David Guzik :: Study Guide for Deuteronomy 27

Stones of Witness

A. A special altar.

1. (Deuteronomy 27:1-8) The command to set up a special altar.

Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ just as the LORD God of your fathers promised you. Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them. You shall build with whole stones the altar of the LORD your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”

a. Keep all the commandments which I command you today: Moses finished his preaching to the people of Israel, so there was nothing more to say, other than the simple encouragement to do what God commanded. It isn’t enough for Israel to be hearers of the word; they must also be doers of the word.

b. There you shall build an altar: When Israel came into the Promised Land, they were to build a special altar. It was to be made of natural stone, with no iron tool used to carve the stones. With these whole stones making up the altar, they were also to write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.

i. This was a special altar. It was clearly to be used for sacrifice (You shall offer peace offerings), but it was also to be a memorial of the law of Moses, and his great sermon to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy.

ii. This command was obeyed by Joshua in Joshua 8:30-32; there, at Mount Ebal, in the Promised Land, Joshua in the presence of the children of Israel... wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

iii. Probably, what was written was the summation of the law contained in the Ten Commandments.

c. An altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them: This was commanded because God did not want the glory of the stone carver to be the center of attention at His altar. God, at His altar, will share glory with no man — the beauty and attractiveness would be found only in the provision of God, not in any fleshly display.

d. You shall whitewash them with lime: So, the words could be easily seen, they were to whitewash them with lime. Anything we can do to make God’s word more accessible to others is a good thing, as long as the integrity of God’s word is preserved.

i. Any time God’s word is presented, it must be presented very plainly. Every preacher and teacher must endeavor to make the Word of God plain.

2. (Deuteronomy 27:9-10) This day you have become the people of the LORD your God.

Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, “Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

a. Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel: Much of the book of Deuteronomy is written after the same pattern as ancient agreements between kings and their subjects. Here, the idea is clear: God is the king, and the people of Israel are His subjects. He has told them what He expects of them, and what they may expect from Him.

b. This day you have become the people of the LORD your God: Now that the agreement was settled, and it could be said to Israel, “you have become the people of the LORD your God.” The contract was signed, and Israel willingly submitted itself to the Lord God, recognizing Him as their king.

c. You shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes: If the LORD is our king, then it is fitting that we obey Him this way. Moses, and all the leadership of Israel simply declared a fact that was obvious to everyone.

B. The command to announce the curses from Mount Ebal.

1. (Deuteronomy 27:11-13) The division of the tribes between the two mountains.

And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, “These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; and these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.”

a. These shall stand on Mount Gerizim... and these shall stand on Mount Ebal: When Israel came into the Promised Land, they were to separate the tribes according to these two groups. One group would gather on Mount Gerizim, and they would bless the people. The other group would stand on Mount Ebal and they would curse those who disobeyed the law of God.

b. To bless the people... to curse: This dramatic scene was fulfilled in Joshua 8:32-35. In Joshua’s day, it happened after a bitter defeat, then a dramatic repentance and recovery at Ai (Joshua chapters 7 and 8). After the victory at Ai, Joshua wanted to do everything he could to walk in obedience, so he led the nation in obedience to this command in Deuteronomy 27.

i. In this, Joshua was showing himself to be a man of the Book, and Israel a people of the Book; they would order their lives after God’s Word. This was done even at some cost or inconvenience; the distance from Ai to Ebal and Gerizim was not small distance to move all the tribes of Israel (from 20 to 25 miles).

ii. The rest of the chapter declares the curses; but where is the declaration of blessing? “The absence of a list of blessings may simply mean that they were omitted, since they would have corresponded with the curses except that they negatived everyone in turn. Those who were blessed did not offend in the areas in which those who were cursed did.” (Thompson)

c. These shall stand on Mount Gerizim... and these shall stand on Mount Ebal: God commanded this “open-air-audience-participation-sermon” to happen at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal for several important reasons.

i. This would be a beautiful place to do this. The whole nation could hear this reading of the Law because the area has a natural amphitheater effect because of the contour of the hills.

ii. Because Gerizim and Ebal were in the geographic middle of the Promised Land, Israel had to control the middle of Canaan and the highlands to have the luxury of such an assembly at these mountains.

iii. Finally, the mountains themselves were pictures of blessing and cursing: “On all hands it is allowed that Gerizim abounds with springs, gardens, and orchards, and that it is covered with a beautiful verdure, while Ebal is as naked and barren as a rock.” (Clarke)

2. (Deuteronomy 27:14-26) The declaration of the curses.

And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel:

“Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.” And all the people shall answer and say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

“Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.” And all the people shall say, “Amen!”

a. The Levites shall speak with a loud voice: This would make a remarkable impression. The Levites declared curses upon those who break the covenant, and people answered Amen! to every declaration.

i. It is good to remind ourselves that the word Amen! means something. It means “so be it.” Every Amen! was a conscious agreement with the declaration of a curse.

b. Cursed is the one who: The Levites declared, and the people agreed to, curses upon those who break God’s law.

i. Curses upon idolaters (the one who makes any carved or molded image).

ii. Curses upon those who dishonor their parents (the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt).

iii. Curses upon those who steal (the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark).

iv. Curses upon those who are simply cruel (the one who makes the blind to wander off the road).

v. Curses upon the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.

vi. Curses upon those who disobey God’s sexual standards (regarding incest and bestiality).

vii. Curses upon the violent (the one who attacks his neighbor secretly).

viii. Curses upon those who cheat the courts (the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person).

c. Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law: Finally — if one believes they have escaped these curses — there was a curse pronounced upon the one who does not conform to all the words of this law. Even if somehow, we have escaped all the previous curses, none can conform to all the words of this law.

i. When all are found guilty before the law, and it is clear that they cannot conform to all the words of this law, there is still hope. A clue to this hope is found in the beginning of the chapter, where God declared that an altar be built — not upon Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessing, but upon Mount Ebal, the mountain of cursing. We need the covering and atoning sacrifice exactly at the point where our sin and failures are revealed and God’s curse is pronounced on our sin.

ii. It is important to recognize that we, in Jesus Christ, do not have an Old Covenant relationship with God. We expect to be blessed, not because of our obedience, but because of our position in Jesus. The curse we deserved was laid upon Him (Galatians 3:10-14). Though there may be an inherent curse of consequences in our disobedience, or even the correcting hand of God, under the New Covenant, He does not punish us or curse us — because all that we deserved, past, present, and future, was poured out upon Jesus.

©2018 David Guzik — No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Updated: August 2022