Bible Study Outline
"Moses' Third Address: The Ratification Of Israel's Covenant Treaty "
Deuteronomy 27:1-26
Lesson 28

These Studies was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author.  It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite.

Introduction: Moses begins his third message to the nation of Israel by asking them for a decision and renewal before they enter into the Promised Land. Their success or failure depended upon their response to God's law. They could choose to live by it or to disobey it, but each response would carry with it a consequence.

I. The Command To Establish The Law And The Altar On Mount Ebal (vv.1-8)
1. Moses and the elders of Israel command the people (v.1).

A. This is the first time that Moses doesn't address the people by himself.

1) Nowhere else in Deuteronomy are the elders associated with Moses as spokesmen to the people.

2) This is probably due to the fact that Moses would not enter into the Promised Land, so the elders would have to be responsible for seeing that these commands were carried out.

B. Moses' address with the elders would be a visible reminder to the people that they were to follow the elders who stood with Moses.

A. Once the nation of Israel entered into the Promised Land, they were to write the law on large stones.

1) The stones were to be set up at Mount Ebal (ee'buhl: located about 35 miles north of Jerusalem).

A) At the bottom of this mountain is the city of Shechem (shek'uhm).

B) This is where the Lord first appeared to Abraham and it was here that Abraham built the first altar to the Lord (Gen.12:6-7).

2) The large stones.

A) These stones were to be coated with "plaster" or "whitewashed"

(1) Whitewashing or using plaster on stones before writing on them was a common practice in Egypt.

(2) Large writing stones, some eight feet high, from before Moses' time have been found at Byblos (Gebal; a seaport of Phoenicia, between Sidon and Tripolis).

B) Writing laws on stones (or even sides of mountains as the later inscriptions of Darius I on the Behistun Rock attest) was common in the ancient Near East.

(1) Kings of the Ancient Near East often prepared monuments to commemorate their victories.

- The artisans flattened an area about 5 0 feet high and 60 feet wide, like a gigantic billboard.

(2) King Darius I of Persia (521-485 B.C.) had a record of his exploits carved on the mountainside nearby, 345' above a spring where travelers stopped and 100' above the highest point to which a man could climb.

(A) To the top of the inscription is a winged disk (representing the god Ahura-Mazda) and 12 figures; the bearded Darius standing with one foot on a fallen foe (Gaumata) as he faces a dozen captives with their hands manacled behind their backs the inscription shows Darius treading on his rival.

(B) The inscription itself is in three languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a form of Akkadian).

B. The content of the writing.

1) What is meant by "all the words of this law" cannot be definitely determined.

2) It probably just meant the book of Deuteronomy rather than the whole Pentateuch.

A) The Pentateuch contains more than law.

B) Even all of Deuteronomy contains information about geographical locations and historical sections, so this could mean that they were only to write prominent parts of the laws reiterated in Deuteronomy.

A. An altar was to be made of field stones (i.e., uncut stones; v.5)

1) This may have been because of the rule for altars of stones in Exodus 20:25.

2) Since Israel did not then possess iron tools, this may have been done to prevent them from being dependent upon any of the surrounding nations for help and by doing so it could lead to harmful influence upon them.

3) It could be for the reason that God didn't want the sacrificial system to suffer any human adornment.

B. They were to give "Burnt offerings" and "peace offerings" there.

1) "Burnt offerings" were to be totally consumed on the altar to express the people's total dependence on the Lord.

2) "Peace offerings" were to be eaten together as a community to express their thankfulness to God and their joy for His provision.

C. This altar did not take the place of the altar in front of the Tent of Meeting.

- This kind of altar was for temporary use on a special occasion, like the altars erected by the patriarchs.

Application: This section of Scripture speaks to many of the same things that affect churches. First, leadership and the importance of surrounding them with good men to carry out God's directions. Second, it speaks of being obedient to God by obeying His Word and carrying out His commands. And Thirdly it speaks of the importance of worshiping God and our fellowship as a body of believers.

II. The Call For A Loving Obedience And Affirmation (vv.9-10).
1. The call to obey.

A. The phrase, "this day you have become the people of the Lord your God" is simply marking a significant turning point in their history, and not that they were not before.

