You shall have no other gods before me’ (Deuteronomy 5:7).

We live in a world where there are many things competing for our attention. Turn on the TV and you will be confronted by latest must watch series. The ad breaks will be filled with adverts that were trying convince you that some product will be a step further in making your life complete, or at least a little easier. Either way, there’s always something competing to get our attention.

So if First Commandment seems pretty straightforward, the Hebrew translation sets us some major challenges, as it can be translated ‘no other gods, beyond me’ or ‘in addition to me’. The Israelites were not far removed from the practice polytheism (the worship of many gods). That temptation would still be present when they entered the Promised Land as the nations of the land were polytheists in their religious practice. This was going to be a constant temptation to them, and you don’t have to look very far in the Bible to see they were only to ready to turn to other gods!

Therefore, this commandment was of great importance. Frank McClelland writes: ‘this commandment is first because it is the foundation of all true religion.’[1] Put simply, if they got this right, everything else would fall into place! God had done everything for them in their redemption from Egypt, so now He asked for what is rightfully His, their undivided commitment and love towards Him as the God who had been so gracious and merciful to rescue them.

If this was a temptation for them, there is certainly double a temptation for us today. We may say that we are exclusive in our worship of God, but in this materialistic age it’s very easy for us to have gods ‘beyond’ or ‘in addition’ to the living God. Any time that God is pushed into second place by our leisure, home life, family or job is a case of us creating our own little gods and relegating the Lord to second or third place. A friend and fellow Pastor once told me that a man he knew had consistently turned down promotions at work. His reason was simple, he knew if he took the promotion he would have less time for his service for the Lord. That’s not to say that Christians can’t accept promotions, but for him it would have been too much temptation.

We, like the Israelites, owe God everything because of His grace and love towards us shown in Jesus Christ. He commands the first place where our love and devotion is concerned and is not to be relegated to second or third. Even our daydreams that focus on selfish or materialistic desires can take precedence over God, so, we need to challenge ourselves on where our thoughts have been in the idle hours of the day! The use of the word ‘thou’ in the King James Version of the Bible is particularly useful here. ‘Why is the Commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God’s say, you shall have no other gods?’ is the question that the Puritan Thomas Watson poses in his book ‘The Ten Commandments?’ The answer is simple, ‘because the Commandment concerns everyone, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name’. [2]

[1] Frank McClelland. The Ancient Law for the New Age, A Concise Examination of the Ten Commandments (Toronto, Wittenburg Publications, 1990). 31.
[2] Thomas Watson. The Ten Commandments (London, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965). 49.

This month we start a new series in our  Scriptural Thought for the Month on the Ten Commandments.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 5:6).

When I am out doing door-to-door in the area around the church my first words will often be “hi, my name’s Keith, I’m from the church down the road”. This tells people who I am where I come from and probably a hint about what my business is. God does pretty much the same as a prologue to the Ten Commandments. In verse 6 God introduces himself in a quite clear and concise way which tells us much about him and his nature.

In it God draws attention to three things. Firstly, he is: ‘the LORD your God.’ There is much that could be written about this verse and this title, but the key thing here is that the Lord is to be their personal God as he has made himself known to them. So this establishes the relationship between God and his people. Meredith Kline makes the point that this introduction corresponds with the preamble that is found in many of the ancient near eastern  Vassal Treaties of that time: ‘which identified the zuzerain, or great King.’[1]

Secondly, he had made himself known by bringing them: ‘out of the land of Egypt.’  He had by this action made himself known to the Israelites. The third thing is that they had been brought: ‘out of the house of slavery.’ In other words, he had redeemed and rescued them before he had asked anything of them, something people often forget when talking about the Ten Commandments! So if they were now free people it was purely because of what God had done for them!

When we were doing door to door at my first church if people were not in we would leave a calling card that gave them all the details of who we were and where we were from. So this short but concise introduction is, in effect, Gods ‘calling card’. This is the introduction of a powerful God who has revealed himself and has acted for the benefit of the people he has chosen to care for. So here we are reminded of a theme that runs throughout the book of Deuteronomy, and that is God’s love and care for his people.

