And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the LORD thy God.
After crossing the Jordan Israel was to offer peace offerings to the Lord, eat there, and rejoice before Him. The place for this was at the altar on Mount Ebal, where the offerings were to be eaten and rejoiced over before the Lord, with the people gathered at Ebal and Gerizim. Because Israel was forgetful, God showed particular care by giving exact directions to plaster stones and write His commandments on them, and by appointing two mounts as prominent positions from which the advantages of the blessing and the disadvantages of the curse were pronounced, one for blessing and one for cursing.
The peace offerings and shared meal eaten there were a joyful act of worship before God, expressing thanksgiving and gratitude for His gifts and calling His people to rejoice in His presence. The verse belongs to a covenant-renewal service in which the people acknowledged God's law before taking possession of their inheritance, with the covenant law written on memorial stones and read aloud to all Israel as terms they were to accept.
It is part of the plain statement of the blessings of obedience given in Deuteronomy 26 through 28, to be read carefully. The verse was spoken by Christ enshrouded in the pillar of cloud with His own voice, and it expresses the principles of the law of His kingdom made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. It teaches that obedience to God's commandments is for present and future good, bringing prosperity, while disobedience results in a curse, and it sets out the continuing, never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life, health, and temporal and spiritual advantages to publicly acknowledge His special favor so His name will be glorified as a testimony that His Word is verity and truth.
The altar on the mountain associated with the curse showed that by transgressing the law Israel had incurred God's wrath, and its sacrifices represented Christ's atonement, through which that punishment would not immediately fall. The surrounding instructions serve as an example of keeping God's words before the people, accompanying the public observance of His law with offerings and a meal before the Lord.
After crossing the Jordan Israel was to offer peace offerings to the Lord, eat there, and rejoice before Him. The place for this was at the altar on Mount Ebal, where the offerings were to be eaten and rejoiced over before the Lord, with the people gathered at Ebal and Gerizim. Because Israel was forgetful, God showed particular care by giving exact directions to plaster stones and write His commandments on them, and by appointing two mounts as prominent positions from which the advantages of the blessing and the disadvantages of the curse were pronounced, one for blessing and one for cursing.
The peace offerings and shared meal eaten there were a joyful act of worship before God, expressing thanksgiving and gratitude for His gifts and calling His people to rejoice in His presence. The verse belongs to a covenant-renewal service in which the people acknowledged God's law before taking possession of their inheritance, with the covenant law written on memorial stones and read aloud to all Israel as terms they were to accept.
It is part of the plain statement of the blessings of obedience given in Deuteronomy 26 through 28, to be read carefully. The verse was spoken by Christ enshrouded in the pillar of cloud with His own voice, and it expresses the principles of the law of His kingdom made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. It teaches that obedience to God's commandments is for present and future good, bringing prosperity, while disobedience results in a curse, and it sets out the continuing, never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life, health, and temporal and spiritual advantages to publicly acknowledge His special favor so His name will be glorified as a testimony that His Word is verity and truth.
The altar on the mountain associated with the curse showed that by transgressing the law Israel had incurred God's wrath, and its sacrifices represented Christ's atonement, through which that punishment would not immediately fall. The surrounding instructions serve as an example of keeping God's words before the people, accompanying the public observance of His law with offerings and a meal before the Lord.