Divine election was not an excuse for humans to rebel, to disobey God.  The nation of Israel was highly chosen to become God’s people.  A promise was made, given to the man Abram, one that would affect his generational lineage, even before he became the father of Isaac.  In that moment, the Covenant between the LORD and His chosen one was made, and with the Covenant came conditions, with great expectations.  If you do this, I will give you this, but if you do that, I will give you this.  Conditional.

God’s servant Moses was highly favored by God to lead the children of God out of their Egyptian captivity, to lead them through the desert, to follow God’s direction as they fled, crossed the Red Sea, and escaped.  The people believed and followed God’s instructions because they understood the punishment of captivity; however, as with most, once free, they quickly forgot God’s Covenant and their promise to obey Him.  With divine direction, Moses recorded the word of God that he gave to God’s people before the LORD took Moses home to heaven.  Read with me the warnings given if one chose to not live in obedience to God’s Covenant.

As we read these warnings of the LORD, then even today, removed some 2,000+ years from the Old Covenant of God, we who have believed in Jesus will find ourselves walking through God’s warnings given to His people.

• The Old Covenant became obsolete when Jesus, the promised Messiah, was born to a virgin.
• The Old Law became unnecessary when Jesus, the Son of God, went to Calvary’s cross and laid down His life so those who believe in Him might live.

The ONLY WAY to go to heaven is possible because Jesus died on the cross, taking on the sins of mankind, receiving the wrath of God for us.   &

The ONLY WAY to go to heaven is possible because Jesus rose again to new life three days later.

The children of God, the Israelites, felt the pain of disobedience, and so will we, the children of God, the redeemed ones through the blood of Jesus, will too feel the pain—if we disobey God.

We must be “careful” people.

We cannot afford not to live as we wish, “willy-nilly” going through life, doing our own thing, not following the Spirit dwelling within us.  No, we cannot, for God directed us to walk in obedience to Him.  Just as Moses was divinely instructed by the LORD to speak truth to the children of God, the Israelites, we see with clarity the LORD’S warning.

In the following verses the LORD instructed His servant Moses to write, God promised His people these terrible curses—

• “extraordinary, severe, and lasting plagues”
• “chronic sicknesses”
• “every sickness [and] all the diseases of Egypt”
• “no resting place for the sole of your foot”
• “a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of the soul”
• “life [that] shall hang in doubt before you;”
• “dread [of] night and day” &
• “no assurance of your life”

These were the promised curses the LORD promised His people if they were not careful to completely obey God’s Holy Word.  Divine election was not (and is still not) an excuse for humans to rebel, to disobey God.  The Bible is clear.  We who believe MUST obey God.  There are no ‘sometimes’ activities or ‘somedays’ we live when we are given lease to walk in disobedience to the LORD.  It’s an ALL or NOTHING Covenant.  The writing of Moses recorded in the book of Deuteronomy is a sobering message for the church today. We have received SO MUCH.  We have received the gift of GOD’S SALVATION.  We have received ETERNAL LIFE.

Like Israel, the children of God, those who accept Jesus into their hearts, who believe in Christ’s work on the cross and in the grave, and who confess their sins committed against Holy God are the chosen children of Almighty God.  We are blessed in Jesus Christ.

If you have continued reading to this point, have seen how God promised curses to those who disobey, but if you have believed and received the promised gift of God’s salvation, then may we end with God’s eternal & promised blessing.