To remember the choices laid before them, the Lord instructed the nation of Israel to climb neighboring mountains and shout from the summits. On the first, Mount Gerizim, they proclaimed the blessings of God. On the second, Mount Ebal, his curses.

Two mountains—one of blessings and one of curses.

The Lord hoped the Israelites remembered for years and years the Lord’s goodness in gifting them this land. The Lord also underscored the choice before the people—follow the Lord and remain blessed, or veer toward false gods and enter a state of cursedness.

(Just an aside—I’ve never visited either of these hills, but I imagine Mount Ebal holds a golf course today—what else produces unending strings of curses?)

While not the specific audience receiving this prophecy from the hands of Moses, the principle remains. I have a choice. A blessing and a curse sits before me. I choose the blessing by following the ways of the Lord. I choose the curse by following other gods.

Climb the mountain of blessing, or back my way up the hill of curses. The options seem embarrassingly simple, and the Lord grants me the choice. I know mine, as poorly as I follow through—how about you?

Deuteronomy 11 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Jon Tyson