And then on one mountain, Mount Gerizim, there will be tribes representing the blessing that comes from obedience to the law. Get Pastor Joshs Daily Devotional in your inbox. At times the pain that we encounter in our lives is overwhelming and seems insurmountable. I fell in love. 28:2-14. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Remember just a few weeks ago in Deuteronomy 8.17: Beware lest you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 ERV - Israel's Choice: Blessings or Curses - Bible New International Version (NIV). You are building your little fiefdom. And yet, he is relentless in his pursuit of you. Its almost as if God knew what was in Israels heart before they even received the promised inheritance. We must never presume upon Gods mercy. Access 50+ premium resources. Luke 11:28 says, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." The purpose of the consequences was to draw the people back to God. As Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him (Numbers 23:25; 24:12). 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and (D)overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3(E)Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be (F)in the country. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Catalog of Covenant Blessings (BC) 31Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. We havent yet experienced being swept up and along by God into a land that you do not know. (1) When all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse.--The curse is still upon them, and therefore this chapter contemplates the possibility of a restoration still to come. In chapter 27, Israel was supposed to have representatives from each tribe split up and stand on Mt. God had entered into a covenant relationship with the people of Israel. He knows whats in all our hearts. 63:19; Dan. May we do that and so receive Gods blessing of faith in Christ and discipleship of Christ. 2:2, Deut. Start for FREE. I wanted to talk about both blessing and cursing in order to be faithful to the text. Provided by the Union for Reform Judaism, the central body of Reform Judaism in North America. All Rights Reserved. And yet. Could these things really happen? 36:121; Jer. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Blessings and Curses in Deuteronomy | The Oxford Handbook of 20 Bible Verses about Blessing And Curse - Online Bible He will put an iron yoke(CI) on your neck(CJ) until he has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God's commandments. While this method of divine encouragement to keep the commandments of God might seem surprising from a theological point of view, blessings and curses were an . Deuteronomy - Blessings and Curses (But Mostly Curses) (CV) 56The most gentle and sensitive(CW) woman among youso sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her footwill begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter(CX) 57the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. Because of Israel's stubborn self-confidence, however, this is something that she will have to learn the hard way. (R)You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. Read full chapter. What can we learn from the laws that God gave for the kings of Israel? 9:18, 19, Lev. The Key Difference between them. In ch. (BX) 42Swarms of locusts(BY) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land. S Lev 26:4; 1Ki 8:35-36; 18:1; Ps 104:13; Isa 5:6; 30:23; 32:20, ver 44; S Lev 25:19; S Dt 15:3, 6; Eze 34:26, Dt 29:27; Jos 23:15; 2Ch 12:5; Da 9:11; Mal 2:2, ver 8, 15; Lev 26:16; Jer 42:18; Mal 2:2; 3:9; 4:6, Ps 39:11; 76:6; 80:16; Isa 17:13; 51:20; 54:9; 66:15; Eze 5:15, Lev 26:16; 2Ki 8:1; Job 12:15; Ps 105:16; Jer 14:1; Hag 1:11; Mal 3:9, Lev 26:19; Dt 11:17; 1Ki 8:35; 17:1; Isa 5:6; Jer 14:1; Hag 1:10, 2Ch 29:8; 30:7; Jer 15:4; 24:9; 26:6; 29:18; 44:12; Eze 23:46, Ps 79:2; Isa 18:6; Jer 7:33; 12:9; 15:2; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20, Ge 19:11; Ex 10:21; Job 5:14; 12:25; 24:13; 38:15; Isa 59:10, Jdg 3:9; 2Ki 13:5; Est 4:14; Isa 19:20; 43:11; Hos 13:4; Ob 1:21, S Dt 4:27; 2Ki 24:14; 25:7, 11; 2Ch 33:11; 36:21; Ezr 5:12; Jer 15:14; 16:13; 27:20; 39:1-9; 52:28; La 1:3, Ps 22:7; 39:8; 44:13; 64:8; Jer 18:16; 48:27; Mic 6:16, 1Ki 9:7; Ps 44:14; Jer 19:8; 24:9; 25:9, 18; 29:18; La 2:15, Lev 26:20; Ps 129:7; Isa 5:10; Jer 12:13; Hos 8:7; Mic 6:15; Hag 1:6, 9; 2:16, S Nu 16:38; Ps 71:7; Isa 8:18; 20:3; Eze 5:15; Zec 3:8, Isa 5:26-30, 26; 7:18-20; 39:3; Jer 4:16; 5:15; 6:22; 25:32; 31:8; Hab 1:6, 2Sa 1:23; Jer 4:13; 48:40; 49:22; La 4:19; Eze 17:3, Ps 96:4; Jer 5:22; Mal 1:14; 2:5; 3:5, 16; 4:2, Dt 29:21; 30:10; 31:26; Jos 1:8; 8:34; 23:6; 24:26; 2Ki 14:6; 22:8; 2Ch 17:9; 25:4; Ne 8:1, 18; Mal 4:4, Dt 30:9; Isa 62:5; 65:19; Jer 32:41; Zep 3:17, S Dt 4:27; Ezr 9:7; Isa 6:12; Jer 32:23; 43:11; 52:27, Ne 1:8; Ps 44:11; Jer 13:24; 18:17; 22:22, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow Gods Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture, NIV, Thinline Bible/Journal Pack, Large Print, Leathersoft, Turquoise, Comfort Print, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Galatians, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. (AC), 18The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. The Baal Shem Tov chose to convert evil into good. All these blessings shall come upon you and take effect if you will but heed the word of Adonai your God. Jeremiah 8:3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts. (BG) 35The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils(BH) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.(J). The blessings last only 15 verses, but the curses rant for 52. It makes you want to trust God, obey, and follow his Word. (CR) 52They will lay siege(CS) to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. In this final address, he reminds them of all that God has done for them and appeals for covenant faithfulness (ch. But thus much is undeniable. 63And it shall be, that just as the Lord (BP)rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord (BQ)will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be (BR)plucked[u] from off the land which you go to possess. Because this is the human condition. 45Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you [m]did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. Do you think as Israel was standing on banks of Jordan River, seeing the Promised Land with their eyes, getting ready to receive the blessing promised for generationsDo you think they thought: We better enjoy it while it lasts because were going to experience more curses than blessings? We ought never forget that you and I are not only prone to wanderwe slowly drift by not paying heed to our relationship with God. 11And (O)the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord [b]swore to your fathers to give you. (BW) 41You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. 2:20; 4:10, Lev. Jesus himselfNo place to lay his head. They will leave you no grain, new wine(CP) or olive oil,(CQ) nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 51And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. He came to curse, and ended up reciting a blessing so beautiful it is prominent in our liturgy. 60Moreover He will bring back on you all (BM)the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Blessings and Curses: As we have seen before, the Law set before the children of Israel brought forth both a blessing and a curse. 15However, if you do not obey(Y) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,(Z) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:(AA), 16You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. Deuteronomy 27-30 is important for an understanding of biblical eschatology because it contains God's pronouncement of the blessings that will result from obedi But Corrupted like orcs in Lord of the Rings 3. Listen to Isaiah 55: 1 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Thou shalt put the blessing; thou shalt give (), i. e. give forth, utter, announce, proclaim (cf. Temple. 12:13; Mic. Ending soon! 33A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression(BE) all your days. In Deuteronomy 30:1-3, God says: Just as metal is molded and shaped by fire, so are we shaped and transformed by the fire in our lives. 6:28, 29; Jer. Quite simply, it is in forsaking the Lord. 26:1439; Josh. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? From Curses to Blessings - International Fellowship of Christians and Jews To live in houses you did not build. 32Your sons and your daughters shall be given to (AL)another people, and your eyes shall look and (AM)fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be [i]no strength in your (AN)hand. Remember we talked about how the Law was a physical pointer to a spiritual reality? But what exactly is a curse? Picture the drama of half the nation on one mountain, shouting out the curses for disobedience, and half on the other mountain, shouting out the blessings for trust in God. To fill the earth. 1113). 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. 2002-2023 My Jewish Learning. 9The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Sin shrinks your life. When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, . King James Version (KJV). Today I want us to consider the following issues: What blessing is. His concern was to liberate the good within the evil. The Baal Shem Tov stressed the necessity for transforming evil into good, the unholy into the holy. As the curses are terrible, the blessings are wonderful. On the other mountain, Mount. Chapter 14: Blessings and Curses :: God's Kingdom Ministries It makes you fear to disobey, which must have been its intent, even if not fully realized because of the hardheartedness of Gods Old Testament people. This is a sinful and horrible teaching today. Deuteronomy 11:26 - A Blessing and a Curse - Bible Hub We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. If the last section was somewhat apparently miscellaneousthough there was actually an undergirding logic, even if it was one that was relatively hard to discernthis section has a. basic structure. This is horror. Money and wealth and family are tools. Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 39You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the (AV)wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. November 14, 2022 In the final movement of Deuteronomy, there's a pretty lengthy list of curses that will fall upon Israel if they break their covenant with Yahweh. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Victory everywhere, peace, prosperity, fulfillment, joy that comes from living as you were meant to live according to the Makers instructions. 20:6; Job 31:8; Jer. 15:26; Lev. The Promise in the Garden - First Hint of Israel 5. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. This realization enables us to see that curses and blessings are opposite ends of the same continuum, both part of the eternal cycle of life. Curses in the Book of Deuteronomy and in Old Aramaic Inscriptions These Children of Israel are at home in their Land and their society, and so are at home in their world. 6 Comments. You may choose the blessing or the curse. You may choose the blessing or the curse. The love of money is. McConville explains: Deuteronomy 30:23 pictures the people's repentance in exile, which in turn precipitates a restoration of their fortunes, here explicitly involving a return to the land. He then places before them a choice between life and death and demands a decision (ch. The curses are terribleexile, worship of pagan idols, being beaten in battle, vicious attack, infertile soil and unproductive efforts, even to the extent of starvation under siege, such that mother and father eat their children. De Du). Youre so bent on being in control. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. But he also foresees that Israel will eventually repent and be restored from exile (vv. 2Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 20The Lord will send on you curses,(AF) confusion and rebuke(AG) in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin(AH) because of the evil(AI) you have done in forsaking him. In the Hebrew Bible, you really are "damned if you don't.". Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV - This day I call the heavens and the - Bible Gateway 29At midday you will grope(AY) about like a blind person in the dark. Lev. (BK) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. 