Deuteronomy 26:16-17 (ESV)
“This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice.
Deuteronomy 28:15-19 (ESV)
“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
This was the choice before Israel in this section of Deuteronomy. Moses lays out before them the “blessings and the curses.” Obedience would bring spiritual (and physical) blessings, but disobedience would bring spiritual (and physical) curses. This was a covenant of works. They had to obey faithfully to do the commandments that God had given them. If, by faith, they obeyed, they would be blessed. If they lacked faith in God and sought out other gods, they would be cursed.
The covenant of works has always been in place. The difference in the New Testament is that the works we are required to do (be holy) were completed by Christ. When we believe in Christ, by faith, God applies Jesus’ “works” of righteousness to us and takes our “works” of unrighteous and applies it to Jesus:
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal in chapter’s 27-28 are real. Israel would be blessed if, by faith, they obeyed. But, if they disobeyed, they would be cursed. When we read the rest of the Old Testament we discover they disobeyed. All the curses came upon them. God has always had a covenant of works. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Even had a covenant of works. They failed. Noah had a covenant of works. He failed. Abraham had a covenant of works. He failed. Israeli had a covenant of works. Israel failed. We would fail and do fail. This is why we need the risen Christ to do the works and apply His righteousness to us. Jesus is our Mount Gerizim. He is our blessing. Jesus is our Mount Ebal. He is our curses. We rejoice that Jesus was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God.
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