B. There were basically three occasions that this declaration occurred.

1) First at Horeb (Sinai: Exod 19:3-8).

2) Second on the plains of Moab (Deut 26:16-19; 27:9-10).

3) Third on Mount Ebal (Josh 8:30-35).

A. The covenant was established first, then obedience followed.

B. God was about to show them His favor because of their loving obedience to Him.

Application: The covenant was God's free gift because it wasn't determined by any prior obedience or good works on Israel's part. Obedience was not a condition for the covenant but the outcome of it. Israel's obedience was to be motivated by gratitude to God for all He had done for them and for His acceptance of them as His people. Isn't it interesting that it is the same today for those who have been given the New Covenant, through Jesus Christ's shed blood.

III. The Giving Of The Twelve Curses (vv.14-26)
1. The arrangement of the tribes and Levites (vv.11-14).

A. Six tribes were appointed to stand before Mount Gerizim (ger'uh-zim) to pronounce blessings and six tribes were appointed to stand before Mount Ebal to pronounce curses (vv.11-13).

1) This ceremony was commanded by Moses earlier in 11:26-32.

2) These tribes were the descendants from Jacob's wives Rachel and Leah.

A) The tribes that uttered curses were Reuben and Zebulun (zeb'yuh-luhn), both sons of Leah, plus the tribes of the sons of the handmaids Zilpah (zi'fuh) and Bilhah (bil'huh).

(1) The basis for the choice of Reuben and Zebulun is not evident.

(2) Reuben did forfeit his birthright (Gen 49:4), but no particular defection of Zebulun is known.

B) The preference is given to the sons of the wives of Jacob who had higher standing than the sons of the handmaids, though the division into two groups of six necessitated putting two sons of Leah with those of the handmaids.

3) There is a valley that runs between these two mountains in Samaria, with Mount Gerizim to the southwest or Mount Ebal.

B. The Levites were to stand between the two mountains and recite the blessings and curses (v.14),

1) Actually, only the Levites who were priests attending the ark stood in the middle (Josh.8:33).

2) The others stood near Mount Gerizim (27:12).

A. Cursed is the person who makes an idol, either carved of wood or cast in metal (v.15).

1) This summarizes the first two commandments (Exod 20:3-4).

2) By responding with an "Amen," the people were acknowledging that they understood and agreed to the curse's proclamation.

B. Cursed is the person who dishonors their father or mother (v.16; 19:14; Ex.20:12).

C. Cursed is the person who steal their neighbor's landmarks, i.e., their boundary markers (v.17; 19:14).

- Each family's allotment was to be respected; consequently, moving boundary stones came under God's curse.

D. Cursed is the person who misleads a blind person since they could not find their way back (v.18; Lev.19:14).

E. Cursed is the person who takes advantage of the poor and defenseless (v.19; 10:18; 24:17; Ex.22:21; 23:9; Lev.19:33).

F. Cursed is the person who commits incest with his mother or step-mother (v.20; 22:30; Lev.18:8; 20:11; 1 Cor.5:1).

G. Cursed is the person who has intercourse with an animal (v.21; Ex.22:19; Lev.18:23; 20:15).

H. Cursed is the person who commits incest with his sister or half-sister (v.22; Lev.18:9; 20:17).

I. Cursed is the person who has a sexual relationship with their mother-in-law (v.23; Lev.20:14).

J. Cursed is the person who kills his neighbor (v.24; Ex.21:12; Lev.24:17; Num.35:30-31).

K. Cursed is the person who takes money to kill someone (v.25; 10:17; Ex.23:7).

L. Cursed is the person who breaks any of the above curses (v.26).

1) This last curse sums up all the curses but also includes more than the curses specified.

2) The Israelites must "uphold," or make effective, this law by following it.

A) It is not enough to assent to it; one must confirm, uphold, and establish it by one's life in action.

B) This covers all the law as enunciated by Moses on the plains of Moab.

3) The Deuteronomic curses were warnings not to break the law, given with the intent that paying heed to the warning would keep Israel in good relationship with the Lord.

