What does Joshua 8:30–35 teach us about blessings and curses, and how does it point to Jesus?

In “Life and Death, Blessings and Curses,” Pastor Shane Kohout walks through Joshua 8:30–35 and shows that this moment in Israel’s history is far more than a brief stop after battle. On Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, God’s people renew covenant with Him through sacrifice, the reading of the law, and the public declaration of blessing and curse. The scene is weighty, visual, and deeply personal. It reminds us that life with God is never casual, and that His Word calls for a real response.

See how the old covenant exposed both God’s holiness and the people’s inability to obey Him perfectly. Israel stood before blessing and curse, life and death, yet the story of Scripture makes clear that sinful people keep choosing death. That is why this passage ultimately points us to Jesus. He is the one who bore the curse in our place so that sinners could receive the blessing of God by faith.

Pastor Shane closes by connecting Joshua 8 to the Lord’s Supper and the new covenant in Christ’s blood. Communion becomes a weekly reminder that Jesus has done what we could never do for ourselves. He made peace with God possible through His sacrifice. This sermon calls us to choose life, trust Christ, and walk in loving allegiance to the One who became a curse for us so we could be welcomed into blessing.

Key Takeaways

• Joshua 8:30–35 is a covenant renewal moment. Israel builds an altar, offers sacrifices, hears the law read aloud, and stands before the reality of blessing and curse.

• God’s holiness and God’s grace are both on display. The altar, the sacrifices, and the law show that sin is serious, but they also show that God makes a way for His people to draw near.

• The old covenant exposes the problem in the human heart. Left to ourselves, we do not keep God’s Word perfectly. We choose other gods, other loves, and other loyalties.

• Jesus fulfills what Israel could not. He bears the curse of sin so that all who trust in Him receive the blessing promised by God.

• Communion reminds the church of the new covenant. At the Lord’s Table, we remember Christ’s atoning sacrifice and share in fellowship with God because of Him.

• The call remains urgent. God still sets life and death before people, and the way of life is found in faith-filled allegiance to Jesus.