Deuteronomy 27:1-26 (NKJV)
Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 You shall build with whole stones the altar of the Lord your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”
9 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. 10 Therefore you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”
11 And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, 12 “These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; 13 and these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 “And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: 15 ‘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!’ 16 ‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 18 ‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 20 ‘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!’ 21 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 22 ‘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!’ 23 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ”
Before Israel crossed into the promised land, God gave them a visible, public command: build an altar. Set up large stones. Cover them with plaster. And write all the words of the Law “very plainly.” This was not a private ritual. It was meant to be seen. The Law was not to be whispered in secret or buried in memory. It was to be displayed where all could read it—clearly, plainly, publicly.
The people were not left to guess what mattered to God. He told them. And as they stood in the land, half the tribes on Mount Gerizim and half on Mount Ebal, they were to say “Amen” to a series of curses—twelve statements of judgment, each one touching ordinary life: false worship, dishonoring parents, injustice, immorality, violence, bribery, and hidden sin. There are no blessings listed in this chapter—only curses. The weight of the Law presses down. It shows that sin is not far off or abstract. It happens in homes, in courts, in fields, and in hearts.
The repetition of “Cursed is the one…” followed by “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’” forces each listener to hear and agree. There is no hiding in the crowd. No pretending that sin is someone else’s problem. Each person must acknowledge that God is just and His Word is true—even when it condemns.
This chapter does not end with hope. It ends with silence. The curses hang in the air. The mountain of blessing is not yet heard from. But the silence prepares the way for grace. Because Christ came under that curse. As Paul writes, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” He bore what we confessed. He fulfilled what we failed. And now, on another mountain—Calvary—God speaks again, not with curses, but with mercy.
Still today, the Law must be read plainly. Not softened. Not skipped. Not rewritten. Because only in seeing our sin clearly can we also see our Savior rightly. And in Him, the curse gives way to blessing. Let us pray: Holy God, help us to hear Your Law clearly, confess our sin honestly, and trust in the One who bore our curse to bring us life. Amen.