Deuteronomy 28:38–62

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.

Deuteronomy 28 gives us the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. Those results were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, who are still loved for their fathers' sakes. Breaking the law had consequences for relationship with God, on the question of a righteousness good enough to be the ground of His acceptance. We must not confuse those with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government.

It falls into two clear parts. In the first, we have a full and most blessed statement of the results of obedience. In the second, a deeply solemn and moving statement of the awful consequences of disobedience. It is striking that the section containing the curses is more than three times the length of the one containing the blessings. That has fifteen verses; this has fifty-three.

When we hear of olives we think of oil, and oil mattered a great deal in Bible times. Kings and priests were anointed with oil, and one tree can give as much as fifteen gallons. When the Bible speaks of medicine, or ointment, the word used is "olive oil" since this was the base of most healing balms. The berries were good to eat and the Jews made butter of the oil as well as using it for light... Besides this, pure olive oil fuelled the lamps in the Holy Place of both the tabernacle and the temple.

See also Isaiah 61:3, where the "oil of gladness" is given instead of mourning. It reminds us of the oil that makes a man's face shine. All these passages and many others are full of meaning: adornment, honour and joy are all the results of our having been anointed by the Spirit.

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). We can apply this to believers today. Whatever planting we do, whatever energy we put into telling others the Word of God, it will bear little fruit if we ourselves are disobeying God. How important that our spoken testimony be matched by faithfulness in our daily life!

This is the only other mention of joy in the book. I refer to Deuteronomy 28:47-48: "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything." When joy fails, there is real loss of the possession here on our tested path. Is there not danger for us?... How we need to watch and guard the heart against the first weakening of joy! It is a sign that decline has begun, and once the heart starts to go, the slide is quick and easy.

Destruction does not mean being wiped out of existence. To destroy is to make something unfit for the purpose it was first made for. A dish smashed to pieces is destroyed, though it still exists. So Israel's destruction is not permanent, as Romans 9, 10, and 11 assure us, for God knows how to restore in His matchless grace.

It is merely national. It has nothing to do with the soul in the sight of God. "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field." This is not what a poor soul wants. It in no way meets a sense of guilt or a dread of judgment. The sinner needs something which will stand for ever. He wants what will be in heaven, and not merely in the field or in the city. … Here it is a particular curse which falls on a particular sphere.

In the government of God, children have to suffer for the sins of their parents, and nations for the sins of their rulers. Men may murmur against this and call it injustice. But the fact remains. If a man squanders his inheritance and abuses his body, his children will have to suffer for it in want and weakness. This does not extend beyond this present life, and the sorrows here on earth are short lived. God will make no man undergo the judgment of Gehenna — hell — for the sins of others, but only for those he himself has committed. Any observant soul can see this proved in countless cases: the sins of the fathers fall on the children, and God shows mercy to the descendants of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Because of Israel's disobedience to God, their sons and daughters would go into captivity (v.41). This has been spiritually true in many Christian households. The children have heard the gospel of God's grace. But if the parents are disobedient, a legal type of Christianity will very likely take the children captive and put them in bondage to human laws.

We may add one remark about the children of religious parents. Too often they show the same anxiety as worldly families to place their children in positions the world counts honourable. For this end many a believer will not hesitate to place his child among scenes of temptation, open to evil. There no one can expect the care of the Spirit of God to follow them. We believe the result will be found in countless cases. Religious parents have been visited with a curse upon their children, just in proportion as they themselves have been involved in the world.

Further in Deuteronomy 30 Moses declares what happens when Israel comes to repentance among the nations where they are driven. They return to Jehovah their God and obey His voice. Then He will return their captivity. In His compassion He will gather them back and bring them into the land. He will not only bless and multiply them there, but also put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have law. It is not looked at in its own nature, as a question between God and man. It is treated as the rule of God's government on earth, dealing with the circumstances of man. So here we have the blessing on one side and the curse on the other. Nothing could be plainer than this teaching, once the idea is grasped.

