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522 | The Faith that Obeys - Deuteronomy 27 · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  God is in control.
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  She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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  at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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  like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org, We invite you to sit down with us as we look
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  to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Have you ever thought about what it really means to live out your faith?
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  Not just to believe it in your heart, but to let your obedience show to the world around you?
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  In Deuteronomy chapter 27, Moses reminds the Israelites that faith was never meant to be hidden.
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  As they prepared to enter the promised land, God called them to demonstrate
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  their faith in visible ways, to write his law on stones, to build an altar of
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  worship, and to proclaim their obedience for all to see.
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  This chapter is about a faith that acts, obedience that speaks,
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  and hearts that are devoted to God in both word and in deed.
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  In a world that often values comfort over conviction, Deuteronomy 27 calls us
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  back to a faith that is lived out loud, a faith that obeys.
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  Join us this episode of the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast as Erica Close
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  walks us through Deuteronomy chapter 27.
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  Let's learn together how obedience flows from faith and how a life of visible
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  devotion to God gives him glory.
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  Join with me as we hop right in to Deuteronomy chapter 27.
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  And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying,
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  Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.
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  And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which
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  the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones,
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  and plaster them with plaster.
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  And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed
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  over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,
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  a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
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  Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these
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  stones, which I command you this day, in Mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster.
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  And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones.
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  Thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.
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  Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones,
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  and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God.
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  And thou shalt offer peace offerings and shalt eat there and rejoice before the Lord thy God.
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  And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
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  And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spake unto all Israel,
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  saying, Take heed and hearken, O Israel, this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God.
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  Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments
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  and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
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  And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon Mount
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  Gerizim to bless the people when you are come over Jordan,
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  Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin.
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  And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse Reuben, Gad, and Asher,
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  and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
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  And the Levite shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
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  Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto
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  the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsmen, and putteth it in a secret
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  place, and all the people shall answer, and say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that setteth light by his father and his mother,
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  and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way,
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  and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, the fatherless,
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  and the widow, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife, because he uncovereth his father's
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  skirt. All the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that lieth with any man or of beast, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father,
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  or the daughter of his mother, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor secretly, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person, and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  And cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them,
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  and all the people shall say, Amen.
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  Well, welcome to chapter 27. While chapter 26 focused on gratitude and the tithe,
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  chapter 27 is all about faith, the faith of God's people in him,
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  and a faith that had to be marked by obedience that was visible to others,
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  as well as built upon an inward commitment to God himself.
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  The focus of this chapter after faith is obedience that follows a heart of faith.
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  This chapter also demonstrates the power of reading the law,
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  that by reading it, it would be sealed into memory, but also that it was necessary
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  to read it and agree to it and commit to it in order to demonstrate that it truly meant something.
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  As we move into this chapter, the first three verses set the scene for the commandment
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  that Moses is giving the Israelites.
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  He's speaking to them along with the elders and reminding them that the commandments
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  which have been given to them, not just the Ten Commandments,
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  but also the ceremonial and the civil laws found in chapters 14 through 26 were to be kept.
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  When the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land,
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  they were to set up great stones as a monument, and they would put plaster on them.
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  And then within the plaster, they were to write out all the words of the law
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  on the monument before they went in to possess the land.
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  Verses 4 through 8 continue this command and give additional details about what
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  the Israelites were to do when they crossed the Jordan.
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  They were to set up this monument on Mount Ebal, which is known as a mountain of cursing.
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  And on this mountain, they were to build an altar unto the Lord thy God.
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  Verse 5 specifies that the altar was to be built of whole stones,
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  meaning stones that were not
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  shaped or cut by tools, and therefore the stones were not the work of man.
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  The altar was to be built in the way that God desired, not designed or altered by human hands.
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  And on this altar, they were to offer burnt offerings to the Lord and to offer peace offerings.
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  The burnt offerings were for the atonement of sins, and the peace offerings
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  were an act of gratitude and of fellowship.
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  They were to eat there, and they were to rejoice before the Lord their God.
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  Verse 8 again reinforces this command to write all the words of the law upon.
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  The stones very plainly.
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  The law was to be visible, public, and clear.
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  God wanted his word to be known to all people, and he wanted it to be so plain
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  that no Wood can claim ignorance of what he required.
