In this message, Pastor Ben warns us about the consequences of unfaithfulness, and the grace and forgiveness that is found in Christ, the ever-faithful Saviour.
The Cost and Glory of Walking with God
This morning, as we approach our God, we approach him through the gift of his word.
I want us to ponder something. We have people of all ages in this church, as you probably know. Some are perhaps a little more venerable than others. Some people are a little newer to their walk with God than others. And some people are a bit newer to this world than others as well.
For those of us who have been walking with God: why are you still following Him? Take a moment to consider this. Why are you—after a long or short period of time—still walking with God?
If you are a believer and you have been on this journey—don’t call it a “journey of faith,” that’s not a good way to phrase it—this walk with the Lord, and if you’ve been walking with God a long time, you may realize that following Christ comes with a few challenges. It actually comes with a lot of challenges. It comes with an abundance of hardship and particular sufferings.
There are some challenges that come to us only because we are Christians. There are things that only Christian people face that unbelievers do not:
- The challenge of facing temptation
- The mockery or slander that comes when we are vocal about our faith in Christ or our convictions from His word
- The relentless fight against the influence of the world that never seems to slow down, never seems to let up, and never seems to take a break
Following God is a tremendous commitment, and it comes at great cost.
When we look at our text today—as the Israelites have their tippy-toes on the edge of the Promised Land—we realize that God wants to make something crystal clear to these people. He wants to make clear that they are about to enter a covenant, an agreement, a relationship with very real consequences: very real curses, very real discipline, and very real judgment that will come upon them if they do not obey.
So, as we look to God’s word today, we are going to look at two warnings about following God:
- The stones bear witness against you.
- The people agree that evil deserves a curse.
But we are not only going to talk about these warnings. We are also going to find that God is worth pursuing, God is worth seeking, and God is worth following—despite these warnings that He Himself gives His people.
Warning 1: The Stones Bear Witness Against You
Let’s begin with this first warning: the warning that the stones will bear witness against you.
As we look at chapter 27, we find another commandment like the one we saw last week. In chapter 26, we saw the first item on the to-do list for when they enter the Promised Land: make your offering of firstfruits. The second item on the list is that it is time to build another altar.
As we mentioned last Sunday, when Israel inherits the land, these commands are kind of your “Promised Land 101.” They are your orientation to this new and wonderful land that God has given you. How do I live in a place that is not bondage in Egypt and is not wandering through the wilderness, but is the land of milk and honey that God has promised to give His people? How do I actually live in this place? How do I prepare to do this?
These commands are not optional. Verse 1 says:
“Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, ‘Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.'”
God’s people are not to do any sort of cherry-picking. They’re not supposed to grab their scissors, cut up their Bibles, and make their own manifesto of what they ought to obey. The whole counsel of God—the whole commandment—is what they are bound to keep.
If they had any doubts about what they were actually supposed to obey, what the content of this covenant was, or what they were supposed to do, they receive a very tangible reminder in verse 2:
“And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law when you cross over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you…”
So the first project: build an altar. Build an altar of fieldstones. (If they were in Saskatchewan, they’d have an easy time with that!) Build an altar of stone, grab your paintbrush, and cover it with plaster or whitewash. This altar needs to be something you can write on because they are supposed to write the content of the entire law on it.
It might seem kind of peculiar to us. Don’t they have a book of the law? Why do they have to gather a bunch of stones at this particular place, cover them in plaster, and write the entire law on them? It seems redundant, but there is a reason for it—there always is.
The altar is a visible witness of what they have just done. Stones have “eyes” in Scripture. All of creation is a witness to what we are doing, but especially stones. Stones are always faithful witnesses: they never lie, they never twist the truth, and they are entirely impartial.
More than once in Scripture, we see God calling stones to be witnesses. When Joshua enters the Promised Land and is about to die in Joshua 24, he raises up a stone and says to the people:
“Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”
The same thing is happening here. The entire nation is gathering together and literally building something that is going to testify against them. When they look at this altar of stones, they are reminded: “We are making this agreement with God.” When they do something wrong, their transgressions, disobedience, and rebellion are literally written on those stones.
No one can feign ignorance here: “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to steal. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to commit idolatry. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do this or that.” It is written on the stones. You were there on the day they were put together. You were there when the covenant was written on them. You cannot say, “I did not know.”
Deuteronomy 27:8 makes it even clearer:
“And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
Don’t use cursive. Don’t try fancy lettering. Don’t make the writing small. The words must be clear. So when Israel stumbles and falls, they can look at that altar and say, “I am indeed guilty.”
