Choose Life!

We don't pay much attention to the last speech of Moses that is in the book of Deuteronomy, but maybe we should. As God's people were on the verge of crossing into the Promised Land, Moses urged them to choose life! That's something that we need to hear today, too.

Last words are important to us. They offer closure to a life. Family members crowd around the bedside of a dying loved one hoping to hear their very last thoughts. Sometimes, those words are witty. Lady Nancy Astor, when she became aware of her family gathered around her bedside, asked, “Am I dying, or is this my birthday?” In other instances, they offer peace. American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was asked on his deathbed whether he had reconciled with God. Thoreau responded, “I did not know we had ever quarreled.” In almost every case, though, they reflect the essence of the person whose life is coming to a close. That explains why the last speeches given by public figures are crafted carefully. Whether the notable is an outgoing President, a retiring CEO, or a fading movie star, that person wants the final speech to an audience to be memorable and to reflect his or her life. Moses was no exception. His farewell speech to the Israelites can be found in the book of Deuteronomy. After reviewing the law that God had given the Israelites to guide their behavior, he concluded with a pep talk. “You can do this!” Moses encouraged them. “You know what God expects of you!” But he included a warning in that pep talk. “You have a choice to make,” he said. “You can choose life – or you can choose death. And it’s all based on whether or not you do what God has asked of you. God won’t force you to follow him and behave the way that you should. It’s completely up to you.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

That speech not only reflected Moses’ leadership, it was what the people needed to hear right then. They had wandered for 40 years in the desert. A whole generation had lived and died traveling from oasis to oasis, completely dependent on God for the manna that had fed them and the water that had kept them alive. All God had asked of them was that they learn to live together peacefully and justly. The generation that had been born during those travels didn’t know anything about living a settled life. But now, they were standing on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to move into the Promised Land and a completely new way of life! They would be meeting new people, and encountering customs that were strange to them. They would have to learn how to grow their own food and find their own water and live together in a world that was bigger than they had ever envisioned!

And they didn’t have a clue as to what that would mean. But Moses knew. He was a seasoned leader who had lived many places. He had been born and raised in Egypt, matured in the wilderness of Midian, and formed in his faith by the God he met in the burning bush. He had confronted Pharaoh and led the Israelites out of Egypt. He knew what kind of challenges they would encounter in the Promised Land. He knew what kinds of temptations they would face, too. When the rains didn’t fall, they would be tempted to turn to the fertility god Baal, the god of the Canaanites. When they began to trade their goods with other tribes, some would become wealthy, while others would not. The wealthy ones would be tempted to keep their earnings for themselves instead of helping to care for the poor and needy. And when they encountered tribes who were stronger than they were, they would be tempted to doubt God’s power to protect them. When those times came – and Moses knew that they would come – the Israelites needed to remember to trust God and follow God’s way; because God’s way is the only way to life.

We tend to ignore this speech of Moses today. We pay much more attention to what Jesus said than to Moses. And do we really need to listen to Moses these days? Actually, yes, we do. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus doesn’t intend to abolish the Old Testament, but to fulfill it! Whether you read Jesus’ teachings in the gospels or Paul’s letters to his churches, both agree with this last speech of Moses. Jesus says as much in the Sermon on the Mount. Who does Jesus say are “blessed” in the beatitudes? Why, people who follow God’s way. They are merciful, they hunger for righteousness, and they work for peace. He says the same thing in different words when he tells his followers to love not only their friends, but their enemies, too. You can’t fill yourself with God’s love if you reserve it for only some people! That’s a hard thing to do – but it’s the only way to life. And Paul agrees when he insists that faith, hope, and love are the three foundations of a Christian. Faith is absolute trust in God, no matter what we may see around us. It’s the only thing that enables us to follow the way that Jesus showed us. Hope is believing that what God promises, God will one day deliver. And love is caring for others as much as we care for ourselves. When we turn to God and do our best to do what he asks of us, building our lives on a foundation of faith, hope, and love, then we’re choosing life. But when we turn away from God by worshiping money or possessions or fame or status; when we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by what is going on in the world around us instead of trusting in God and in God’s power and compassion, then we’re choosing death. It’s as easy – and as difficult – as that.

We’re really a lot like those Israelites. We, too, are moving into a new kind of world; and we aren’t sure how we should live in it. The Israelites encountered the Canaanites; we’re encountering cultures that we really don’t know much about: people from Africa, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. Those folks aren’t just like we are. They have different customs and different languages. They threaten many people; and that’s understandable. It’s a lot easier to rub elbows with people who are just like we are. But the reality is that, just like the Israelites, we’re going to have to learn to live how to live with our neighbors. Now, parts of the Old Testament tell us that we should exterminate all those strange people. The Israelites tried that, and it didn’t work. It never does. And certainly Jesus rejected that kind of behavior. He told us to love those folks; and to love them by hanging on to the way that God calls us to live. We may disagree with them – and we will – but Jesus tells us to make peace with them, to be merciful to them, to seek their welfare, and to work for justice on their behalf.

And you know what might happen if we did that – if we listen to Moses and Jesus and Paul, and do what God wants us to do? We might make the amazing discovery that we’re all God’s children. We might find out that we have more in common with those strangers than we think we do. We might even end up working together in a world that is not only peaceful, but also just. And that, my friends, is choosing life!