Deuteronomy 28: Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.
And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Deuteronomy 28 serves as a pivotal chapter, laying bare the profound consequences of covenant faithfulness and disobedience for Israel. It presents a stark choice: blessings beyond measure for obedience, and devastating curses for turning away from the LORD. The sheer imbalance in the chapter—a mere fourteen verses dedicated to blessings compared to a weighty fifty-four on curses—underscores the gravity of the choice and, perhaps, a divine awareness of the human tendency toward disobedience.
Blessings for Obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
The blessings promised for keeping the covenant are nothing short of spectacular. God pledges to elevate Israel above all nations if they diligently obey and follow His commands (Deuteronomy 28:1). This isn't just about national pride; it's about divine favor permeating every aspect of their lives. Moses paints a panoramic picture of prosperity touching every facet of daily life (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).
These blessings extend beyond the borders of Israel, impacting the surrounding nations. Enemies would be unable to stand against them (Deuteronomy 28:7). The awe-inspiring favor of God upon Israel would lead other nations to recognize that Israel bears the LORD's name, filling them with reverence (Deuteronomy 28:10). Economically, Israel would thrive as a lender nation, never a debtor (Deuteronomy 28:12). God's intention was clear: Israel's honor in the eyes of the nations would reflect God's own honor. All peoples would understand that Israel's blessings originated from the Lord, the Creator of all.
The blessings would also encompass abundant harvests, flourishing families, and thriving livestock (Deuteronomy 28:8, 11-12). This comprehensive blessing paints a vivid picture of Israel as the "head" and not the "tail" among nations, always moving upward and never downward, contingent on their obedience to God's commands (Deuteronomy 28:13). Living under God's authority and aligning with His agenda allows us, even today, to live as the "head" rather than the "tail," experiencing God's blessings instead of being tossed about by the consequences of sinful choices.
Curses for Disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
The tone shifts dramatically with the pivotal word "But" in Deuteronomy 28:15. This transitional word signals a stark and gruesome reversal. If Israel disobeys the LORD, they will be overtaken not by blessings, but by curses. Tragically, future generations of Israelites would witness the fulfillment of these curses.
The curses begin as a direct reversal of the blessings described earlier (Deuteronomy 28:16-19), but quickly escalate into a terrifying national unraveling. Instead of victory, they would face defeat at the hands of their enemies. Instead of inspiring awe, Israel would become an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth (Deuteronomy 28:25).
Disobedience would also bring upon them the physical and mental plagues reminiscent of those inflicted upon Egypt during the Exodus (Deuteronomy 28:27-29, 60). This serves as a chilling reminder: if God's people choose to live as His enemies, He will treat them accordingly.
These curses were intended to serve as a powerful teaching tool. When the people found themselves in distress, God's promises would remind them that their suffering was a direct consequence of their disobedience in times of prosperity. Moses hoped that future generations would read these words and commit themselves to avoiding the sins of their ancestors.
The most horrifying aspects of the coming curses were the siege and exile of Israel, judgments that would eventually come to pass (Deuteronomy 28:52, 63-64). While the idea of exile is initially mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:36-37, the true horrors associated with it are vividly described in Deuteronomy 28:49-57.
The nation from afar that would descend upon Jerusalem like an eagle (Deuteronomy 28:49) foreshadows Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon, a ruthless nation showing no respect for the old or sparing the young (Deuteronomy 28:50), would besiege Jerusalem, driving its inhabitants to the unimaginable depravity of cannibalizing their own children as human compassion and dignity crumbled under the weight of starvation (Deuteronomy 28:53; see Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). A similar event occurred earlier when the Arameans besieged Samaria (see 2 Kings 6:24-29).
Moses leaves no detail unspared in depicting how disobedience to God would lead His people to the depths of depravity. The chapter concludes with another potent list of curses (Deuteronomy 28:58-68). Israel would endure plagues and sicknesses (Deuteronomy 28:59-61), their numbers would dwindle (Deuteronomy 28:62-63), they would be scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:64), and they would find no peace (Deuteronomy 28:65). This utter devastation would befall them because they forgot the Lord and worshiped false gods. Therefore, the Lord would grant them their desire: they would indeed worship other gods, powerless deities unable to hear or help them (Deuteronomy 28:64). Ultimately, the Israelites would find themselves in a state mirroring their pre-Exodus condition—as slaves (Deuteronomy 28:68).
Moses' message is unequivocally clear: faithfulness to God's covenant would grant the people of Israel everything, while rejection of the covenant would cost them everything. Neither the generation he addressed nor those to follow could claim ignorance of the consequences. Deuteronomy 28 serves as a timeless reminder of the importance of obedience and the devastating consequences of turning away from the one true God.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.
