Life and Death

Deu. 30:15-16 

See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, in that I command you today to love YHWH your Mighty One, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes, and His judgments; that you will live…”

Deu. 30:19 

 …that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse, 

Therefore, choose life, that you may live, and you and your children; by loving YHWH your Mighty One, and by holding fast to Him, for that is your life…”

What is being taught here? 

In both instances, a choice is presented. In both cases, choosing life involves loving YHWH. In the former passage, life is coupled with good, while death is married with evil. Choosing what is good is akin to choosing life while choosing what is evil is akin to choosing death. We must choose what pleases our Master and reject what does not please Him. We must follow His Ways and not own. 

In the former passage, loving YHWH is paired with obeying Him. This hand-in-hand relationship is also expressed in Exo 20:6; Deu. 5:10; 7:9; 11:1, 22; 19:9; Jos. 22:5; Neh. 1:5; Dan 9:4; Joh. 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1 Jo. 5:3; & 2 Jo. 1:6. 

In the latter passage, life is equated with the blessing, and death is equated with the curse. The choice between life and death is the choice between the blessing and the curse. As expressed in Deu. 11:26-28, 27:1-2,15, and Lev 26:3-12,14-43, the blessing results from listening to YHWH, and the curse is the consequence of refusing to listen.

And as Daniel confessed in Dan. 9:11, when we are unfaithful to YHWH, we are under the curse. With this understanding in mind, whoever is “of works of the law” (Gal. 3:10) does not listen to YHWH. This “law” (Gal. 3:10) that is not of faith (Gal. 3:12) is not YHWH’s Law that teaches that righteousness is by faith (Rom. 10:6-8 cf. Deu. 30:11-14). Instead, it is trying to be justified by our actions. It is trying to keep the Torah without relying on YHWH and loving Him with all our hearts and beings.  

Faithfulness to YHWH (choosing to love and obey Him) is the Way that leads to life. 

Not relying on Him (choosing to disobey Him) is the path that leads to death.