A Place of Sacrifice and Fellowship
This altar is not just a place of reminder; it is also meant to be a place of sacrifice. Verse 6 says:
“You shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.”
This altar is a place of sacrifice because every time a covenant is made, worship is involved. This is not just a legal transaction or a property deal. This is a covenant based on worshiping God as He reveals Himself to be. Hence, it is sealed with sacrifice.
Notice how important it is that they sacrifice peace offerings. The peace offering is the only sacrifice in the Old Testament where the person who offers it receives a portion back to eat in the presence of God. It is a relational act. God does not need to receive food; He is not eating the sacrifice, nor is He sustained by the blood of bulls and goats (read Psalm 50 if you want clarification on that). Rather, this is an act of fellowship, celebration, and feasting in the presence of God.
God is our God, and we are His people. The words on this altar show what kind of covenant and relationship we have with the Lord. When something goes wrong, we look back and say, “We have broken the law. There is something wrong with our relationship with God.”
Remember the words of Christ on Palm Sunday as He went through Jerusalem. The Pharisees told Him to silence the crowds, and Jesus replied that if the people kept silent, the very stones would cry out. Stones are witnesses.
The same is true of these stones in Deuteronomy: they saw the people, heard their words, and now hold the etched words of the covenant. Those stones testify against Israel, saying, “You are indeed guilty.”
Who can stand before the Lord if put on trial? No one can change the verdict. When you go to the highest court and the highest authority, that verdict is final—no amendments, no changes, no second chances. Almighty God is our highest authority. After taking in the case of Israel, hearing all witnesses, and concluding all arguments, He finds that these people have broken the law, broken the covenant, and broken their relationship with Him.
This God always judges justly and rightly. It is a warning for those who follow God: those who call Christ their Savior and Lord must also recognize Him as their Judge. He will always judge according to what is right—and that is a terrifying conclusion for us as sinful people.
Warning 2: Evildoers Will Be Cursed
The second warning about following God is that evildoers will be cursed—and Israel says “Amen” to that.
Continuing in chapter 27, God’s word says:
“That day Moses charged the people, saying, ‘When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice… and all the people shall say, “Amen.”‘”
When we look at this scene, the entire nation positions itself across two mountains that face each other: Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Six tribes stand on one mountain to pronounce blessings, and six tribes stand on the other to pronounce curses. As the Levites read these curses, the entire nation responds, “Amen”—meaning, “Let it be so; we agree with God.”
These curses cover all kinds of sins: idolatry, sexual immorality, moving a neighbor’s boundary stone, bribing someone to kill, and more. The common thread running through all of them is that almost every one of these sins can be done in secret. They can be done without anyone else finding out, with the perpetrator seemingly getting away with the crime.
By standing on these two mountains and saying “Amen” to the curses, the nation of Israel submits to the justice of God. They acknowledge: “Even though we may not catch these crimes in human courts, and even though the secret sins of men may never be known to others, God will still bring His justice to pass.”
As Moses warned the people back in Numbers: be sure your sin will find you out. Remember Achan? God finds what you hide in the ground, and He brings His judgment upon it.
Is there secret sin hiding in your life? Are there skeletons in your closet? I am not talking about sins you have shared with another person, confessed, and are actively working through with God. I mean sin in your heart, mind, and life that nobody knows about—sin you haven’t even confessed to Almighty God.
If it is unaddressed, that does not mean God doesn’t see it. He sees it as clear as day. Now is the time to bring it into the light.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will look at chapter 28. If we want to understand how God treats sin, chapter 28 is the place to be—it makes you tremble just thinking about it. God will judge even the secret, dark spots of our hearts that we have buried, pressed down, and tried to forget.
When we look at Israelite history, God repeatedly peels back the layers of their hearts and points out that they are cursed precisely because they chose to hide their sin from Him.
The Weight of the Law
You might say, “Well, I don’t build idols, I haven’t moved my neighbor’s boundary fence, I haven’t committed sexual immorality, and I haven’t done those major crimes. I’m doing pretty well.”
Look at Deuteronomy 27:26 with me:
“‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.'”
Can anyone confirm the law by keeping it holy? Can anyone keep this word of God without sin, without blemish, without swerving, and without disobedience?
The answer is no. Not a single soul. There is no man who does good and never sins.
This creates a serious problem for us. As we read in verse 9, Moses addressed the people, saying: “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God.”
God’s people are supposed to be defined by their obedience. They are meant to be so shaped by the commands of God that they reflect who He is. They are called to confirm the words of this law by doing them.
So, if belonging to God is based on our obedience, can any of us really belong to the Lord? If that is the standard, is there any hope for us?
