Choose Life Or Death
From the very beginning, God always gave us a choice. Many people often question why in the Garden of Eden, there was a tree of Life and a tree that could possibly lead man to sin. I’m often unsure how to answer such questions. However, I think when God created us, we were not created as machines or robots but were bestowed with free will. Since the time of the Garden of Eden, God always gave us a choice to obey him and walk with him. Even now, you can choose to decide whether to read this blog or not. You are always given a choice. It is these choices that define your future.
Let me bring you a context – God redeemed the Israelites from slavery and took them on a journey through the desert. In the book of Genesis, you see promises that were given to Abraham, and it’s only in the chapter of Joshua that the promise came to fulfilment or possession. We must understand that ‘promise to possession’ is a process or journey. For instance, take the journey of Joseph – he saw a dream at the age of 17, and this dream came to fulfilment only at the age of 30; the process that he went through before the possession of his dream was heart-wrenching and painful.
In the story of the Israelites, even though the promise was given in Genesis, it took 4 more books (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) in the Bible in between to reach its fulfilment. The Israelites journeyed through these chapters to finally establish a country of their own.
It’s fascinating and amazing to see this promise being fulfilled through the chapter, where it all began with one man, Abraham. For many years, Abraham and Sarah did not have a child. After a long wait, they were blessed with Isaac and Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob then had 12 children, and from them emerged twelve tribes. These tribes increased in numbers and generations. They then became slaves and were redeemed by Moses and then travelled through the desert for 40 years. Then in the book of Joshua, the promise finally came to life. In between all this, through this journey, they always had a choice to choose between good and evil, God or other idols.
As we go through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and reach Deuteronomy 27, we come to a particular incident as God asks six tribes to speak Blessings and the other six to speak Curses.
Deuteronomy 27:12-14 says, “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:”
On the way, there is a place called Shechem, and to its northern side stands Mount Ebal. This mountain is comparatively barren. Opposite Mount Ebal is Mount Gerizim, and the place is very fruitful, beautiful, and full of greenery. It seems like these mountains are natural symbols of blessings and curses, where the difference in appearance is obvious. They are both the same height (2800 ft) and in between the two, there is almost a 600 feet gap.
The twelve tribes then split, where six of them climbed Ebal (the dry one) and the other 6 climbed atop Gerizim (green and fruitful). These blessings and curses are proclaimed by priests and Levites. Truth be told, this whole incident seems theatrical as the gap between the two mountains forms a semicircle, like an amphitheatre.
When the priests and Levites are proclaiming, this is heard by a huge crowd of people. After they called out the curses and the blessings, they carved them into stones and created a sacrificial altar for the Lord. This was a memorable moment in their lives as this monumental event took place in between their journey from promise to fulfilment.
In Deuteronomy 28 – the first 14 verses are words of blessings, and verses 15-28, are filled with words of curses.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 says, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”
We are also on a journey to the fulfilment of our promise. The Old Testament is a shadow of what happens in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 10.
Egypt or Mizraim is a representation of the sins of the world and the ruling of the devil. Pharaoh, the evil king, is a representation of the devil and what he does to the children of God. The day we got saved, our Exodus began, and from then on, it’s a journey. In the desert, they have no provisions. They are completely dependent on God for food, shelter, water, directions, and all else. Their journey is to reach Canaan, their promised land filled with milk and honey. Many people assume that the land of Canaan is, in fact, heaven. However, that is not true; the land of Canaan represents your situation when you are blessed by the Lord. The journey through the desert is a representation of the process that we must go through so that we reach the emotional and spiritual maturity to embrace our calling.
Going back to Deuteronomy 30:15-16, as the verses read, the Lord has placed options before us of life, death, prosperity, and destruction. But he commands us to love the Lord, walk in his ways, and obey his laws so that we may live a blessed life.
Deuteronomy 30:17-20 says, “But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
“For the LORD is your life” – If you truly understand this principle, unfathomable ways will open before you. The Lord is your life, and no matter what hardship, pain, or uncertainty you are going through in your life, know that the Lord is your life, and he will take care of you. Don’t worry; the blessings that are supposed to enter your home will not go astray, and do not depend upon people for your blessings. Just reside with the Lord, and he will reside within you, and he is your life and your future.
Let me bring you a context – God redeemed the Israelites from slavery and took them on a journey through the desert. In the book of Genesis, you see promises that were given to Abraham, and it’s only in the chapter of Joshua that the promise came to fulfilment or possession. We must understand that ‘promise to possession’ is a process or journey. For instance, take the journey of Joseph – he saw a dream at the age of 17, and this dream came to fulfilment only at the age of 30; the process that he went through before the possession of his dream was heart-wrenching and painful.
