Deuteronomy 28:38–39

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience. Those consequences were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, who are still loved for the sake of their fathers. Breaking the law as a principle of relationship with God has its own consequences, on the point of a righteousness that was an adequate ground of God's acceptance. Those must not be confused with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 refers to the latter.

Israel would plant much seed and get little return (v.38), for locusts would consume their crops. Worms would eat up the fruit of their vineyards (v.39). They would have no return from their olive trees (v.40). This applies to believers spiritually today. Whatever we plant, and whatever energy we put into declaring the Word of God to others, it will bear little fruit if we ourselves disobey God. How important that a faithful life backs up our spoken testimony!

No doubt God had used Midianites, Philistines and other enemies in earlier days to discipline Israel, especially when they were guilty of idolatry. But here He shows that His hand was stretched out to deal with it in a most humiliating way. Faithfulness to His government would have brought blessings in the basket and the store. Instead they had been most unfaithful. So now Jehovah would use even the insect world, so to speak, to deal with His people.

Man may have turned away from God and become hostile to Him, but all of nature still obeys Him and serves Him. So the sinner stands in a stream of hostile forces, the hosts of the Lord, and the army of locusts pictures them for us. "The locusts have no king," says Agur, "yet all of them march in rank" (Prov. 30:27)... They keep this discipline by instinct, under a king no one can see. That shows whose hosts they are, and who leads them: the Lord calls them "His army" (Joel 2:11). To contend with them is hopeless.

The great locust plague and the drought were a punishment from Jehovah. Moses and Solomon had already prophesied such forms of judgement (Deut. 28:38-39 and 1 Kings 8:37). But the people of Israel would not recognise the hand of Jehovah in it. This is why, in chapter 1, the prophet calls the old men and the priests to lamentation and to repentance.

They set their hearts on rest, ease, and prosperity in this world. They wanted to find their "life" in their comforts, and so they lost it, because they had left God out of the account... they forfeited the very blessings they were labouring for. How common this mistake is, even among Christians! The blessing may differ in character, but the principle still holds... Let us never forget that there is such a thing as a present judgment of God. He notices the conduct of His people. In His fatherly government and care He deals with them according to the state of their heart and walk.

All who rely on works of the law are under a curse — not only those who broke the law, but everyone on that principle, like the Galatians who were bewitched. Spiritually, it was no use to tell us of the blessings on Mount Gerizim. Deuteronomy 28 does not speak of the personal curse. It speaks of governmental blessings or curses, and these are temporary.

Israel would plant much seed and get little return, for locusts would consume their crops. Worms would eat up the fruit of their vineyards. They would have no return from their olive trees. This can be applied to believers spiritually today. Whatever we plant, and whatever energy we put into telling others the Word of God, little fruit will come of it if we ourselves are disobedient to God. How important that a faithful, practical life backs up the testimony we speak!

In the Scriptures, wine speaks of earthly joy, and God sought that joy from His earthly people, Israel. Isaiah 5 compares Israel to a vine, and verse 2 of that chapter lists all that God did so that it would bear fruit... "What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" God asked. He had done everything possible, yet when He came to taste the fruit there was no wine for Him. He could have no joy in His earthly people.

The blight over the land reached the religious offerings too — the grain offering and the drink offering. One was the witness of devotedness, the other of joy before God. Both were cut off from the house of Jehovah... "The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes... all the trees of the field are dried up, and gladness dries up from the children of man."

This is simply God keeping the promises He made to His people. He gave those promises on the condition that they observed and kept His commandments... And let it not be forgotten that there is a sense in which this may be true now of the children of God. If they ignore His word and live for themselves, God will often come in and deal with them in their circumstances. How many people have set their hearts on getting on in the world! They worked hard and long to reach their goal. Then, just as it came in sight, all the fruit of their labour suddenly disappeared!

"I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted." It is clear that these blessings, and those in the two passages before them, did not come true when the captives returned from Babylon. Each one describes a restoration under Jehovah's blessing, a lasting state of happiness and holiness. Israel has never yet enjoyed this.