They could have had blessings in the basket and the store by staying faithful to His government. Instead they had been deeply unfaithful. So now the LORD would use even the insect world to deal with His people.

Locusts would eat up the trees and all the produce of the land (v.42). Israel has often suffered from such infestations. This is a blow God sends directly, and it should have driven Israel back to Him in repentance.

The locust plague that stripped Israel's land bare was a judgment from the Lord. It was one of the judgments the Lord sent on Egypt. Moses had announced beforehand, as a prophecy, that the Lord would use locusts to punish His people (see Deuteronomy 28:38, 42).

About this twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy: if the reader simply grasps how completely different it is from the chapter before it, he will be able to read it with spiritual understanding and real profit... And we cannot help being struck by this. The section holding the curses is more than three times the length of the one holding the blessings. The blessings take fifteen verses; the curses take fifty-three. The whole chapter gives us a striking commentary on the government of God... All the nations of the earth may learn from Israel's remarkable history that God must punish disobedience — and that He punishes it first of all in His own people. And if He has not spared His own people, what will the end be for those who do not know Him?

Later, in Deuteronomy 30, Moses declares what will happen when Israel comes to repentance among the nations they are driven into. If they return to the LORD their God and obey His voice, He will bring them back from captivity. In His compassion He will gather them and bring them into the land. He will not only bless them and multiply them there, but will also put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

Foreigners would gain the upper hand over Israel. Israel would have to borrow from foreigners instead of the other way around (v.44). So the foreigner would be the head and Israel the tail. This reverses what would be true if Israel were obedient (vs.12-13).

This, no doubt, refers to Israel as a nation. They are destined to be the head of all the nations of the earth. Such is the sure and settled purpose and counsel of God concerning them. They are sunk very low now. They are scattered and lost among the nations, suffering the terrible consequences of their persistent disobedience. They are sleeping in the dust of the earth, as we read in Daniel 12. Yet as a nation they will rise and shine in far brighter glory than Solomon's.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have law. It is not viewed in its own nature, as a question between God and man. It is viewed as the rule of government on earth, dealing with man's circumstances. And so here we have the blessing on one hand and the curse on the other.

In the first, we have a full and most blessed statement of the results of obedience. In the second, we have a deeply solemn and moving statement of the terrible consequences of disobedience. One thing must strike us: the section of curses is more than three times as long as the section of blessings. That consists of fifteen verses; this of fifty-three. The whole chapter furnishes an impressive commentary on the government of God.

Orthodox Jews read through all five books of Moses in their synagogues each year. When they reach this chapter, the Rabbi reads in a hushed voice. They do well to read it quietly and think it over. The sad and sorrowful history of that wonderful nation is written here in advance. Thousands of years ago the Spirit of God, through Moses, outlined the history of the scattered nation and all their suffering and trouble, as it has been for nearly two thousand years and as it is still.

What a warning this chapter is to Gentile Christendom! "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you" (Rom. 11:21).

Destruction does not mean annihilation. To destroy is to make something unfit for the purpose it was first made for. A dish smashed to pieces is destroyed, though it is not annihilated. So Israel's destruction is not permanent. Romans 9, 10, and 11 assure us of this, for God knows how to restore in His matchless grace.

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 fathers' sakes. Breaking the law had another kind of consequence. There the law is the basis of relationship with God, and the question is a righteousness good enough to be the ground of His acceptance. We must not confuse that with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 speaks of these temporary consequences.

Foreigners would get the upper hand over Israel. Israel would have to borrow from them instead of the other way around (v.44). So the foreigner would be the head and Israel the tail. This reverses what would be true if Israel obeyed (vv.12-13).

We can easily see that "the rich rules over the poor" (v. 7). Yet if a poor man puts his confidence in the Lord, he does not need to be under the rich. The Lord will sustain him. But if we borrow from others, we will find ourselves under the lender. How much better to "Owe no one anything except to love one another" (Rom. 13:8).

