Today, we will read a passage of Scripture which warned Israel of all the consequences they would suffer if they did not obey Yahweh. In many ways, the list of consequences is very similar to things we see happening in our world today. This should prompt us to ask if some of the obstacles we face in the 21st century are the result of the sin and godlessness that are rampant in our society.
The 28th chapter of Deuteronomy is part of a passage in which Moses commanded Israel to go to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal and pronounce blessings and curses. This was to take place after they crossed the Jordan River to conquer the Promised Land.
In the passage we read yesterday, Moses listed all the benefits Israel would enjoy if they obeyed Yahweh and followed His law. They would be a strong, mighty, and prosperous nation.
Deut. 28:15 ¶ “But it will be, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep and to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Notice the words “but” and “if”. If Israel did not obey Yahweh, then they would suffer all the curses listed in today’s passage.
In Bible times, the word “curse” was used differently from how it is used today. In the 21st century, when we use the word “curse”, we are referring to swear words. In Bible times, a curse was a declaration that brought harm upon someone else.
Deut. 28:16 ¶ “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
Deut. 28:17 ¶ “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
Deut. 28:18 ¶ “Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
Deut. 28:19 ¶ “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
Deut. 28:20 ¶ “Yahweh will send upon you the curse, confusion, and rebuke, in all that you send forth your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
Since Yahweh promised Israel that they would prosper if they obeyed Him and suffer if they did not obey Him, that means a simple way to determine who was obeying Yahweh and who was not was to observe if they were prospering or not.
Many preachers today preach a prosperity gospel. They basically say that if Christians obey God, then they will be healthy and wealthy. If that is true, then that means anyone who is not healthy and wealthy is not obeying God.
However, the promise of prosperity we see in Deuteronomy was given to Israel, not Christians. Thus, when we see Christians in the 21st century who are not healthy or wealthy, we should not conclude they are sinning.
Deut. 28:21 Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.
Deut. 28:22 Yahweh will strike you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with scorching wind and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish.
The blessings and curses listed in Deuteronomy were directed at Israel and do not apply to Christians in the church age. Having said that, when we look at the punishments Israel would endure if they disobeyed, we can see that many of those things are happening today.
For example, verse 22 lists fever, inflammation, heat, sword, and mildew. Those are common problems in the modern world. At some point we need to ask if God is bringing these upon us because our society has turned its back on God.
Deut. 28:23 And the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.
Deut. 28:24 Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
Deut. 28:25 ¶ “Yahweh shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will become an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Deut. 28:26 And your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
Deut. 28:27 ¶ “Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.
Deut. 28:28 Yahweh will strike you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart;
Deut. 28:29 and you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not succeed in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed all your days, with none to save you.
Verse 29 describes men who are without direction. That is a good description for many modern men. Is that because modern society is full of sin?
Deut. 28:30 You shall betroth a wife, but another man will violate her; you shall build a house, but you will not live in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but you will not use its fruit.
Look at the words “another man will violate her”. Sexual promiscuity is rampant today. In some ways, sexual promiscuity is the sin that modern society is most guilty of committing. Sexual promiscuity means many men marry women who are not virgins, women who have already been “violated”. Violated does not necessarily mean raped. Perhaps the fact that many men marry wives who are not virgins is a punishment as well as the cause.
Deut. 28:31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey shall be torn away from you and will not be returned to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you will have none to save you.
When you consider high taxation in our modern world, you could say verse 31 is happening to us today.
Deut. 28:32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and yearn for them all the day long; but there will be nothing you can do.
Take note of the phrase “there will be nothing you can do”. When Yahweh decides to punish people, the people are completely helpless to stop it.
The blessings and curses listed in Deuteronomy were given to Israel. They were not promised to Christians living in the 21st century. Having said that, modern society has turned its back on God. Many people deny the existence of God and they encourage and celebrate sin. Many of the curses listed in Deuteronomy are happening in our world today. Perhaps some of the suffering we experience is because God is judging the godlessness that is so prevalent in our society.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”