Often when I am speaking to people when I am doing door-to-door, in the area around the church I Pastor, people say to me “well, my view of God is” and then proceed to tell me what ‘their’ god is like and how he should behave. But God has introduced himself to us far more thoroughly and clearly than that in the way he speaks here and in other parts of the Old and New Testament. We also see a wonderfully clear example in the Lord Jesus Christ of what God is like. We really do not have to grope around in the dark to try and work out for ourselves what God is like, or limit him by our own likes and dislikes. He can be found anywhere in the Bible in his full glory!  So why look anywhere else?

[1] Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, The Covenant Structure of Deuteronomy (Eugene, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012 [formerly 1963])  14.

In the last part of chapter 28 we are given a picture of what rebellion and exile will mean for the people. Verses 64-68 paint a picture that is the polar opposite of what God had promised if they were faithful. It is notable that after they had been scattered among the nations that they would worship false gods, the very thing that the covenant had sought to protect them from. Rather than having the peace and security of the Promised Land they would live in uncertainty and have no rest at all!

The rather strange comments in verse 68 about the Lord’s sending them back in ships to Egypt are clearly metaphorical in nature. Here slavery is being used as a metaphor for the rejection of God’s covenant which offered them freedom and security, all the things that slaves do not have. John Currid notes that the phrase: ‘in ships’ is problematic. It may mean that people will easily return to Egypt. Another theory he puts forward is that the term may be related to a verb in Hebrew which means to mourn, hence the people: ‘are pictured returning to Egypt in lamentation.’[1] The passage ends with this rather sad state getting even worse as the Israelites find themselves in such contempt that no one will even buy them as slaves! False religion would delivered the very opposite of what it had promised, and that is the case for anyone in any day or age who worships false gods. Ultimately whatever people worship other than the true God will bring them misery!

But how do we reconcile this gloomy piece of scripture to our situation today, in other words what has it got to teach us as individuals or Churches? I believe it can teach us an awful lot! In our Churches today we often suffer from what I call the “We don’t need to hear this” syndrome that is also known as the “that will never happen here” syndrome. Let me give you an example. Some years ago, a friend of mine was preaching at a small Church on 2 John. After he had preached quite a few of the people, including some of the deacons, commented that they felt he had preached very powerfully. However, a short time later he received a letter, sent from the deaconate of that Church, which was anything but complimentary. It turns out they objected to his teaching from the passage on false teachers. They insisted that was “not a problem here”. When he told me this, I commented that it was quite possible that it was not a problem at the time that John was writing the letter, but he was fore warning them that: ‘many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.  Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist’ (2 John v7). A warning like that is worth taking considerable notice of, yet that Church obviously felt it did not apply to them.  We know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is given to instruct us, so whatever it’s instructing is always relevant.

These blessings and curses were given as warnings of what could happen. Although it might have been unimaginable to the God-fearing Israelite that they might become rebellious and suffer such judgement, within a generation of entering the land that was what would happen (Judges 2:10-15)!  Every Church is only a generation (and sometimes considerably less) from losing the Gospel. It is insanity if we are oblivious to this as we would be in danger of being like the Church at Sardis that did not realise it was spiritually dead (Revelation 3:1-3)! Remember scripture warms us to: ‘be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8).  Why just target individual Christians, why snack when you can have a main course? Churches can easily fall prey to him! So, let us pray we never fall victim to the “we don’t need to hear this” or the “that will never happen here” syndrome!

Jesus spared us from the greatest curse of all. In Genesis 3:17 Adam was cursed when death entered the world because of his sin. That is something that affects us all (Romans 5:12). In 27:26 the Law provides the means of this curse through our inability to keep it. But in the words of the same Law is the framework by which Christ became a substitute and took the curse for us (21:23). The apostle Paul applies this in his letter to the Galatian Church. Paul refers to the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:10) but also that Christ became a curse for us when He was crucified (Galatians 3:13 quoting Deuteronomy 21:23). So, we can now receive the benefit as Paul writes: ‘so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:14). If we have had our sins forgiven we are free from the curse of the Law, and it will never again threaten us as we are now the Lord’s people (Revelation 22:3).

