And it shall be on the day when ye pass over the Jordan unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster
One writer contrasts this chapter with the personal piety of the chapter before it. What the people write on the stones after crossing sets the terms for holding the land:
In the previous chapter we saw how personal piety expressed itself. But the public relations of the people with God rested on the threats of the law. They would cross the Jordan to take possession of the land of promise — an idea that keeps coming up. Once there, they were to set up great stones, plaster them, and write the law on them. This law contained the conditions on which the land was to be enjoyed.
Another commentator puts the same thought in a single image — the stones were, in effect, the paperwork proving Israel's right to the property:
Deuteronomy 27 provides for setting up a pillar on Mount Ebal on which the terms of the law are to be written, giving, we might say, Israel's title-deeds to the enjoyment of the land. Notice, however, that only curses, and not blessings, are provided for.
The plaster gave the rough stones a surface to write on. One writer notes where they stood, and how long the record would last:
At Moses' command, "the stones" were set up "on Mount Ebal" and inscribed "very plainly" (Deut. 27:4-8) with the words of the law. Ebal was the mountain where the six tribes stood who said Amen to the curses on disobeying God's word. So "the stones" stood at the foot of that mountain. It was the mountain of man's "So be it" to losing God's favours if he disobeyed His laws! The words of the law, written in this way, would stay visible to every eye for a long time. They probably did stay so longer than Israel stayed obedient.
When Joshua carried this out, the effect was a banner raised in the middle of enemy territory:
"It is written" was emblazoned on the standard of victory raised by Israel in the centre of the land of Canaan. The words of the Lord were plainly inscribed on the stones for all eyes to see, and the written word was read aloud for all ears to hear, and the nation agreed to it.
Later verses in the chapter name Ebal, not Gerizim. One writer sees deep meaning in that choice — and notes how others later tried to reverse it:
Mount Ebal, as we already know and as the text again says directly, is the mountain where the curses of the law were to be proclaimed. Mount Gerizim was the mountain of the blessings. It says much about the law's true power that it was to stand there permanently identified with the curse, and not with the blessing! "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse" is here the language of the law itself. Long afterwards the Samaritans tried to reverse this sentence. Their copy of the first five books of the Bible puts Gerizim here in place of Ebal… That way the power of the law is lost. Its true power is to destroy self-righteousness and humble men to the gospel.
An altar stood beside the written law, and the command was to rejoice there:
But side by side with this monument of the law they were to build their altar, as if God would not have the connection missed even then. They were to offer their burnt offerings and their peace offerings, and to rejoice before God on the dreaded mountain itself. They could do so, because the law sanctified this worship. The death of the victim upheld the righteousness of the law. For faith, this completes the testimony.
Another writer notes which offerings are named here — and which are missing:
We read nothing about sin offerings or trespass offerings here. The law, in all its fullness, was to be "written very plainly" on the plastered stones. The people stood in full, recognised covenant relationship. They were to offer on the altar those special sweet savour offerings, which richly express worship and holy communion… the subject is a people fully delivered, accepted and blessed — a people who truly enjoy their relationship and their inheritance.
Moses appointed six tribes to bless and six to curse. Scripture records only one side:
How does this happen? Where are the blessings? Nowhere. Nothing is left but the curses… By Moses' word half the tribes are told to take one mountain to pronounce the blessing, and the other half to pronounce the curse. But when it has all been carried out, Scripture records only the curse, without one word of blessing at all. It is impossible for man to find blessing from the law in God's presence once we come to its actual application.
And that blank is where Christ enters:
No one except the Lord Jesus has kept it. And He, if one may say so, did not raise an altar of burnt offering — an altar of worship for a righteous man who had fulfilled the law, for Himself alone. Instead He offered Himself for us on that mountain of cursing as an offering for sin, and has silenced for ever all those threats and curses.
- Gift — God gives the land. The stones written on the day of crossing carry the terms: "the conditions on which the land was to be enjoyed."
