Blessings and Curses
Deuteronomy 28-29
Blessings and Curses, Deuteronomy 28-29. In Deuteronomy 28, God lays out in detail the blessings for obedience to His commandments and the curses for disobedience.
1 “And if you faithfully
obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his
commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you
high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall
come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your
God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the
field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your
ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the
young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading
bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be
when you go out.
15
“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. 16 Cursed
shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17
Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 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. 19 Cursed shall you be when you
come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:1-5 & 15-19, ESV
29
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are
revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all
the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29, ESV
Blessings and Curses
Deuteronomy 28-29
In Deuteronomy 28, God lays out in detail the blessings and curses for obedience or disobedience to His commandments. As you read through the verses shown above, note especially that obedience or disobedience to the commandments of God affects every area of our lives both as individuals and also as a nation.
We
are quite comfortable with a God who watches over us, protects us, and
keeps us as we go about our lives, but how often do we stop and think
about the circumstances of our lives and how they are related to our
obedience or disobedience to the commandments of God? Yet, that is
exactly the point of Deuteronomy 28.
When you think about it, what area of your life is left out in the following verses?
3
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the
field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your
ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the
young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading
bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be
when you go out.
These
verses cover the places we live, our children, our careers, our health
(food to eat), and even our standing among others. Just ponder that a
for a moment! Our obedience to God does not just bless our relationship to
Him, but it brings blessings upon every area of lives.
Now, do not just stop there--we love to think about blessings, but what about curses? What is the cost of disobedience to the laws of God?
16
Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 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. 19 Cursed shall you be when you
come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
As
believers, it is good for us to be reminded that God lives and moves
among us every moment of the day--nothing we do is outside of His
knowledge, help, or understanding. We should spend time each day in fellowship with Him through prayer and Bible study, that we may continually learn the things that He has revealed to us.
Deuteronomy 29, verse 29, brings a very precious promise to us, as believers, in this, the 21st century. To God, alone, belong the secret things, but the things He has revealed to His people, even in the time of Moses, belong to us as well.
The
secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are
revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all
the words of this law.
Let us think about the blessings and curses that God spoke to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28. These blessings and curses apply to us, as God's children, today as well.
What an amazing God we serve!
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