Deuteronomy 27:9

Deuteronomy 27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God.

I enjoy citizenship ceremonies. Something happens in a moment that transforms the identity of an individual. One moment they are not a citizen and the next they are. And all this happens when the judge declares it. And these new citizens often know more doubt our democracy than many natural born citizens.

You see, things can happen in a moment that change lives. 9/11 changed the world. Think of all the security things that happen now as a result of 9/11. Remember just walking up to the gate at an airport right from the front door. No taking off of your shoes or scans of your person.

It is not that 9/11 was the start of violence associated with Islam. The violence had been going on since the beginning of Islam. In fact, the roots of the violence today is a direct outcome of the religion. Shia & Sunni have been at each other’s throats over the application of their writings since the beginning.

But I digress.

Just as citizens have a ceremony and at one point in the ceremony there is a declaration of citizenship, and those individuals who have gone through the process actually become citizens, so it is with us in our relationship with Christ.

Wedding ceremonies, whether religious or civil, both have a point of “I now pronounce you…”, and the status of the individuals changes at that moment. They are no longer individuals, but now a legal couple. Responsibilities and obligations end and begin at that moment.

And for those of us who are married, those responsibilities and obligations into which we freely entered continue until the marriage is either dissolved legally or by the death of one of the partners. There is one of two pronouncements: “They have died” or “Your marriage is dissolved.” Something must be said in order for the thing that was done to be undone.

Israel has been rescued from captivity in Egypt by the strong hand of the LORD. It was the LORD who brought them out and protected them along the way. Remember, their clothing and shoes didn’t even wear out. Don’t tell that to those among us who love new shoes!

But there was coming a point where these escapees would become citizens of their own land, a Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. If you are lactose intolerant, that doesn’t sound too appealing, but for an agrarian culture, these two things symbolized an abundance. Extra milk meant your herds were healthy and flourishing, and honey meant your crops were flourishing, having been pollinated by the bees.

Our text gives us the moment when escapees became citizens. Both their leader Moses and all the people responsible for the care and functioning of the LORD’s dwelling spot here on Earth declare a change in their loyalty. They have become “the people of the LORD.”

Two things happen at this point. The LORD declares His continued fidelity to the people of Israel, even though they continue to disobey the clear commands He has given. This is the LORD’s loyal love at work. No matter what, His live will never fail. He is faithful even when we are faithless.

The second thing that happens is that they as a people are again set aside for His purposes. They are to be witnesses of the LORD’s character to the world. They are to stand in stark contrast to the gods of these other nations. The LORD is a God who actually does things here on Earth.

They have seen the manifest presence of the LORD every day as they have traveled. So the LORD calls on them to continue to pursue faithfulness.