The Curse and the Blessing

February 15

I’m reading in Deuteronomy where Moses pronounced the curse and the blessing on Israel. The curse was delivered on Mount Ebal and the blessing on Mount Gerizim. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin stood on Mount Gerizim to deliver the blessing; and Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali stood on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse. The pronouncing of the curse went first. You can go there for the details if you like (Deut. 27:11-28:14). The point of the lesson is that God promised a blessing for obedience and a curse for disobedience.

I was listening to a sermon several years ago that had to do with nations that modeled their actions after biblical principles. The speaker suggested even nations that do not acknowledge the God of creation which nonetheless model their lives after His word seem to prosper. The speaker’s point was that God’s plan for justice in society work even in societies which implement it for reasons other than being pleasing to Him. In other words, justice is justice, no matter who is administering it. When a society punishes the guilty and protects the innocent, it prospers. When a society cares for the poor, infirmed, and blind in its midst, it prospers. When a society ignores the plight of victims and lets those guilty of committing heinous crimes go free, it moves one step closer to the grave.

For several decades, we in America have been doing that. We have been slapping the hands of hardened criminals, releasing them back into society, allowing them to continue their criminal activities with little or no fear of punishment. We have literally turned our face away from God. Deuteronomy declares for such foolishness, cursed shall we be in the city, and cursed shall we be in the country. Cursed shall we be in our basket and kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the offspring of our bodies. Cursed shall be the produce of our ground. Cursed shall be the increase of our herd and the young of our flock. Cursed shall we be when we come in and when we go out. The Lord will send curses and confusion, and rebuke in all we undertake to do until we are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of our deeds, because we have forsaken the Lord. He will make pestilence cling to us until He has consumed us from the land (Deut. 28:16-21).

I’m relatively confident we in America are too arrogant to believe these curses will come upon us for our defiance of God; and I am just as sure they've already begun.