Day 45: Deuteronomy 25-29

Summaries:
Moses recounts rules to the Israelites regarding the punishment of stripes, levirate marriage (when brothers live together and one dies without a son and the widow marries the other brother), and other various precepts (25). When the Israelites come into the land which God is giving them, they must remember to give thanks to God.  Also they must give their tithes to the Levite, the orphan, the alien, and the widow, and they must obey the words of God and fulfill their covenant with Him, and He will raise them up (26).  Moses urges the people to keep all the commandments, and then gives the people the twelve curses for those who are disobedient to the word of God (27).  The Moses gives the promises of blessing for obedience to God, telling of their victory and prosperity that God will give, followed by curses for disobedience, including sickness and defeat.  Those who are disobedient will be oppressed, they will be in exile, their labor will bear no fruit, they will be captures, suffer plagues, and so on (28). Moses recounts the many ways that God has blessed the people, and reminds them that all Israel is bound to the covenant.  He warns them against idolatry and reiterates the punishment for infidelity (29).

Reflections:
So basically, obey God and God will bless you beyond belief.  Disobey God and you will face the punishments due to you.  It's simple really.  Yet we still seem to think we can negotiate our way to heaven, by being a good person only, or by doing what we want and trying to make up for it later.  Essentially, if we could think beyond the here-and-now present-moment, we would see that there really is no choice like following god.

Quotes:
Deuteronomy 26:18-19 - "And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised."