Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil:
רְאֵ֨ה נָתַ֤תִּי לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Before you, I present life and death, good and evil—two inherently opposing choices. Consider them in your own discernment, thoughtfully evaluating which option is more beneficial for you: to pursue fleeting enjoyment and face eternal separation, or to endure hardship through virtuous living as a pathway to everlasting joy.
If we regard life as a blessing, how can death be anything but a curse? This leads us to ponder the true nature of life and our perception of death. Life represents the fulfillment of the divine gift of breath, as noted in Genesis 2:17, while death signifies the loss of that gift. Most perceive this gift of breath to be inherently good. Therefore, we can say that life embodies the enjoyment of blessings, whereas death reflects the absence of them. Scripture states: Behold, I have set before thy face life and death, good and evil, calling life good and death evil, and in life, I have imparted what is uniquely mine, while in death, I have placed what stands in opposition to myself.
Conditions for true happiness According to ancient philosophy, the essence of happiness rests upon beauty, goodness, and virtue. As it is written, “Behold, I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” Both life and the act of choosing life are commendable; the contrary choice leads to destruction.
To prevent any misunderstanding from my earlier statements implying that events occur purely out of fatalism, even due to foreknowledge, I will clarify this point. The prophets teach us that individuals are rewarded according to their actions—either with punishments and suffering or with honor—and we affirm this truth. If everything were determined by fate, then we would lack any true freedom. Should fate dictate that one person is virtuous and another is wicked, then neither would merit praise or blame. Moreover, if humanity lacked the capacity to choose the virtuous and reject the wicked, it could not be held accountable for its actions. The very evidence of free will shows that individuals are capable of making both good and bad choices.
We observe that a person can shift between opposing actions, indicating that if fate had predetermined their nature—be it virtuous or wicked—such variability would be impossible. Not all can be inherently good or bad; to claim that fate is the root of vice leads to a contradictory assertion. If virtue and vice were merely matters of opinion, as logic reveals, it would constitute a profound injustice. We acknowledge the unavoidable reality that those who choose righteousness will receive honorable rewards, while those who choose otherwise will encounter fitting consequences. God fashioned humanity distinctly from other creations, like wood or animals, which lack free agency. Hence, a person who does not willingly choose goodness could not justly receive praise or reward, nor could someone inherently wicked deserve punishment, as they would not have been capable of being otherwise. This fundamental truth is affirmed by the prophetic Holy Spirit, who conveys through Moses that God instructed the first man: ‘Behold before thy face good and evil, choose the good.’
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS