How does deuteronomy 28 apply to us today

Deuteronomy 28:63 says, “Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please Him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.”

Wait.

How can a loving God take pleasure in ruining and destroying His people?

Before your mind paints a picture of God rubbing his hands, eager to pour curses onto His helpless people, keep these truths in mind:

Curses are consequences.

Throughout Deuteronomy 28, the word “curse” is used to describe what will happen if there is disobedience. The word “curse” conjures up images of a cold-hearted antagonist from a magical world who flicks his wand towards any unsuspecting person, but, in Deuteronomy 28, curses are consequences. There are no surprises. God clearly spelled out how to obey and the results. Although the consequences in Deuteronomy 28 are specifically for Israel for this point in their history, God still takes obedience seriously. There are consequences for disobedience. There are blessings for obedience. Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

The purpose of the consequences was to draw the people back to God.

The curses were not the end of God’s plan. God let the people know His plans to restore His people to the land. In Deuteronomy 30:1-3, God says:

“When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.”

These verses were fulfilled in Ezra and Nehemiah when the people turned back to the Lord, returned to the land, and rebuilt Jerusalem. The people repented and their blessings were restored.

For Christians today, experiencing the consequences of sin is an opportunity to turn back to God. Like the father who welcomed the Prodigal Son with lavish gifts, God welcomes us with open arms when we return to Him in obedience.

God gave plenty of second chances before the consequences were given.

Israel entered the Promised Land around 1400 BC. It didn’t take long before the nation disobeyed. God handed out the consequences listed in this chapter a little at a time to get the people’s attention. He sent prophets to remind the people of the consequences and to proclaim His love for His people.  God doesn’t fully give the last group of consequences listed in Deuteronomy 28, being uprooted from the land and scattered, until 586 BC when Babylon captures Jerusalem and the people are exiled and scattered. God gives the curses out over an almost one thousand year period. If God’s supreme delight was cursing His people, He would have done so at the first infraction. Instead, God’s loving patience allowed the people generations of opportunity to repent and obey God.

Christians today are not waiting on the edge of the Promised Land, but on the edge of eternity. Two thousand years ago, Jesus promised to return and bring curses and consequences with Him. God’s patience is allowing time for people to turn to Him in faith. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God’s patience is not just for His broader plan for Israel and the Church. God’s patience is personal. Since I am a sinner by birth, I deserve God’s immediate punishment. Instead, God drew me to Himself with His grace so I could experience the blessings of forgiveness through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God will be pleased to curse the people.

The Hebrew word for pleased means “exult, rejoice.” God took pleasure in the ruin of His disobedient people. To understand God’s pleasure in consequences, I thought about myself as a parent. When I give out a consequence after being exceedingly clear about my expectations and the resulting discipline, I feel satisfaction when the consequence is given. Justice has been maintained. The sin has been addressed and now the consequence gives opportunity for repentance. At the same time, I am saddened and frustrated at the disobedience and feel compassion for my child who has to experience the discipline. There are a range of emotions involved in discipline. It’s complicated.

The same range of emotions are felt when a high-profile criminal has been sentenced. We read the headline with a small smile thinking, “Good. That’s what they deserved.” The satisfaction is mixed with sadness for the criminal, his choices and his victims, but there is a certain amount of pleasure since justice has been served.

God is rightfully pleased when He enacts His perfect justice. God’s pleasure in giving consequences does not negate His love or compassion.

How has God been patient with you? Share in the comments below!

What is the lesson from Deuteronomy 28?

What does Deuteronomy mean to us today?

What we can learn from Deuteronomy?

How is God present to us today?