Deuteronomy 27-28
The Assembly at Shechem
27:1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Pay attention to all the commandments I am giving you today.
Chapter 27-30 began the third discourse of Moses. In this sermon, Moses would become a prophet. He would predict the historical future of Israel from their entrance into the Promised Land to the Millennial Kingdom.
Notice that Moses is mentioned in the third person, meaning that there was a change of authors. Change of authors is not a reason for rejecting inspiration. The Bible is inspired, even if the author changes or if the author is not given.
Moses asked this new generation to pay attention to "all" of God's commandments. The Apostle Paul taught that the commandments were one law. If one commandment was broken, then all the commandments were broken. "Whosoever shall keep the law, yet offend it in one point, he is guilty of it all." Therefore, only the Lord Jesus Christ was able to keep the whole Law.
27:2 When you cross the Jordan River to the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must erect great stones and cover them with plaster.
Since Moses was not able to enter the Promised land, he gave Israel detailed instructions on what they were to do once they entered the land. They were to erect stones on the other side of the Jordan. They were to cover them with white plaster. Archaeologists have found similar types of masonry in ancient Egypt.
27:3 Then you must inscribe on them all the words of this law when you cross over, so that you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to you.
Joshua would be supervising the Law on the plaster monument. This landmark would be a memorial to future generations. The land of milk and honey was a land which was rich in agriculture and livestock.
27:4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal these stones about which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster.
Shechem was a city at the base of Mount Ebal. Shechem was where Abraham first received the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
27:5 Then you must build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones – do not use an iron tool on them.
God did not want Israel to depend upon outside cultures for iron. These outside cultures would bring destructive and seductive teachings into Israel.
27:6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God with whole stones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God.
Exodus 20:25 required that the altar was to be built with uncut stones. This law was to prevent Israel from making the stones into small cut idols which could be easily transported to other locations.
27:7 Also you must offer fellowship offerings and eat them there, rejoicing before the Lord your God.
The only place that the sacrifice could be offered and eaten was the place in which God specified. This law prevented Israel from worshiping carved idols at secret places.
27:8 You must inscribe on the stones all the words of this law, making them clear.”
The words of the Law were to be inscribed on the stones as a memorial to future generations.
27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.
Israel was officially going into the Promised Land to become God’s priests to all the other Gentile nations.
27:10 You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today.”
Since Israel would be the priests to all the nations, then they would establish a priestly example to the Gentiles as well.
27:11 Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day:
A valley still runs between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. In this ceremony, six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim and shout out the blessings of the Mosaic Law. The other six tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal and shout out the curses of the Mosaic Law. The Levites were to stand in the middle of the valley and shout out twelve specific curses of the Mosaic Law.
27:12 “The following tribes must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
The six tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand in front of Mount Gerizim and shout out the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. These six tribes descended from Jacob’s two wives, Leah and Rachel.
27:13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
On the other side of the valley, the six tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulin, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand in front of Mount Ebal and shout out the curses of the Mosaic Covenant. Four of these tribes descended from Jacob’s concubines. The other two tribes were Rueben and Zebulun. Rueben forfeited his birth right, because he committed sexual sin against his father. Zebulun was the youngest son of Leah.
The Covenant Curses
27:14 “The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a loud voice:
The Levites stood in the middle of the valley, between the two mountains where the twelve tribes were shouting out the blessings and curses of the Mosaic Law. The Levites shouted out twelve additional curses, which were chosen and emphasized by God.
27:15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image – something abhorrent to the Lord, the work of the craftsman – and sets it up in a secret place.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The first curse shouted out by the Levites was that of carving out false idols and worshiping them in a place that God had not chosen. Worshiping idols was a capital offense. Multiculturalism was not tolerated in Israel.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:16 ‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The second curse shouted out by the Levites was that of honoring the father and mother. Showing disrespect to parents was a capital offense. Juvenile delinquency was not tolerated in Israel. All of the people shouted out “Amen,” meaning “Let it become true.”
27:17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The third curse shouted out by the Levites was that of moving a neighbor’s boundary marker. Stones were placed at the edge of properties. During the night, property owners would move the stones so that they could steal more land. The geographical borders of the world were chosen by God and recorded in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Men did not have permission to move borders in which God had previously established by His divine decree.
It is interesting to note that in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, God divinely divided the world geographically into 70 nations. Whenever nations attempt to change these borders, they usually end up dying in wars.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The fourth curse shouted out by the Levites was against the misleading of a blind man on the road. The purpose of this law was to teach Israel that they were not to have a Spartan attitude of eliminating the blind, sick, and lame from their population. Israel was to take care of their people, even if they were handicapped.
