Deuteronomy 27:2,3
2When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 3Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
The promise of the promised land was given to Israel hundreds of years prior. In the mean time Abraham’s offspring went from one son to 12 grandsons to an entire nation. At this time there are millions of them on the border awaiting entry.
I’ve heard it said that the promised land is symbolic of the victorious christian life. They were already believers, but they couldn’t enter as doubters. Their trust in The Lord had to be national. The generation before them was denied entry, due to their unbelief.
Moses is telling them that when the enter, they are to build an altar laden with scriptures. This is a monument at the border. It represents their old and new lives. The wilderness and Egypt represent fruitless human efforts and slavery. While the new land is a life of faith and abundance. This altar was partially a warning to not go back. Slavery and fruitlessness await.
The altar is also a remembrance of their new life, one of faith. The Lord is their God. He expects them to trust Him. In return, He blesses them with His presence and providence. When the people see that altar, it’s also to be a remembrance of their new life. The scriptures on it are a reminder that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Lord wants us to live a victorious christian life. It’s to be one of faith. It’s one full of God’s Word and faith. It’s joy filled and a living fulfillment of Psalm 23.
Lord, thanks for the promised land, the victorious christian life. Thanks for Your intervention and Your blessing.