[1] John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006)  451.

The phrase a ‘warning shot’ can be basically understood as something that proceeds the possibility of greater action! In other words, a warning of what could happen, but can still be avoided. At this point in the text this is basically what Moses is doing, when he draws a conclusion as to how these curses could happen (vs45-48).

The reasons for these curses would be simply this, a lack of obedience to the commands God was giving the people. They might have been in danger of missing the point by thinking that God was just being harsh. But that was far from the point. What these curses would do was to act as a warning to future generations of the consequences of not serving the Lord with the joy and gladness that He deserved, due to bringing a prosperity to them that they did not deserve! J.G McConville draws our attention to the way these curses operate. They are: ‘rather like prophetic oracles of judgement, which intend, not to declare judgement inevitable and fixed, but to turn people from their sins.’[1] The consequences of not going God’s way would be devastating with starvation and destruction of material possessions and Lord raising nations against them. He effectively would see to their downfall because of their disobedience. This is later confirmed in Jeremiah where the Lord says: ‘I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruit and it’s good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.’ (Jeremiah 2:7). To sum it up, there was a danger of forgetting all the blessings that God had given them!

The theme of God raising up a nation that will eventually take the people into exile comes to the fore in verses 49-52. This nation will be so aggressive it is compared to an eagle with its swift and merciless hunting ability! It will show no pity for Israel and will ravage the land. Even the best defended cities will have their defences utterly obliterated! Some scholars have argued that this section of the book of Deuteronomy was written after the people have been exiled, in the sixth century, to Babylon. But such descriptions were common in the curses or threats that were a part of Ancient Near East Vassal Treaties.[2] Warren Wiersbe argues that that this image: ‘was meant to cover all the invasions that have brought chastening to the Jewish people, including the Roman invasion in A.D. 70.’[3] The results would be awful as the people would experience moral decline on an alarming scale. The examples we are given in verses 53-57 reach a shocking pinnacle with the example of a: ‘refined woman’(v56-57) who will eat her new born child and, if that was not bad enough, will do so secretly, without giving her husband a share of the meal! The passage here is deliberately poetic in its description as this adds to the picture of the shocking state of the people. We read of such things happening in 2 Kings 6:28-29 as a result of the people disobedience, despite the warning here!

Here again we see a reversal of blessing. We were reminded in 10:22 that the Lord had increased their number from a mere seventy that had gone down to Egypt in Joseph’s time, to being: ‘as numerous as the stars of heaven.’ Disobedience will lead to exactly the opposite. Moses makes this is clear in verse 63 by making the point that it pleased the Lord to give them prosperity, but now He will bring ruin and destruction upon them and will uproot them from the land they are entering to possess.

But we should not be surprised as we are in Romans 1:18-25 territory here. There we are told that when people reject God, He allows moral decline to follow. Such is the case here, when people eat their own children as the Bible tells us that children are a blessing from God! The picture we find in verses 58-63 is that the Lord will send plagues upon His people and their descendants.  Disaster and the illness will strike them, not unlike the plagues that came upon Egypt! As such, there is a warning to churches and Christians today to obey God’s Word or to reap the consequences that come with disobedience!

[1] J.G. MCconville, Deuteronomy, Appollos Old Testament Commentary (Leicester, Inter Varsity Press, 2002) 88. 410.
[2] John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006) 445.
[3] Warren Wiersbe, Be Equipped, Acquiring the Tools for Spiritual Success (Colorado Springs, Cook Communication Ministries, 1999) 170.

Moses now explains the nature of the curses.

