V. 1. ff. And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people 2c.
What he commanded here about the altar that was to be erected on Mount Ebal from unhewn stones and about the law that was to be written on it is a temporal commandment that was to be fulfilled only once. Joshua also fulfilled it after he had taken the city of Ai, Jos. 8, 30 ff,
There the blessings and the curses were read before all the people, and the burnt offerings and peace offerings were offered, as Moses says here, admittedly in order to provoke (as I have said) the raw people by this outward show, so that they would be mindful of the law, since they are more moved by outward ceremonies than by mere, naked words.
This altar later achieved great aer-
The people sacrificed there and served God, puffed up by the example of the fathers, who sacrificed there only this one time, by order of Moses, who had commanded that this should happen. For the woman of Samaria also held this against Christ, John 4:20, saying, "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain." But they did not see that this temporary commandment did not have to be made a perpetual example, since they had elsewhere the express command, Ex. 29, 1) 10. f., that they should sacrifice in the place which the Lord had chosen, which Moses also repeated so often in this book [Cap. 12, 14. 16, 2.]. But the place he had chosen was always certain, namely, where the Ark of the Covenant was, over which he had promised to dwell among them, so that we see that we should not trust and base ourselves on the example of the fathers or a past word of God, which has already ceased with a past event (facto), but only on the present word of God, which concerns a present fact.
This is to be noted in this chapter, that Moses chose for the blessings the more respected (potiores) tribes, namely Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph (which includes two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin, and so here are seven tribes, all children of the free, Rachel and Leah; but to the curses six tribes, the children of the maidens, Zilpah and Bilhah, with the two sons Reuben and Zebulun of the free, Leah. Perhaps because the blessing is more honorable and worthy than the curse, so it had to be adorned with the more distinguished tribes.
Again, here he lists no blessings but only curses, since he ordained seven tribes to bless, and in Joshua it is written that they also proclaimed the blessings [Jos. 8, 33. f.]. I think this is because Moses wants to show that he is a servant of sin and death through the law, which keeps all under the curse, Gal. 3, 10. And finally, this people of the law is also ruined by the curse.
1) In the issues: Lxoäl 19.
gone. But Joshua adds the blessing to signify Christ, who brings blessing to all who [desire] to be done away with the curse of the law [and] groan after him. And Judah also is here ordained for Christ's sake among the number of them that should stand to bless, because he should come from Judah.
Moses also took care that where he spoke of blessing, he added [v. 12] "the people," saying, "to bless the people," but where he spoke of cursing, he omitted "the people," saying [v. 13.], "to curse"; then that he commanded rather of the blessing than of the curse, that the blessing was first, as that which is more excellent, better, and more desirable for the people, but the curse abhorred, so that he had rather let it stand, that it might not affect the people.
But this stone altar, on which the other law (Deuteronomy) is written, is, according to the secret interpretation, the people of the law itself, on which the law of works is written as on a hard heart, which does not yet have the spirit that softens (the heart). Furthermore, the unhewn stones are the Israelites themselves, who are indeed outwardly ordered by the law in appearance, and are neatly smoothed with lime to form an altar, but in themselves they remain inwardly unworked, and have a heart that is unwilling against the law.
The two mountains mean that the people are divided into two parts, namely that among them there are those who keep the law in the spirit; these are on Mount Ebal and inherit the blessing; but the others who only express the law by works without the spirit are on Mount Grisim and are under the curse, Gal. 3:10.
But here one must not pass by the apostle Paul, who is a wonderful interpreter of this passage (Gal. 3, 10.]: "Cursed be every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." For this he interprets in an affirmative way, in this way, as he says: "For those who deal with the works of the law are under the curse.
For it is written: Cursed be every man that abideth not. "2c. For what more wonderful thing can be said than that he who practices the law with works is said not to abide in the words of the law or not to prove them [in his life] (confirmare)? How can it be that the same one who does it [the law] does not do the words of the law? Shall it be said that he who does not lie with his sister, with his mother-in-law, with his stepmother, with his cattle, lies with them? And shall he then be accursed because he lieth with them, seeing he lieth not with them? For the same way of speaking applies to any part of the law as to the whole law, so that he who, doing one thing, does not do it, is equally cursed, as he who, doing the whole, does not do it.
Although I have said enough about this in my [shorter] interpretation of Galatians 1), I must repeat it briefly because the occasion demands it. Paul reads Moses in the spirit - as he says Rom. 7, 14: "The law is spiritual, but I am carnal" 2c. Therefore, because the flesh does not fulfill the spirit, it is impossible for any part of the law to be fulfilled, much less the whole, as he says Rom. 8:3: "For that was impossible for the law (because it was weakened by the flesh)." Therefore, if you look at the outward appearance (larvam) of the works, there are many who fulfill the law, at least in many pieces, and so they do not seem to be under the curse, like the hypocrites. If you
1) In Galatis INSI8. This refers to the "shorter interpretation of the epistle to the Galatians" found in our edition vol. VIII, 1352 ff.
But if you look at the spirit that has read the law, there is no one who fulfills even one letter or one tittle. And so all are under the curse, and those most of all who practice the law by rote with works, without the spirit within. For these do the works, either forced by the punishment or irritated by the benefit, in constant hatred of the law, and so they do not fulfill it while they fulfill it, do not do it while they do it. For they do it with the hand and with the work alone, but refrain from doing it and do not do it with the heart. But God looks at the heart [1 Sam. 16, 7], and according to it He judges by His spiritual law.
So it is true that he who is flesh alone without the Spirit lies with his mother-in-law, sister and cattle, and does everything that is forbidden, and omits all the commandments, while he does not lie with them, and while he does not do what is forbidden, and does not omit the commandments, for if you look at the outward work, he is holy, but if you look at the heart, there is no work so shameful that he would not do it if shame, fear, and punishment did not oppose it, so that Augustine rightly said: There is no sin that one man has done which another man could not do, for we are all of One substance, One flesh, having all the same wickedness, being thus corrupted and accursed by the first sin of Adam. It follows, then, that the Jews were most deserving of the curses in chapter 28 even when they shone through the most apparent works without the Spirit, as can be seen from all the prophets, who echo their hypocrisy and scare them with such curses.