Tag: curses
Consequence of Breaking God’s Law
Scripture reading for July 22: Deuteronomy 28:15,22-23 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. . . . . .The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with plight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.”
God’s people were to be blessed and kept from sickness and disease by the presence of their Lord in their midst. God required them to listen to Him and obey His commands and their lives would be blessed and they would avoid the curses that would result from living in disobedience.
Deuteronomy 28 was part of the Old Covenant of Law under Moses. God clearly stated that His people would be blessed by carefully following His instructions. The blessings would run after them and overtake them. He also clearly warned them that there would be definite consequences called curses that would also pursue them if they lived in rebellion to His commandments. God had made provision for inadvertent sins in that animal sacrifices could be offered to obtain forgiveness and mercy for the one who broke God’s command without knowledge or accidentally.
Jesus Christ came to pay our penalty for breaking God’s laws. He completely kept God’s laws and was the only man to ever live a sinless life. He took the curse of the broken law for us on the cross and paid sin’s penalty of death in our place. (Colossians 2:13-15) Peter declares “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the blessings of Your salvation which provides us with forgiveness of sins and healing for our bodies. May we by faith experience Your blessings running after us and overtaking us! Amen.
Difficult choices?
Scripture Reading for February 29: Deuteronomy 27-30
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord Your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
God so clearly spelled out His desire for His people’s blessing and life. He had redeemed them and shown them His love by the signs and wonders and continuous provisions. Their clothes and shoes had not worn out. They ate the manna each day for forty years and had meat too. They drank the water from the rock. (Deuteronomy 29:2-6) Their enemies had been defeated and God had cared for them. (Deuteronomy 29:7-8) Moses asked them to make a choice. Did they want “life and blessing”? Or would they prefer “death and curses”? He even gave them the answer if they were having trouble figuring out the right choice: “choose life”!
There is something about sinful human nature that is blind to simple truth. We are taken captive by the lies of the flesh that tell us that our own way is the best. God’s way is too narrow and life like He wants for us is too restrictive. It’s too difficult to try! (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
Moses told the people it wasn’t too hard for them and the Apostle Paul quoted him in Romans 10:6-12. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be saved from the curses of the Law and the penalty of death. We believe in our heart that Christ died for us and was raised from the dead. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
“But what does it say? “The word is near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart”, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:8-10