They will be cursed by disease (vs21-22). What is particularly interesting about verse 22 is that Moses: ‘lists seven afflictions that will hit Israel’ a number that in: ‘Hebrew symbolises totality and finality’[1] such would be the serious nature of these offences. Drought is indicated in verses 23-24. Verses 25-26 give an interesting reversal on the subject of foreign military aggression as described originally in verse 7. Whereas the defeat of their enemies would be seen as completely overwhelming, in the case of the curse their enemies would overwhelm them (as emphasised again by the number seven, in each case representing complete victory or complete defeat). Diseases make a reappearance in verses 27-28 with an interesting reference to the kind of diseases that were found in Egypt (some scholars see a reference to the plagues of Egypt here in the symptoms that are described) perhaps indicating that disobedience to the Lord’s commands was a route back to a kind of slavery! Military aggression against Israel is the feature of verses 36-34 with Israel’s domestic livelihood being thrown into confusion and disarray by an invading army. Israel will be defenceless, and all the slaughter and brutality of the invading troops will lead to madness! Another dose of disease follows in verse 35 and then there is a return to the results of invasion. Verses 36-37 threaten the exile that Israel would experience in the future and plainly states that as a nation they will become a national joke due to their disobedience!

There is a persuasive argument that these judgements could be seen as the punishment fitting the crime for lack of obedience.  As we have seen in the previous chapters there had been continual warnings about the danger of worshipping the gods of the Land.  Predominant among these gods was Baal who was worshipped by the Canaanites as the deity who provided the harvest and was also seen as the god of fertility who gave children. Finally, Baal was seen as the God of War and, as a mighty warrior as he was supposed to defend those who worshipped him. What better punishment for the worship of a false god like Baal than complete failure in all the areas that he was supposed to have an influence in! A case from Israel’s history of God making the punishment fit the crime was when Israel turned to the worship of Baal under the kingship of Ahab influenced by his wife Jezebel.  At that time God withheld the rain making a mockery of Baal’s supposed provision of the harvest and raised up the prophet Elijah as His spokesman (1 Kings 17:1).[2]

In verses 38-42 there is a repeat of the curses concerned with agriculture, coupled with the threat of exile in which they will lose their sons and daughters.  The section ends with the threat of swarms of insects devastating the land.

What is interesting is although we have seen these curses before, the emphasis here is on the people not benefiting from the wonderful land that the Lord was giving them.  Here is a lesson for us today, how often we miss out on the blessings that God would give us because of lack of faith, trust and our disobedience.  Verses 43-44 in this section show interesting reversal concerning foreigners (aliens) that would live among them.  The picture that has been constant in Deuteronomy is that ‘the alien’ needs to be provided for as they were classed among the weak and vulnerable in society.  But here is a picture of them being in a position of positive advantage or authority

This section ends with a reversal of what the Lord had decreed concerning the lending of money.  In verse 12 of this chapter, the picture was of God blessing the nation through plentiful harvests which would provide great prosperity so that they lent to other nations but did not have to borrow from them.  Here in verse 44 this has been turned upside down and the promise of verse 13 has also been reversed, Israel would not be a leader it would be a follower! Surely, this can be taken as a warning to Christians today not to deviate from God’s Word as they will end up losing the blessings that are found within it!

[1] John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP study commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006) 438.
[2] I am indebted to Raymond Brown and his excellent commentary on Deuteronomy for this observation of the punishment fitting the crime. Raymond Brown, The Message of Deuteronomy, The Bible Speaks Today (Inter-Varsity-Press, 1993) 270.

Some years ago, a friend of mine enrolled in a course for web design. He thought he had got some kind of scholarship for his training but was shocked to find that he was landed with a bill for a considerable amount of money! The trouble was he had not read the small print. I can hardly think that he is typical as we can all be guilty of hearing what we want to hear or skimming some information and only picking up what we want to!

The Israelites, as they were about to enter the land, faced as a very similar temptation. I can imagine it would be very easy for them to turn off after the first part of Moses’ speech. The section we just looked at in this chapter (vs1-14) is full of good things, as it is all about the blessing the Lord would bring upon them as a nation if they followed all His commands and laws when they entered the land. The danger was they could stop listening after that and then miss what would happen if they failed to follow God’s commands.