In the story of the Israelites, even though the promise was given in Genesis, it took 4 more books (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) in the Bible in between to reach its fulfilment. The Israelites journeyed through these chapters to finally establish a country of their own.
It’s fascinating and amazing to see this promise being fulfilled through the chapter, where it all began with one man, Abraham. For many years, Abraham and Sarah did not have a child. After a long wait, they were blessed with Isaac and Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob then had 12 children, and from them emerged twelve tribes. These tribes increased in numbers and generations. They then became slaves and were redeemed by Moses and then travelled through the desert for 40 years. Then in the book of Joshua, the promise finally came to life. In between all this, through this journey, they always had a choice to choose between good and evil, God or other idols.
As we go through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and reach Deuteronomy 27, we come to a particular incident as God asks six tribes to speak Blessings and the other six to speak Curses.
Deuteronomy 27:12-14 says, “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:”
On the way, there is a place called Shechem, and to its northern side stands Mount Ebal. This mountain is comparatively barren. Opposite Mount Ebal is Mount Gerizim, and the place is very fruitful, beautiful, and full of greenery. It seems like these mountains are natural symbols of blessings and curses, where the difference in appearance is obvious. They are both the same height (2800 ft) and in between the two, there is almost a 600 feet gap.
The twelve tribes then split, where six of them climbed Ebal (the dry one) and the other 6 climbed atop Gerizim (green and fruitful). These blessings and curses are proclaimed by priests and Levites. Truth be told, this whole incident seems theatrical as the gap between the two mountains forms a semicircle, like an amphitheatre.
When the priests and Levites are proclaiming, this is heard by a huge crowd of people. After they called out the curses and the blessings, they carved them into stones and created a sacrificial altar for the Lord. This was a memorable moment in their lives as this monumental event took place in between their journey from promise to fulfilment.
In Deuteronomy 28 – the first 14 verses are words of blessings, and verses 15-28, are filled with words of curses.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 says, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”
We are also on a journey to the fulfilment of our promise. The Old Testament is a shadow of what happens in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 10.
Egypt or Mizraim is a representation of the sins of the world and the ruling of the devil. Pharaoh, the evil king, is a representation of the devil and what he does to the children of God. The day we got saved, our Exodus began, and from then on, it’s a journey. In the desert, they have no provisions. They are completely dependent on God for food, shelter, water, directions, and all else. Their journey is to reach Canaan, their promised land filled with milk and honey. Many people assume that the land of Canaan is, in fact, heaven. However, that is not true; the land of Canaan represents your situation when you are blessed by the Lord. The journey through the desert is a representation of the process that we must go through so that we reach the emotional and spiritual maturity to embrace our calling.
Going back to Deuteronomy 30:15-16, as the verses read, the Lord has placed options before us of life, death, prosperity, and destruction. But he commands us to love the Lord, walk in his ways, and obey his laws so that we may live a blessed life.
Deuteronomy 30:17-20 says, “But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
“For the LORD is your life” – If you truly understand this principle, unfathomable ways will open before you. The Lord is your life, and no matter what hardship, pain, or uncertainty you are going through in your life, know that the Lord is your life, and he will take care of you. Don’t worry; the blessings that are supposed to enter your home will not go astray, and do not depend upon people for your blessings. Just reside with the Lord, and he will reside within you, and he is your life and your future.
Watch the full video here:
About The Author:
Dr. Damien Antony
Born and brought up in a Christian family, Dr. Damien Antony possessed an unquenching quest for truth right from his boyhood days and eventually his relentless search led him to the Bible. He is a Revival Preacher, Bible Teacher, Leadership Trainer, Author and a Life Coach. He moves under the anointing for Prophetic, Healing, Deliverance, Inner Healing and Financial Breakthrough. God has also blessed him with an Apostolic Mandate to take the Universal Body of Christ to the next level of revelation and anointing.
Born and brought up in a Christian family, Dr. Damien Antony possessed an unquenching quest for truth right from his boyhood days and eventually his relentless search led him to the Bible. He is a Revival Preacher, Bible Teacher, Leadership Trainer, Author and a Life Coach. He moves under the anointing for Prophetic, Healing, Deliverance, Inner Healing and Financial Breakthrough. God has also blessed him with an Apostolic Mandate to take the Universal Body of Christ to the next level of revelation and anointing.
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