Our reading today is one of the most well known from the Hebrew text. It tells us of Moses’ words to the people as they were about to enter the promised land. The myth says that God told his people to go into Canaan and take it for themselves. As history has shown, the people just moved into a country with other people still living there. There are still Canaanites still living in Israel today. They call themselves Palestinians.
Moses warns the people of what will happen once they accept God’s blessing but later turn away from God’s way. They had a choice between the path to life or death. It was a national choice. We can draw a parallel to the United States today. We are choosing what path we will follow as a nation. There are still choices to be made as a nation. We can reflect our Christian faith through our behavior. It is the living of the life that shows our true character as a nation and as a person.
Moses warns the people not to worship other gods or let others lead us astray. Nationalism, materialism, and the worship of Capitalism can be seen as idols. We will have turned away from God. Trust in God’s way despite the sacrifices. It is the choice that will change, not only someone else’s life, but your own as well.