Challenge of Choice - Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Mose’s Challenge To Choose
Moses knew it was not enough to just lay the choice before God’s people. There had to be a challenge. A challenge to act and to make the choice now and every time they would make a choice in the future. His challenge is powerful and direct, he tells them, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life!”
Then Moses draws the reason for making this choice to the ultimate in vs. 20. That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life,
The choice they were about to make was so important, important to their conquest of Canaan, important to the settling of the land, important to their keeping the land and important to the generations that would follow them. Their choices on that day counted, it meant something because the choices they would make were about God, and their relationship with Him. “He is their life.”
Nothing in all the world was more important.
Our Challenge Today
When you think about that ceremony, the tribes standing upon those mountains, and the symbolism of blessing and cursing, you can’t help but ask yourself, what mountain am I choosing to stand upon today? Our choices will place on the mount of God’s blessing or His cursing. As it was then with Moses and the Israelites, it is the same with us today. Once again, there is no middle ground. No place where we can choose not to choose.
Nor is it enough just to know and understand the choices. We must answer the challenge just as they did. We must the right choice about our relationship with God and about following Him, today and every time we are confronted with the choice between God’s will and Word or the world’s.
Is this hard, is it vague or obscure, does it take years of research and scholarship? According to Moses, Deuteronomy 30:14 the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
This is the simple rule of choice for us today. So, hear once again the challenge of Moses, it is as clear today as it was those thousands of years ago, “Choose Life!” Choose life because “He is thy life” and there can’t really be any other choice. No choice is more important for today and for eternity.
Choose life! Choose eternal life. Choose life and God’s blessing for your family. Choose life when you choose your friends and choose life when you forgive your enemies. Choose life, do what God’s Word plainly tells us, in all things and you will find the blessings of God will fill your life.
In the Book of Revelation, when Jesus wrote his letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, by the hand of John, one phrase is sent to every single church. We read it Rev 2 verses 7, 11,17, and 29 then in chapter 3: verses 6, 13 and 22. What is this one phrase that it is so important that every single church no matter its circumstance was to hear and respond to.
Revelation 3:13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." That is a challenge to every person to make the right choice. It is a challenge to hear the words of Jesus Christ as they are given to us by the Holy Spirit working through the Bible, working through the sermon, working through our hearts. If you are hearing this then the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Listen and then make the right choice.
In the final appeal to the Church of Laodicea, Jesus says in Revelation 3:20-22
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Just as Moses stood before the nation of Israel and told them to Choose Life, Jesus stands at the door of the church and knocks, He knocks at our will, he knocks at our heart, he knocks and that knock is a challenge to make the right choice. Choose life, choose to open the door and let Jesus give us life.