Deuteronomy 28 gives us part of the charge Moses gave to the people of Israel, all twelve tribes, at the close of his remarkable career. The blessings promised were to follow obedience; the curses, disobedience. Now is the British nation obedient to God? Does the history of the last thousand years bear witness to this?

God does not intend the Gentile to be supreme. His plan and purpose, as we know well all through Scripture, is that Israel shall be the head and the Gentiles the tail. This alone lets us understand the history of the world, and the strange state it has been in ever since the times of the Gentiles began. Men have long boasted about this very time that God calls the times of the Gentiles… It is a mere interval of time, which came in only because of the rebellious, apostate sin of Israel.

In such a case Israel would be the head of the nations, and not the tail (v.13). Sadly, through rebellion against God, Israel became the tail for centuries. They did not even hold their own land, and they are still far from the place of head of the nations. But when they are turned back to receive the Lord Jesus, their true Messiah, everything will change. They will again be the head of all nations for the whole thousand years of millennial blessing.

Whatever we plant, whatever energy we put into telling others the Word of God, it will bear little fruit if we ourselves disobey God. How important that our words are matched by a faithful life!

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. The fate of that unhappy people fulfilled those results in a solemn way, and they are still loved for the fathers' sakes. Breaking the law has its own consequences. There the law stands as the principle of relationship with God, and the question is a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse those consequences with the temporary results of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 speaks of these last.

It is merely national. It has nothing to do with the soul in the sight of God… This is not what a poor soul wants. It in no way meets a sense of guilt or a dread of judgment. The sinner needs something that will stand for ever. He wants what will be in heaven, not merely in the field or in the city.

It divides naturally into two parts… And we cannot help noticing that the section containing the curses is more than three times as long as the one containing the blessings… All the nations of the earth may learn from Israel's remarkable history that God must punish disobedience, and that He does so first of all in His own people. And if He has not spared His own people, what will be the end of those who do not know Him?

So part of this chapter shows us the state Israel would be in right down to the present day… They would become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations where the LORD would lead them. This is not a question of dealing according to God's nature. It is a matter of His ways with a nation in this world, and nothing more.

Because Israel disobeyed, all these curses would come on them until they were destroyed (v.45). Has Israel been destroyed? Yes! God says in Hosea 13:9, "O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is in Me." Destruction does not mean annihilation. To destroy something is to make it unfit for the purpose it was first made for. A dish smashed to pieces is destroyed, though it is not annihilated. So Israel's destruction is not permanent, as Romans 9, 10 and 11 assure us. God knows how to restore in His matchless grace.

In Deuteronomy 30, Moses declares what will happen when Israel come to repentance among the nations where they are driven. They will return to the LORD their God and obey His voice. Then He will end their captivity, and in His compassion He will gather them back.

We, as Christians, are under the reign of grace. Does that in any way interfere with the action and range of divine government? Not at all. It is as true today as it ever was that "whatever one sows, that will he also reap." It would be a serious mistake to take the freedom of divine grace as an excuse to trifle with the rules of divine government. The two things are quite distinct, and we should never confuse them. Grace can pardon — freely, fully, eternally — but the wheels of the LORD's governmental chariot roll on.

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 fathers' sakes. Breaking the law, as a principle of relationship with God, raises the question of a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. We must not confuse the consequences of that with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 is about the second kind. As for Israel, the history of the world shows the threats of this chapter carried out.

These curses would be a sign and a wonder on Israel and their descendants (v.46). This sign is a witness to God's faithfulness and truth in dealing with His own failing people. This would make men wonder at the great sovereignty and righteousness of God, who would not spare sin in His own chosen people. All of this would be true because of their not serving the Lord with joy and gladness of heart when they had every reason to do so (v.47).

Israel failed completely. Despite the solemn and terrible picture set before their eyes, they forsook the Lord and served other gods, and so brought on themselves the severe judgements threatened here. Under the heavy weight of these judgements they are suffering at this very hour. Scattered and stripped, wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jehovah's unbending truth and justice. They read aloud, to all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson about the moral government of God. These nations would gain much by studying that lesson closely, and it would do our own hearts good to ponder it too.

