THE ALTAR ON MOUNT EBAL (Deuteronomy 27:1-10)

THE ALTAR on MOUNT EBAL

(Deuteronomy 27:1-10)

 

1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today.

2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster.

3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster.

5 Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them.

6 Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God.

7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God.

8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.

9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God.

10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.

 

(Introduction)

1. Moses gave 3 sermons and Deuteronomy chapter 27 is the beginning of the third one. The word “curse” appears most often in this last sermon; after that is the word “blessing.” The word “curse” is used four times more often than “blessing” in Moses’ third sermon.

 

If our God is the God of love and blessings, why was “curse” used so much?

 

2. Today’s scripture from Deuteronomy is about the covenant God made at the beginning of the exodus at Mount Sinai with the Israelites; this is often referred to as “The Covenant at Mount Sinai.”

 

The context of today’s scripture is Moses giving his sermon to the Israelites 40 years after the covenant was made. Moses gave this sermon again because after nearly half a century there was a new generation that did not yet know about the covenant.

 

(Body)

A) Moses’ Commands

 

1. Moses makes 3 commands in chapter 27.

 

*The first command was for the Israelites to set up large stones, coat them with plaster, and wrote on them all the words of the law when they have crossed the Jordan and into Canaan. This command is written clearly so anyone who reads it can understand and follow it.

 

Until then, the Israelites that only heard the laws verbally read out to them, but with this command the laws would be clearly written out and literally written in stone.

 

2. But why where these stones set up on Mount Ebal, the cursed mountain, and not on Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessings?

 

 Bible scholars believe that it is because God knew the fate of the Israelites and how they would be cursed for their defiance rather than be blessed for their obedience.

 

Before he died, Moses reflected on the past actions of the Israelites and worried that their wrongdoings would only bring upon to themselves curses and plagues.

 

*The second command was that they were to build and altar of stone, but they were not to use any iron tools on them. With the altar, built of fieldstones, the Israelites were commanded to make burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrifice fellowship offerings there.

 

Burnt offerings require the whole animal to be burnt, leaving nothing for the people. But the sacrifice fellowship offerings only burn certain parts of the animal, and the leftover meat, which is enough to feed many, is eaten. Thus, following the second command ensures a meal of fellowship.

 

*The third command was that six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim and bless the people, while six other tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce curses. To each blessing and curse the people were to reply, “Amen!”

 

There are a total of 12 curses recorded in Deuteronomy 27. Since Shechem was the area between the mountains, these curses are sometimes known as “The 12 Curses of Shechem.”

 

The 12 Curses of Shechem not mention the sins that may be openly committed, but it also points out the sins that may be committed in secret or private.

 

Verse 15 of chapter 27 says, “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”

Anyone who creates and worships an idol was to be cursed.

 

Verses 16 and 17 say, “Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother… 17 Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone…”

During these times, anyone who owned land had a “boundary stone”. Hence, verse 17 curses anyone who moves a neighbor’s boundary stone to deceitfully expand his own, thereby stealing land.

 

Verses 18-25 continue with more grounds for curses:

“18 Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road…19 who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow… 20 who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father’s bed… 21 who has sexual relations with any animal… 22 who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother… 23 who sleeps with his mother-in-law… 24 who kills their neighbor secretly… 25 who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”

 

B) The Structure of the Covenant: 6 Requirements and 2 Confirmations

 

The covenant made in the Old Testament had 6 structured requirements and 2 processes of confirmation.

 

1. The 6 Requirements

 

*First, the maker of the covenant must identify himself/herself.

When God concluded His promise, He ends by identifying Himself with, “I am the Lord your God.”

 

*Second, one must prove his/her worthiness to the covenant through his/her history of giving grace.

 Here it must be proven why the maker of the promise has right to conclude the vow and explain why they want to conclude by giving examples of their past grace. God tells the Israelites, “I freed you from slavery. I fed and clothed your for 40 years. I led you into the land of milk and honey,” thus proving His right to make and conclude the promise.

 

*Third, the maker of the covenant makes the rules and regulations.

