Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 - We Have a Choice: Life or Death.
Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 (NLT) Today I have
given you the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven
and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh,
that you would choose life, so that you and your
descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by
loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and
committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to
your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you
will live long in the land the LORD swore to give
your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
INTRODUCTION
God doesnt force his will on anyone. He
lets us decide whether to follow him or reject
him. This decision, however, is a life-or-death
matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would
like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new
situation, we must affirm and reinforce this
commitment. [Life Application SB]
BACKGROUND AND COMMENTARY PEARL
"The wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." Romans 6:23. While life is the inheritance
of the righteous, death is the portion of the
wicked. Moses declared to Israel: "I have set before
thee this day life and good, and death and evil."
Deuteronomy 30:15. The death referred to in these
scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all
mankind suffer the penalty of his transgression. It
is "the second death" that is placed in
contrast with everlasting life.
In consequence of Adam's sin, death
passed upon the whole human race. All alike go down
into the grave. And through the provisions of the
plan of salvation, all are to be brought forth
from their graves. "There shall be a resurrection
of the dead, both of the just and unjust;" "for
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive." Acts 24:15; I Corinthians
15:22. But a distinction is made between the two
classes that are brought forth. "All that are in the
graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29. They who have
been "accounted worthy" of the resurrection of
life are "blessed and holy." "On such the second
death hath no power." Revelation 20:6. But those
who have not, through repentance and faith,
secured pardon, must receive the penalty of
transgression--"the wages of sin." They suffer punishment
varying in duration and intensity, "according to
their works," but finally ending in the second
death. Since it is impossible for God, consistently
with His justice and mercy, to save the sinner in
his sins, He deprives him of the existence which
his transgressions have forfeited and of which
he has proved himself unworthy. Says an
inspired writer: "Yet a little while, and the wicked
shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider
his place, and it shall not be." And another
declares: "They shall be as though they had not been."
Psalm 37:10; Obadiah 16. Covered with infamy, they
sink into hopeless, eternal oblivion. [GC544,5]
COMMENTARY
Love Is a Choice
Too many people have bought into the myth
that love is uncontrollable, that its
something that just happens to us. In fact, even the
language we use implies the uncontrollability of
love. We say, I fell in love, as if love
were some kind of a ditch. Im walking along
one day and - bam! - I fell in love. I
couldnt help myself.
But heres the truth: Thats not
love. Love doesnt just happen to you. Love is a
choice, and it represents a commitment.
Theres no doubt that attraction is
uncontrollable and arousal is uncontrollable. But
attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to
love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.
You must choose to love God; he wont
force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can
thumb your nose at God and go a totally different
way. You can destroy your life if you choose to
do that. God still wont force you to love
him, because he knows love cant be forced.
This same principle is true about your
relationships: You can choose to love others, but God
wont force you to love anyone. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
God Doesnt Force Us; He Gives Us a Choice
A lot of people have a big
misunderstanding about God. They know God planned their
existence and has a purpose for their lives. But they
have the wrong idea that every detail of life is
preplanned. They think they have no choice.
In fact, the Bible teaches the exact
opposite. Yes, God has a plan and a purpose for your
life, but its not automatic. You can miss it.
Thats because God wont force you to
enjoy the plan he has for you. He gives you the
choice to accept or reject his salvation. He gives
you the choice to obey or disobey his
directions. He gives you the choice to follow or ignore
the purpose for which you were created. Far too
many people miss the purpose of their life
because of their poor choices.
The Bible says repeatedly that God will
not force you to do his will.
When Moses led the Jews out of Egypt and
into the desert after 400 years of slavery, he
told them about a land of milk and honey"a land
of great, bountiful blessing - that God had
promised them. It would be so different from their
years of slavery.
But before they went into the Promised
Land, God, through Moses, said to the people the
same thing he says to you: Today I am giving
you a choice. You can choose life and success or
death and disaster. I am commanding you to be
loyal to the Lord, to live the way he has told
you, and to obey his laws and teachings. You are
about to cross the Jordan River and take the land
that he is giving you. If you obey him, you will
live and become successful and powerful
(Deuteronomy 30:15-16 CEV).
God was giving them a choice. God wanted
his people to enjoy the bounty of the Promised
Land. But he didnt make them accept it. The
choice was theirs.
This is a picture of salvation - of
coming out of slavery to sin into freedom in
Christ. In order to enjoy life in the Promised Land,
the Israelites had to choose to obey God. You,
too, have to choose whether youll accept
Gods salvation and the good things hes planned
for you.
God could have made you a puppet, but he
didnt. He gives you the ability to choose. If you
choose poorly, that choice is your greatest curse.
If you choose wisely, its your greatest
blessing. Today God gives you a choice between life -
choosing salvation and his path - or death. Which
path will you choose? [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Our Choices Define Us
Yesterday we talked about how God lets
you make your own choices. Today lets look at
how, once you make choices, your choices make
you.
What do I mean by that? Its easy to
think your life is defined by what happens to you.
But the truth is that your life is defined by
the choices you make.
Its undeniable that bad things happen
all the time. We live in a broken world. You
dont always choose right. Other people dont
always choose right. We all get hurt.
But what happens to you is not nearly as
important as the way you choose to respond. Some
people are built up through difficult situations.
Other people are broken by them. For some people a
bad experience is a stumbling block. For others
its a stepping-stone.
If you take two people and put them in
the exact same pain, one may succeed while the
other fails. Why? Because of the choices they
make.
You cannot control many of your life
circumstances, but you can control how you decide to
respond. You can choose whether things make you
bitter or better.
Think about your future. Where do you
want to be in 10 years? In 20 years?
Without even knowing you, I can tell you
where youre going to be. Just tell me what
youre choosing right now. The choices you make
today determine where you will be tomorrow.
Wise people are always asking: What do I
need to do today to get me where I need to be
tomorrow?
The book of Deuteronomy tells how God
gave his people a choice: If you obey [me],
you will live and become successful and
powerful (Deuteronomy 30:16 CEV). The children of
Israel would make their choice, and then their
choices would make them.
The same is true for you. God puts
choices in front of you every day. What you do with
your choices will determine the person you
become. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Deuteronomy 30:19 - Our Choice: Blessings or
Curses!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210414-0844.html
Joshua 24:15 - Choose This Day Whom You Will
Serve. (update)
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20120422-0937.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
