ETB Deuteronomy 28:1-6,15-19

Session 11: Covenant Relationship p.100

Apologies for this lesson up front. I did not have the best study times this week. Many little things eating away at my time and not the best sleep, so if this is disjointed it is probably my attempt to fill in between the parts I quoted from the Leader’s guide or commentaries.

We have two more lessons in this book after today and these are some of the last words recorded by Moses. He has repeated several phrases and concepts to the people by God’s prompting that are supposed to be remembered in the future. Repetition is supposed to help us in remembering.

Ask: What wise “messages” did your parents repeat to you over and over again? What impact did hearing those words have on you?

Some that heard Moses before crossing over into the Promised Land would remember and obey God’s Word through Moses, but not everyone. At this point in the Scripture there are on 3 people over 40 years old left from the millions that left Egypt. Soon, Moses will be gone so he continues to write and remind the people as God directs him.

Understand the Context

The chapters between our passage last week in chapter 12 and this week in chapter 28 are filled with reminders of laws recorded in other places with the Pentateuch.

The people needed to shun any hint of idolatry (13:1-18). They were to rid the land of such evil wherever they found it, lest it distract them from their worship of God. Moses reminded the people of the laws regarding clean and unclean animals (14:1-21). He also instructed them to bring tithes of all they had for the Levites (14:22-29). Doing so blessed the Levites, of course, but God also would reward the people’s generosity.

Moses reminded Israel to forgive debts and to free Hebrew slaves in the seventh year (15:1-18). He desired His people to value freedom and compassion. He also told them to gather before the Lord each year for the following festivals: Unleavened Bread, associated with Passover; Weeks, which celebrated the spring harvest of barley and wheat; and Booths, which celebrated the fall harvest (16:1-17). These feasts provided opportunities for the people to worship God and to rejoice in what He had done for them as a nation.

The Israelites were called to pursue justice (17:1-13). When the day came that they established a king over Israel, he also needed to act justly and to keep a copy of God’s laws before him (17:14-20). His devotion to God needed to come first so he would fear God and rule the people with integrity.

Moses again reminded the people to treat the Levites well and to beware of spiritists and false prophets who would lead them astray (18:1-22). They were to establish cities of refuge for people who accidentally took a human life (19:1-13), and justice and fairness should mark their society (19:14-21). God even established laws governing how they engaged in battle (20:1-20). 

Deuteronomy 21–25 contains laws on a variety of topics. Common themes again included extending mercy, compassion, and justice to all people regardless of their status. Proper treatment of everyone needed to prevail at every level. God’s people would experience His blessing when they worshiped Him alone and treated others with the respect and dignity God required.

Lastly, the people were commanded to gather the firstfruits of their crops and bring them, along with their tithes and other offerings, to God each year (26:1-19). As they did, they affirmed that God alone had made them a people, and He alone deserved their worship. They owed their total allegiance to Him. [LifeWay Adults (2025). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Fall 2025]

Finally, Chapter 27 records Moses’ instructions to the elders and tribes about the ritual on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. There the tribes separate and the Levites pronounce a set of blessings and curses upon the people.

Our passage today is excerpts from Chapter 28 which summarize some of these together in similar language to make it easier to memorize as their culture was still mostly oral.

Explore the Text

Deuteronomy 28:1–6 ESV

1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

faithfully obey… being careful to do

These are essentially the same things restated. But in order to be faithful in our obedience and diligent in our disciplines, we must know what “to obey” or what to avoid. Until we have all the Scriptures memorized, we will need to review all these reminders that Moses and the other writers of Scripture recorded for us.

these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you

The blessings of God will chase us down and wash over us to the extent of our obedience to His Word. The imagery is like a large wave or an avalanche, but without harmful repercussions. We do not know and may not even see all the ways that God’s truths will enrich our lives until after we are digging out from under them.

blessed in the city... in the field

Moses now starts describing the extents of the blessings and how far they “cover us” by list the two ends of extremes for those first listeners. God’s blessings will be evident from the very center of the urban populace to the remotest wilderness at the edges of the land and all the places in between.

What are some “blessings” that you can think of that come most often from “in the city?”

Zechariah 8:3–5 “3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”

We can also learn about how we are blessed from Scripture when it talks about what is “removed.”

Deuteronomy 28:52 “52 “They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given you.”

What blessings do we recognize more often out “in the field?”

Malachi 3:11 “11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.”

The next verse also describes some of the things that are part of those blessings, or you may say the “next level” of blessing as you dig out from under God’s gracious avalanche.

the fruit of your womb… fruit of your ground… fruit of your cattle

I like how repeatedly God shows us that people are the most important part of His blessings. He lists them first before food or livestock because they are so important to Him.

The Israelites would experience fruitfulness in their families, in the crops they grew, and in the animals they domesticated. Their herds (cows and oxen) and their flock (sheep and goats) would multiply and be protected from predators, which was an ongoing concern. [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

As their families grow, so do the amount of crops that can be gathered and the more livestock that can be managed. These things were the “bank accounts” of the ancient peoples. Wealth was not coinage but was still accumulated. These things had “buying power” which leads to the next set of blessings.

your basket and your kneading bowl

Proof of God’s blessings in the fields would be carried back to the home in baskets. For those living in the cities, these baskets would be full as they came home from the marketplace.

