Listen:  153.7

Deuteronomy, chapter 30 deals with the departure of the nation of Israel from the covenant the Lord had made with them.  In spite of the many, many blessings of the Lord, Israel was unfaithful to Him and eventually they were carried away into exile.  We read in Deuteronomy 30:1-3, “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”  How gracious is the Lord!  He continues to work among His people and promises blessings upon them if only they would turn to Him. 

Now, to answer your question, let’s read Deuteronomy 30:15-20, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”  Moses speaks with a sense of urgency to the people.  A decision had to be made between life and good, and death and evil.  The ‘life and good’ is explained in verse 16, while the ‘death and evil’ is explained in verse 18. 

Then, in verse 19, Moses uses Heaven and earth as his witnesses.  He has put before the nation of Israel a choice, and they must choose by either being obedient to the Lord and receive life and blessing or by being disobedient they would choose death and cursing.  He then urges the people, “therefore choose life”.  It is the heart of Moses that these people choose to follow the Lord and therefore receive His greatest blessings. 

Is there an application in this for us today?  Absolutely!  To the sinner, we encourage you to choose life by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Joshua would later declare to the people in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  Dear friend, we must choose.  We cannot put it off.  Joshua’s words are to “choose you this day.”  We read in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  Now!  We are not promised tomorrow.  It is so important that you choose today and that you choose to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Life and blessing is yours to have.  However, death and cursing is certain for you if you do not trust in the Lord Jesus as your savior.  “Choose you this day.”  “Choose life.”  (153.7)