“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 and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
God of our fathers and our God, here we are in Your Presence, thanking You for another day of life, another opportunity to sit at Your feet and learn from You! Another day to extend a helping hand to someone in need, to speak a word of encouragement to someone who is feeling hopeless, and to tell one more person that Jesus’ love is unconditional. May we be willing to do this as long as You give us life! This we pray in the loving name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
As we continue our conversation on the topic of freedom of choice, it is very important that we be aware of the fact that anything God asks human beings to do is always for our good (John 10:10b). Never to harm us!
The Adversary is the one who has no good intentions for us (John 10:10a)! Because of this, it is very important that we get to know the will of God. This knowledge will help us to use our freedom of choice, wisely!
Therefore, let us look at the context from which our Scripture was taken. The children of Israel had been in captivity, and God had delivered them, and was preparing to bring them into the land which He had promised. God knew the many temptations and spiritual dangers that awaited them. He knew that at every step of the way they would be making decisions for life or for death. As a loving Heavenly Father He wanted them to be blessed in the new land they were about to enter. Listen as He counsels them on how to make right choices and receive the blessings of the Lord,
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to 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” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 16).
Notice the similitude between our key text, and these verses. Two choices: good and evil. Two possibilities: life and death. But His counsel in our key text, “therefore choose”, this time is in the form of a command, “Love the Lord your God.” This is the call of a loving father who wants only the best for his children!
In our key text the promise for choosing well, is, “that both you and your descendants may live.” There is life promised to those who make good choices!
In the verse we introduced today the promise is, “the Lord your God will bless you. There are blessings promised to those who make good choices!
And the Good News is, that the Lord has made available to us all that we need to help us make good choices. Listen,
” ‘ “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 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?’ 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?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” ‘ ” ‘ ” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
How wonderful is that! No one has to bring His word to you, because it is not far from you. God has not made it a mystery that someone has to explain it to you. In His eternal love and gracious kindness, God has put His truth in our hearts and in our mouths, that no one will be able to say, I did not know! In every human being there is that God-given knowledge of God, and of what is right and what is wrong (See Romans 1:18-20). Missionaries have entered areas in our world, where no one had ever taken God’s word to these people, and found them living lives based upon godly principles.
But unfortunately, there have also been areas, where, because the word of God was rejected, it was not able to do its intended work in the lives of those who received it (see Romans 1:21-23).
And yet, with all of this knowledge accessible and available, God has given us the freedom to choose. May God help us to use it well and wisely! And may we all respect each other’s God-given freedom to choose!