Application: It's clear from these verses that we are responsible and accountable for our actions. The Israelites could choose to obey or disobey God's commands, but God made it clear that He would hold them accountable for their choices; either He would reward them for their obedience or He would punish them for their disobedience. Likewise as Christians there are consequences for our actions; there are rewards for our obedience and there can be punishment for our disobedience (1 Cor.3:10-15; 11:30-31; 2 Cor.5:10-13).
 

I. The Blessings (vv.1-14)
1. Israel's blessings were contingent upon their obedience and not on them saying "Amen." (vv,1-2).

A. This section begins with the often-repeated reference to the "commands I give you today" (v.1; 9, 13, 14, 15, 45, 58, 62).

1) The first part of v. 1 is virtually identical with 15:5, where the blessings of the Lord in the land are anticipated.

2) Full obedience to the Lord results in blessing for his people.

3) The Mosaic Covenant was made with a people who were already redeemed by God's gracious deliverance from Egypt, so the covenant was given so that they might enjoy fellowship with God and be prepared to receive His blessings.

B. Among these blessings is eminence.

- If Israel obeyed the Lord, she would be set high above all the nations of the world (26:19).

C. Moreover, the blessings seem to be personified in verse 2.

D. Warren Wiersbe points out that while the curses in this section are not prophetic promises, the blessings are because they speak of what God will do for them if they obey.

A. God would bless their cities and country by protecting them (v.3).

B. God would bless them with fertility (people, land, animals, etc; v.4).

C. God would bless them with plenty of  food (v.5).

D. God would bless them in their daily living (v.6).

A. God would protect their cities and country from those who would seek to destroy them (v.7; see v.3)

B. God would bless their lands so that their barns would be full of food (v.8; see vv.4-5).

C. God would make them a witness to the world of His blessings (vv.9-10; see vv.3, 6).

D. God would bless the fertility of their wombs, their produce and their live stock (v.11; see v.4).

E. God would bless their livelihood (vv.12-13a; see v.6).

F. God reminds Israel that these blessings are contingent upon their obedience to Him (vv.13b-14).

Application: The God of Israel came first to bless them, not to curse them.  In many of the other ancient covenants they began with curses and then blessings, but here the order is reversed.  God wants to give His best to His people, but this doesn't mean that He turns a blind eye to their behavior to do so.  We do the same in our families, we reward good behavior and we hold them accountable for their bad behavior.  God's blessings go hand-and-hand with obedience, not disobedience.
 

II. The Curses (vv.15-68).
1. Israel was reminded that just as obedience would bring God's blessings, their disobedience would bring God's curses upon them (v.15).

A. There could be no middle ground.

B. The curses found in verses 16-19 were the exact opposite of the four blessings given in verses 3-6.

A. God would curse their cities and country by not protecting them (v.16).

B. God would curse them with not having enough  food to eat (v.17).

C. God would curse them by withholding their fertility (people, land, animals, etc; v.18).

D. God would curse them in their daily living (v.19).

A. God would bring horrible destruction upon them (v.20).

1) Confusion was the term for the divine panic that came on Israel's enemies and rendered them helpless in battle or racked them with painful diseases (1 Sam.5:9; 14:20).

2) To forsake God is to do evil.

B. God would bring disease upon them (vv.21-22).

1) The precise identity of wasting disease, fever and inflammation is unknown.

2) The last two diseases, blight and mildew affect plants.

3) Scorching heat and drought affect both people and vegetation, which eventually lead to death.

C. God would bring drought to their land (vv.23-24).

1) The once fertile land would be without rain.

2) The heat of the sun would always be bearing down upon them (i.e., like the heat reflecting off of a bronze mirror; Ex.38:8).

3) Instead of rain they would have dust so that nothing would grow (i.e., the ground would become like iron).

D. God would bring defeat to them by the hands of their enemies (vv.25-26).

1) Israel would experience devastating defeats in battle.

2) Instead of Israel's enemies fleeing in all directions in panic, it would be Israel who would be doing the fleeing.

3) Their defeat would be so devastating that their would be no one left to bury their dead so that the birds and animals would feast upon the bodies.

E. God would bring physical and mental diseases upon them like He did on Egypt (vv.27-29).

1) God had once struck Egypt with boils and confusion, but now it would be Israel who would be struck to the point that they could do nothing.