It is always a good rule to play special attention if a sentence comes to an end and the next one starts with a: ‘But’ (v15) as it indicates a change of tone in what is being said, and this is the case here. The fact that the curses in this chapter outnumber the blessings by 5 to 1 could lead us into adopting the stereotypical view of the ‘God of the Old Testament’ as a vengeful and vindictive God who punishes people for the slightest infraction of one of His rules! But this is to ignore the picture of God that has been building up steadily throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Yes, those rules were to be taken seriously, but there was a very good reason for that. After all, this is the God who has done everything for His people; He has rescued them and taken care of them. He is a loving God who wants a relationship with His people where they will benefit. To ignore this and to embrace any other kind of lifestyle, especially that of the people of the land they about to enter would be disastrous. Raymond Brown makes this very good point about these curses. ‘The very fact that they had been warned in this way, however, is a token of God’s generous mercy. He warns them because he loves them and does not want them to suffer.’[1]

This section of curses can be divided into three groups. Those in verses 15-44, which conclude with the warnings of verses 45 and 46b. Those which result in military oppression from enemies which are found in verses 47-57 and finally those which give warning of Israel’s future exile as a punishment for rejecting the Lords commands in verses 58-68.[2] A casual read of this section shows that many of these curses repeat themselves in some form or other. But this was not unusual with the writings of the Ancient Near East. The repetitive and seemingly disproportionate number of curses, as opposed to the blessings was a fairly common feature in an Ancient Near East Vassal Treaty which Deuteronomy so closely resembles in its structure.

Verse 15 states the theme of the passage with its change of tone. The section that follows (vs16-19) virtually mirrors the verses on blessing earlier in the chapter (vs3-6) in that they give the opposite of blessing in the same areas of Israel’s life, domestic and agricultural (the exception to this mirror image is the reversal of verses 5 and 17). The message is clear; failure to faithfully follow God’s commands will lead to curses with negative results in these areas.  Verse 20 sums up this section in its statement that: ‘The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and frustration in all you undertake to do’.  It points out this will lead to disaster for them as a nation because they have forsaken the Lord.

 [1] Raymond Brown, The Message of Deuteronomy, The Bible Speaks Today (Inter-Varsity-Press, 1993) 268.

[2] J.A. Thompson, Deuteronomy, An Introduction and Commentary (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1974) 271.

Brian Clough was probably one of the greatest football managers that this country has ever seen. With his assistant Peter Taylor, he was notable for finding players who fitted right into the teams he managed. He might not have had a team of superstars, but with Peter Taylor’s scouting ability and his tactics, he created top class teams that won many of the top trophies in English and European football! I suppose you could say that his team were a testament to his management ability, and that’s pretty much what we have here where Israel and the Lord are concerned, as Israel success was to testify to God’s laws and rule!

The theme of material blessing in verses 1-6 continues in verses 7-8. In verse 7 we see that Israelites are to be granted protection and superiority over their enemies. This is reflected in verse 1 where it talks about God giving them a position or great status over the nations. The language used makes it clear that the Lord’s protection will make Israel invincible as: ‘They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.’ (v7). What is clear here is that Israel was not to be a warmongering nation, there would be no wars except at the Lord’s command, but that God would give them  protection. Verse 8 returns to the theme of material blessing in that God would provide good harvests and continue to bless them in the land that He was providing.

The first theme that we looked at in verse 1 returns again in verses 9-11. Israel was to be a witness to the nations. They would be a special a: ‘holy’ (v9) people, which means ‘set apart for’ or ‘devoted’ to the Lord. This was only possible if they kept God’s commandments and did not deviate from them, (v9). If that was their practice then it would be the most amazing witness to the nations as it would be clear that they were God’s people, ‘called by the name of the LORD’ (v10) and as such, they were to be protected by Him. The surrounding nations would then fear them as it would be clear that their abundant prosperity was from God (v11).

