The Priests As The People's Representatives Before Yahweh Confirm the Covenant (Deuteronomy 27:9-26).
The levitical priests had their own special responsibility for the fulfilment of the instruction of Yahweh. They with the appointed judges were the final court of appeal (Deuteronomy 17:9; Deuteronomy 17:18; Deuteronomy 21:5; Deuteronomy 24:8). And they represented the people before Yahweh. They are thus called on to substantiate Yahweh's word to His people. Then when the time comes that the people are gathered on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal as instructed, the Levites' part will be to pronounce the cursing on the secret sins of Israel on behalf of all the people.
Analysis:
a And Moses and the priests the Levites spoke to all Israel, saying, “Keep silence, and listen, O Israel. This day you are become the people of Yahweh your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and do His commandments and His statutes, which I command you this day” (Deuteronomy 27:9-10).
b And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, “These shall stand on mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you (ye) are passed over the Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin” (Deuteronomy 27:11-12).
b “And these shall stand on mount Ebal for (or ‘upon') the curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali” (Deuteronomy 27:13).
a And the Levites shall answer, and speak out to all the men of Israel with a loud voice the twelve cursings for secret sins which connect with Mount Ebal as given below. By them the people will be renouncing these secret sins (Deuteronomy 27:14-26).
Note how in ‘a' the Levites declare that Israel have become the people of Yahweh through the covenant pronounced by Moses on that very day, even prior to the covenant ceremony at Shechem. In the parallel this is confirmed at Shechem by the renouncing of the secret sins. In ‘b' six tribes are to take their stance on Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessing, and in the parallel six are to stand on the mountain of cursing.
‘ And Moses and the priests the Levites spoke to all Israel, saying, “Keep silence, and listen, O Israel. This day you are become the people of Yahweh your God.” '
The levitical priests were then called to stand with Moses and confirm the importance of the covenant that Moses has just declared. They were witnesses to the truth of what he had said. Their combined testimony was clear. It was that the people might be silent and consider what had happened. In hearing and receiving that covenant they had ‘become the people of Yahweh your God' by renewal. It had happened to their fathers at Sinai, now it had fully happened to them (Deuteronomy 5:3). As they stood on the verge of the land Yahweh had confirmed that they were His own people. The call to silence was in order to bring home the seriousness of the matter (see Ecclesiastes 5:2 (Deuteronomy 5:1 in Hebrew). Compare Nehemiah 8:11; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 2:13; Habakkuk 2:20; Revelation 8:1).
“ You shall therefore obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command you this day.”
But while this was a great blessing it also conveyed on them a great responsibility. They could not be His people and yet disobey Him. They must therefore obey His voice and do His commandments and statutes as outlined by Moses that day. And that involved keeping all the instruction of which that was an aspect.
This confirmation by the priests was of the utmost importance, for it made them feel a part of what Moses was doing and wedded them to ensuring the final carrying of it through. For the result was that it was now not just a covenant declared by Moses, but one on which both secular leaders and levitical priests had put their seal. They would no doubt repeat the words when the covenant ceremony could finally take place at Shechem.