- Plainly — Plaster made rough stone readable. The law was to be public, permanent and unmistakable — and it outlasted Israel's obedience to it.
- Ebal — The monument stood on the mountain of cursing, not of blessing. The law's own placement declares what the law can do: humble self-righteousness.
- Altar — Beside the written law stood an altar with burnt offerings and peace offerings. Worship and rejoicing were possible only because a victim died.
- Silence — Moses appointed blessings from Gerizim, but Scripture records none. Christ fills that gap. He took the mountain of cursing and silenced the curse for ever.
and thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou goest over that thou mayest enter into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah the God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
Moses gives his last instructions on the plains of Moab. Israel's first task after crossing the Jordan is not to fight, but to write. Great stones, coated with plaster, must carry all the words of the law. Why open life in the promised land with a public copy of the law — and what happens when nobody can keep it?
The land was a gift. Even so, it came with conditions, and the stones carried them in writing.
When the people had crossed the Jordan to take possession of the land of promise — an idea that keeps coming up — they were to set up great stones, coat them with plaster, and write the law on them. This law contained the conditions on which they would enjoy the land.
Everything they would enjoy in Canaan hung on this — and on all of it, not the parts they liked best.
Joshua declared all the words of the Lord their God to the people. He did not give the blessings only, as we at times pick our favourites, but all the words of the Lord. Their whole prosperity in Canaan hung on holding to these words. Obedience was the one condition on which they would go on enjoying the land of promise, with its milk and honey (Deut. 27:3). Never forget this, for what we sow, we reap.
The plaster was the writing surface. It was the same material used on house walls, spread over the stones so the words could be cut into it (Morrish Bible Dictionary). The result was a monument nobody could miss.
"It is written" stood on the banner of victory that Israel raised in the centre of Canaan. The words of the Lord were there on the stones in plain sight for all eyes to see. They read the written word aloud for all ears to hear, and the nation agreed to it.
The stones went up on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curses rather than the mountain of blessing.
It says much about the law's true power that it was to stand there tied to the curse, not to the blessing! "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse," is here the language of the law itself. The Samaritans later tried to reverse this sentence. Their copy of the five books of Moses puts Gerizim here in place of Ebal… So the power of the law is lost. Its true power is to destroy self-righteousness and humble men to the gospel.
Beside the written law stood an altar, with burnt offerings and peace offerings on it — offerings of worship, not of guilt.
But side by side with this monument of the law they were to build their altar, offer their burnt offerings and their peace offerings, and rejoice before God on the dreaded mountain itself. It is as if God would not have this connection mistaken even then. They could do so because the law itself sanctified this worship, and the death of the victim upheld the righteousness of the law.
The offerings named here show who stands at the altar: a settled people, not guilty ones coming for pardon.
We read nothing about sin offerings or trespass offerings here. The law, in all its fullness, was to be "written very plainly" on the plastered stones. The people stood in full, recognised, covenant relationship, and were to offer on the altar those special offerings of pleasing aroma, which express worship and holy communion. The subject here is not a trespasser or a sinner coming to the altar with a sin offering, but a people fully delivered, accepted and blessed — a people enjoying their relationship and their inheritance.
Both blessing and curse were to be spoken. Only one of them reaches the record.
Where are the blessings? Nowhere. Nothing remains but the curses… Once the law is put into practice, man cannot find blessing from it in the presence of God.
Only one person has ever met the law's terms.
No one except the Lord Jesus has fulfilled it. Even so, He did not raise an altar of burnt offering for Himself alone — an altar of worship for a righteous man who had kept the law. Instead He offered Himself for us on that mountain of cursing as an offering for sin. He has silenced for ever all those threats and curses.
If Christ has borne the curse, what claim is left on us?
But grace itself never weakens our responsibility as God's children… Never forget that Jesus Christ is both our Saviour and our Lord. He is the One who has pardoned us, and the One who has every claim over us. Knowing His grace fills our mouths with praise in worship. A sense of our responsibility keeps us going in holiness and truth, fighting the good fight, taking possession of the promised land.
- Written — Israel's first act in the new land was to write the whole law on plastered stones for every eye to read.
- Conditional — those words set the terms for holding the land: obedience to all of them, not to favourite ones.
- Ebal — the stones stood on the mountain of cursing, which is the law's own verdict on anyone who relies on it.
- Altar — beside the law stood an altar with burnt and peace offerings. The death of the victim made worship and joy possible on that dreaded mountain.
- Christ — Scripture records no blessing, for no one kept the law. Christ offered Himself on the mountain of cursing, and He is now both our Saviour and our Lord.
And it shall be when ye go over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, as I command you this day, on mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster.
Israel is about to cross the Jordan and take the land, and their first task there is to set up plastered stones on Mount Ebal. Why that mountain, why plaster, and why the law in writing?
Before any more fighting, the nation was to stop and deal with God. One writer notes how quickly Joshua carried this out:
It is refreshing to see how quickly Joshua obeyed God's command in Deuteronomy 27:2-8 and built an altar on Mount Ebal, an altar of whole stones... God did not have Israel rush on at once into further conquests. He wanted them to think carefully about their relationship to Him, to give Him the worship due His name, and to live in dependence on Him and obedience to His law.
Of the two mountains, Ebal carried the curses. Yet God put His written law there, not on the mountain of blessing — and later readers tried to undo that choice:
How telling it is about the true power of the law, that it was to stand there for good tied to the curse and not to the blessing! "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse" is here the language of the law itself. The Samaritans long afterwards tried to reverse this sentence, and their copy of the first five books of the Bible puts Gerizim here in place of Ebal... So the power of the law is lost, for its true power is to destroy self-righteousness and humble people to the gospel.
The plaster was not decoration; it was a writing surface. Plaster is elsewhere used for house walls, and here it made a large, readable page out of rough stone:
People used it to cover the walls of houses (Leviticus 14:42-48; Daniel 5:5). They also spread it on large stones, so that the law could be written on them (Deuteronomy 27:2-4; Joshua 8:32).
The result was a public monument in the middle of the country, aimed at eye and ear together:
"It is written" was the motto on the flag of victory that Israel raised in the centre of the land of Canaan. The words of the Lord stood clearly cut into the stones for every eye to see. The written word was read out loud for every ear to hear, and the nation agreed to it.
The stones did not stand alone. On the mountain of curse God also commanded an altar:
But, blessed be God! On Mount Ebal there stood more than the great plastered stones with the words of the law on them. There was also an altar to the Lord, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, for rejoicing before the Lord. And this speaks of Christ, who has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Another writer explains how law and sacrifice could stand on the same hill:
So side by side with this monument of the law, as if God would not have the link missed even then, they were to build their altar. They were to offer their burnt offerings and their peace offerings, and to rejoice before God on the dreaded mountain itself. They could do this, because the law itself made such worship holy: the death of the sacrifice upheld the righteousness of the law.
One writer asks what the ceremony actually left on record:
Where are the blessings? Nowhere. Nothing remains but the curses... When it has all been carried out, Scripture has nothing to record but the curse, not a word of the blessing at all. Once the law is actually applied, it is impossible for anyone to find blessing from it in the presence of God.
Commentators differ on the mood of this ceremony. Some read the altar and the offerings as a picture of a settled, happy people:
Israel thus privileged, blessed and exalted, in full possession of the goodly land, and having all the precious commandments of God before their eyes, what remained, but to present the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, in holy worship and happy fellowship?
Others weigh the silence about joy in the actual event at Ebal:
All the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, were read to the people, but there is no mention of their rejoicing before the Lord. How could there be any real rejoicing while the curses of the law were being read to them? The altar of Ebal was a witness to Israel's bondage to a law which they could not keep, or free themselves from. Only what the sacrifices pointed to, the death of Christ, could free them from this bondage.
- Stop first. The stones came before any more conquest. God wanted Israel to settle their relationship with Him.
- Curse mountain. God put the law on the mountain of the curse. The Samaritans later swapped in Gerizim, and so robbed the law of its power to humble.
- Public page. Plaster turned rough stone into a page. The words stood in the centre of the land for every eye, and Israel heard them read aloud.
- Altar added. Beside the monument of law stood an altar. The death of the sacrifice upheld the law's righteousness, so Israel could worship on the dreaded mountain.
- Curse carried. The record keeps the curses and no blessing — pointing past Ebal to Christ, who redeemed His people from the curse of the law.
And there shalt thou build an altar to Jehovah thy God, an altar of stones; thou shalt not lift up an iron [tool] upon them;
Israel's first act in the promised land was to build an altar on Mount Ebal, the hill of the law's curses. The one rule for it: no iron tool on the stones — which commentators read as a picture of Christ and a warning about how we come to God.
One writer ties the ban on tools to acceptance before God, and the stones to what Israel already was in His sight:
Before Moses passed from the scene of his labours, he commanded the people to build an altar of whole stones, on Mount Ebal, on the other side of the Jordan. No tool was to be lifted upon the stones, for the work of man can never make him acceptable before God. The stones no doubt showed what the tribes of Israel were in God's sight, as His workmanship. In the same way, Scripture views believers in the Lord Jesus as living stones, the workmanship of God (1 Peter 2:5).
Another writer explains why God wanted the altar left rough:
As to the altar, it was to be of earth or of unhewn stone. If men were to lift up their tools upon the stones to shape them according to their thoughts, they would pollute it. An altar of earth or of unhewn stone might seem very crude and offensive to a taste for beauty. But it was a picture of death — the death of Christ. So God intended it to stand in its natural roughness, not dressed up by art and human device.
Another writer links the crowd around the altar and its untouched stones to Christ, quoting an older translation:
Israel raised the altar on Ebal, set up to Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. They recognised Him as the Lord God of the nation, and in this way acknowledged their relationship with Him. Around this altar the entire nation assembled. Christ is the altar and the centre of the circle of God's people, and the saints gather around Him. "An altar of whole stones, over which no man has lifted up any iron," was set up, so that no touch of man's tool would be on that sacred altar. To shape its stones by human hand was to "pollute" it. For Christ is the altar, and He is perfect. The work of man's hands, man's thoughts about Him, only produce unbelief and dishonour to His Name.
One writer draws out why God chose this hill:
Why was the altar not put on Mount Gerizim? Because God knew that Israel would not keep the law, and so they were left under a curse (Gal. 3:10). God would meet them in the place they were, not where they ought to be. The altar tells us that God is able to redeem those under the curse by means of the sacrifice of Christ. This is pure grace.
One writer notes which offerings are missing here — the sin and trespass offerings brought to the bronze altar:
We read nothing about sin offerings or trespass offerings here. The law, in all its fullness, was to be "written very plainly" on the plastered stones. The people stood in full, recognised, covenant relationship. On the altar they were to offer those special offerings of sweet savour, which express worship and holy communion so blessedly. The subject here is not the person who has committed a trespass, or the sinner by nature, coming to the bronze altar with a trespass offering or a sin offering. It is a people fully delivered, accepted and blessed — a people enjoying their relationship and their inheritance.
Not everyone reads the scene as joy. Another writer points to what the record does not say:
The people heard all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, but there is no word of their rejoicing before the Lord. How could there be any real rejoicing with the curses of the law read to them? The altar of Ebal was a witness to Israel's bondage to a law. They could not keep it, and they could not free themselves from it. Only what the sacrifices pointed to — the death of Christ — could free them from this bondage (Rom. 7:4; Gal. 5:1). The record of debt that stood against God's people was nailed "to His cross" (Col. 2:14).
- No tool. The ban on iron says plainly that human work cannot make a person acceptable to God.
- No polishing. The stones stay rough because the altar pictures the death of Christ. Human improvement only spoils it — even human ideas about Him.
- No blessing hill. God set the altar on the hill of the curse. He met Israel where they were, not where they ought to be.
- No sin offering. The offerings here are the sweet savour offerings of worship and communion, brought by a people already delivered, accepted and blessed.
- No rejoicing recorded. Commentators differ. Some see joy and covenant relationship here. Others see a witness to bondage under a law Israel could not keep — a bondage only the cross could break.
of whole stones shalt thou build the altar of Jehovah thy God; and thou shalt offer up burnt-offerings thereon to Jehovah thy God.
Israel stood just outside the land when God gave this command: build an altar on Mount Ebal, and let no tool touch its stones. Two questions follow — why must the stones stay rough, and why build an altar on the hill where the curses of the law would be shouted?
The ban on iron is not about craftsmanship. One writer ties it to what human work can never do for a person before God, and to what the stones themselves pictured.
Before Moses left the scene of his work, he commanded the people to build an altar of whole stones on Mount Ebal, on the other side of the Jordan. No one was to lift a tool on the stones, because the work of man can never make him acceptable before God. The stones no doubt pointed to what the tribes of Israel were in God's sight, as His workmanship, just as believers in the Lord Jesus are seen in Scripture as living stones, the workmanship of God (1 Peter 2:5).
One writer draws out what is at stake if the altar pictures Christ:
"An altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool," was set up so that this sacred altar might not carry the touch of man's tool, for to shape its stones with a human hand was to "pollute" it, because Christ is the altar, and He is perfect, and the working of man's hands, man's thoughts about Him, only produce unbelief and dishonour to His Name.
Ebal carried the curses; Gerizim, facing it, carried the blessings. One writer weighs what it means that the law stands on the mountain of the curse.
How significant of the true power of the law that the law was to stand on Ebal, identified for ever with the curse and not with the blessing! "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse," is here the language of the law itself.
If that were all, Ebal would be a place of despair. The altar changes that, and one writer asks why God chose this mountain and not the other:
Why was the altar not put on Mount Gerizim? Because God knew that Israel would not keep the law, and so they were left under a curse (Gal. 3:10). God would meet them in the place where they were, not where they ought to be. The altar tells us that God is able to redeem those under the curse by means of the sacrifice of Christ. This is pure grace.
The verse names burnt offerings. One writer points out which offering is missing:
An altar was to be raised on Ebal to Jehovah, not for sin offerings, but for burnt offerings and peace offerings. This worship assumes a righteous people in communion with Jehovah, yet placed under the curse if they should break the law.
One writer shows how Israel could still rejoice at this altar, on the mountain they dreaded:
But side by side with this monument of the law, as if God would not have the connection mistaken even then, they were to build their altar, offer their burnt offerings and their peace offerings, and rejoice before God on the dreaded mount itself. They could do so, because the law itself sanctified this worship: the death of the victim upheld the righteousness of the law.
Joshua later built this altar. One writer notes how quickly he acted, and what God wanted from Israel first.
It is refreshing to see how quickly Joshua obeyed God's command in Deuteronomy 27:2-8 and built an altar of whole stones on Mount Ebal… God did not have Israel rush on at once into further conquests. He wanted them to weigh their relationship to Him carefully, to give Him the worship due to His name, and to live in a spirit of dependence on Him and obedience to His law.
Another writer names what the altar gave a people under the curse, and what all true worship rests on:
The altar on Mount Ebal was the provision in grace for the curse of the law on transgressors. In the altar we have propitiation, which is the basis of all true worship; only here it is in the presence of a people threatened by the curse if they do not obey.
- Unworked stones. God banned the iron tool. Human work adds nothing to what makes a person acceptable to Him.
