“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days,. . .” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a)
As Israel entered into the Land of Canaan, the Lord knew that the chosen people would lapse into disobedience and idolatry. So at this point He offered them a choice: serve Him wholeheartedly or serve false gods. There ought not to be any compromising or mixing of truth with idolatry. Their loyalty to the Lord could not be shared with any thing, person or deity. Yet if the people of God declared their choice to serve Him and walk in obedience then they would have to understand what their choice meant: there would be consequences for apostasy and idolatry. These sins the Lord would punish with great severity.
Choices. Our America culture seems to idolize them. America considers liberty as the freedom to choose, to choose one’s values, lifestyle, religion, god, gender, and the right to abort a baby in a mother’s womb. This freedom is deemed to be sacrosanct that it often negates the rights and beliefs of Christians. The right of individual choice must often be forced on others by the government or the media so that the choices others make cannot be challenged.
The Lord God Almighty also values choice, but He commands we choose what He has revealed to be right, good and holy, not what we think based on philosophy, cultural ideals, or personal feelings. When we follow such ways we will fall into sin. Our lives will not achieve the happiness we claim to pursue.
We have been given a choice. We can, by God’s grace, choose faith in Jesus alone. We can, by God’s grace, follow His way of discipleship, the way of love, humility, kindness, and selfless giving. We will not serve other gods, the self, our intellect, celebrities, politicians, and the desires of the flesh for wealth, power, fame and pleasure. By following such idols we shall surely reap the consequences of our sin as Israel did.
The good news is that these consequences, at least for the faithful, are God’s way of disciplining His own and are designed to lead sinners to repentance. The Lord promises that there is always a way back, a means of restoration, for His punishment is merciful and kind, designed to lead sinners to Him. After all, He loves them and cares for those who are called by His name. When we acknowledge our sinfulness and ask the Lord for help and forgiveness, He grants mercy and grace. He enables us to obey and to live in righteousness.