The last part of this section with its theme of blessing (vs12-14) makes the point that it will be God who provides the rain and not some pagan deity like Baal. Verse 12 emphasizes this by the terminology it uses. In the Canaanite religion it was believed that Baal lived in the sky and literally opened a window of his palace or temple to let the rain fall upon the earth. Hence, Moses uses a similar picture to make it clear that the Lord is going to be the one who provides the rain and not Baal, so the people would not be tempted to believe such stories.[1] Once again there is a reference that Israel will prosper through lending money to various nations but not borrowing from any as God would give them a position as leaders not followers (v13). The condition was that they were to be careful they followed God’s Law as only that way would they stay on top in any league of nations. Verse 14 reinstates that they are not to turn aside from any of the commands not: ‘to the right hand or the left’ (v14) and they were not to give any other god the time of day!

We might again ask ourselves why all this repetition? But the answer is obvious, as human beings we have a nasty tendency to forget stuff like this and I do not believe we have changed much in 3000 years!  We need to constantly come back to the promises of God. That is why daily Bible study is so important. For example, if we are to carry out our work or business effectively during the day we need a good breakfast and proper nutrition throughout the rest of the day to do so. So, if we are to serve the Lord each day we need to read His word to know His mind as found in His Law and to follow it!  This and this only will make us ready for the work that God has for us. Christopher Wright sums up this section by drawing attention to this, as he writes: ‘the purpose of God blessing this people is ultimately so that God bless all the peoples on earth.’[2] When it is put like that, daily living is quite a challenge as we are to be ‘fit for purpose’ so we are ready to witness to the lost people around us!

[1] John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006) 337.
[2] Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy, New International Biblical Commentary. (Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, 1996), 281.

As I do not support a particular team I enjoy watching football for its own sake. Most seasons there will generally be a key match in the race for the league title which is referred to as a six pointer[1] as it can be very influential to the outcome of the season. There can often be little to choose between the two teams in terms of skill. But on the day of the match the team that wins will probably do so because they chose the right tactics and stuck rigidly to their game plan. At the start of chapter 28 the game plan Moses has given the Israelites team is very simple, obey the Lord!

The Israelites were to be the Lord’s covenant people. They had agreed to God’s terms that they would serve Him and obey His commands. Deuteronomy represents what in the Ancient Near East was called a Vassal Treaty and in such treaties there was a section of blessings and curses, blessings if they kept God’s commands, curses if they did not. So not surprisingly the chapter starts with a reminder that they are: ‘faithfully obey’ the Lord and that they be: ‘careful to do all His commands’ (v1).  Moses adds: ‘today’ to give added emphasis. This is not some vague command that one day they are going to have to implement; it was to start before they went into the land.

Very often we can put things off that we know we ought to do. Instead, we let certain sins linger, kidding ourselves that one day we will deal with them. But what we really ought to do is bring them to the Lord immediately and so deal with them there and then. Moses did not want Israelites to make that mistake, so they were to start in their obedience immediately! The consequences of that obedience would be extraordinary, not only would the Israelites benefit materially, but they would also be given extraordinary status among nations which acted as a witness to those nation’s. But the main emphasis seems to be on the benefits that they would receive materially (v2). Unlike the curses the people are not required to say Amen. After all ‘God’s blessings are wholly of grace, whether or not His people assert them or even appreciate them.’[2]

In verses 3-6 the source of blessing is seen, primarily, through plentiful crops and increased livestock. In other words, material blessing that would ensure the well-being of the nation. But why were they to be blessed in that area, why not financial wealth or some other such blessing? The reason can be deducted from Israel’s past. Moses has an emphasised worshipping and obeying the commands of the Lord Almighty. The people have been constantly reminded of His status and how He is to be worshipped, as well as, how He is not. But the Israelites were only a generation away from polytheism (the worship of many gods) as they had practiced it when they were in Egypt (Ezekiel 20:7-8). In the Promised Land there was going to be plenty of temptation as polytheism was widely practised. Moses was very aware of that there was competition as to whom to worship. But the Lord was going to make it very clear who made the crops grow as He had already promised to bless them and give them plentiful produce if they obeyed him and to withhold the rain if they turn to other gods and goddesses (11:13-17).  So, He would give them no reason to doubt Him through His ample provision for them.

