2 Mountains & a Valley

   Happy Birthday! Today is a day to reflect on past birthdays and to be hopeful for future ones. A day to give thanks for God creating you and for celebrating your 2^nd birth as a redeemed child of God and fellow heir with Christ.

     In Deuteronomy 11, Moses was reflecting along with the people of Israel, all that God had done to bring them out of slavery in Egypt and prepare them for a new home – the promised land. Unfortunately, most of those who had been saved from captivity in Egypt, were not allowed to enter the promised land due to their unbelieving hearts.  (Numbers 14:20-23) So, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, their children and grandchildren were about to enter.  They had no first-hand knowledge / experience of the miracles in Egypt, so God (through Moses) gives them a brief history lesson.

    God knows the human condition of sin and unbelief. He created us in His image, but we have all gone astray and disobeyed Him. (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23). In His admonition to the nation of Israel, He reminds them to “…faithfully obey the commands I am giving you… then I will provide” (Deut 11:13-15) He will give them tangible proof of His blessings – abundant food and satisfaction – and He will give them tangible proof of His curses – “shut the heavens and they will perish”. He makes it very clear what His expectations are for their future.  The nation of Israel had a choice; obey and be blessed or disobey like their parents and be cursed.

    As a reminder, after they entered the promised land of the choices that lead to blessings or curses, God instructed them to shout blessings from Mt Gerizim and curses from Mt Ebal. That’s kinda weird.  If you go to Google Earth and search for both mountains, you will see they are on both sides of the Palestinian city of Nablus (biblical city of Shechem). Mt Gerizim is on southern side and Mt Ebal on Northern side. They are both close to 3000’ in elevation. There is a valley / road that goes between both mountains. God wanted His people to proclaim and hear about His blessings and curses as they were going about their busy lives – traveling along that road. He wanted them to fully comprehend that the choices they make, will lead directly to either positive or negative consequences.

   As you celebrate your birthday, anniversary, or another significant day in your life, please remember that each day we have choices to make that have either positive or negative consequences. God implores us and proclaims from the mountain tops that He loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven and provide blessings while we are on earth.  Unfortunately, we all have chosen to sin and therefore, no longer qualify for heaven. We have all made wrong choices. BUT, God did make a way for us to enter into the promised land even though we have all made bad choices. He allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place and bear our sins upon Himself. The One ultimate good choice we can all make, is to accept what Christ has done for us and depend upon Him (faith) for us to enter the promised land (heaven). Yahweh yearns for us to make that choice so he can bless us with an eternity spent with Him, not the curse of hell and an eternity spent apart from Him. Today, on your special day, please choose wisely.

(Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 10:13)

Dave R

  ’69 / ’83  Quarryville PA

Doris Jean H

’44 /’55 Manheim PA