2) Nor could Israel defend themselves from those who would rob them.

F. God would allow looting to fall on them from their military defeats (vv.30-35).

1) The afflictions talked about here are a result from military defeats.

2) The military exemptions given in 20:5-7 would be reversed without God's protection.

3) Livestock and children would be lost forever.

4) Foreign armies would reap the benefit from their farmer's hard work.

5) All these losses would cause some to go insane.

6) They will even suffer, from head-to-toe, with boils.

G. God would allow Israel to suffer captivity (vv.36-37).

1) They would be cast into foreign lands to serve lifeless gods.

2) Israel would become the most repulsive nation on earth, talked about and ridiculed by her captors.

H. God would bring crop failure and economic ruin to Israel (vv.38-42),

1) No matter how hard Israel works to grow crops they will fail.

2) They will be shorthanded because their children won't be there to help because they have been taken captive.

3) The insects will rule their land.

I. God would allow the foreigner to prosper in their land while they suffered (vv.43-44).

1) God will reverse the roles, Israel will not prosper but the foreigner will.

2) Once it was Israel who was so blessed that they could loan money to the foreigner, but now they would have to borrow to live.

A. Disobedience (v.45).

1) It seems at this point in Moses' sermon that he seems to assume that Israel would receive these curses ("these curses SHALL come").

2) It was no longer a matter of if they obeyed, but rather that they would not ("because you WOULD NOT obey...").

B. These curses were to be a continual reminder of Israel's disobedience to God's commands (v.46).

C. These curses would come because Israel had lost her joy of serving the Lord (v.47)

D. Israel would suffer the heavy consequences of her disobedience to the Lord (v.48).

A. They would be cursed with a  siege (vv.49-57).

1) A foreign nation that was swift and powerful would swoop down upon them like an eagle.

A) Eagle: "nesher" (neh'-sher), the eagle or other large bird of prey.

B) The Babylonians were compared along with other things, to a swooping eagle or vulture ( same word used above: "nesher" (neh'-sher), the eagle or other large bird of prey; Hab.1:8).

C) The image given here may have been intended to cover all the invasions that brought chastening to the Jewish people, including the Roman invasion in A.D. 70.

2) This nation will be brutal and will show no pity on the young or the old (v.50)

3) This nation would bring massive destruction upon the land and livestock (v.51).

4) They would bring sieges upon the cities and towns of Israel (v.52).

5) The horrors of the sieges would have its effect upon the nation of Israel (vv.53-57).

A) The climax to the siege would bring cannibalism even to the parents who were gentle and sensitive.

B) The enemies would eat Israel's livestock and crops but Israel would devour their own children.

C) This verse was literally fulfilled when the Arameans (air'uh-mee'uhns) besieged Samaria (2 Kings 6:24-29) and when Babylonians besieged Jerusalem (Lam.2:20; 4:10), and even Josephus recorded an account of a mother killing her child and cooking him during the siege by the Romans upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

D) This shows the depth of perversity to which disobedience to God leads.

B. They would be cursed with a exile (vv.58-68).

1) First the nation of Israel would face disease and plagues greater than what Egypt suffered (vv.58-61).

2) Second, instead of becoming like the stars of the sky (population) their numbers would be reduced (v.62).

3) Third, then they would be torn from their land and scattered among all the nations (vv.63-64).

4) Fourth, God would with hold His blessing from them (vv.65-68).

A) Israel would no longer live in security (v.65).

B) Israel would live in constant suspense and fear for her life (vv.66-67)

C) Israel's condition would be so humiliating that no Egyptian would even purchase them as slaves.

I. Reviewing The Faithful Of God In Their Past (29:1-8).
1. Here in verse 1, Moses renews the Mosaic Covenant which He made with Israel while in Moab (1:5) and at Horeb (1:6; 4:10, 15).

A. This covenant makes no new convenantal provisions that were not already made explicit in Moses' other speeches.

1) If this were a different covenant, then Moses would have offered blood sacrifices to seal the covenant as he did at Horeb (Ex.24:3-8; Heb.9:18-22).

