Deuteronomy 11

16–17 The foremost danger facing the Israelites wasn’t the armies of their enemies; it was the temptation to follow their gods. If they did this, the Lord would shut the heavens,³⁴ and soon there would be famine from lack of rain, and the Israelites would perish from the land—a land that was good, a land that was a gift from God Himself. Over and over God (through Moses) warned the Israelites not to worship other gods; but as we know from history, that is exactly what they did. And as a result they did “perish from the land” by being driven into exile.

18–21 See Deuteronomy 6:6–9 and comment.

22–25 See Exodus 23:27–33; Deuteronomy 1:6–8 and comments.

26–27 Here Moses presents to the Israelites in the starkest terms their two basic choices: they can choose to be blessed, or they can choose to becursed. Obedience will bring blessing; disobedience will bring curses. God has given every human being the freedom to obey or to disobey. Obedience and disobedience are choices; those choices are ours to make.

28–32 Here Moses tells the Israelites that after they have entered the land they are to hold a solemn ceremony in which six of the tribes stand on Mount Gerizim and pronounce blessings, and the other six tribes stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce curses³⁵ (verse 29). This ceremony is described in detail in Deuteronomy Chapter 27. The ceremony was meant to impress upon the Israelites the respective consequences of obedience land. In the next fifteen chapters, and disobedience, and to encourage them Moses will describe in detail those to keep on obeying the Lord’s commands commands—the decrees and laws³⁶ of as they took up residence in their new the Lord (verse 32).