Deuteronomy 28 Blessings & Curses

Intro

Read Deut 28:1-6

I. All Kinds of Blessings vs. 1-14

vs. 1-6 Overtaken by Blessing

Faithfully obey the voice of the Lord

Obey the commandments

Isaiah 55:2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Set you high above all of the nations

Overwhelmed with blessings

Showered with blessings

Blessed fruit of womb, ground, & cattle

Deut 30:9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,

Blessings coming and going

vs. 7-14 Richly bless obedience to the covenant

Enemies defeated

Barns overflowing

Prov 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Established as a holy people if you walk in His ways

All the nations will see God’s hand and fear you

You will abound in prosperity

Open the heavens

Bless the work of your hands

Be a lender, not a borrower

Will make you the head if you obey

II. All Kinds of Curses vs. 15-68

vs. 15-20

IF YOU DO NOT OBEY

Curses will overtake you

Reverses what was said in first 6 verses

Curses, Confusion, and frustration will overwhelm you

Malachi 2:2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

It will lead to destruction and death

Two causes of curses

Evil deeds

Forsaken me

Synonyms: abandoned, deserted

To leave, let go, give up, abandon

vs. 21-44 List of Curses

Pestilence, disease, drought, & Pursued

Heavens without rain and ground as hard as iron

Defeated by your enemies

Go out proud but be scattered

A Horror to other nations

Ezek 23:46 For thus says the Lord God: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder.

Terror or horror is opposite of being feared

Bodies will be food for the birds

Remains only good for scavengers

Stricken with boils & scabs which cannot be healed

Stricken with blindness & Madness

Vs. 30-35 deal with the Home

Promised wife will be carried off or raped by someone else

Build a house but not dwell in it

Won’t eat what you worked for

This happened with the Canaanites in Judges

Gideon was using a secret threshing floor to feed his family

Helpless to protect your family

So tormented by another nation that it will drive them crazy

vs. 36-44 A Nation in Captivity

Bring you out of the country

Notice: King you set over you

Will worship lifeless gods

They will be a running joke

Plant much, harvest little

Anointing will depart

Sojourner will rule over you

vs. 45-47 Interlude

Moses takes a brief pause to remind them why these curses will happen

Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you

They are a sign because you didn’t serve the Lord w/ joyfulness

vs. 48-68 List of Curses

The captivity they will go into will be brutal

Serve in hunger, nakedness, lacking everything

Jeremiah 6:22-23 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, a people is coming from the north country, a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. They lay hold on bow and javelin; they are cruel and have no mercy;

This of course was Babylon

vs. 58 Be careful to obey the law

Vs. 62 Reversal of promises to Abraham

vs. 64 scattered among the nations

Regathered in 1947