Mountain of Blessing And A Mountain of Curses

Deuteronomy 27

A Mountain of Blessing And A Mountain of Curses

God

Mount Ebal is a mountain in Samaria, in central Israel. It is 3,077 feet above sea level, and 1,200 feet above adjoining valley. It was located on the north side of the ancient city of Shechem.

Mount Gerizim was to the south of Shechem on the other side of the valley, well within seeing distance of each other. Mount Ebal's rocky, barren appearance contrasted with the lush-covered Mount Gerizim 2,897 feet above sea level.

"

27 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.

² And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister:
³ And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
⁴ Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister.
⁵ And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.
⁶ Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God:
⁷ And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God.
⁸ And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
⁹ And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God.
¹⁰ Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
¹¹ And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,
¹² These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:
¹³ And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali."  Deuteronomy 27:1-11

Compare and contrast the Truth from non-Truth.  Compare that which is, from that which is not, is one of the most applicable and tangent definitions of discernment at work,  in the pictures above, seeing is believing the old adage that comes to mind.  Notice the choice that was made and the result of the choice:

^"7 And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God.
⁸ And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
⁹ And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God."  [Deut 27:2-9] A PEACE offering was made, for reconciliation of the law that was CLEARLY WRITTEN WORD.  Notice the result of the choice, the ownership by God, and the ownership by the people who made the choice.  It is pretty simple isn't it.  Choices of free volitional will and the results of the choice.
     There is a choice between eternal blessing and the curse of barren death foreshadowed here.  This is the choice of Who and what we believe in, about, and on Jesus the Christ, Son of God.  Just look at the difference between the blessed mountain, lush and green thousands of years later [Jesus], and the desolate, dry, barren, hard, rocky mountain of eternal curse [self].  It is a simple illustration.  These two mountains are this day what God pronounced and the nation of Israel, all those many years ago.  So it will be with the promise of Jesus, and the definite curse of rejecting the Christ.  Love in Christ Jason!