In Sparta and Nazi Germany, the mentally and physically handicapped were killed. Modern American women fornicate and then murder their own babies. Their excuses are that the child would be an inconvenience to their materialistic lifestyle. Some doctors advise mothers to abort babies who may be born with a handicap. Both these feminist views are satanic and unbiblical. God expects parents, doctors, and the community to take care of their handicapped, even if they are detected to be handicapped in the womb. Those Christ-rejecting mothers, doctors, politicians, and the electorate who violate this divine principle are all murderers who will be judged by God. A vote for liberals who support abortion is a vote against God. It is a vote for murder. God will judge these murdering nations, vomit them out of their land and give their land to another nation who may be more brutal and evil than themselves.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The fifth curse shouted out by the Levites was that of perverting justice of foreigners, orphans, and widows. Many cultures treated foreigners as second-class citizens, forcing them into slavery or menial labor positions. Orphans were treated as slaves. Widows were often killed at the time of their husband’s death and buried with their husbands. God expected Israel to take care of foreigners, orphans, and widows. Israel was the only ancient nation who practiced this type of benevolence.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:20 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his father’s former wife, for he dishonors his father.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The sixth curse shouted out by the Levites was that of immoral sexual relations. Many times, the sons would commit sexual relations with the concubines of his father in order to claim his tribal leadership position of the community. This type of leadership transfer was done in most of the ancient Gentile cultures of the world. Rueben lost his birthright for copying this Canaanite practice. Israel was not to practice this ritual. Only God could choose the leaders of Israel. When Israel chose their own leaders, then these kings, not appointed by God, usually did not live very long. They would usually be assassinated or killed by a foreign Gentile ruler.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The seventh curse shouted out by the Levites was that against bestiality. Many ancient nations would practice bestiality as an occult ritual, hoping to gain demonic powers from the animals in which they engaged. The Canaanites were vomited out of the land for these practices.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:22 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his sister, the daughter of either his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The eighth curse shouted out by the Levites was against incest. Incest was allowed early in the history of mankind when the earth's population was low, but it was now made illegal by God. Many of the kings of Europe married brothers, sisters, and cousins, so that they could keep the royal authority in the family. They would commit incest and then claim to rule by divine right! The result was that this massive royal inbreeding caused insanity among the ruling classes. Much of Europe was ruled by kings who were born into insanity through incest.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:23 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The ninth curse shouted out by the Levites was that of incest with one’s mother-in-law.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The tenth curse shouted out by the Levites was that of murder. A secret murder was not a secret to God. God Himself would curse the secret murderer. When David killed Uriah, David thought that this murder was done in secret. However, God witnessed this act of murder. God sent the prophet Nathan to condemn David.
There are no unobserved sins. God witnesses every sin which every person in history has and will ever commit. God is living inside believers, so God grieves when believers sin. Dr. J. Vernon McGee often said that the secret sins on earth are open scandal in heaven. Dr. John Danish once commented that during the Millennial Kingdom, it is possible that invisible angels will prevent murder before it happens.
All the people shouted out “Amen,” meaning “Let it become true.”
27:25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The eleventh curse shouted out by the Levites was that of accepting a bribe to kill another person. God would curse the assassin Himself.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
27:26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
The twelfth curse shouted out by the Levites was that of refusing to keep any part of the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law consisted of 613 individual laws, but it was all counted as one single united law. If one commandment was broken, then the entire law was broken. God demanded perfection in keeping the Law. This is the reason Mosaic Law condemns one to hell, but it cannot save. Keeping the Mosaic Law was not an instrument of salvation, but was actually an instrument of death. The Mosaic Law was a teacher who pointed out to man that he was a sinner who could not meet God’s standards. Therefore, sinful man needs a Savior who can nullify the death sentence of the Mosaic Law.
When man sins, he dirties himself, making him unfit for Heaven's doors. However, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses the dirty sinner so that the believer can enter Heaven's door and enjoy fellowship with God for eternity.
All the people shouted out אָמֵֽן (amen), meaning “Let it become true.”
The rest of the Bible records Israel's inability to keep these commandments. The major and minor prophets will continually remind Israel that they are covenant breakers and must be cursed. According to the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel will be removed from their land until the Jews cry out, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
Israel's only hope is in the fulfillment of the pre-ordained decree of the triune God. God the Father must send the Messianic Son to earth to remove the curse. The Messianic Son must spill His blood to redeem mankind of his sins. The Holy Spirit must make an efficacious call to the elect. After the efficacious call has been made to all the elect, then the Lord Jesus Christ will return and bless Israel with the arrival and implementation of the Millennial Kingdom. The believing Gentiles will be grafted into the Millennial Kingdom through the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, "I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name." (Genesis 12:3)
Deuteronomy 28
The Covenant Blessings
28:1 “If you indeed obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth.
Chapter 28 is a continuation of the third discourse of Moses. It was written in third person, possibly written by an actual eyewitness of the event. Joshua could have been the author.
Notice the "if." The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant. If the subjects of Israel obeyed the covenant of King Jehovah, then they would be blessed. They would be elevated above all the other Gentile nations of the world. If they did not obey the covenant, then they would be cursed and removed from the land.
The Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant. During the Millennial Kingdom, Abraham will be raised from the dead and given all the literal land of Israel which was promised to him by God. The land will be given to his descendants as well. His descendants are the Jews who come from Isaac and not Ishmael. During the Millennial Kingdom, all of Israel will be saved. They will be able to keep the commandments. They will rule over all the Gentile nations. All the Gentile nations will be blessed as well, because the Messiah will rule with a rod of iron for 1000 literal years. There will be no wars, murderers, drugs, crime, atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, multiculturalists, same-sex marriages, or transvestites in the Millennial Kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ will be literally ruling with a rod of iron from a literal throne in the literal city of literal Jerusalem. Everyone will be able to see, hear, and touch the God-man of the universe.
28:2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the Lord your God:
Verses 3-14 listed the conditional blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. Verses 15-68 listed the conditional curses of the Mosaic Covenant.
Many people claim that the Bible is a negative book. It is full of do's and don’ts. They are somewhat right. The Bible is mostly negative, because the people who study it are mostly negative. The Bible must be negative to reach those who are totally depraved and evil, carnal, apathetic, and even mature. Mature believers enjoy the negativity of the Bible and see value in it. Immature believers and unbelievers hate the negativity of the Bible, because it exposes their sin and rebellion against God.
It should be noted that the Holy Spirit spent 83% of His instruction time on the negative aspects of the covenant and 17% of His instruction time on the positive aspects of the covenant. The Holy Spirit knows what He is doing. He knows how, what, and how much to teach. He is a divine curriculum instructional specialist supreme. He is the Master Teacher. He does not need to be corrected by unbelievers and carnal Christians.
Israel was stubborn and hardheaded. They were totally depraved and evil. The nation would spend about 83% of their time disobeying God rather than obeying God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit adjusted His divine curriculum to the needs of His students.
Modern Christians are no different today. Most modern believers have studied less than 17% of the Bible. What they have studied has been at a very shallow level. They spend much of their life ignorant of the Word of God. One cannot apply Bible doctrine if they do not know it.
28:3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed the prosperity of city merchants and country farmers. Both the city folks and country folks would be blessed. There would be successful businesses and food for everyone.
28:4 Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed the prosperity of their children, their agricultural crops, and their livestock. Their children would grow up as believers who loved God and their parents. The soil would produce an abundance of crops. The livestock would multiply, giving plenty of clothing, food, and milk. The lambs would reproduce abundantly, giving sacrifices which pointed to the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
Israel was responsible for sacrificing lambs every morning, evening, sabbath, new moon, and on all holidays. If the holiday fell on a sabbath new moon day, then Israel would have to offer five lambs on that day (one lamb each for morning, evening, sabbath, new moon, and holiday). On some holidays, one lamb had to be offered for every family in Israel. King Jehovah wanted Israel to experience the sanctity of atonement. Every one of these sacrificed lambs pointed to the atonement of the coming Messiah.
Each lamb had to be perfect without mark or blemish. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God who was without mark or blemish. He was the perfect sacrifice without sin.
To provide Israel with the highest quality supply of lambs which would point to Israel's Messiah, King Jehovah would have to prosper the livestock of Israel. If the subjects of Israel had kept the conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed Israel with an abundance of perfect lambs without blemish.
28:5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed their food supply. They would have never experienced famine. They would always be given tasty foods to mix in their bowls.
28:6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed them in everything they would do in the will of God from beginning to end. When Israel left their houses at the beginning of the day, they would be blessed. When Israel returned to their houses at the end of the day, then they would be blessed.
The modern believer can experience this same type of blessing by studying and applying Bible doctrine at the deepest level. He will not reap material blessings which were promised to Mosaic Israel, but he will experience the joy of suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ. Carnal believers and unbelievers do not have enough Bible doctrine to understand the joy of suffering. If one is not suffering for Christ, then he is unhappy, unsatisfied, and out of the will of God.
No one in this world can experience personal satisfaction unless he is performing the task which God has given him to perform before the foundations of the world. If one does not master and apply Bible doctrine at the deepest level, then he will become bored and frustrated with life. God has engineered man in this way, so that he will seek satisfaction through the Word of God.
28:7 The Lord will cause your enemies who attack you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction but flee from you in seven different directions.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed their military endeavors and kept their borders secure. The Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians would not have been able to invade, conquer, enslave, and kill Israel.
Weapons of mass destruction will not protect a nation. President Obama was wrong when he stated that the United States could not use Biblical principles for foreign policy. President Obama placed Americans at great risk for eight years with his anti-Semitic foreign policies. If political leaders bow to Muslims who wish to destroy Israel, then these types of leaders are violating the Abrahamic Covenant. Anti-Semitic leaders should never be voted into office.
28:8 The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do – yes, he will bless you in the land he is giving you.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed their agricultural prosperity. Their barns would be filled, meaning that Israel would have good insurance against drought and famine. Droughts and famines cause wars, which in turn cause diseases which wipe out empires. The major weapon of armies is food to feed their soldiers. Israel would have plenty of food to nourish their soldiers and hold off enemy attacks.
