Today’s reading has both encouragement and warnings. It lists blessings and curses and what causes both experiences.

It also calls for obedience in some special areas and that’s where we will begin.

First Fruits and Tithes

God told Israel that when they entered Canaan and planted crops, they were to give the first fruits of their harvest to the priest in the place God appointed for worship. The person making the offering recited the story of Israel in Egypt and their deliverance by God, then he presented the basket of first fruits from the harvest as a gift of thanks to the Lord.

The Israelites cultivated their new orchards for three years before harvesting the fruit. In the third year they brought a tithe of the fruit to the place God appointed for worship and gave it to the priest. It was shared among the Levites, foreigners, the fatherless, and widows. The giver vowed to God that this was the whole tithe and that no part of it had become unclean; nor had it been used for any pagan practices such as an offering to the dead.

Relationship Sealed by Obedience

The Lord wanted it to be clear that Israel must keep all of these commandments.

 “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.” Deuteronomy 26:16-17

God promised fame and honor among the nations, as well as a wonderful relationship with him if they complied.

“And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

A Monument to the Law

Israel was soon going to cross the Jordan River. Mt. Ebal was on the other side and when they arrived there, God wanted them to build a stone monument and cover it with plaster. On the plaster they were to engrave all of the words of the Law and then sacrifice fellowship offerings and enjoy a festival before the Lord.

This was the equivalent of a nation planting its flag and claiming territory. The “flag” Israel raised was a stone altar with the Law of the Covenant written on its sides. They were a new nation claiming their land.

“Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, ‘Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.’” Deuteronomy 27:9-10

Blessings and Curses

There are three sections of vital instruction in Deuteronomy 27:11 – 29:1.

Deuteronomy 27:11-26 lists sins that would bring a curse. This list was going to be recited to Israel at Mt. Ebal, as soon as they entered Canaan. Six of the tribes would stand on the mountain and as the Levites recited the list, the people would shout “Amen!”

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lists the blessings of obedience. “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.” (verses 1-2)

 Deuteronomy 28:15-68  lists what it’s like to be cursed for disobedience. In verses 16-19 it appears that every part of life would suffer.

^“You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”

Fear the Lord

There are a couple of ways to understand the phrase, “Fear the Lord.” Martin Luther referred to them as filial fear and servile fear.

Filial fear of God is like the deep respect a child has for her powerful father. She knows she is safe in his love, but she is also aware of his superior strength. She wants to obey him because she loves him so much, and because she is obedient, she basks in his approval. She is glad and grateful that he is her father. She is proud to be his daughter and she’s happiest when she’s near him.

 The prisoner awaiting sentencing trembles with servile fear as the judge announces his fate. Dread of punishment can be a deterrent to crime.

Matthew 10:28 Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Dire Warnings

Deuteronomy 28:15-68 gives many reasons why people should fear the Lord and be as obedient to him as a loving child is to her father. The list of curses for Israel’s disobedience is long and terrifying. As the Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 10:30-31,

“For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

A Unique Passage

There are very few chapters in the Bible that focus on judgment the way Deuteronomy 28:15-68 does. It might be tempting to dismiss because this chapter because it is so unusual, dark, and frightening, but that would be wrong. God commanded that this passage be added to the Law, and what he moved Moses to write here could only have come from the mind of God.

Many of these curses were prophetic and were fulfilled later in the story of Israel. Over the coming centuries the Israelites were going to succumb to idolatry and then these curses would fall on them. Only God could have known what lay ahead when he warned Israel not to break his Law.

The Grace of Scripture

Not everyone sinned and was cursed, of course. Throughout the history of Israel there were people who heard the Law and obeyed. Whoever listened and paid heed to the Word received the blessings God offered.

There is grace inherent in the gift of Scripture. God tells us what is best and we choose how to respond. If we practice a filial fear of God, and obey because we love him, we get all of the goodness God has to give.

If we deliberately disobey all we are left with is servile fear and dread of judgment. It’s important to understand the curses that come from that choice.

“These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.” Deuteronomy 29:1

 And the Word of the Lord stands forever.