Consequences of Choices Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Joshua 24:15

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants” (Deut. 30:19, NASB).

All of us have to make decisions. We choose what to do, and we choose what not to do. We cannot escape making choices. The choices that we make have consequences, first for ourselves, and also for other people. Once we make a choice the consequences are inevitable. Although we sometimes can reverse the consequences of our choice, the fact remains, we have to live with the consequences of our choice. In this article I rely upon the farewell speeches of Moses and Joshua to help make the point that there are consequences of our choices.

The Book of Deuteronomy is a record of Moses giving a farewell address to the Israelites. Through the leadership of Moses God delivers the sons of Israel from slavery in Egypt. He leads them for forty years in the wilderness. The Israelites wander in the wilderness because they chose to believe and act on the report of ten spies instead of the report of Joshua and Caleb. Now, the people are about to cross the Jordan River going into the Promised Land.

In his address to the people Moses gives an account of the journey from Egypt to the Jordan River. Moses gives the people evidence that it is the Lord that has delivered them from slavery. It is the Lord that provides for all their needs as they travel on their way to the Promised Land. God gives them victory over their enemies, and God removes every obstacle that stands in their way. Thus, it is the people’s choice that causes them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. God commands them to take the land, but the people choose to disobey the commands of the Lord. Instead, they choose not to obey the Lord and the consequence of their choice is forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Moses tell the people the blessings they will receive if they obey the Lord’s commandments. In verses fifteen through sixty-eight Moses warns the people of the curses that will come upon them if they fail to obey the Lord. Moses warns the people that their choices will affect them and their descendants. Their choices will affect the opinion of the Lord by the people of the surrounding nations. Although it is true that we are responsible for the choices that we make, the consequences of our choices provide others with information that helps them to make their own choices. “‘Now the generation to come, your sons who rise up after you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land, when they see the plaques of the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it, will say’” (Deut 29:22, NASB).

Moses concludes by telling the people that they have the responsibility to make the right choice so that they will have favorable outcomes. “‘See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His statues and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it’” (30:15-16, NASB).

Moses dies and Joshua leads the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, ‘Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, the sons of Israel’” (Josh. 1:1-2, NASB). Under the leadership of Joshua the Israelites take possession of the land. Joshua, like Moses before him gives the people a farewell address. Like Moses, Joshua gives an account of the ways in which the Lord chose their ancestors; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God makes a covenant with them and watches over their descendants until this day. Joshua tells the people that they must keep the covenant.

Whereas Moses warns the people about keeping the Lord’s commandments, Joshua warns them of the consequences of worshiping any other gods except the Lord. Joshua says, “‘Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD’” (Josh. 24:14-15, NASB). There are consequences of our choices. The coronavirus pandemic gives us an example.

In Nashville, Tennessee Mayor John Cooper and his team give frequent updates of status of Nashville as related to the COVID-19 crisis. Almost every speaker encourages the citizens to use appropriate science-based measures to prevent the spread of the virus and to reduce the number of persons that are affected by the spread. These include wearing a mask/face covering, practice social distancing, and washing hands. In the report it is evident that there are significant numbers of people that choose not to follow the recommendations handed down by the Center of Disease Control (CDC). People are making choices that increase the spread of the virus that lead to an increase in persons needing to be hospitalized and deaths. People are meeting in large groups, thus, reducing safe distancing practices. They are gathering in large groups without wearing a mask/ facial covering. It is hoped that a vaccine will be discovered, but no one knows how long it will take for an effective vaccine to be produced. The people are making a choice and their choices lead to consequences.

God gives us His word in the Holy Scriptures; the Bible. Some people identify themselves as Christians, but they do not study God’s words, and therefore, they do not know God’s word. They do not obey His words. Other Christians know the word of God, but they choose to live their lives based on the gods of the world. These gods include philosophy, human knowledge and wisdom, the practices of the day, money, and pleasurable immediate outcomes.

Every person makes a choice about God. Will I believe in God? Will I serve Him? Will I obey His commandments? Although individuals are influenced by others, ultimately every person makes their own choice about God. The word of God is very clear. There are consequences of our choice.