27 Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. 2 And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut1 stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
11 That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:
15 “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
16 “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 “‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 “‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
19 “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
20 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness.’2 And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
21 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
22 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
23 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
24 “‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
25 “‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
26 “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”
Section Overview: Covenant Ceremony at Shechem
Chapter 26 concludes by declaring, “He will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made” (v. 19). Chapter 28 resumes the sermon with the words “The Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth” (28:1). The covenant words of the second sermon conclude with the blessings and curses in chapter 28, as is typical of covenant form. Chapter 27 interrupts the covenant words with instructions for the enactment of the ceremony in Shechem. When scribes inserted relevant material into a narrative text, the beginning and the end of the insertion are marked by what has been termed a resumptive repetition. The scribes used this technique to set apart intervening material. Another obvious example of this is the insertion of the genealogy of Moses and Aaron in the exodus account (Ex. 6:14–26). No conclusions can be drawn about when these instructions were included within the covenant. These instructions may have come from Moses, just as the genealogy in Exodus might have been from Moses, or they may have come from another source. The goal was to include them in the teaching of Moses in Moab. This was the logical place to insert them within the words of the covenant, as the insertion pertains to how the act of affirming the blessings and curses will be carried out.
Chapter 27 is an abrupt shift in form to instructions for the ceremony that will eventually be enacted for enforcing the covenant given in Deuteronomy. The form reverts to the third person, describing what Moses commanded the people, the same form found in the epilogue beginning in chapter 29. This ceremony was carried out by Joshua, as narrated in Joshua 8:30–35 and repeated in Joshua 24. The instruction of Moses for the ceremony at Moab shifts to the blessings and curses by recalling the words God had spoken at Sinai, setting Israel apart as a nation (Ex. 19:5–6). The assembly was led by God to declare that they were his treasured possession (Deut. 26:18). At Sinai Israel became a holy people, not just one nation among others. The covenant words are resumed after the description of the ceremony itself.
The crossing of the Jordan is mentioned twice (27:2, 4), each time followed by the dictate to set up stones on which the commandments are to be written. Are the commandments written on the stones of the altar, which must be rough and natural, or are they written on stones that have been appropriately prepared for engraving? Although the question is vigorously debated, the text makes clear that the commandments are engraved for perpetuity and proper burnt offerings and community offerings are made on the altar. The stones in verse 8 should not be understood as the altar stones; they are the stones of verses 2–4. The inscription of the Torah is made upon these stones. The altar ceremony is included as a part of the rite for inscribing the stones. The scribes have inserted it within the account so that verses 4 and 8 are an inclusio around the altar description. The altar sacrifice is a separate event from the act of inscribing the Torah on pitched stone. Altars are not the place for inscriptions.
Procedures for the ceremony at Ebal and Gerizim describe the making of a covenant in which blessings and curses are declared (vv. 9–13). Nothing is said about the content of these blessings and curses. The curses that follow in verses 14–26 are a part of a third ceremony in which anyone breaking the covenant that has been sworn is anathematized. This is carried out by the Levites; the assembly responds only with an “Amen” of affirmation. These two sections should not be read as part of the same ceremony.
The ceremonies at Shechem are one with the teaching of Moses in Moab. The chapter is a bridge within the teaching of the covenant, which ends with this theme in chapter 26 and takes it up at the beginning of chapter 28. It is likely that all three ceremonies—the altar sacrifices, the declaration of the Torah, and the anathema—took place on the occasion when Israel established the altar at Shechem.
Section Outline
Response
The ceremonies at Shechem are set in the context of Israel’s pondering its role as the people who belong to God (27:9–10). The events at Shechem establish the profound significance of what has happened in Moab. “Keep silence” translates a word used only in verse 9 and is otherwise found only in the Akkadian word sakātu. The command is significant not only to Israel but to the church. The distinction of Israel as the nation of priests informs the identity and calling of the church. This is a sacred responsibility that must be remembered every hour and minute.
Deuteronomy makes the establishment of the identity of the people of God central to its message. The teaching of the Ten Words and the exhortation to love and fear God were concluded with the directive that Israel would carry out the covenant ceremony at Shechem (11:29–30). Chapter 27 returns to more detailed information concerning this covenant ceremony as the exposition of this Torah concludes. The inclusion of the ceremony at Shechem binds together the terms of the covenant as a cohesive unit. It joins the prologue of the covenant (chs. 5–11) to the exposition (chs. 12–26), and it points forward to the time in the Promised Land at which Israel will take the vow of obedience.
The three ceremonies prescribed in this chapter are critical to the spiritual life of Israel. The burnt offerings are a declaration of giving to God the life he has given to them. Such sacrifices provide no personal benefit to anyone. The peace offerings are communal. They are holy in that they belong to God, but they are eaten as a communal meal in drawing the assembly together in unity and equality. The taking of a vow over the written commandments is a declaration of commitment to doing the will of God as a holy people. The ceremony of anathema is a warning to remember that there is no escaping the consequences of the breaking of the covenant. Choosing to reject God does not mean that he will no longer be involved in the life of the disobedient person. God is with his people in either the blessing or the curse.
The church as the people of God performs all of these same functions. Sacrifices for the Christian are expressed in praise (Heb. 13:15–16). These sacrifices are the confession of our lips and the sharing of good deeds, sacrifices that are well-pleasing to God. True worship, according to James, is to care for the orphans and the widows (James 1:27), but this does not displace the good confession (1 Tim. 3:15–16). The church is a pillar of truth, the unshakeable work of God (Gk, hedraiōma, “buttress”; 1 Tim. 3:15). Great is the confession of the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
An early Christian song such as this has its continuation in modern hymns that declare the same mystery of faith. Ponder the words of Michael Perry:
Then hear, O gracious Saviour,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favour
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we’ll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.70
The sacrifices made to sing these profound words are no less worthy than all those associated with the making of the vows of the covenant at Shechem.
The church also has its anathemas. Paul offers a stern warning for the Galatians. If anyone should declare a gospel contrary to what they have received, even if it be a messenger from heaven, “Let him be accursed [anathema]” (Gal. 1:8, 9). Paul concludes his first letter to the Corinthians in his own hand with the words, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed [anathema]” (1 Cor. 16:21–22). But it is not only denial of the truth that leads to anathema. In 1 Corinthians 5:11 Paul writes instructions not to associate with anyone called a brother who is a fornicator, a drunkard, or a swindler, or who is greedy, idolatrous, or abusive; the Corinthians are not even to eat with such a person. The church must distinguish between those who claim membership in its ranks just as Israel did. Conduct contrary to the covenant is a denial of the covenant.