28:9 The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments and obey him.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have sanctified Israel and made them His holy people. Israel would have become priests to all the Gentile nations. They would have led the other Gentile nations out of idolatry and into worship of the one true God.
Since Israel refused to keep these commandments, God will raise up 144,000 Jews during the Great Tribulation to accomplish this task. During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will also become priests to all the Gentile nations. Gentles will beg Israel priests to give them instruction about God.
28:10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, and they will respect you.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, King Jehovah would have made Israel a positive example to all other Gentile nations. All Gentile nations would have respected Israel and learned from her example. These Gentile nations would have left idolatry and followed the one true God. God always had a plan for the Gentiles.
Since Israel never kept the Mosaic Law, then the Gentile nations throughout history have never respected Israel. All the Gentiles looked upon Israel as an immoral nation. When Israel was defeated by foreign nations, these Gentile conquerors bragged to Israel that their heathen polytheistic gods were greater than Jehovah.
28:11 The Lord will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he promised your ancestors he would give you.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would have blessed their prosperity in child-bearing, livestock, and crop production. Israel would have multiplied like the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore. Israel has always been persecuted throughout history, keeping their population low. During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel's population will increase to that of the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashores.
28:12 The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any.
If the subjects of Israel had kept this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bless their prosperity in rainfall. Also, Israel would become so wealthy that they would lend to many nations but borrow from none.
Notice that God controls the rainfall. When God withholds rain, it could be a result of His judgment upon a nation. Men who are totally depraved and evil and void of God's Word like to blame the lack of rain on scams such as Ozone Layers, Global Warmings, or Climate Controls. These political maneuvers are nothing but scams to raise the taxes on the working classes and usher in a New World Order or global government. It is very possible that Satan may influence global bankers to crash the world economy so that nations will exchange their independent sovereignty for a one world government.
28:13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do.
If the subjects of Israel would keep this Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would make Israel the leader of all Gentile nations. Israel is currently under the curse of the Times of the Gentiles, as mentioned in Daniel 9. Israel will not be able to keep this part of the covenant until the Millennial Kingdom arrives. During the Millennial Kingdom Israel will rule over the Gentile nations. Everyone will want to learn theology from the Jews.
28:14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them.
Israel was warned that they must follow all the details on the Mosaic Covenant. They were not to worship other gods.
Since Israel would not be able to keep "all" these commandments and since she would worship other gods, she would experience the curses of the Mosaic Covenant. The Holy Spirit would now spend the next 53 verses explaining these coming curses.
Mosaic Israel would not be able to claim to God that "You never told me that things would be this bad." The rest of the Bible (except Revelation 20-22) would record the results of Israel under the curses of this Mosaic Covenant. The Lord Jesus Christ will offer Israel their only hope of escape. Israel's only hope of escape is for them to cry out "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Israel will make this call on the last day of the Great Tribulation. After this call, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and establish the literal 1000 year Millennial Kingdom.
Curses as Reversal of Blessings
28:15 “But if you ignore the Lord your God and are not careful to keep all his commandments and statutes I am giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you in full force:
If Israel failed to follow the details of the Mosaic Covenant, then they would experience the curses mentioned in verses 15-68. It is important to note that Israel did not follow the Mosaic Covenant. Every one of the curses mentioned in 15-68 would historically fall upon Israel.
28:16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would curse their merchants and farmers. Merchants would not be able to sell their goods to make profit. Farmers would not be able to produce crops and livestock.
28:17 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be cursed.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would bring famine upon them. They would not have enough food and spices to mix into tasty dishes.
28:18 Your children will be cursed, as well as the produce of your soil, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring curses upon their children, their agriculture, and their livestock.
28:19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would curse Israel in everything that they attempted. Notice that there is no such thing as determination or Lady Luck. Success comes only to those Israelites who were obedient to the Lord.
Prosperity preachers like to use Deuteronomy 28 to teach that obedience to the Lord promises modern material blessings. This was true for Israel under the Mosaic Law, but it is not true for the church who is living under the Law of Christ. The modern church who is obedient to the Law of Christ is promised joy through suffering and persecution. This is a spiritual paradox that troubles and confuses unbelievers and carnal believers, but it is a joyful doctrine to mature believers.
Curses by Disease and Drought
28:20 “The Lord will send on you a curse, confusing you and opposing you in everything you undertake until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the evil of your deeds, in that you have forsaken me.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring confusion upon them. Political leaders would make poor decisions. Religious leaders would teach false doctrine. The people would become gullible and believe everything they hear.
When a nation begins to elect foolish political leaders into office, then it is very possible that this nation is under judgment. According to Daniel 2, nations get the kind of government they deserve.
The United States was founded upon Biblical principles. The Founding Fathers established a government based upon the Puritan ethics of Oliver Cromwell and the British Puritans.
