seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 28:15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The 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.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The 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.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
This is the commentary from blueletterbible.org.
The covenant's aspect of the choice was a sword with two edges. Obedience would carry great blessing, but disobedience would carry terrible curses.
Like the blessings for an obedient Israel, the curses for a disobedient Israel would be inevitable.
The rest of the chapter is almost overwhelming. "Actually, a logical analysis of the chapter is almost impossible, since the final aim was not to be logical but to build up a vivid impression by presenting picture after picture until the hearer could see and feel the import of the preacher's words."
The rest of the chapter is almost overwhelming. "Actually, a logical analysis of the chapter is almost impossible, since the final aim was not to be logical but to build up a vivid impression by presenting picture after picture until the hearer could see and feel the import of the preacher's words."
This is from the easy English site.
There are more curses than blessings. Perhaps it is better to warn someone about punishment. It may have more effect than to promise a blessing. The curses are the opposite of the blessings. God often defeated the Israelites’ enemies. He caused the enemies to become afraid. But God warned the Israelites too. And this would cause them to be afraid. They will have diseases that make them very ill. Bad weather and disease will cause their crops not to grow. Because of all those things, the Israelites will die.
We've seen how mean and vicious humans can be. Today... we don't have to go far to find hateful humans. These are descended from Adam just as you and I are. God created us... He knows how hateful humans can be. God knows how the human brain, unchecked, can devise horrific things. I mean take heating up a cast or beaten metal idol until it's glowing hot and then laying a baby on it to burn to death. God can deal with that kind of hate much better than I.
These curses.... IMHO.... are preemptive.
God also controls time. God knew way back when Moses scribed these warnings to the millions of people who were making ready to cross the river, God knew that humans would remain disgusting and hateful. God knew that humans would march the descendants of Abraham and Moses into a gas chamber and slam the door shut. God knew that humans would march with torches and spew hate. God knew that humans have to be held in check or they would threaten the world with a bomb so horrific it would alter the weather. God had to give them guidance or things would get so so so much worse.
