a]not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor 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, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you, your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
When I first became a Christian, I decided I would somehow find a way to live in two different worlds.
I was planning to hang out with my old friends and still be a Christian.
For a time, I felt as though I were in a state of suspended animation.
I wasn’t comfortable with my old buddies, but I wasn’t quite comfortable with the Christians, either.
So, I decided to be Mr. Solo Christian.
I even said to my friends,
“Don’t worry about me. You’re thinking that I’ll become a fanatic and carry a Bible, spontaneously say, ‘Praise the Lord.’ It will never happen. I’m going to be cool about this. I won’t embarrass you, but I’m going to believe in God now.”
However, as God became more real to me, I began to follow Him more closely, He changed my life and my outlook. As a result, my priorities began to change.
Without exception, on our Christian journey, we’ll find that there are always going to be people who will impede, discourage us, from growing spiritually.
They’ll say things like,
“I think it’s truly wonderful that you’re a Christian. I go to church too—but only at Christmas and Easter and for weddings. But you’re getting a little too fanatical. You brought a Bible to work the other day. That’s going a little too far. We were both so embarrassed. You’re no fun anymore. We are glad you’ve made changes in your life, but we’re afraid that you’re going to become too extreme.”
When we’re confronted with people like this, we have the choice of either to do what God wants us to do or to go with the flow of their lukewarm commitment.
We’ll find that there are biblical consequences for each option.
Deuteronomy 30:19
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Choosing life includes choosing people who encourage you to live the life God offers.
Luke 18:9-14 New American Standard Bible
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the [a] temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be [b]merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Which Would We Despise, Be Discouraged By Today?
Tax collectors were despised for two reasons.
They are traitors because they collected taxes for the oppressive Roman Empire.
And they knowingly overcharged their fellow Jews and kept the extra money for themselves.
Because of these sins against God’s people, tax collectors were considered unclean. So it’s a surprise that in his parable Jesus speaks of a tax collector observed, set apart, praying at the temple, where he wouldn’t be welcome.
The Pharisees, however, worked hard to be pure and spotless, to be able to say, with
Psalm 26:4-5, “I do not sit with the deceitful … I … refuse to sit with the wicked.”
If any of the Jews were righteous, it was the Pharisees.
But Jesus says the tax collector in this story was justified—and not the Pharisee.
That surely shocked his first listeners!
Today, however, we may have to avoid a similar pitfall.
We might tend to despise the Pharisee and treat the tax collector as a hero.
But that would be a mistake.
We have to be careful not to be like the Pharisee, the one who despises others, even as we see that he’s a hypocrite.
Jesus’ judgment in this parable raises the question of how our assessment of people squares with God’s assessment.
If we judge people as less than ourselves—whether Pharisee or tax collector—we are in serious danger of excluding ourselves from God. It’s that serious.
The apostle Paul’s instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 are clear:
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
The believers who take those instructions to heart are the ones we should be surrounding ourselves with.
The Christian life is a challenge.
The people who recognize that and offer words of comfort, wisdom, and encouragement along the way are extremely valuable resources. They counteract the negativity and discouragement that others throw our way.
Why are we going to let people hold us back?
Why are we going to let people discourage us from wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ?
Reflection question:
Where can we find encouragement and support in our walks with Christ?
Jesus Chooses Life for Us
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Complete Jewish Bible
(RY: iv, LY: vii) 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil — 16 in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; (LY: Maftir) 18 I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess.
19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”
Haftarah Nitzavim: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 61:10–63:9
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Nitzavim: Romans 9:30–10:13; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 12:14 –15
In Deuteronomy, Moses is giving his farewell speech to God’s people Israel.
So he tells the Israelites straight up: “You can go one of two ways—the way of blessings and life, or the way of curses and death. Choose life!”
The choice seems rather simple and obvious, right?
I can’t imagine people saying, “Well, I’ll choose curses and death.”
But some do.
Some people reject or ignore the choice that God gives them.
The same thing happens today.
People reject or ignore the choice to follow Christ.
In Moses’ day, God laid the choice in front of Israel in terms of a “covenant.”
That was a pact between God and his people—a pledge of fidelity on both sides.
God promised to be faithful to his people, and the people were summoned to reciprocate.
They needed to be faithful to God.
They needed to keep the terms of the covenant.
Those terms made up the law, summarized in the Ten Commandments:
do not worship or serve other gods; do not harm your neighbor; and so on.
Yet no human could keep the terms of that covenant perfectly—till Jesus came.
John 3:16-21 Complete Jewish Bible
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved. 18 Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God’s only and unique Son.
19 “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. 21 But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God.”
Jesus is, will be, the only human who kept every stipulation of the covenant.
And he not only chose life for himself but, once and for all time, also made it available to all who would choose life in him.
Thanks to Jesus, we have blessings and life!
In summation ….
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit …..
Praying …..
Psalm 40 Complete Jewish Bible
40 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) I waited patiently for Adonai,
till he turned toward me and heard my cry.
3 (2) He brought me up from the roaring pit,
up from the muddy ooze,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my footing firm.
4 (3) He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will look on in awe
and put their trust in Adonai.
5 (4) How blessed the man who trusts in Adonai
and does not look to the arrogant
or to those who rely on things that are false.
6 (5) How much you have done, Adonai my God!
Your wonders and your thoughts toward us —
none can compare with you!
I would proclaim them, I would speak about them;
but there’s too much to tell!
7 (6) Sacrifices and grain offerings you don’t want;
burnt offerings and sin offerings you don’t demand.
Instead, you have given me open ears;
8 (7) so then I said, “Here I am! I’m coming!
In the scroll of a book it is written about me.
9 (8) Doing your will, my God, is my joy;
your Torah is in my inmost being.
10 (9) I have proclaimed what is right in the great assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, Adonai, as you know.
11 (10) I did not hide your righteousness in my heart
but declared your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal your grace and truth
from the great assembly.”
12 (11) Adonai, don’t withhold your mercy from me.
Let your grace and truth preserve me always.
13 (12) For numberless evils surround me;
my iniquities engulf me — I can’t even see;
there are more of them than hairs on my head,
so that my courage fails me.
14 (13) Be pleased, Adonai, to rescue me!
Adonai, hurry and help me!
15 (14) May those who seek to sweep me away
be disgraced and humiliated together.
May those who take pleasure in doing me harm
be turned back and put to confusion.
16 (15) May those who jeer at me, “Aha! Aha!”
be aghast because of their shame.
17 (16) But may all those who seek you
be glad and take joy in you.
May those who love your salvation say always,
“Adonai is great and glorious!”
18 (17) But I am poor and needy;
may Adonai think of me.
You are my helper and rescuer;
my God, don’t delay!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 