2) Many of the people who accepted the covenant at Horeb had perished in the wilderness, but there was still a nation of Israel that was accountable to the Lord to obey that covenant (Deut.4 & 5).

B. This passage repeats the covenant details laid down in the preceding chapters.

A. Moses reminds the Israelites of God's grace and mercy that He bestowed upon them by delivering them from their bondage in the land of Egypt (vv.2-4).

- In verse 4 the phrase "to this day" suggests that Israel had not yet understood these events, and not that God was blinding them from the truth.

B. Moses also reminded the people how God had cared for them during their wilderness journey (vv.5-6).

C. Moses reminds the Israelites of the victory that God gave them over that nations East of the Jordan (vv.7-8).

D. Moses hoped that by this lesson in history, the Israelites would come to know their God in all of His faithfulness and love, and thus obey.

II. A Call For Obedience To Their Covenant (29:9-15).
1. Only by Israel's adoption of the covenant and the following of its stipulations would prosperity come to them (v.9).

2. Moses made all the people stand in a formal ceremony to encourage them to make an immediate response before God so that He would establish them as His people (vv.9-13).

A. Moses repeated use of the word "today" throughout this passage (vv.10, 13, and twice in 15) stresses the present, which means they were not entering into a new covenant but were committing themselves afresh to the Mosaic Covenant.

B. Moses lists the various groups of people in descending order for a reason.

1) As the Leaders entered into the covenant the people would follow, so the Leaders were placed in the front so the people would witness their commitment.

2) All the people were to follow the example of their leaders, family members, and employers and take an oath to obey God's Word just as their forefathers had in order for God to bless them.

Application: One truth that we can learn from this passage is the importance of leadership setting the example.  If the leadership isn't willing to set the example, then how can they expect others to follow? The same holds true in the Church, in the family, at home, or even at our jobs.  Another aspect is the future effects that our decisions can have on others.  What we determine to do today, whether good or bad, will have long reaching effects in our future also.

III. Warning About Breaking The Covenant (29:16-29).
1. Moses warns this present generation to abstain from idols because of their present experiences (vv.16-18).

A. The statements "How we lived in Egypt" and "how we passed through the countries on the way here" (v.16) provide the locale and historic background for the people's knowledge of the gods in those places and the nature of their worship.

B. Verse 17 is a direct reference to the detestable images and idols that they saw among the people in the lands where the Israelites wandered.

C. Moses warns the Israelites to "make sure" that no one's heart should be turned away from the Lord and to idolatry because it would be like a bitter poison to many (v.18)

1) It would cause not only individual apostasy (man or woman) but also group apostasy (clan or tribe).

2) The source of the bitter poison was the person who turned away from the Lord to worship the gods of Egypt and those of the other nations that the Israelites passed through on their journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab.

A. Those who get caught up in idolatry will foolishly think that since other men have not caught them, neither will God and will continue to receive His blessings (v.19).

B. Those who were involved in idolatry or introduced it into the nation of Israel would not escape the consequences of their sins, and all the curses given in Deuteronomy would fall on them (vv.20-21).

1) A person's apostasy can bring disaster on the innocent.

2) The individual apostate will feel the result of the Lord's burning wrath and zeal (strong words for anger).

A) No more dreadful state can be imagined than "the LORD will never be willing to forgive him" (v.20).

B) The appalling results of apostasy are heaped one on the other: all the curses in the book, the blotting out of one's name on earth, and being singled out for disaster (v.21) are all the results that will fall on the apostate.

3. Moses warns the Israelites that if they failed to obey God and followed after idolaters that the Lord would judge the whole land and it would become an example to others of what happens when God's Law is violated (vv.22-28).

A. The Promised Land will become a burning waste of salt and sulfur (v.23).

B. God's judgment on the nation would be so complete that generations to come and other nations would be amazed at the desolation of Israel and ask why the Lord did it (v.24).

C. The response to the question is that Israel disobeyed God (vv.25-28).

A. Moses tells the people that they cannot understand everything about God or their future, therefore they could only make sure that they obeyed what has already been revealed to them now.

B. Their responsibility was to keep the covenant, and not to try to figure out the future.