Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 10-18, Ps 26

Today, in part 2 of his farewell address, Moses continues his instructions to the Israelites on how they are to live when they enter the land. The gist of the message is this: they are at a crossroads. They can either choose to obey the commandments of God and inherit blessing or fail to be obedient and inherit a curse.

Reading through the instructions given, we see that obedience touches every aspect of life. These commandments are not just about worship and sacrifices; they are also about food, finances, law, personal hygiene, hospitality, charity, and more. For the Israelites, there could be no arbitrary division between the sacred and the secular.  Compartmentalizing one’s life was not an option and there was certainly no privatizing of religion. Everything is God’s and every action is to be lived in response to God.

Several years ago, I read a book entitled The Monday Connection.  The author’s target  audience is people who spend Monday to Friday in a corporate culture. His challenge to them was not to leave God at the altar when they walked out of church on Sunday, but to allow God to direct their actions Monday to Friday.

Just as Moses knew the temptation would be great for the Israelites to clamor after the “gods” of the surrounding culture, so it is true for us. Will we choose obedience or not? Blessing and curse just might hang in the balance.