There are more Jews today than even in the glory days of King Solomon. Yet they still remain scattered among the nations — a standing witness to fulfilled prophecy.

Has Israel been destroyed? Yes! God says in Hosea 13:9, "O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is in Me." Destruction does not mean annihilation. To destroy something is to make it unfit for the purpose it was first made for. A dish smashed to pieces is destroyed, though it is not wiped out. So Israel's destruction is not permanent. Romans 9, 10, and 11 assure us of this, for God knows how to restore in His matchless grace.

This is not grace but government; still it is true of a saint as well as of a sinner. God deals with His saints now in both ways, that is, in grace, and in righteous government. I shall never reap the reward of my sins in eternal blessedness, for that is infinite grace. But under righteous government I shall reap the reward of my wrongdoing down here.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience. The fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the fathers' sakes, fulfilled those consequences in a solemn way. Breaking the law, as a principle of relationship with God, had consequences for the question of a righteousness that was an adequate ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse those with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 has to do with the latter. We may notice for ourselves the deep instruction of verses 47, 48.

All of this would be true because of their not serving the Lord with joy and gladness of heart when they had every reason to do so (v.47).

Then they began to serve by singing TO HIM who had saved them; and they sang, "The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation!" ... But the Lord soon had to say about the national "son" He had set free from Egypt: "You did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things" (Deut. 28:47). Their singing gave place to murmuring and backsliding; but they were under the law.

Then again we have what is always brought out in the book of Deuteronomy. It is Jehovah gathering the people round Himself. In the delight of His people He delights. He would have them happy in Himself, and enjoying all He had given them to enjoy.

In refusing to serve God they would become servants to their enemies, and in this would suffer hunger and thirst and nakedness. The yoke of law on their necks was hard enough. Instead of it they would have a yoke of iron — bondage to cruel enemies (v.48).

Failing in joy, there is practical loss of the possession — here, in our tested path. Is there not danger for us? ... What need of diligent, watchful keeping of the heart against the first weakening of joy! This shows that decline has begun, and the descent is easy and rapid once the heart begins to go.

If we are not separated from the world by affection, we shall be separated by discipline in the world. He will trouble our souls to get us separate, if in spirit and in heart we are not separate. "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart … therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord your God will send against you."

Surely our thankful hearts gladly respond to the sweet singer's stirring words — "Serve the Lord with gladness!" Our wretched lost state is left behind for ever. It is not fitting to serve with sadness! The apostle Paul had plenty of trials, weaknesses, persecutions and imprisonments to sadden him. But he had in Christ what nothing could rob him of. So he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!"

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience — consequences solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the sake of their fathers. The law was a principle of relationship with God, and breaking it touched the whole question of a righteousness good enough for God to accept. Those consequences must not be confused with the temporary results of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 speaks of the latter. We may notice for ourselves the deep instruction of verses 47, 48. As to Israel, universal history presents to us the fulfilment of the threats of the chapter.

This is what God loves to see in His people. Yet the day came when their poor wayward hearts said, "What a weariness this is!" (Malachi 1:13). All their sorrows came upon them because they did not serve the LORD their God "with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things."

Deuteronomy has seven distinct places calling on the people to rejoice. And the charge the Lord has against them is that they did not serve Him "with joyfulness and gladness of heart."

In refusing to serve God they would become servants to their enemies, and in this would suffer hunger and thirst and nakedness. Instead of the yoke of law on their necks — hard enough in itself — they would have a yoke of iron, that is, bondage to cruel enemies.

So it must be, thank God: everyone must serve the glorious Lord we acknowledge. Willing or unwilling, free or slave — that is the only choice allowed. But how weighty the results of that choice are!

When joy fails, we lose in practice what we possess — here, on the path where we are tested. Is there not danger for us? ... May not heavenly things lose their power over our hearts? Are we not aware how everything around us tends to drag us down to the level of the world we walk in? How carefully we need to guard the heart against the first weakening of joy! For this shows that decline has begun, and the descent is easy and rapid once the heart begins to go.