God tells the Israelites what they can and cannot do. Moses’ second sermon (Deuteronomy 4:44-26:19) explains these rules.

 

*Fourth, these rules and regulations must be recorded, kept, and read over and over.

Today’s scripture, which tells the Israelites to set up stones, cover them with plaster, then write the laws, apply to this portion.

 

*Fifth, there must be a witness for the concluding closing of the covenant.

Verse 1 shows Moses and the elders of Israel as being such witnesses.

 

*Sixth, it must be proclaimed that if the laws of the promise are kept, blessings will be bestowed; if they are not, curses will fall. 

It is not the same whether the covenant is kept or not. Blessings or curses will be given depending on the decision.

 

2. The 2 Methods of Confirmation

How was the promise approved then? When God makes a promise, He uses two methods to approve them.

 

*The first way is to split an animal in two and have a lit torch pass between them.

Abraham used this method when he made a covenant with God in Genesis 15:17.

 

*The second process is to have fellowship before God.

When the Covenant at Sinai was made in Exodus 24, Moses, Aaron and 70 elders of Israel ate and drank together joyfully after seeing God. They were to do the same at Mount Ebal. Eating together is not just to ease hunger; it is a method of confirming the covenant.

 

C) The 3 Areas Where the Covenant is Applied

 

1. To whom does the covenant apply?

 

During the time of Moses the covenant applied to God’s people, the Israelites, who God saved from Egypt and led to Canaan.

 

Verse 9-10 of today’s scripture says, “9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

 

Today, as believers of Jesus Christ, we too have become God’s people, Thus the covenant also applies to us, meaning if we obey His commands we will be blessed; if we do not, we will be cursed.

 

If this is so, what is a curse?

Blessings take what valuables a person has and adds even more worth to it. Curses, on the other hand, take whatever someone sees as precious and lowers its value.

 

Those who place their values in material belongings will lose their things. Those who cherished their children will lose their children. Those who treasure their reputation will lose their honor. Their treasure in Heaven will slowly decrease. This is what happens to those who are cursed.

 

As Christians, going against the word of God may not lead one to Hell, but it will drastically diminish the value worth of one’s life.

 

2. The covenant applies to 3 areas in our own lives.

 

*First, it applies to our families.

Marriage is a holy covenant made before God, and a family is the engine in the promise. The wedding couple first makes their vows, an officiator confirms it, and then a meal of fellowship follows with family and wedding guests as witnesses. Even weddings have all the requirements of a covenant.

 

*Second, it applies to the church.

It may seem like anyone can come and become a member of a church, but this is not quite so. There is a covenant within the church: one accepts Jesus as their savior and obeys God’s word. This is called a “Testimony of Salvation.” The Baptist Church baptizes and accepts members through testimonies. Serving your church builds up your prize in Heaven because the Church is the body of Jesus Christ.

 

*Third, it applies to the country.

Presidents don’t just get to run a country right after they win an elections. They must first take an oath and vow in front of the people. In the US, an oath is made while placing one’s right hand on the Bible.

The President must vow to lawfully protect his/her country, work towards the betterment of the people, freedom, and economy before he/she can become an officially taking political office. If these promises are not kept, they risk being thrown out or ever killed. Of course, the people must also do their part and abide by the law.

 

(Conclusion)

1. Sometimes we break the covenants we make to our families, the church, or even the country and face the bitter consequences. Even the Israelites could not keep to their life of faith and received more and more curses, ending up as slaves in a foreign country.

 

But Moses tells the Israelites to return even under circumstances as slaves.

 

Deuteronomy 30:1-4 says, “1When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a] and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.”

 

Verses 9 and 10 continue, “9Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

 

What great grace is this? This is amazing love. How thankful we should be!

 

2. Today, in our own lives we face many difficulties even though we believe in Jesus. If this is so, is there anything God is helping you realize through today’s sermon? If there is any sin or wrong you realize or remember, repent now and return before God. God will restore and bless anyone who comes back to Him and repents sincerely before Him.

 

We all have just one life to live. Let us live that one life pleasing God and receiving His many blessings. (the end) 01/25/15            -Korean Baptist church of water town-