41You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for (AW)they shall go into captivity. (DS) 68The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. Man of sorrows. In such moments, the philosophy of Heschel, the spirit of the Baal Shem Tov, the wisdom of Frankl, and the courage of the Pearl family may seem beyond our grasp. Thats not the issue. Blessings God gives you were never meant end filling your cup. 17:4, 6; 24:12, 14; 25:7, 11; 2 Chr. In Deuteronomy 28, God provides a list of blessings for obedience in verses 1-14 followed by a list of curses for disobedience in verses 15-68. 61The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law,(DD) until you are destroyed. (CE) 47Because you did not serve(CF) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly(CG) in the time of prosperity, 48therefore in hunger and thirst,(CH) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. Blessings and Curses - Biblical Research Institute Pronounced: ah-doe-NYE, Origin: Hebrew, a name for God. While the entire list of verses will not be repeated here, the following concepts stand out as curses upon God's people, Israel, for when they disobeyed His laws: 1. The book of Deuteronomy occupies a strange place in the Old Testament canon. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped while tracking down a lead on Richard Reid, the shoe-bomber suspect. Introduction: In Deuteronomy 27-28, Moses instructs the people on the blessings and curses they will receive based on their obedience or disobedience to God's commands. Why does the list of curses follow immediately on the heels of the list of blessings? the blessing if ye obey, and the curse if ye do not. It is highly repetitive and based upon a simple idea and instruction. 34So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. 60He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt(DC) that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. Why did God use a system of blessing and cursing with Israel (Deuteronomy 11:26)? Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. After the people enter the land, six of the tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim and six are to stand on Mount Ebal (vv. Could these things really happen? 114) and the curses for disobedience (vv. Deuteronomy 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; Leviticus 26:40-46 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; , Deuteronomy 30:15,19 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; , Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; , Deuteronomy 27:1-28:65 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. To be carried by the Spirit of God into a Land of Promise. 49(BC)The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, (BD)as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50a nation of fierce countenance, (BE)which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 1. He wants more for you than you could ever imagine. 58If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law,(CZ) which are written in this book, and do not revere(DA) this glorious and awesome name(DB)the Lord your God 59the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. While this method of divine encouragement to keep the commandments of God might seem surprising from a . Deuteronomy 28-30: The Blessings & Curses of Moses He was later murdered in Pakistan. 8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. 11The Lord will grant you abundant prosperityin the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock(O) and the crops of your groundin the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(P). 1) For the good of Israel: Whatever the specific reasons for the blessing and cursing, ultimately, Moses states that God's commandments (of which the blessing and cursing are a part) are for the good of the people ( Deuteronomy 6:24 ). The curses were not the end of God's plan. We trust what our eyes see rather than what only the eyes of faith can see. The Apostle Paul quotes Deuteronomy twice regarding cursing in his letter to the Galatians. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. It shrinks and shrivels your heart. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse Here we see the promise of that blessing being remade to the nation of Israel (28:1-14), along with the promise to curse those who dishonor them (v. 7). This is always the danger, though. If the last section was somewhat apparently miscellaneousthough there was actually an undergirding logic, even if it was one that was relatively hard to discernthis section has a crystal clear basic structure. Bible Gateway Deuteronomy 28 :: NIV - MIT BUT NOT Equated with merely physical prosperity. Be warned. On those stones they shall write the words of the law. Might they be opposite ends of the same continuum? 61Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. 20The Lord will send on you (W)cursing, (X)confusion, and (Y)rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. In an effort to correct whats called the Prosperity Gospel (which well talk about next week), we can oftentimes think that all the blessings we have in Christ are merely spiritual. Blessings and curses are directly associated with the covenant God made with the people of Israel, so they should be interpreted within that context. Theme: Moses articulates the blessings for obedience to God's law, and the curses for disobedience. When performed with a generous spirit and a grateful heart, their actions will bring them blessings from God. 45All these curses will come on you. In chapter 27, Moses commands the people to set up plastered stones at Mount Ebal upon which they are to write all the words of the law (vv. (DT) There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you. James writes in chapter 5: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. (U) 13The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. There are lots of words translated as "curse" in the Old Testament and together they come up to over 150 uses. We see these options every day even in our homes: "Clean up your room!" You will receiver either a BLESSING or a CURSE. , will be tribes representing the curses that come from disobedience to the law.