If we are not separated by affection from the world, we shall be separated by discipline in the world. He will trouble our souls to get us separate, if in spirit and heart we are not separate.

Further, in Deuteronomy 30 Moses declares what will happen when Israel repents among the nations where they have been driven. If they return to the LORD their God and obey His voice, He will turn their captivity. In His compassion He will gather them back and bring them into the land. He will not only bless and multiply them there, but also put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. Those results were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the sake of their fathers. Breaking the law, as the principle of relationship with God, had consequences for righteousness — for whether a person had an adequate ground of God's acceptance. Those consequences must not be confused with the temporary results of disobedience under God's government.

In Deuteronomy 28:47-48 Israel did not serve the LORD with joy and gladness of heart while they had plenty of everything; so they would serve the enemies the LORD would send against them, in hunger and thirst and want. When joy fails, the possession is lost in practice, here on the path where we are tested. Is there not danger for us too? Do we not feel how everything around us drags us down to the level of the world we walk in? How we need to guard the heart against the first weakening of joy! That is the sign that decline has begun, and once the heart starts to go, the fall is easy and fast.

The Lord would send a foreign nation against them. It would show no respect for old age and no compassion toward children (vv. 49-50). This likely refers to the attack of the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5-6), which devastated the ten tribes. It refers later to the attack of the Babylonians, when Judah came under bondage (2 Kings 24:1-3).

Moses plainly predicts the Roman power that would break the Jews, and at a time when no such power existed. The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. "A hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children.

The Chaldeans moved as fast and as nimbly as a pack of hungry wolves rushing on in silence. With gleaming eyes glowing in the dark, they were sure to reach their prey. Just at the right moment the horsemen came storming on, swift as eagles.

In Isaiah God warns the Jews, who were slow to listen to His prophets, that He would speak to them through the stumbling lips of foreigners. Such a tongue speaking to Israel was a sign that they were humbled, and a sign of God's judgment. How wrong, then, for the believers in Corinth to turn away from God speaking in prophecy to build them up, and to prefer tongues they could not understand! They took pleasure as Christians in what had been God's solemn threat to His ancient people for their stubborn refusal to listen.

Yet we find the word "destroy" used to predict the curse on Israel. As a nation they are still under that penalty, and it is not "utter extinction," as the passage itself shows. It says they would be left few in number — which is not extinction at all. In chapter 30 it is added further, "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse ... and you return to the LORD your God ... then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes." Here is national repentance and restoration predicted.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government in the midst of that people, and the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience — consequences so solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the fathers' sakes. The law was a principle of relationship with God, and it raised the question of a righteousness good enough for His acceptance. Breaking it brought consequences of that kind. Do not confuse them with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 is about the temporary kind. As to Israel, the history of the world shows us the threats of this chapter carried out.

Moses clearly predicted the Roman power that was used to break the Jews, and that at a time when no such power existed. Read verses 49-50: "The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away... swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you do not understand." The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. "…who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children.

The Lord had struck them, as He said, with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. They groped at noonday as the blind grope in darkness. The yoke of iron was fastened on their neck. The hard-faced nation that flies like an eagle had come upon them, because they did not fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God.

God has combined two elements in these revelations. On one side He judges what was wrong in His own people. On the other He judges merciless enemies who did not know His gracious purpose to chasten His people. He would not leave His people unpunished; but could He permit a full end? So He measured the chastening, and its end matched the goodness of God. Meanwhile God lets the enemy pour out hatred on His people without limit or restraint. Yet He does not merely use that hatred for the good of His own people and for the punishment of their unfaithfulness. He would surely turn on the cruel enemy when His purpose was accomplished.

Every verse from the fifteenth to the end of this chapter has found its fulfilment, again and again. What a warning this chapter is to Gentile Christendom! "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you" (Rom. 11:21).