The Gospel Hope: Christ Became a Curse for Us
Thankfully, Paul gives us the answer in the book of Galatians. Paul, who knew his Old Testament so well, writes in Galatians 3:10:
“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'”
Paul says “Amen” to that. The wrath of God falls upon anyone who fails to keep the whole law perfectly.
Are you discouraged by that? I hope you are, because I want you to feel the unbearable weight of trying to earn your place with God through the law. If belonging to God depends on the perfection of our obedience, we are undone.
Sometimes, as Christians under the New Covenant, we feel like we are suffering for our disobedience. We feel like God expects flawless perfection, and the call to obedience feels like a crushing weight on our shoulders that we cannot possibly carry.
Here is your gospel hope.
Dear friends, we cannot forget that when this covenant was given in Deuteronomy, it was given to a people who had already been saved. They had been delivered out of Egypt, guided through the wilderness, and prepared to enter their Promised Land. When they entered the land, they reaped the blessings of God’s covenant grace.
Yet, they were still sinners. So how does this work? Paul explains in Galatians 3:11–14:
“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
Jesus took the curse for us.
If you trust in Christ, the weight of guilt—the fear of “Have I done enough?”—is lifted off your shoulders. The curse, the wrath of God, and the penalty of sin that we deserved were placed entirely upon Jesus Christ. He suffered for it. He paid the cost. He became a curse for us to save us, taking our sin and nailing it to the cross.
He did this so that the blessing of Abraham might come to us, and so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Salvation is not just having our sins washed away so we can live however we like. It is about receiving Christ Himself—Christ in all His blessings and work, applied to us through the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit who writes the word upon our hearts. It is the Spirit who testifies that we are children of God, convicts us when we sin, points us back to gospel promises, and empowers us to overcome sin.
We do not obey to bear a crushing weight or to earn salvation. We obey out of the glorious freedom of knowing we have been saved, declared right with God, and made friends of Christ rather than His enemies. He is our God, and we walk with Him—which means we obey Him, submit to Him, and trust Him. That is the blessing of walking with Christ.
Even though there are warnings and commands for the Christian—warnings not to fall away, harden our hearts, or turn from the living God—these warnings come from the love of Christ. God desires His people to know Him, experience His love, and enjoy all that we have in Christ.
It is true that following Christ costs us something. We face temptations, struggles, and trials that the world avoids. But it is infinitely worth it because we receive redemption, the blessing of Abraham, and a life of purpose. Instead of wandering blindly in sin, we have a New Covenant sealed in the blood of Christ that says: “Walk with me by faith. Live a life of love.”
Practical Application: How Should We Respond?
So how do we apply this to our lives today?
1. Do Not Let Discouragement Rob Your Joy
Has discouragement kept you from rejoicing in your salvation? Reading Deuteronomy might make you think: “Following God is so hard and costs so much. If I stumble, judgment is near. Am I really cut out for this Christian life?”
That discouragement can deceive you into thinking it would be easier to give up. But Scripture reminds us: if we are faithless, He remains faithful.
Cling to that truth. Your own faithfulness is not strong enough to sustain you—not even the faithfulness of the godliest pastor is enough. The faithfulness of Christ alone keeps us.
When you feel weak, when your heart grieves over remaining sin, and when you wonder how you can keep going, look to gospel truth:
“I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
Christ has sealed you with His Spirit. Though you are called to obey, He is gracious to hold you fast and restore you when you fall.
2. Keep His Commands Out of Joy, Not Fear
Remember that we obey because we have already been saved. Salvation is the root of every good work we do.
If good works were the root of salvation, we would be in deep trouble because we would be placing our effort before God’s grace. God is the one who saves, declares us righteous, and causes us to be born again. Our obedience must flow out of His prior work in us.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking: “If I am just more obedient, then I will know I am a Christian.” While good fruit is evidence of a walk with God, focusing solely on your performance will not give you peace. Assurance comes from looking at the finished work of Jesus Christ. The more deeply you lean on His grace, the more assurance you will find.
3. A Call to Those Who Do Not Know Christ
If you are not a Christian today, you remain under the curse and weight of sin. I do not say that to scare you or speak lightly, but because you need to know there is a solution.
There is one Savior, one God, who is not only able to take away that curse and give you His grace, but who deeply longs for you to receive it.
If you feel helpless or unworthy, come to Jesus Christ and know the fullness of His love. Surround your heart to Him and say: “Lord, I will believe in You instead of my own wisdom. I will trust Your word and seek Your righteousness.”
Though following Christ is challenging, the Good Shepherd promises to lead you safely to His pastures.