“Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”
~ Deuteronomy 27:10
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever seen a mountain? When your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, they lived close to the Rocky Mountains. If it was not overcast, your grandpaa could look from his office window in the building in which OC International has its United States headquarters and see Pikes Peak. On a return trip that your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn made from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to the United States – where your grandmaa and grandpaa began a yearlong furlough, they flew through La Paz, Bolivia. The airport that is in La Paz is 13,325 feet above sea level – making the La Paz airport the highest airport in the world. As the airplane that was carrying your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn was descending into the La Paz airport and as your grandpaa was enjoying looking down at the panoramic view of a rocky, inhospitable landscape from his window seat, he suddenly had a massive mountain called Illimani blocking his view. The summit of Illimani is 21,225 feet while the summit of Pikes Peak is 14,115 feet. Your grandpaa likes oceans a lot more than he likes mountains. Your grandpaa has issues with vertigo. When a guy, gal or kid feels as if he or she is swaying – even though he or she is not moving at all, while he or she is on the top of a tall building, while driving over a high bridge and/or while climbing the steps of a lookout tower, the guy, gal or kid is experiencing vertigo. When your grandpaa is on the top of a tall building, your grandpaa cannot go to the edge of the building. When your grandpaa is driving over a high bridge, your grandpaa does not want anyone to move or to talk in the car while he is driving over the bridge. When your grandpaa even thinks about climbing up the steps of a lookout tower, your grandpaa’s hands will begin to sweat. Your grandmaa can walk right up to the edge of a tall building and look down at the street. Your grandmaa can go right up to the edge of a cliff and look down at whatever is below. Your grandmaa can climb up to the top of a lookout tower and look out at everything below her. Does your dad and/or ma have trouble with vertigo? Do you like to stand on top of tall building? Do you like it when your dad drives over a high bridge? Do you like to stand on the edge of a steep cliff? Your grandpaa does not have any trouble with flying in an airplane while your grandmaa does not like to fly.
After the Israelite people group guys and gals – who are God’s specially chosen guys and gals, crossed through the divinely dried up Jordon River into the land area – the land area of Canaan, that God was giving them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . the Israelite people group guys and gals were to first make an altar to God on Mount Ebal and then – in order to be able to clearly hear the Levi tribal clan priests make a series of curse pronouncements, they were to go to and stand on two mountains – Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are located relatively close to each other. The summit of Mount Ebal is about 3,000 feet while the summit of Mount Gerizim is over 2,800 feet. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are located more or less in the center of the land area that God gave to His specially chosen guys and gals to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . the Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin tribal clans were to stand on Mount Gerizim while the Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali tribal clans were to stand on Mount Ebal. Leah and Jacob were the ma and dad of Simeon, Levi, Judah and Issachar. Rachel and Jacob were the ma and dad of Joseph and Benjamin. Leah and Jacob were also the ma and dad of Reuben and Zebulun. Zilpah and Jacob were the ma and dad of Gad and Asher. Zilpah was Leah’s handmaiden. Bilhah and Jacob were the ma and dad of Dan and Naphtali. Bilhah was Rachel’s servant.
The altar that was to be made on Mount Ebal was to be made from large fieldstones or pieces of limestone. The large fieldstones or pieces of limestone were to be used as they were found. The large fieldstones or pieces of limestone were not to be chipped with an iron tool to make them fit together. Once the altar of large fieldstones or pieces of limestone was built, the altar was to be coated with plaster or lime and the words of the law were to be written clearly on the plaster or lime that was covering the large fieldstones or pieces of limestone. The altar was to be used to sacrifice burnt offerings and for making a fellowship offering to God. Moses – in Deuteronomy 27 in his Deuteronomy Book, explicitly recorded what God’s specially chosen guys and gals were to do once they had taken possession of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. What Moses scribed in verse 10 “Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”’ explains why these mandated steps were so important to be exactly implemented. After every dinner and supper, your grandpaa’s ma would read out loud to your grandpa’s dad, your grandpaa and your grandpaa’s three bros and two sisters from the Bible. Your grandpaa does not ever remember hearing his ma read the list of twelve curses that the Levite priests were to recite in a loud voice to God’s specially chosen guys and gals and that God’s specially chosen guys and gals were to respond to the Levite priests with a loud return ‘Amen’. God promised to curse any guy who makes in secret a false idol, moves out his property stones, dishonors his dad and/or ma, messes with the blind, withholds justice from an alien, orphan and/or widow, does immoral stuff and does not keep God’s commandments. While many guys, gals and kids have a paralyzing fear of heights, there are not many guys, gals and kids who have a prudent fear of God and what He will do to them if . . .
Deuteronomy 27 (891)