The Gentiles destroyed Jerusalem so completely that the Roman plough passed over the city (Micah 3:12). Death or slavery was the appointed portion of her people (Deut. 28:49-57). But again the star of Jacob will rise. The sons of her destroyers will build up her walls and pour their treasures and wealth into the city of the Saviour's love and choice (Isa. 60).

Deuteronomy 28 does not speak of the personal curse. It speaks of blessings or curses in God's government, and these are therefore temporary. Deuteronomy 29 applies everything to the conscience.

This is the substance of the covenant by which they held the comforts they still enjoyed in the land, as set out in Deuteronomy 28, after they had broken the first covenant. And this is the principle of restoration — covenants of faith, once they had lost the fruits of the first — as given in Deuteronomy 30: "and return to the LORD your God and obey His voice in all that I command you today."

The Lord would send a foreign nation against them that would show no respect for old age and no compassion toward children (vv. 49-50). This likely refers to the attack of the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5-6), which devastated the ten tribes. Later it refers to the attack of the Babylonians, when Judah fell under bondage (2 Kings 24:1-3).

Moses clearly predicted the Roman power that was used to break the Jews, and that at a time when no such power existed... The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies; the Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. The nation would "not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children.

Now, in His government, God allows the enemy to besiege Samaria, and this leads to "a great famine" in the city. The people in the city come to terrible desperation, and the solemn prophecy spoken more than five hundred years before comes true. Moses had warned the people of God that if they turned away from Him, a time would come when their enemies would besiege them. They would come to such desperation that tender, delicate women would secretly eat their own young children.

The whole chapter gives an impressive commentary on the government of God... All the nations of the earth may learn from Israel's remarkable history that God must punish disobedience, and that, first of all, in His own people. And if He has not spared His own people, what will be the end of those who do not know Him?

Deuteronomy 28 uses the word six times of Israel, and not once does it mean they cease to exist: "Every sickness also and every affliction... the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed." Are they extinct? No — "you shall be left few in number"; and after the curse has been fulfilled, Scripture adds that the LORD "will restore your fortunes"! (Deuteronomy 30:1-3.)

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have 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. They concern a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse them with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 is about these temporary consequences.

Moses clearly predicted the Roman power that would break the Jews, and he did so at a time when no such power existed. Read verses 49-50: the LORD will bring a nation against them from far away, from the end of the earth, as swift as a flying eagle, a nation whose language they will not understand. The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. That nation will not respect the old or show mercy to the young. Rome killed the old people and the children. The Roman legions fulfilled this in their siege and overthrow of Jerusalem.

This likely refers to the attack of the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5-6), which devastated the ten tribes. Later it refers to the attack of the Babylonians, who brought Judah into bondage (2 Kings 24:1-3).

These enemies would strip the land of all its produce and leave nothing for Israel (v.52). They would besiege the cities, however strong their walls. Hunger would drive the people inside so far that they ate their own children (v.53)... We may well wonder why such things did not drive people's hearts back to the Lord. Yet in verse 54 we read that even the most refined people would turn against their wives and their children.

He would not stop warning His people where their deadly stubbornness would lead. God did not drive them out of their land until He had used every means. What we are now coming to was predicted long before, in vivid detail, in Deuteronomy 28:52-58.

What a warning this chapter is to Gentile Christendom! "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you" (Romans 11:21).

Further in Deuteronomy 30 Moses declares what will happen when Israel come to repentance among the nations where they are driven. If they return to the LORD their God and obey His voice, He will return their captivity. In His compassion He will gather them back and bring them into the land. He will not only bless and multiply them there, but will also put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

There is no need for elaborate explanation. The chapter divides into two clear parts. In the first, we have a full and blessed statement of the results of obedience. In the second, we have a very solemn and moving statement of the terrible consequences of disobedience. And we cannot help noticing that the part holding the curses is more than three times the length of the part holding the blessings... It is utter folly for anyone to try to escape the full force of such passages, or to explain them away. It cannot be done.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience — consequences so solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the sake of their fathers. The consequences of breaking the law as the principle of relationship with God — the question of a righteousness good enough as ground for God's acceptance — must not be confused with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 deals with the second of these.

