"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 6 February 2017 with Scripture Deuteronomy 30:15-20-------
Deuteronomy 30:(RY: iv, LY: vii) 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil — 16 in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; (LY: Maftir) 18 I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess.
19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”[Complete Jewish Bible]
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"Choose life" is one of those phrases for how we address suffering that is heard very differently by different people. It can be heard as a rallying cry of encouragement in tough times or, conversely, as a deadening weight: "Choose life," mutters the man whose head pounds from migraines. "Choose life," mumbles the woman whose stomach is twisted in anxiety. "Choose life" groans the cancer patient.
"Choose life." A phrase so simple can so easily be twisted. Life, of course, is not so simple. And yet the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ruth knows this. The "choose life" that Moses here speaks to the Israelites is not a call to a simple choice between a happy life and a hard one. It never was. It is a choice between that which truly gives life--the love, purpose, vision and hope of God--and a life which will, ultimately, bow to death.
God, if today turns out to be one of those days that feels like surviving life is hard enough, show me that there is still a way to choose life even in the midst of pain. Amen.
Rachel Wrenn, '11
Ph.D. student in Hebrew Bible, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,
18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.[New Revised Standard Version]
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19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”[Complete Jewish Bible]
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"Choose life" is one of those phrases for how we address suffering that is heard very differently by different people. It can be heard as a rallying cry of encouragement in tough times or, conversely, as a deadening weight: "Choose life," mutters the man whose head pounds from migraines. "Choose life," mumbles the woman whose stomach is twisted in anxiety. "Choose life" groans the cancer patient.
"Choose life." A phrase so simple can so easily be twisted. Life, of course, is not so simple. And yet the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ruth knows this. The "choose life" that Moses here speaks to the Israelites is not a call to a simple choice between a happy life and a hard one. It never was. It is a choice between that which truly gives life--the love, purpose, vision and hope of God--and a life which will, ultimately, bow to death.
God, if today turns out to be one of those days that feels like surviving life is hard enough, show me that there is still a way to choose life even in the midst of pain. Amen.
Rachel Wrenn, '11
Ph.D. student in Hebrew Bible, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,
18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.[New Revised Standard Version]
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