Deuteronomy 27:11 says, And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, Verse twelve adds, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: The people of the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerazim to bless the people when they crossed over the Jordan. Verse thirteen continues, And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mount Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse, but not the people of God. We are blessed when we obey God's commandments today and our actions are cursed when we don't. Verse fourteen states, And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, When they were where God commanded them to be, the Levites were to speak to them. As Christians, I believe wherever we are that God will always speak to us, but at times we may refuse to hear Him. Verse fifteen adds, Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. The Levites began by telling the people the things that they would be cursed for, beginning with making graven or molten images to worship, since these were an abomination to God, and the people were to say Amen, or agree with God's word to them. They still are today. Verse sixteen continues, Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. The people of Israel were not to disrespect their parents, and it was a sin to do so, by which their Amen said they agreed. It still is today. Verse seventeen says, Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites were to pronounce it a sin to move a neighbour’s landmark, which was to attempt to cheat them, and was a curse on those who did. It still is today. By their Amen the people agreed. Verse eighteen adds, Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites said those who abused the helpless, in this case the blind, were cursed, and by their Amen the people agreed. It still is today. Verse nineteen continues, Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites said that those who perverted justice against the less powerful, the stranger, fatherless, and widow were to be cursed. The people agreed by saying Amen. It is still a sin today. Verse twenty states, Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites said it was a sin for a man to have a sexual relationship with his father’s wife, who may or may not have been the man's mother. Whether she was or not, this still showed a great disrespect for his father. The people agreed by their Amen. This is still very wrong today. Verse twenty-one adds, Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites then said it was wrong for a man to have sex with any beast, or animal, and no matter what some people may say today, it still is. By their Amen the people agreed. Verse twenty-two continues, Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites said that a man would be cursed for having a sexual relationship with his sister or half-sister. Though some of their ancestors may have done this, it didn't justify it. This is still a sin today. Again, the people agreed with this by their Amen. Verse twenty-three says, Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites next said anyone having a sexual relationship with his mother-in-law was cursed. The people agreed by their Amen. This is still a sin today. Verse twenty-four adds, Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites said those who secretly killed their neighbor were cursed, even if no one ever found out about it. Killing someone is still a sin and a crime today, even if no one ever finds out. The people said Amen to agree. Verse twenty-five continues, Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites then said a person who killed someone by murder was cursed, and this still applies today. The people agreed by their Amen. Verse twenty-six concludes, Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. The Levites concluded by saying that anyone who did not affirm these words of the law by doing them was cursed. Once more, the people were to affirm this by saying Amen, but without actually following the laws, this was not enough. We today can say Amen to everything said about God's laws, but the truth of our agreement is that we actually do our best to live by God's word.
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