King Charles II was an English King who abolished Parliament so that he could transform the Church of England back into a Catholic Church. The Puritans raised themselves up in an effort to "purify" the church from Catholic traditions. King Charles did not think that the Puritans were "hearing" the Word of God correctly, so he literally cut off their ears so that they could hear the Word of God more from a Catholic point of view. A godly Puritan named Oliver Cromwell removed King Charles from power. He established Puritan Law over England for a short time. After his death, England chose to return to her Catholicism.
Many of the Puritans moved to America before this English Civil War and became the cornerstone leaders of America's Founding Fathers. They broke away from King George III claiming "no King but Jesus." Then the Founding Fathers established Puritan Law in America. Their document was called the Constitution. America became the first Protestant Christian nation without kings.
America remained a strong Biblical and isolationist nation until the late 1800's. During the late 1800's liberalism from Germany began to enter the American Churches. The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Lutheran churches were compromised. Liberal Presidents took over the church boards, filled their universities with liberal theologians, who then trained liberal pastors for the pulpits of America. This liberal Coup d’état caused syncretism, where Social Darwinism was mixed with theology. The result was American Imperialism, Communism, two World Wars, the Cuba Missile Crisis, the hippie movement, drugs, prayer removed from school, feminism, abortion, socialism, Affirmative Action, same sex marriage, and transgenderism. Today, politics has become dirty, as both parties trump up false charges against each other so that their political party can remain in power. Politicians will sell their souls to stay in power. The Biblically ignorant electorate is to blame, because they keep voting these types of men into power. Daniel 2 is alive and active in America.
28:21 The Lord will plague you with deadly diseases until he has completely removed you from the land you are about to possess.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would send fatal diseases upon them.
When the evil Mongols became too powerful in Eastern Asia, God eliminated them via the Black Plague. The Black Plague also spread throughout the Dark Ages, wiping out much of the corrupt leadership of the European Catholic Church. The Pope usurped the title of the Holy Spirit by claiming that he was the "Vicar of Christ on earth," but he could not stop the spread of the Black Plague. Others were appalled at the corrupt power of the Catholic Church and turned to Martin Luther and his Reformation teachings.
These types of historical events demonstrated that God could protect His believing remnant from the forces of evil empires by the spread of deadly diseases. God can choose who and will contact such diseases.
28:22 He will afflict you with weakness, fever, inflammation, infection, sword, blight, and mildew; these will attack you until you perish.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would afflict them with sword, disease, and famine. These three curses would become the "Big Three" warnings that the future major and minor prophets would continually bring as prophetic reminders to Israel.
28:23 The sky above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron. 28:24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down on you from the sky until you are destroyed.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would withhold from them rain and crop production. God can raise up or bring down empires by controlling drops of rain.
Curses by Defeat and Deportation
28:25 “The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring military defeat upon them. Assyria and Babylon would later take Israel into captivity. This prophecy looked forward to the Times of the Gentiles, which would later be prophetically written in detail in Daniel 9. During the Time of the Gentiles, the holy city of Jerusalem will be ruled not by Jews, but by Gentiles.
28:26 Your carcasses will be food for every bird of the sky and wild animal of the earth, and there will be no one to chase them off.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring to them death on the battlefield. Birds from the sky and wild animals on the ground would devour their bodies. There would not be enough soldiers left alive to bury their dead or chase the birds and beasts away from the thousands of corpses.
28:27 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, eczema, and scabies, all of which cannot be healed.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring upon Israel some of the same diseases and plagues which afflicted Egypt.
28:28 The Lord will also subject you to madness, blindness, and confusion of mind.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would afflict the Israeli population with insanity, blindness, and a mind that cannot understand Bible doctrine.
Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ cannot accept Bible doctrine. The Bible is a closed book to them. They will become mad, thinking that good is evil and evil is good. They will become blind to the truth, because Satan will deceive them. Their minds will be confused. They will think that abortion, same sex marriage, transgenderism, evolution, Social Darwinism, socialism, and multiculturalism are good, but Biblical principles are ancient, backward, and outdated.
28:29 You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow uncontrolled lawlessness to abound. Israel would be like a blind man groping along in the darkness, even though it was the middle of the day. Israel would constantly be oppressed by her enemies. She would be robbed by her enemies. There would be no one to save Israel from her pursuers.
This blindness of Israel is like the blindness of the Christ-rejecters of today. Christ-rejecters cannot see the truth, even if one shows it to them. They have been blinded by the enemy. They are living in spiritual darkness. They think that they are just a bunch of random molecules who came about by chance. They think that they should "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow they die." They do not even know why they have been placed upon this earth. They do not know how they arrived here or what their purpose is on this earth. Satan has blinded them to think that they evolved from monkeys and that they are here on this earth to gather the most toys.
This blindness can only be removed by the Holy Spirit. It is only His efficacious call which can turn a clueless sinner into a mature saint.