This raises the question whether Christians can expect material blessing today? Yet the circumstances are very different. Firstly, God’s promise was given to the nation of Israel that was going in and occupying land that He had given them. Essentially He was speaking to them as one nation, not as Christians who are scattered throughout the world today. Yet we can argue that He could bless us as if we live by He’s laws and seek His will for our lives as we will want to work hard, spend our money wisely and aim to give our children a good and moral upbringing based on God’s Word. Doing that often means Christians avoid many of the problems the people of the world can have as individuals or families.

So, there is a sense in which we can benefit by obedience to the Lord. But we would do well to remember a major theme in Deuteronomy which applies to God’s people in any day and age and that is that we are totally undeserving of any grace and mercy that God shows us. We do not deserve anything because we are particularly obedient. This leads to the final point. We are far more blessed today than the people of Israel were at that time. They could see only an earthly inheritance, but we have a heavenly one.[3]

[1] So-called as it not just provides the winning team three points but that it guarantees the other team of missing out on three, something that no other fixture could guarantee.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, Acquiring Tools for Spiritual Success (Colorado Springs, Victor, 1999) 167.
[3] I am much indebted to Paul E Brown for his section on whether these blessings apply in the same way today. Paul E. Brown, Deuteronomy, An Expositional Commentary (Leominster, Day One Publications 2008) 204.

Verses 20-23 deals with the area of sexual sin. As such this covers the Seventh Commandment.

The area of sexual sin has been dealt with back in chapter 22 and also in Leviticus 18 and 20. Here several areas are covered. Firstly, sex with one’s father’s wife. Secondly, bestiality (sex with an animal). Thirdly, sex within the family with siblings and lastly, sex with one’s mother-in-law. Here again are sins that could remain invisible but, to anyone who participated in them, there was a reminder that God would see and punish them.

Bestiality is mentioned in Exodus 22:19 and in Leviticus 18:23 and 20:15-16 and is a sin punishable by death. What made this sin so serious is that man is created in the image of God. He is to rule over the animals; hence man’s placing in the God-given order of creation would be subverted and tarnished. But there is more to it than that. In the Ancient Near East animals often represent deities; hence sex with an animal that represented a deity could be seen as obtaining union with that deity.[1] So, this action also broke the First commandment and Second Commandment as it was a form of idolatry. The other sexual sins mentioned here are to do with sex between relations. This was a warning again against the influence of Egypt as incest was common among the royal family. Once again, Israel is to identify itself by not following these practices that they would have been acquainted with when they were enslaved. Just like them, we are to reject the practices of the world. To go back to them would be like Israel going back to bondage in Egypt. For us it would be much more serious, it would be going back to the slavery of sin when we have been offered a new life and freedom that Christ gives!

Next the sixth Commandment is covered, as the next set of curses in verses 24-25, deal with the idea of someone getting away with murder and also someone accepting payment to murder an innocent person. In verse 24 the verb used refers to an assault but can also refer to murder, so we could be talking about more than manslaughter here. Verse 25 could be translated as: ‘cursed is the one who takes a bribe to strike down a person who is innocent.’[2] As well as the intent to murder the acceptance of a bribe was an offence in itself whether or not the action for which the bribe was given was carried out (see Exodus 23:8). Here again the emphasis is on secrecy as the one excepting the bribe would not profit unless the deed was carried out in secret.

The last section of these curses (v26) is focused on a failure to be totally obedient to the Law. The New Testament reminds us that failure to keep even one point of the Law is failure to keep it all (James 2:10). Paul when writing to the church in Galatia even quotes this verse (Galatians 3:10). This could make grim reading because it begs the question, how can we ever get right with God? After all, after Paul has quoted verse 26 he then writes: ‘Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11). The answer is we cannot get right with Him, He has to do it for us! And He does that by even wonderfully supplying that faith (Ephesians 2:8). In Romans 3:21-22 Paul writes: ‘But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.’ That’s really good news, because we are reminded in what Paul then writes that: ‘ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). At first there seems to be a tension here with Deuteronomy 6:25 where we read that obedience to the Law would be seen as a form of righteousness. But issue the issue that is being highlighted is that obedience to God that should naturally come from faith in Him.