These enemies would devastate the land of all its produce, leaving nothing for Israel (v.52). They would besiege the cities, no matter how well fortified, causing the starving occupants to go so far as to eat their own children (v.53). We may well wonder why such things would not drive people's hearts back to the Lord. But in verse 54 we read that even the most refined people would turn against their wives and their children.

These curses would be a sign and a wonder on Israel and their descendants (v.46). This sign witnesses to God's faithfulness and truth in dealing with His own failing people. It would make people wonder at the great sovereignty and righteousness of God, who would not spare sin in His own chosen people. All of this would come because they did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness of heart when they had every reason to do so (v.47).

This abomination had at last come to pass.

The famine at Samaria brought such distress that women ate their own children. It was simply a fulfilment of the judgments threatened against a people who had turned away from God. The same horror occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and also, according to Josephus, during the siege by Titus in AD 70.

The siege and capture of Jerusalem by the Romans had been foretold by Moses and the prophets and by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and some of the darkest parts of Scripture describe it (see Deuteronomy 28:49-68; Zechariah 11; Luke 21:20-24). They had chosen a murderer instead of their King, and now murder and slaughter engulf them... How solemn to think that the worst is still to come (Matthew 24:21).

When joy fails, there is a real loss of the possession — here, on our tested path. Is there not danger for us?... May not heavenly things lose their power over our hearts? How we need to guard the heart, watchful against the first weakening of joy! That weakening shows that decline has begun, and once the heart starts to go, the fall is easy and fast.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. Those results were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, who are still beloved for the fathers' sakes. Breaking the law, as a principle of relationship with God, has its own consequences on the point of a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse those with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. It is to these latter that chapter 28 refers.

They would besiege the cities, however well fortified. The starving people inside would go so far as to eat their own children (v.53). See 2 Kings 6:28-29 and Jeremiah 19:8-9. We may well wonder why such things would not drive people's hearts back to the Lord. But in verse 54 we read that even the most refined of people would turn hostile toward their wives and their children. Hunger would make them so desperate that no thought was left for even the closest loved ones (v.55).

Used symbolically for the seat of deep affection. John speaks of the Lord Jesus as the only begotten Son "in the bosom of the Father." John 1:18. The tender and sacred relationship which husband and wife have to each other is also called the "bosom." Deut. 28:54, 56.

In the Scriptures, the evil eye often keeps close company with covetousness, selfishness and envious jealousy. The evil eye ignores the sufferings of others if it can secure personal gain. The Lord warned the people of Israel against having an evil eye towards a poor brother in need and withholding proper help from him (Deut. 15:7-9; Deut. 28:54-55).

Moses had warned the people of God that if they departed from God, the time would come when, besieged by their enemies, they would come to such desperate need that tender, delicate women would secretly eat their young children (Lev. 26:21-29; Deut. 28:49-57). This abomination had at last come to pass.

Moses clearly predicted the Roman power that would break the Jews, and he did so at a time when no such power existed. Read verses 49-50. "The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand." The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. The same passage says, "a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children. These words were fulfilled in the dreadful sieges of Jerusalem, perhaps the most terrible events in the history of blood and tears of this poor earth.

"Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything." When joy fails, there is a practical loss of the possession here, on our tested path. What need there is of diligent, watchful keeping of the heart against the first weakening of joy! For this shows that decline has begun, and the descent is easy and rapid once the heart begins to go.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. Those results came true, with great solemnity, in the fate of that unhappy people, still loved for the sake of their fathers. Two things must not be confused. One is what follows from breaking the law when the law is treated as the basis of relationship with God — as a righteousness good enough for God to accept a person. The other is the temporary result of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 speaks of this second one.

Deuteronomy holds one more word of solemn meaning and warning for us. It is the only other mention of joy in the book. Deuteronomy 28:47-48 says: "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything." Lose your joy, and you lose the possession in practice... What need of diligent, watchful keeping of the heart against the first weakening of joy! For this shows that decline has begun, and the descent is easy and rapid once the heart begins to go.