28:30 You will be engaged to a woman and another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not even begin to use it.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep the conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow other Gentile nations to provoke war against Israel. Rebellious Israel would lose these battles. Their women would be raped. Their houses would be taken as plunder. Enemy armies would eat from their vineyards.
If the Holy Spirit refused to keep mankind in check, then the total depravity of man would evolve into a warlike society where the largest and best equipped nations would enslave the weaker nations. During the Great Tribulation, the Holy Spirit will allow man to have it his own way. There will be three and a half years of peace, but afterwards, man will attempt to destroy himself and his resources. It is the anti-Christ that is mankind’s biggest future threat, not Global Warming, Climate Change, or a meteor from space. The only hope for a world without the influence of the Holy Spirit is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
28:31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your very eyes but you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be stolen from you as you watch and will not be returned to you. Your flock of sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one to save you.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow enemy armies to plunder her livestock.
28:32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you look on in vain all day, and you will be powerless to do anything about it.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow foreign armies to defeat Israel and take her children into slavery.
28:33 As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring in foreign nations who would possess her land. Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Europeans, and the Muslims would fulfill this prophecy.
28:34 You will go insane from seeing all this.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow insanity to penetrate the minds of the Jewish people. When unbelievers and carnal Christians refuse to intake Bible doctrine, then the result is insanity.
Insanity is calling good evil and evil good. Insanity is man elevating their human opinions above the Word of God. Insanity is the belief system that nothing exploded into everything and man evolved from monkeys.
28:35 The Lord will afflict you in your knees and on your legs with painful, incurable boils – from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep the conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would allow diseases to afflict His people. When a godless nation becomes too powerful to defeat, God would often bring them down by disease. The Mongols could not be defeated militarily, but the Black Plague brought them down to their knees and ended their empire.
28:36 The Lord will force you and your king whom you will appoint over you to go away to a people whom you and your ancestors have not known, and you will serve other gods of wood and stone there.
Notice that Moses predicted that Israel would one day be ruled by kings. This prophecy meant that King Jehovah would one day be rejected by His own subjects. The holy, righteous, and perfect King Jehovah would be replaced by evil human kings who would rob the people through taxes and make their children eunuchs and soldiers.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would allow Israel to reject Him and choose evil human kings. These evil human kings would later lead Israel into idolatry and into captivity.
28:37 You will become an occasion of horror, a proverb, and an object of ridicule to all the peoples to whom the Lord will drive you.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would allow an anti-Semitic attitude to develop among the other nations. Anti-Semitic jokes would be spoken about the Jewish people.
The Curse of Reversed Status
28:38 “You will take much seed to the field but gather little harvest, because locusts will consume it.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would allow locusts to strip their land. Israel would experience the locust plague of Egypt. The prophet Joel would later predict and record this historical event. The purpose of this future locust invasion would be to turn away Israel from worshipping locusts and back to the true worship of the one true God. There is also predicted a future and supernatural locust army of demons who will invade the earth during the Great Tribulation.
28:39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink wine or gather in grapes, because worms will eat them.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow worms to devour their crops. God even controls the worms of the world!
28:40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees while still unripe.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would cause a poor harvest of olive oil. Olive oil was used to cook foods, but most importantly, to anoint kings. Moses was warning the people that they would have a historical period where no kings would be anointed by the prophets of Jehovah.
28:41 You will bear sons and daughters but not keep them, because they will be taken into captivity.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow foreign nations to enslave their children. This was fulfilled during the Assyrian and Babylon captivities.
28:42 Whirring locusts will take over every tree and all the produce of your soil.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would allow locusts to ravage their land.
28:43 The foreigners who reside among you will become higher and higher over you and you will become lower and lower.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would allow Gentile proselytes to thrive in leadership positions.
If a nation is being judged by God, then its citizens will often see an increase of minority leadership with unbiblical principles. The major liberal parties in most nations today are being led by minorities who lack Biblical moral leadership. These socialists will pass affirmative action laws which provide material wealth to a man based upon the color of his skin rather than the quantity and quality of his work. The liberal parties in America are basically asking their minorities to exchange their Biblical morals for Affirmative Action wealth. If a minority is the best man for the job, then he should get the job. If he is not the best man for the job, then he should not lean on affirmative action laws to take a job that someone else is more qualified.
It is unbiblical to award a job or scholarship to a man because of the color of his skin. What mature believers should do is choose the best qualified man, regardless of skin color, with the best Bible doctrine. America is a long way from this type of Biblical administration.
There was a day when godly principals would interview teachers and ask them to identify some of their favorite books in their personal library. If the Bible was not mentioned, then that teacher was not hired. Godly principals felt that teachers filled with Bible doctrine could best understand and teach the students of their community.
