Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on Fri, 11/02/2011 – 13:27
Year A (2010-2011)
Bible Book: Deuteronomy / Deuteronomium
Chapter: 30
Verse: 15 – 20
The people of Israel were at a critical point in their journey. They were about to enter the Promised Land, but at this point they were also going to lose Moses, their leader. Moses knew this, so he fervently urged them to continue on the way that he had led them up till now. “You can choose either blessings or curses. But I want you to choose life” (v 19 – NIRV).
God delivered them from Egypt and brought them through a 40-year journey through the desert. They were the people who lived within God’s covenant. For them the choice was not to “get into salvation” but to remain where God has brought them – inside the covenant relationship with Him.
For many of us who live in communities where everything is about the individual, it is difficult to understand the communal aspect of this urgent plea by Moses – to choose between life and death. This call to decide, to choose life, was directed at Israel as a nation, a community. First and foremost it was an appeal to the leaders and the heads of the families to choose and then to lead accordingly. The leaders of the clans had to point in the right direction and the heads of families had to lead their loved ones on this chosen way. A generation later Joshua would still respond to this call by Moses when he said, “But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Jos 24:15 – NIRV).
So if Israel’s leaders and decision makers chose to continue the life of God’s covenant, the whole community would have abundant life, and then even the so-called powerless members of the community would have the change to embrace this wonderful covenant life.
When community leaders make the right choices, when those amongst us who have influence on others make the right choices, it becomes easier for those who “follow” to also make the right choices.
To think about or discuss: Do my decisions make it easier or harder for the people I live with to make the right choices?
Author: N du Toit (Ds)
Language: English