The word for kneading bowl describes a household vessel that contained unleavened dough. Women would knead leaven into their dough in such containers. When God’s people left Egypt, they took unleavened dough in their kneading bowls because they had no time to wait for the dough to rise (Ex. 12:34). A blessed kneading bowl meant the people had plenty of grain to grind into flour and to make dough. [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

If you can wait for the dough to rise, then you are not being attacked or forced from your home due to siege or oppressors. It means that you have flour and leaven to use and are not eating the dead, which is what is stated later in the chapter as a part of the curses.

Moses finishes the summation of the blessings with the most comprehensive description.

when you come in... when you go out

If you are moving, you are doing one of these and that is the point of the statement.

The verbs come in and to go out often appear as a comprehensive designation of daily activities. In the current verse, the expression highlights how every aspect of the people’s lives would experience God’s blessing. [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

Psalm 121:8 “8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

Moses uses this same phrase later to describe how old he is and how he can no longer perform his “duties” for the people.

Deuteronomy 31:2 “2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’”

This phrasing is a reminder to me of how continuous God’s blessings are. When they leave the city and go to the fields and gather crops or livestock and come back into the home, have time to properly prepare the food and gather the family for the meal. All the blessings of God should be evident throughout the whole process.

What are some “daily activities” that you consider a part of God’s blessing?

What items in our daily lives could represent God’s blessings on us?

Ask: How do these promised blessings differ from the prosperity theology that is commonly taught and preached today?

When we read about blessings and curses in Scripture, we must be careful to understand that these consequences have a correlation to our obedience, but they are not causal. We do not change God’s plan or mind through our actions. God has already told us through His complete Word what is going to happen when we act or do not act in accordance with His Word. There is no change in those truths, but there can be in obedience. Many still have a “magical” view of these blessings and curses which negates God’s grace because it is us “doing something” to generate or illicit His favor. We will prosper or be blessed when we obey God’s laws, not because it changes His plans but because our choices align with His Word that He has already established as the best possible path for our lives.

At the end of Chapter 27, Leviticus 26, and this chapter there are a list of specific curses, or the consequences of choosing to disobey God’s Word and commands. The next few verses in the book are a summary of all of those, and you may recognize some of the wording used.

Deuteronomy 28:15–19 ESV

15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

If you do not obey… all these curses shall come upon you

God cannot do evil or cause evil to happen to anyone, so this word “curse” although negative in context it may not be the best word for the modern reader.

How would you describe a “curse of God” to someone younger or unfamiliar with Scripture?

One of my theology books had a heading for this chapter that I think I liked the best: Blessings and Consequences.

Curse is the opposite of blessing. In Scripture that is always its contextual reference, the opposite of God’s best. Hell is the opposite of Heaven, the Devil is everything God is not, and curses are the absence of all blessings. That is probably how I would define it for a unbeliever or younger mind - it is the removal of God’s blessings and what is left is allowed to progress unhindered by God.

Notice also that the curses will “overtake” you just as the blessings would. Almost all the wording is identical to the blessings except for the use of the word “curse.”

The Great Doctrines of the Bible Curse

A terrible revelation is found throughout Scripture about this word. The curse of God came upon the animal creation,

The Great Doctrines of the Bible Curse

Everyone who has not perfectly kept God’s law is cursed,

Come in and go out now summarize the comprehensive curse Israel would experience in every aspect of life, just as verse 6 described comprehensive blessings. Verses 20-68 more specifically describe the extent to which God’s curses could fall on His rebellious people. No matter what course of action they pursued, God’s curse would rest on the sinful people. 

God set before His people blessings and curses, and Moses encouraged them to choose God’s blessings. Living according to God’s commands leads to life as God designed it, and His people experience joy. Conversely, disobeying God’s commands brings humiliation and disaster. [ETB:ALG Fall '25]

Ask: What do these curses say about God’s nature and character?

Old Testament Theology Canonical Synthesis: Blessings and Consequences in Israelite History

Deuteronomy 27–28

That same grace and judgement is now offered through Christ and His redemptive work. Each person must now respond to that offer and discover how they can apply His mercies to their lives every day. May we live each day choosing to be obedient to all of God’s Word as much as He empowers us to do as we go out and come into His presence.

Apply the Text

The Applied Old Testament Commentary Punishment for Disobedience (26:14–46)

What are we modern readers to make of these terrible punishments, curses, that God warns will come upon those who disobey Him? They should serve as warnings for us too. The specific punishments will be different, of course, but what we must learn from this chapter is that no one can sin and get away with it; punishment will come—usually in this life-but, if not, certainly in the next. Modern people pursue pleasures; they want them now. But they don’t think of the future, the consequences. This chapter reminds us to think of the consequences of our actions.

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us these commandments in clear language that we may be able to obey and be blessed. Lord we know that part of the reason You bless Your people is that they may be a blessing to those who are not. Show us how we can be a conduit of Your blessings in the coming week. Holy Spirit, guide us to find the joy in following Your commands even when they seem to be hinderances or counterproductive. Lord, remind us again of the consequences for now following Your commands before we choose to disobey. When we are humble by Your hand, may we be quick to confess and be restored to Your fellowship. Be with us now in the city or the countryside, as we go out and come in, as we walk by the way, when we lie down and when we rise. Write Your word upon our hearts that we might be more diligent to obey and not sin against You.