Choose Wisely – Choose Life
Listen to today’s passage – Deuteronomy 27 – 28
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Deuteronomy 27
Second Milers also read – Ephesians 4 – 6; Proverbs 9; Psalm 46 – 50
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read another post from this passage – “What Do They See?“
Read the “0309 Evening and Morning” devotion for today by Charles Spurgeon.
This?
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” – (Deuteronomy 28:1-6)
Or This?
“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” – (Deuteronomy 28:15-19)
The Choice Is Yours
Choose Wisely – Choose Life
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” – (Deuteronomy 30:15)
In Deuteronomy 27–28, Moses lays out a dramatic ceremony for the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Half the tribes would stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim the blessings, and the other half on Mount Ebal to declare the curses. The people were to respond, “Amen,” affirming their agreement with God’s terms. It was a vivid, public reminder: obedience brings life and abundance; rebellion brings destruction and loss.
God isn’t playing games here. He spells it out plainly—blessings that “overtake” the obedient (running them down with goodness!) versus curses that do the same for the disobedient. Notice how parallel the passages are: city and field, fruit of body and land, coming in and going out. God covers every area of life. Nothing is left untouched by our choices.
Fast-forward to Deuteronomy 30, and God makes the decision intensely personal. He doesn’t force obedience; He presents the options and urges us: Choose life. Why? Because He desires blessing for us and for our descendants. This isn’t just ancient history for Israel—it’s a principle that echoes through Scripture. In the New Testament, we see the same call in Ephesians 4–6 (the Second Milers reading today): walk worthy, put off the old man, speak truth, avoid bitterness, submit to one another in the fear of God. These are choices that lead to spiritual blessing and harmony in our homes, churches, and daily walk.
Today, the choices may look different—no stone altars on mountains—but the stakes are just as real:
- Will you hearken diligently to God’s Word in your decisions at work, in relationships, with your time and money?
- Will you choose forgiveness over bitterness (Ephesians 4:32)? Purity over compromise? Humility over pride?
- Or will small daily disobediences accumulate into curses that “overtake” you—strained family, regret, spiritual dryness?
The good news is that God has already provided the way to choose life perfectly through Jesus Christ. He chose obedience unto death so we could choose life through Him. When we fail, we can repent, return, and realign with His voice.
So today, hear the Lord calling: Choose life. Obey His voice. Walk in His commandments. Watch the blessings overtake you.
The choice is yours. Choose wisely – choose life.
What choice is God bringing to your attention this morning? Share in the comments below—let’s encourage one another to choose life today.
By the way – if you are reading this and you have not yet taken the critical spiritual step of choosing eternal life by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you need to choose Him today. Read the “Are You Saved?” page above and contact me. I would love to help you as you take that important first step on your spiritual journey.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Deuteronomy and tagged Blessings, Blessings and Curses, Choose Life, Choose Wisely, Curses, Daily Choices, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 28, Deuteronomy 30, Ephesians 4, Life and Death, Obedience by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.