Deuteronomy 27
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Deuteronomy 27:1-8, Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. 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. 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. And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.”
The book of Deuteronomy can essentially be thought of as a covenant renewal document for the Isrealites as they make their way into the promised land. They have now received the instructions for the covenant from Moses but it won't go into effect in full until they reach their final destination. Once they arrived in Canaan, the promised land, they were to mark the occasion with a monument, a stone altar, to the Lord. They were to celebrate a covenant meal there at the monument and listen to the covenent blessings and curses. We find the curses throughout the rest of chapter 27, the blessings in chapter 28, and the official renewal of the covenant in chapter 29.
I've been to a lot of monuments throughout the U.S. and in other countries. My guess is you have as well. A monument is a way to commemorate an event but monuments also make a statement about what a people or community values and thinks others should remember. God wanted his people to remember the covenant he made with them, the importance of following the one true God, and how he would care for them and provide for them if they held up their end of the deal.
Think about different monuments you have visited over the years. What kinds of values did they represent? What kinds of feelings did those monuments stir up in you? What kinds of monuments do we have to remember our commitment to God?
Let's pray...Almighty God, You are the one who was and is and is to come. You are worthy of all honor and praise. Help us remember your mighty works, how you have loved us and protected us, how you have saved us and forgiven us, and how you are forever present with us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.