At the beginning of our study of Deuteronomy Chapter 27, I made it clear that in this chapter we actually encounter multiple covenant renewal ceremonies.
Why did God do this?
Did He have to keep reaffirming His Covenant with His People for His own sake?
The answer to that question is NO.
God held multiple covenant renewal ceremonies because that was the normal custom and tradition in those times.
If you were to examine the ancient legal codes written by the Assyrians, Mesopotamians, Hittites, and Canaanites, you would find a very similar structure and form to what we’re reading here in Deuteronomy.
In other words, you’d encounter a ton of repetition saying one set of things in the positive and then afterwards repeating the same set of things in the negative as well as adding multiple examples for emphasis.
It should also be noted that the number of curses connected to the commands always outnumbered the blessings.
Keep in mind, back then the Israelites didn’t have any scrolls or books with all of these instructions written down that they could just pull off their bookshelves to remind themselves of what God had originally instructed them to do.
That’s why repetition was so darn important for them.
They had no choice but to repeat these commands out loud over and over and over again until they stuck and became second nature.
Also…
…let’s not forget something else about God’s Chosen People.
While they are the Lord’s set apart people, they are still just “people” like you and me who consciously or otherwise viewed life and made decisions through the lens of their own time period, culture, and language
If you’ve ever spent an extended amount of time in any one foreign country, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Things you take for granted and are normal back home “in Kansas” just ain’t so when you leave the borders of your homeland.
I’ve got firsthand experience with this having lived in Japan for many years and even when I visited Israel for a full two weeks.
I rented a Kosher Airbnb home with a Jewish friend who was fluent in Hebrew and had already lived in Israel for 7 years.
As a result, I was able to skip the protected and superficial tourist traps and experience what life is like in Israel as a real local from day one!
Man, I tell you, that was like entering another dimension of reality…especially given that I look like a native Israeli in the Holy Land (Correction: based on first-hand experience, I look like a native Sephardic Israeli no matter where I am in the world).
I’ll tell you right now…the rules and mindset of the gentiles just don’t apply in the Holy Land.
My point is..
…even for the ancient Israelites who had direct exposure to the voice of God and His chosen mediator Moses, it was perfectly natural for them to communicate to HASHEM and for HASHEM to communicate with them…
…via the intricacies and nuances of their own Middle Eastern culture, customs and traditions that were common throughout the whole known world in those days.
Again, this is connected to one of the main purposes of this blog…
…which is to help you bridge the gap from where you stand now as a modern person living in the 21st century and take you back in time to a culture and place far removed from anything you know or probably ever will know.
For better or worse, the ancient Middle East just happens to be the time, culture and place where the Creator of the Universe came down from heaven and established a relationship with a small segment of mankind.
And that’s exactly why the Bible is the most extraordinary book in the world.
Because…
…even if it is an inspired book, understand the greater miracle was that the Creator’s divine perfection and truth was expressed through the imperfect customs and traditions of mere men…warts and all.
Finally, the last thing I want you to take away from our study of Deuteronomy 27 before we move on to the next chapter is that…
…the form and structure of the Mosaic Covenant is NOT heavenly.
What I mean by saying that is…
…the way the book is laid out would have been instantly recognizable and familiar to ANY person living in the Middle East in that time period.
That’s right!
The structure of the Bible is earthbound!
Why?
Because God intended us earthlings to obey it!
Such is the extent the Creator of the Universe wants us to not only understand His divine principles but obey them.
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 28
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