Today, this type of Biblical administration has been reversed. Laws have been passed to discriminate against Christians, but these laws are ignored by liberals, atheists, agnostics, feminists, Masons, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Catholics, Jews, lesbians, gays, etc. Birds of a feather flock together. Christ-rejecters will fill their payroll with those of the same kind. Those who stand for Christ will not find themselves on the shortlist of most hiring agencies. The reason is that the members of the satanic world system hate the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Lord Jesus Christ is not currently present in human form on this earth, then these liberals must take out their prejudice and hate against Christ's followers. This is the reason so many non-Christian laws are being passed by godless politicians who were voted into office by a godless electorate. If the electorate does not master Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God, then they will vote into office godless men who will pass into law godless legislation.
28:44 They will lend to you but you will not lend to them; they will become the head and you will become the tail!
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, then King Jehovah would cause other nations to lend to Israel and Israel would borrow from the Gentiles. Israel would become a nation of debt and poverty.
God wants everyone to labor for their own money. Drawing interest is evil, because it is making profit from other's misfortune. God would not allow the Jews to charge interest to other Jews, because it would create a small elite aristocracy at the top of the social class where a few people would eventually gain control of all the money.
The economics of the satanic world system is very much like the game of Monopoly. At the end of the game, one person holds all the property. That one person will eventually become the Antichrist.
28:45 All these curses will fall on you, pursuing and overtaking you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and statutes that he has given you.
Notice that Moses predicted that "all" of these curses would eventually fall upon Israel. Israel possessed more light than the other Gentile nations. They were the only nation to whom God had spoken, taught, and created the laws of the government, Therefore, Israel must keep the details of this conditional Mosaic Covenant, or they would be destroyed. However, God would always preserve a remnant of Jewish believers. God must keep this Jewish remnant alive, so that His unconditional Abrahamic Covenant promises would be kept.
28:46 These curses will be a perpetual sign and wonder with reference to you and your descendants.
The purpose of the curses was to remind Israel of her disobedience. Disobedience to the Mosaic Law was dangerous to the Jewish nation, because it would cause them to be seduced back into idolatry.
Idolatry is basically Satan worship. Satan wants to destroy the Jews so that she cannot call for her Messiah. Since Satan cannot physically destroy the believing remnant of Israel (who is protected by the Abrahamic Covenant), then Satan must attempt to seduce Israel into false religious systems which reject the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel. Mishnaic Judaism is a satanic religious system which rejects Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Atheism is another religious system that leads the Jewish people away from their Messiah.
The Curse of Military Siege
28:47 “Because you have not served the Lord your God joyfully and wholeheartedly with the abundance of everything you have, 28:48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.
Notice that the “if” changed to “because.” Moses predicted that all these curses would fall upon Israel. God would eventually allow Israel to experience hunger, thirst, poverty, and slavery in enemy lands. Usually, yokes were made of wood. However, Israel would be enslaved with yokes of iron. Iron yokes were much heavier to carry than wooden yokes.
28:49 The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,
Habakkuk identifies this distant nation as the Babylonians. The Babylonians took Judah captive in 586 B.C.
28:50 a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity for the young.
The Babylonians enslaved the elders and made them work in the canals of Babylon. The Babylonian soldiers bashed the heads of babies against the walls of captured Jewish cities.
28:51 They will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil until you are destroyed. They will not leave you with any grain, new wine, olive oil, calves of your herds, or lambs of your flocks until they have destroyed you.
The Babylonians deported Israel, and then devoured her livestock and crops.
28:52 They will besiege all of your villages until all of your high and fortified walls collapse – those in which you put your confidence throughout the land. They will besiege all your villages throughout the land the Lord your God has given you.
Israel would later place her faith in high fortified walls rather than in Jehovah. Therefore, God would allow the Babylonians to tear down these fortified walls of every Jewish city and village. The Babylonians would later defeat all of the villages and cities of Israel, including Jerusalem.
28:53 You will then eat your own offspring, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you, because of the severity of the siege by which your enemies will constrict you.
The result of Israel's rebellion against God would lead to cannibalism. This event happened twice in Israel's history. Mothers ate their children during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. This cannibalism was repeated during the Roman siege by Titus in 70 A.D.
When people with light reject God, then the result is cannibalism. The result of liberalism is cannibalism. A vote for liberalism and socialism is a vote for cannibalism. This is one Biblical doctrine which the satanic world system hides from its electorate who keeps them in power. Even the wealthy and powerful elite will lose everything and resort to cannibalism.
The Book of Lamentations shows the result of liberalism. Liberalism is totally depraved, and evil men elevating their human opinions above the Word of God. In Lamentations, the Chosen People of Israel become cannibals, just as these prophecies of chapter 28 predicted.
28:54 The man among you who is by nature tender and sensitive will turn against his brother, his beloved wife, and his remaining children.
During these two sieges, even gentle and sensitive parents would turn to cannibalism against their family members and friends. Lamentations recorded the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Liberals may sound very nice, sensitive, and caring on the outside. They talk a good game of peace and safety. They love minorities around election time. However, when their system fails, they will eat their own children.
28:55 He will withhold from all of them his children’s flesh that he is eating (since there is nothing else left), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict you in your villages.
