Instructions are given to Israel as to what practices they are to do when they enter into the land. Deuteronomy 27 begins a section on blessings and curses in which Israel will publicly proclaim their understanding of the covenant.
God instructs Israel that after entering the land they should write the Law and Commandments on stone memorials in a region around Shechem. (Later under Joshua, they will create these stone monuments around Gilgal.) These kinds of memorials are common in the region as the code of Hammurabi attests.
In the region in which they will cross, Mt Gerizim borders the south end of the valley and Mt. Ebal the north. The people are to divide into two parties and affirm the blessings and curses that they are agreeing to in the 27th chapter, the blessings will continue in chapter 28.
The curse listed our in chapter 27 is behavior that is expressly forbidden in Israel and most follow the commandments given at Sinai.
Well, read Deuteronomy 28 at your own peril. Not really, but it is some heady stuff. I guess Israel cannot say it was not warned what would happen if they did not follow the commandments of God. On one hand, listen to God and the world is your oyster. While on the other hand, well, actually lets not go there, because it is not pretty.
Sometimes it is hard to see God through these sorts of curses, but God has said God is a jealous God and these sort of curses represent the anger of a jilted lover. God loves Israel desperately, and God demonstrates how hurt God would be if Israel would to fall away. Now, truth be told, while you might be able to find some examples of these curses in Israel's histories, none are directly tied to God, so are they of God?
It does give us something to ponder thought.
Romans 7
Paul begins by pointing out that Law only applies to a person when they are alive, death then nullifies it. So to join in Christ's death, means we are free from the Law. However, once freed we are not attached to Christ and Christ's grace which is a new life and a new way.
In the Law, we came to understand what was wrong. But sin sought to pervert the Law by making us aware of sin. So what turned about to be given for a good reason, the Law becomes something that allows sin to gain sway over us. The Law, however, is good but we truly only can follow and fulfill the Law if we are freed from sin. The Reformers later point out that in Christ, we are freed to finally follow the Law.
Paul, towards the end of chapter 7, begins to describe the war between flesh and spirit that he will further speak about in the Letter to the Romans.
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