And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Deuteronomy 28 serves as a pivotal chapter, laying bare the profound consequences of covenant faithfulness and disobedience for Israel. It presents a stark choice: blessings beyond measure for obedience, and devastating curses for turning away from the LORD. The sheer imbalance in the chapter—a mere fourteen verses dedicated to blessings compared to a weighty fifty-four on curses—underscores the gravity of the choice and, perhaps, a divine awareness of the human tendency toward disobedience.
Blessings for Obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
The blessings promised for keeping the covenant are nothing short of spectacular. God pledges to elevate Israel above all nations if they diligently obey and follow His commands (Deuteronomy 28:1). This isn't just about national pride; it's about divine favor permeating every aspect of their lives. Moses paints a panoramic picture of prosperity touching every facet of daily life (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).
These blessings extend beyond the borders of Israel, impacting the surrounding nations. Enemies would be unable to stand against them (Deuteronomy 28:7). The awe-inspiring favor of God upon Israel would lead other nations to recognize that Israel bears the LORD's name, filling them with reverence (Deuteronomy 28:10). Economically, Israel would thrive as a lender nation, never a debtor (Deuteronomy 28:12). God's intention was clear: Israel's honor in the eyes of the nations would reflect God's own honor. All peoples would understand that Israel's blessings originated from the Lord, the Creator of all.
The blessings would also encompass abundant harvests, flourishing families, and thriving livestock (Deuteronomy 28:8, 11-12). This comprehensive blessing paints a vivid picture of Israel as the "head" and not the "tail" among nations, always moving upward and never downward, contingent on their obedience to God's commands (Deuteronomy 28:13). Living under God's authority and aligning with His agenda allows us, even today, to live as the "head" rather than the "tail," experiencing God's blessings instead of being tossed about by the consequences of sinful choices.
Curses for Disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
The tone shifts dramatically with the pivotal word "But" in Deuteronomy 28:15. This transitional word signals a stark and gruesome reversal. If Israel disobeys the LORD, they will be overtaken not by blessings, but by curses. Tragically, future generations of Israelites would witness the fulfillment of these curses.
The curses begin as a direct reversal of the blessings described earlier (Deuteronomy 28:16-19), but quickly escalate into a terrifying national unraveling. Instead of victory, they would face defeat at the hands of their enemies. Instead of inspiring awe, Israel would become an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth (Deuteronomy 28:25).
Disobedience would also bring upon them the physical and mental plagues reminiscent of those inflicted upon Egypt during the Exodus (Deuteronomy 28:27-29, 60). This serves as a chilling reminder: if God's people choose to live as His enemies, He will treat them accordingly.
These curses were intended to serve as a powerful teaching tool. When the people found themselves in distress, God's promises would remind them that their suffering was a direct consequence of their disobedience in times of prosperity. Moses hoped that future generations would read these words and commit themselves to avoiding the sins of their ancestors.
The most horrifying aspects of the coming curses were the siege and exile of Israel, judgments that would eventually come to pass (Deuteronomy 28:52, 63-64). While the idea of exile is initially mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:36-37, the true horrors associated with it are vividly described in Deuteronomy 28:49-57.
The nation from afar that would descend upon Jerusalem like an eagle (Deuteronomy 28:49) foreshadows Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon, a ruthless nation showing no respect for the old or sparing the young (Deuteronomy 28:50), would besiege Jerusalem, driving its inhabitants to the unimaginable depravity of cannibalizing their own children as human compassion and dignity crumbled under the weight of starvation (Deuteronomy 28:53; see Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). A similar event occurred earlier when the Arameans besieged Samaria (see 2 Kings 6:24-29).
Moses leaves no detail unspared in depicting how disobedience to God would lead His people to the depths of depravity. The chapter concludes with another potent list of curses (Deuteronomy 28:58-68). Israel would endure plagues and sicknesses (Deuteronomy 28:59-61), their numbers would dwindle (Deuteronomy 28:62-63), they would be scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:64), and they would find no peace (Deuteronomy 28:65). This utter devastation would befall them because they forgot the Lord and worshiped false gods. Therefore, the Lord would grant them their desire: they would indeed worship other gods, powerless deities unable to hear or help them (Deuteronomy 28:64). Ultimately, the Israelites would find themselves in a state mirroring their pre-Exodus condition—as slaves (Deuteronomy 28:68).
Moses' message is unequivocally clear: faithfulness to God's covenant would grant the people of Israel everything, while rejection of the covenant would cost them everything. Neither the generation he addressed nor those to follow could claim ignorance of the consequences. Deuteronomy 28 serves as a timeless reminder of the importance of obedience and the devastating consequences of turning away from the one true God.