Due to the teaching and work of Christ through the cross we should realise as Christians we fall well short of what the Law requires, hence we need Christ’s work on the cross to bring us into relationship with God. In Galatians 3:13 Paul reminds his readers that ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” picking up on the theme of Deuteronomy 21:23. Yet out of the forgiveness that is made possible by Christ being made a curse for us should come an attitude that wants to obey God in every aspect of what He requires. Jesus made it very clear He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17).  If we truly love God then obedience to His will by keeping His law is the natural way to show it!

[1] The exception was Hittite law which restricted bestiality, but even then not every case was restricted.  A person was exempt from penalties if bestiality occurred with a horse or a mule!  ‘The Old Testament allows no exceptions.’  John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006)  428.
[2] Currid, Deuteronomy, 429.

The teaching of the curses that are found in verses 15-26 is as follows.  The Levi’s would state the action that would lead to the participant being cursed, the people would then reply with an Amen, thus stating their agreement with the conditions that led to the curse.  But this is more than mere agreement. Peter Craigie makes this point: ‘by saying “Amen” the people indicate understanding and agreement and thereby remove any possible excuse for their conduct, if at some subsequent time they were to disobey the law of the covenant.’[1]  The format of this section of blessings and curses is found in other Ancient Near East vassal treaties where such blessings and curses would be found among the stipulations for obedience or disobedience to the sovereign state.

But let us take a closer look at what the actions are that lead to God’s curse being visited upon a person.  The behaviour that leads to these curses is based around the breaking of certain commandments.  There is an emphasis on sins that are, or could be, committed in secret (vs15 and 24 particularly) and an emphasis in these curses that although the sins were not visible to others, the Lord would see and He would as be the one who brings the curse on the offender.  So which curses relate to which commandments, and can we observe any logical order to how the curses are set out?

Firstly, yes, there does seem to be a logic to the way these curses are set out.  Verse 15 covers the First and Second Commandment and is followed by the Fifth Commandment. So, we see a pattern emerging.  God is to be first and then family.  Then, in general, we have the commandments that relate to other people.  This is then followed by the reminder that the Law is to be obeyed in full; people are not at liberty to obey parts of it and not others.  So let us look at actions that lead to a curse.

Verse 15 covers the First and Second Commandment and the idea of an idol being set up: ‘in secret’.  This should not surprise us as there has been much in the Law about how detestable the worship of other gods and idols are to the Lord.  But what makes this worse is the idea of someone: ‘outwardly professing to belong to Israel’ while they are: ‘secretly with an alien god.’[2]  Any such action in making an idol automatically breaks these Commandments as it indicates disloyalty to the Lord.

Verse 16 draws our attention to the Fifth Commandment.  Exodus 21:17 shows the seriousness of cursing one’s father and mother.  Peter Craigie points out the necessity for this curse despite the fact the subject has been dealt with in 21:18-21.  The conflicting emotions that parents might feel about bringing their son before the elders to face such stern application of the law (death by stoning) could lead them to stay silent on the subject and this might lead to continued rebellion within the family and a bad example to the rest of the community.  What we have here is God bringing justice about but, by His hand rather than man’s. God sees and He will punish what is spared human judgment due to emotional ties and affection.[3]

Verses 17-19 deals with stealing or coveting in some form or other and as such covers the Seventh and Tenth Commandments.  The moving of a boundary stone could decrease a man’s property and his ability to support himself; it was stealing land and livelihood.  The idea of a person who: ‘misleads a blind man on the road’ suggest a dishonest motive which could lead to a loss of time if nothing else.  But once again this could be seen as an invisible sin as there would be no way to identify the offender.  Withholding of justice could be seen as stealing a man’s reputation, property or even his life if the court case was serious enough.  Here again are sins that the wider community might never be aware of, but God would see, and He would bring a curse upon that person.

 [1] Peter Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament ( Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1976) 331.

[2] Allan Harman, Deuteronomy, The Commands of a Covenant God (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2001)234.

[3] Craigie, Deuteronomy, 332.