Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 28:36-68
We have just learned that any nation which devotes itself to honoring and fearing the God of the Bible will be blessed with prosperity and success. In contrast to the enormous blessings for obedience which Moses laid out in the first half of this chapter, now he turns to the consequences for disobedience. Obedience, he told them, would culminate in blessings. Disobedience will conclude with consequences and cursings.
Obey
and be blessed in your cities - disobey and you will be cursed in your
cities. Obey and your children will be
blessed - disobey and the fruit of your body will be cursed. Obey and your crops and herds will be
plentiful – disobey and your crops and herds will diminish. Obey and your enemies will be defeated –
disobey and you will be defeated.
Moses explains in verse 37, that one of the consequences of their obedience will be reflected in their reputation
and respect among the other nations of the world. In verse 10, Moses tells them that their obedience
will result in “all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by
the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.” Today, we might refer to this as “peace
through strength.” The other nations
would be foolish and reckless to attack a nation with the visible strength of
God shining upon them. In reality, this is “peace through obedience.” No nation would dare come against the hand of
God.
On
the other hand, one of the consequences of their disobedience will be reflected
in their disgrace and disrespect among the other nations of the world. The
people around them will look and see a nation in disorder and weakness. Moses tells them they will become “an object
of horror, ridicule, and mockery” among those nations. The word “horror” could be translated “astonishment”
or “bewilderment.” The people of the
earth will be bewildered by Israel’s folly. They will look and shake their head at the
senseless failure of a nation which had – at one time – been the most blessed
people of the world. They will ridicule. They will mock. They will shake their head and say,
“Fools! You had everything and you let
it slip out of your hands.”
Any nation which devotes itself to honoring and fearing
the God of the Bible will be blessed with prosperity and success. But if that nation ever turns its back on the
LORD and begins down a path of disobedience and rebellion to God’s ways, it
will become an object of astonishment, ridicule, and mockery among the other
nations of the world. If our nation
completes its downward slide away from God’s commands, we too will be mocked
and it will be said of us, “Fools! You
had everything and you let it slip out of your hands.” I pray it is not so. And I exhort you to pray
the same.