Deuteronomy 27-31; Luke 12

After repeating the basic commandments and rules he received from God for the people, Moses, by the word of God, once again draws Israel's attention to the covenant God made with them. For clarity, God commanded representatives from 6 tribes to stand on Mount Gerizim while the other six tribes stood on the opposite mountain, Mount Ebal. The first group was to recite the words of blessing that would come upon them if they remained faithful to the covenant, while the second group was to recite the words of the curse that would befall Israel as a result of their apostasy (Deuteronomy 27:12-16).

Deuteronomy 28 and 29 provide a detailed list of God's blessings and curses as described above. Several observations about them:

- Blessings are expressed in good harvests, protection from enemies, and abundance.
- The main blessing is that Israel will be God's holy people (Deuteronomy 28:9).
- The list of curses, as a warning about disobedience, is much longer than the list of blessings (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).
- The most serious punishment is the dispersion of Israel among all nations and a life of fear even there (Deuteronomy 28:63-67).
- The main reason for the punishments is the violation of the covenant with God (Deuteronomy 29:25).

God predicts several times that the Israelites will break the covenant, fall into disobedience, and be scattered among all nations (Deuteronomy 31:29), but this will not be the end of Israel's story. One day, God will gather them, bring them back to the Promised Land, and change their hearts (circumcise them) so they will love the Lord with all their heart (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).

Luke 12 presents two main themes - the right attitude towards material possessions and the expectation of Christ's coming.

Covetousness, or a life focused on material wealth, is one of the main dangers for people. Its main problem is that promising much cannot bring satisfaction, "...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15).

The main thing to care about is to seek the Kingdom of God, expecting it (Luke 12:31-34). Christ came to earth to redeem us, to bring us into the Kingdom of His Father. This kingdom will come when He returns from heaven. The expectation of this kingdom is the key blessing for Christians living in a world of unrest and sorrows (Luke 12:35-48).