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  Verses 9 and 10 show a really clear transition from the instructions about the
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  altar to the call for obedience.
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  In verse 9, both Moses and the priests are speaking to all of Israel,
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  and they're calling for their full attention.
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  We read, Take heed and hearken, O Israel, this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God.
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  These words were a powerful reminder that being God's people required more than
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  just heritage or history.
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  It required obedience. In verse 10, the Israelites were commanded to obey the
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  voice of the Lord their God and to do his commandments and his statutes.
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  This obedience wasn't merely external, but it had to reflect an inward faith
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  and a devotion to that covenant relationship that God had established with them.
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  The Israelites were to show that by their actions that they truly belonged to God.
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  As we move into verses 11 through 14, we begin to see the beginning of the covenant
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  ceremony that would take place when the Israelites entered the promised land.
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  In verse 11, Moses commanded the people, giving clear instructions that six
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  of the tribes were to stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people,
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  and six were to stand upon Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses.
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  The curses that would be proclaimed weren't arbitrary or they weren't cruel,
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  but they were solemn warnings tied directly to disobedience.
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  Each curse described a specific sin that violated God's covenant law.
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  Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal faced each other across a valley near Shechem,
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  and this created a natural amphitheater
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  where all of Israel could hear the words that would be spoken.
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  The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand
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  on Mount Gerizim to bless the people.
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  And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebul, and Dan, and Naphtali were to stand
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  on Mount Ebel to pronounce the curses.
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  And these instructions were so specific, showing that God is a God of order
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  and that both blessings and curses were to be heard by all.
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  Verse 14 specifies that the Levites were to speak with a loud voice,
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  proclaiming the words that would follow, ensuring that every Israelite could hear and understand.
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  Verses 15 through 26 record the Levites' proclamation of 12 specific curses,
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  and after each one, all of Israel was to respond with an amen.
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  This was an act of agreement, a way for the people to affirm that they understood
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  the law, accepted the consequences of disobedience, and committed to live in obedience to the Lord.
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  Each curse focused on a sin that revealed disobedience to God and a lack of
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  love for others, a lack of regard for their community.
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  The first curse condemned idolatry, the sin of putting anything before God.
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  Other curses that followed included dishonoring one's parents,
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  moving a neighbor's boundary, leaving the blind astray,
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  perverting justice for the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow,
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  and several others that dealt with immorality, violence, deceit,
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  and just plain corruption.
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  The final verse, verse 26, summarized all of them.
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  We read, Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them.
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  This closing statement made it clear that the law was not optional.
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  Obedience to God's commands was the only way to live under his blessing.
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  By saying amen, the Israelites acknowledged that sin carries consequences,
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  and that obedience brings life.
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  This account continues in chapter 28 with the blessings, but that's for next week.
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  This chapter teaches us that faith is not just inward. It must be visible.
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  God required the Israelites to write his law on stones and to build an altar for all to see.
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  In the same way, our faith should be public and active in our communities.
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  When we live out God's word before others, we show the world who he is.
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  Our obedience is not only a reflection of our faith, but also a testimony of his truth.
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  The Israelites were told to write the law plainly, so plainly that anybody could
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  read it and anybody could understand it.
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  They literally wrote it out on a monument.
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  This reminds us of the importance of keeping God's word clear in our hearts
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  and visible in our lives.
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  We must not complicate or obscure his commands, but live them out with sincerity
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  so others can see his truth through our actions. The curses that were proclaimed
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  were solemn warnings tied directly to disobedience.
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  Each curse made clear that sin brought with it consequence and that God's people
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  can't expect his blessings while living in rebellion to him.
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  By publicly declaring both blessings and curses, God was calling his people
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  to choose obedience and to choose life.
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  The Israelites' response of amen
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  to each curse demonstrated collective accountability in the community.
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  They were agreeing before God and before each other that sin was serious and holiness was required.
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  In our own lives, we also need to respond with an amen, not just in word, but in deed.
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  True faith is marked by obedience, reverence, and gratitude for God's mercy.
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  This chapter ends by reminding us that God's desire is to bless those who walk in obedience.
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  As his people, we are called to live in faith that is visible,
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  in obedience that is faithful, and in gratitude that is continual.
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  God's law reveals his holiness, and our obedience reveals our love.
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  Remember, you are loved.
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  Jesus loves you.
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  Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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