Take a Stand, Be Accountable – Deut. Chpt. 27

Deuteronomy began with Moses telling 2nd generation Israel how they got to the point of being ready to cross the Jordan river to possess the promised land. That was the first five chapters. Beginning in chapter 6, Moses goes through the law with them, point-by-point, but in a Reader's Digest kind of way. His retelling of the law carried all the way through chapter 26.

We now arrive at chapter 27, where Moses challenges Israel to make a very public commitment to Jehovah. He doesn't want them to merely say they will be faithful to God, he wants them to make a public stand. To 'put it in writing' and to do so publicly. This is a matter of accountability. What Moses commands in this chapter is the setup for what will follow in chapter 28. It's not a setup in a bad sense, though. In chpt. 28, God is going to set before them both blessing and cursing. We know which choice he prefers.