- Perfect altar. If the altar pictures Christ, then carving the stone pictures man's own thoughts reshaping Him. That only dishonours Him.
- Wrong mountain, right grace. The altar rises on the hill of cursing, not blessing. God meets people where they are, not where they ought to be.
- Death of the victim. Israel could rejoice beside the law's own monument, because a sacrifice upheld the law's righteous claim.
- Worship before warfare. Joshua built the altar before pressing on. Worship and dependence came first, then the land.
And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before Jehovah thy God.
Moses tells Israel to build an altar on Mount Ebal and to hold a feast there. Ebal is the mountain where the curses of the law would be spoken, so why does God command sacrifice, eating and joy in that place?
God told Israel to build the altar on Ebal. One writer points to what stood there beside the stones of the law:
The law holds out no blessing for man. It can only curse. But, blessed be God! On Mount Ebal there stood not only the great stones with plaster, with the words of the law written on them. There was also an altar to the LORD, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, for rejoicing before the Lord. And this speaks of Christ, who has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
The two mountains had opposite roles. God's choice between them tells us something about Him.
Blessings for the people were to be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim, and curses from Mount Ebal. Why was the altar not put on Mount Gerizim? Because God knew that Israel would not keep the law, and so were left under a curse (Gal. 3:10). God would meet them in the place they were, not where they ought to be. The altar tells us that God is able to redeem those under the curse by means of the sacrifice of Christ. This is pure grace.
The altar carried burnt offerings and peace offerings. No other offering is named here, and one writer draws out why.
We read nothing about sin offerings or trespass offerings here... The people stood in a full, acknowledged covenant relationship with God. They were to offer on the altar those special offerings of pleasing aroma, which speak so well of worship and holy communion. The subject here is not the person who has done wrong, or the sinner by nature, coming to the bronze altar with a trespass offering or a sin offering. It is a people fully delivered, accepted and blessed — a people already enjoying their relationship and their inheritance.
Why eat the sacrifice at all? One writer compares the two offerings on this altar.
Next, they "sacrificed peace offerings." The burnt offerings were completely consumed. They were an atonement for man, but they were burnt entirely to God. The peace offerings, though, the offerer ate in part, because in them he had communion with God. Man had his own portion to feed on. He ate of the sacrifice that had been killed. And communion with God matches how much the soul feeds on Christ by the Spirit. Then God's people rejoice before the LORD their God. Delight in Christ among God's people is the next great fact shown by this gathering of Israel and by their offerings.
The meal never stands apart from the altar. One writer links self-judgment, communion and worship, and roots them in propitiation — the sacrifice that turns God's judgment away:
For us too, there can be no communion without self-judgment, and no worship without communion... In the altar we have propitiation, and that is the basis of all true worship.
Joy is part of the command. One writer explains what kind of joy this offering carried.
The peace offering was celebrated on occasions of joy... It is the joy of being able to share with God something of the prosperity He has granted. That is why it can also be translated "prosperity offering." It is the joy of having fellowship with Him in this way.
Commentators differ on whether Israel ever entered that joy. One writer notes what the record does not say:
Joshua faithfully carried out what Moses commanded. All the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, were read to the people, but there is no word of their rejoicing before the Lord. How could there be any real rejoicing with the curses of the law read to them? The altar of Ebal was a witness to Israel's bondage to a law they could not keep and could not escape. Only what the sacrifices pointed to — the death of Christ — could free them from this bondage (Rom. 7:4; Gal. 5:1).
- Altar — God placed His altar on Ebal, the mountain of the curse, not on Gerizim, the mountain of blessing. He meets people where they are, not where they ought to be.
- Offering — Only burnt offerings and peace offerings appear here. These belong to a people already accepted, not to a sinner coming for forgiveness.
- Eating — The worshipper feeds on the same sacrifice given to God. That shared portion is what communion means, and it rests on propitiation.
