God the Destroyer

Deuteronomy Chapter 28 (last half- verses 36 -68)

Moses and the priests continue to lecture the Israelites before they conquer the promised land, on obeying the commandments:You will be exiled and the king you crowned also will be exiled to an unknown nation and there you will be forced to worship gods of wood and stone and you will be an object of horrors and a mockery among all nations (this actually happened in 2 Kings 17:23:25-11). You will plant much fruit but harvest little for locusts will eat your crops. Your vineyards will be destroyed by worms. Your olive trees will drop fruit before it is ripe. Your sons and daughters will be led away into captivity. Insects will swarm and destroy your trees and crops and foreigners living among you will grow stronger while you get weaker. They will lend money to you, not you to them. They will be the head and you the tail!

If you refuse to listen to the Lord and obey the commandments all these curses will pursue and overtake you. These horrors will serve as a sign and warning to you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord with joy and enthusiasm for the benefits received, you will be left hungry, thirsty, naked and lacking in everything. They will oppress you until you are destroyed.

The Lord will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth and it will swoop down on you like an eagle. This nation has a language you do not understand. All the horror this nation will inflict is described in verses 50-57.

If you refuse to obey the terms of this law that are written in this book and if you do not fear the awesome name of the Lord, then you will be overwhelmed with plagues and every disease of Egypt that you feared so much will claim you.

Just as the Lord found pleasure in helping you prosper, he will find pleasure in destroying you until you diappear from the land you are about to occupy. He will scatter you among all nations and you will find no place of security and rest. You will live night and day in fear. In the morning you will wish it were night and in the evening you will wish it were morning. Then the Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships and you will offer yourself for sale to your enemies as slaves, but no one will want to buy you.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: that verse 64 which tells of the Israelites being scattered among all nations, came true when Israel was defeated and carried away into captivity by Assyria in 722 bc. And Judah to Babylonia in 586 bc. And later Roman oppression forced the Jews to flee their homeland, thus scattering them throughout various nations.

How does this chapter relate to us today? We know that our Lord is a compassionate, loving God. But here we see a side that says, disobey me and I can rain down destruction on you. I believe he still can do this to nations, to people. He is all powerful, there is nothing he can't do. And yet he is compassionate and asks us gently to go out and spread the word, his word. In hopes that each and every one of us can bring someone else close to God, to be a single teacher out there in the big world, a teacher of faith for God. Now that is something we can each do. Doesn't have to be standing in front of the media. Can be quietly, witnessing to a friend or stranger. This is what God asked of the Israelites and they got lost and destroyed the covenant. We don't have to get lost. We can do it!

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.