Parents will eat their children’s flesh, but they will not share this flesh with others who are starving.
28:56 Likewise, the most tender and delicate of your women, who would never think of putting even the sole of her foot on the ground because of her daintiness, will turn against her beloved husband, her sons and daughters,
During these two sieges, even the most tender and compassionate Jewish women would turn to cannibalism and eat their own children.
28:57 and will secretly eat her afterbirth and her newborn children (since she has nothing else), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict you in your villages.
During these two sieges, pregnant women would give birth. They would secretly eat their newborn child and their afterbirth.
The Curse of Covenant Termination
28:58 “If you refuse to obey all the words of this law, the things written in this scroll, and refuse to fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, 28:59 then the Lord will increase your punishments and those of your descendants – great and long-lasting afflictions and severe, enduring illnesses.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, if they did not obey all 613 laws, if they did not honor the name and character of King Jehovah, then King Jehovah Himself would bring all of these curses upon Israel, including diseases and cannibalism.
28:60 He will infect you with all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will persistently afflict you.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would inflict Israel with the same diseases which afflicted Egypt. These diseases included the boils affliction of the Ten Plagues. King Jehovah would have to inflict this same plague upon Israel to get her attention and keep her from destroying herself through idolatry.
28:61 Moreover, the Lord will bring upon you every kind of sickness and plague not mentioned in this scroll of commandments, until you have perished.
If the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic Covenant, then King Jehovah would bring "every kind" of fatal disease against Israel. This included the Egyptian boils plague, the Bubonic Plague, leprosy, cancer, and syphilis diseases.
28:62 There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you will have disobeyed the Lord your God.
God promised Abraham that his seed would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky.” This prophecy will be fulfilled during the Millennial Kingdom. Until then, Israel would disobey the Mosaic Covenant and her population would decrease rather than increase. By the time of Adolf Hitler, the Jewish population would dwindle to 18,000,000. Adolph Hitler would kill another six million Jews through his Polish death camps.
28:63 This is what will happen: Just as the Lord delighted to do good for you and make you numerous, he will take delight in destroying and decimating you. You will be uprooted from the land you are about to possess.
Since the subjects of Israel would not keep this conditional Mosaic covenant, King Jehovah would delight in destroying and decimating her. Israel would be removed temporarily from her land that she was to one day eternally possess. This meant that King Jehovah could not destroy every single Jew, because He would have to keep a believing Jewish remnant alive to fulfill His unconditional land promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
28:64 The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of wood and stone.
After the temple destruction of 70 A.D., the Jews were scattered all over the entire Gentile world. Today, there are Jews in every nation of the world.
28:65 Among those nations you will have no rest nor will there be a place of peaceful rest for the soles of your feet, for there the Lord will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a spirit of despair.
The Jews would have no rest among the Gentiles nations, because there would be an attitude of antisemitism among the Gentiles. Gentiles of the satanic world system are scared of the Jews, because Israel will rule over them one day. Therefore, Gentiles would constantly persecute and plunder Israel. Over 50% of the United Nations decisions have been aimed at anti-Israeli foreign policy.
28:66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be terrified by night and day and will have no certainty of surviving from one day to the next.
Satan does not want the Jews around. He has pronounced a bounty upon their heads. Adolph Hitler attempted to solve this Jewish problem with his Final Solution. Adolph Hitler may have been Satan's dry run of the coming Antichrist.
Antisemitism among the Gentile nations would cause them to persecute and attempt genocide upon the Jews. The Jews would be called “Christ-killers.” They would not be welcome in any nation.
28:67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘I wish it were morning!’ because of the things you will fear and the things you will see.
The Jews would live in constant fear inside of these anti-Semitic Gentile nations. They would wish for evening in the morning and morning in the evening. Every day would become a horror and every night would become a nightmare. Adolph Hitler would kill six million Jews during the holocaust.
28:68 Then the Lord will make you return to Egypt by ship, over a route I said to you that you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
The Jews were about to leave their slave life in Egypt, but their violation of the conditional Mosaic Covenant would cause them to return to the slave pits of Egypt. After the temple destruction of 70 A.D., Josephus recorded that many of the Jews were sold as slaves into Egypt.
Moses looked into the future and warned Israel of what was to come. The Bible is a negative book, because man is totally depraved and evil. Man's sin causes him suffering and death. God warns man about the end results of his sin. Man will never be able to accuse God of not giving him all the facts. Therefore, man will have no excuse when he stands before a Holy God who warned them of the total effects of sin.
However, the Bible is also a Book of Hope. The only hope of man is the grace of God. The Lord Jesus Christ will return and restore the earth to its previous Garden of Eden conditions. Until that future event happens, man is to study and apply Bible doctrine at the deepest level. He is to use the gifts that God has given him to perform the task that God has called him to perform. There is nothing more important in this life than executing this divine call of God. Therefore, ask God to reveal His supernatural gift to you and then execute His plan. Either you will change the world, or the world will change you.