Blessings and Curses

Deuteronomy Chapter 28 (1st half of chapter verses 1-35)

Moses told the Israelites, if you obey the Lord and keep all the commandments, he will exalt you above all nations of the world. You will experience these blessings if you obey him:
You will be blessed in your towns and in the country.
You will be blessed with many children and productive fields.
You will be blessed with fertile herds and flocks.
You will be blessed with baskets overflowing with fruit, and with kneading bowls filled with bread.
You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going.
The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you and they will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
The Lord will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain.
The Lord will bless you in the land he is giving you.
If you obey his commandments and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he solemnly promised. Then all nations will see you are the people claimed by the Lord and they will stand in awe of you.
The Lord will give you an abundance of good things, many children, numerous livestock, abundant crops. The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his treasury in heaven. You will lend to many nations, but never need to borrow from them. If you listen to these commandments, and carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will have the upper hand. You must not turn away from any commandments to follow after other gods and worship them.

But if you refuse to listen to the Lord and do not obey the laws, all these curses will overwhelm you:
You will be cursed in your towns and in the country
You will be cursed with baskets empty of fruit and with kneading bowls empty of bread
You will be cursed with few children and barren fields
You will be cursed with infertile herds and flocks
You will be cursed wherever you go, both coming and going

The Lord himself will send you these curses until you are destroyed for doing evil and forsaking him. He will send diseases, strike you with fevers, inflammations, scorching heat and drought and blight. The skies will be unyielding and earth like hard iron and he will turn your rain into sand and dust. He will cause you to be defeated by enemies and you will be the object of horror to all kingdoms on earth. Your dead bones will be food for the birds and wild animals. He will afflict you with boils of Egypt and tumors, scurvy and an incurable itch. He will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. You will grope around like a blind person and you will be oppressed and robbed continually with no one to save you.

You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will ravish her. You will build a house but another will live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but never enjoy its fruit. Your ox will be butchered but you won't get a bite of the meat. Your donkey will be driven away. Your sheep will be given to your enemies and no one will help you. You will watch as your sons and daughters are taken as slaves. Your heart will break as long as you long for them, but nothing will help. A foreign nation will eat the crops you worked so hard to grow. You will suffer constant oppression and harsh treatment. You will go mad because of all your tragedy. The Lord will cover you from head to foot with incurable boils.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: What a depressing chapter! But one that teaches through God's version of shock and awe.One of the curses for those who rejected God was that they would go mad from seeing all the tragedy around them. Sometimes we all feel we will go crazy if we hear about one more rape, kidnapping, murder or war. In this chapter God’s wrath is described in detail for not obeying his commandments. He had to be very tough on this second generation of Israelites who would occupy the promised land. He had to practice tough love on them. He may be a compassionate God, but he is also not a God who likes to be riled.

How does this chapter relate to us in today’s world? The media today just adds to the craziness. You have a bit of control over that. Try turning off your television before the 10 o’clock news and see how much more peaceful you sleep. The news can wait until morning.
Much of the world’s evil is a result of people’s failure to acknowledge and serve God. When you have bad news, don’t groan helplessly, but remind yourself that in spite of it all, God has ultimate control and will one day come back and make everything right.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer requests are needed for:
Health: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, Teli’s family, Logan and her newly born daughter Stella (who weighed less than 2 lbs and has a long way to go).
Spiritual uplifting: Gail, Mary
Restoration of faith: Al, John
Support: Haiti, Chile, those aiding in the gulf coast and those who lost their livelihood in the oil spills. Pray for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.