- Joy — The joy commanded is the joy of fellowship, of sharing with God what He has given.
- Shadow — Israel could not keep the law, so the joy went unrecorded. The altar pointed forward to Christ, who redeemed us from the curse.
And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
Just before Israel crossed the Jordan, Moses told them to set up large stones, coat them with plaster, and write the law on them for everyone to read. The command does not stop at "write" — it adds very plainly, and it places the writing on one specific mountain.
The phrase "very plainly" is not about neat handwriting. It closes a door.
The words of the law were to be written very plainly, so that there would be no mistake and no excuse for breaking the law (v.8). They had become the people of God, therefore it was God they were responsible to obey (v.10).
Another writer traces what that clarity does — first to Israel, then to anyone who knows the law:
When the law came, all vagueness disappeared. Nobody under the law could plead ignorance any more. When they stood in judgment for their transgressions, not a shred of an excuse remained. We who are not Jews were never formally placed under the law, but we do know about it, and that knowledge itself will make us answerable to the judgment of God in a way that peoples who have never heard it are not. So let us take care.
Israel was to write out the whole law, not a summary of it. Beside that writing stood an altar.
We read nothing about sin offerings or trespass offerings here. The law, in all its fullness, was to be "written very plainly" on the plastered stones. The people stood in a full, acknowledged covenant relationship with God, and they were to offer on the altar those special offerings of sweet aroma, which so richly express worship and holy communion.
Two mountains faced each other: one for blessing, one for curse. The stones went up on the mountain of curse.
How telling of the law's true power, that it was to stand there tied for ever to the curse and not to the blessing! "All who rely on works of the law are under a curse," is the language of the law itself here. Long afterward the Samaritans tried to reverse this sentence, and their copy of the first five books of the Bible puts Gerizim here in place of Ebal. Reversing it robs the law of its power, for the law's true power is to destroy self-righteousness and humble people to the gospel.
Another writer points to what is missing from the record of that day:
Moses directed half the tribes to take one mountain and say the blessing, and the other half to say the curse. But when Israel had done it all, scripture records nothing but the curse — not one word of the blessing. When we come to the law in practice, no one can find blessing from it in the presence of God.
The written law was not the last thing on that hill. Israel also built an altar of unshaped stones there and burned offerings on it.
But for that very reason, side by side with this monument of the law — as if God would not let anyone mistake the connection even then — they were to build their altar. They were to offer their burnt offerings and their peace offerings, and to rejoice before God on the dreaded mountain itself. They could do this, because the law itself sanctified this worship: the death of the victim upheld the righteousness of the law.
The altar's place on the mountain of cursing raises a question, and one writer answers it:
Why was the altar not put on Mount Gerizim? Because God knew that Israel would not keep the law, and so were left under a curse (Gal. 3:10). God would meet them in the place they were, not where they ought to be. The altar tells us that God is able to redeem those under the curse by means of the sacrifice of Christ. This is pure grace.
Israel obeyed this command once they were inside Canaan. A whole nation stood in enemy territory under God's written word.
"It is written" blazed on the banner of victory that Israel raised in the centre of the land of Canaan. The words of the Lord stood clearly written on the stones for every eye to see. They read the written word aloud for every ear to hear, and the nation agreed to it.
A Bible dictionary sums up what that public writing meant for Israel's future:
Writing the law on the stones shows the conditions on which they were to hold the land: obedience to the word.
- Plain — everyone could read the words. No Israelite could claim he had not understood what God asked.
- Plainer still — clear words take away excuses. Once God spells out His demand, ignorance is no defence at judgment.
- Placed — the stones went up on Ebal, the mountain of cursing. That tied the written law to the curse, not to the blessing.
- Paired — an altar with burnt offerings and peace offerings stood on that same mountain. Israel saw the law's sentence and God's provision side by side.
- Performed — Israel carried it out in the middle of Canaan. The law read aloud set the terms on which they would hold the land.