These enemies would besiege the cities, no matter how well fortified. The starving people inside would go so far as to eat their own children (v.53)... We may well wonder why such things would not drive people's hearts back to the Lord, but in verse 54 we read that even the most refined of people would become hostile toward their wives and their children. Hunger would make them so desperate that they would have no thought left even for their closest loved ones (v.55).

Moses clearly predicted the Roman power that would break the Jews, and he did so at a time when no such power existed. Read verses 49-50... The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies; the Jews knew many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. "Who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children... Moses went on to say that a refined woman would eat her own children in the siege (verses 54-57). This came true in the dreadful sieges of Jerusalem, perhaps the most terrible events in this poor earth's history of blood and tears. Every verse from the fifteenth to the end of this chapter has come true again and again.

Israel's heart was hardened, so that, in the famine accompanying the siege, instead of turning to Jehovah, some of the inhabitants in their terrible extremity turned to the horrible deed of eating even their own offspring! See Leviticus 26:26-29; Deuteronomy 28:52-53; which was finally fulfilled under the Romans.

It would take a great many pages to follow the different predictions and show their literal fulfilment in the nation, which turned away from Jehovah and disobeyed His Word. What a warning this chapter is to Gentile Christendom! "If God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you" (Rom. 11:21).

Deuteronomy 28 uses the word six times of Israel, and never once does it mean that they die out: "Also every sickness and every plague... them will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed." Are they extinct? No. Instead, "you shall be left few in number," and once the curse has run its course the book adds, "the LORD will restore your fortunes"! (Deut. 30:1-3.)

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people, and the immediate results of obedience or disobedience. Those results were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, who are still loved for the sake of their fathers. Breaking the law brings consequences of a different sort. As a principle of relationship with God, the law raised the question of a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse those with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 speaks of the temporary ones.

The graphic details of all this, and how it would affect both men and women, are most painful to read. Verses 56 and 57 speak of even the tender and delicate woman. She would eat her newborn infant and her placenta, in secret, hiding this from her husband. Verse 58 presses the reason again: "if you do not carefully observe all the words of these laws that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD."

The bosom stands for the seat of deep affection. John speaks of the Lord Jesus as the only begotten Son "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18). The tender and sacred relationship between husband and wife is also called the "bosom" (Deut. 28:54, 56).

Scripture often treats the evil eye as a close companion of covetousness, selfishness and envious jealousy. The evil eye ignores the sufferings of others if it can gain something for itself.

Moses clearly predicts the Roman power that would break the Jews, and he does so at a time when no such power existed. Read verses 49-50: "The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand." The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews understood many eastern languages, but they did not know Latin. "A hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young." Rome killed the old people and the children.

How true is Scripture! It had been foretold that a delicate and tender woman would eat her own children (Deut. 28:56-57). It had taken place at the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6:29), and it had now taken place at Jerusalem. There a mother cooked her own child and ate part of it. It is hard to fight against God!

Now it had turned out just as the Word had predicted. That is undeniable evidence that the Word of God must be fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not one letter or stroke of His Word can fail. It will be well with those who pay attention to those words.

In Deuteronomy 30 Moses declares what will happen when Israel come to repentance among the nations where they are driven. If they return to the LORD their God and obey His voice, then He will bring them back from captivity. In His compassion He will gather them and bring them into the land. There He will bless and multiply them, and He will put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse by being made a curse for us. Christ bears our curse that we might receive blessing.

This chapter is completely different from the one before it. Once the reader sees that, he can read it with spiritual understanding and real profit. It divides into two parts. In the first we have a full and most blessed statement of the results of obedience (verses 1-15). In the second we have a deeply solemn and moving statement of the awful consequences of disobedience (verses 16-68). One thing strikes us. The section of curses is more than three times the length of the section of blessings. That one has fifteen verses; this one has fifty-three. The whole chapter gives an impressive commentary on the government of God.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have the immediate consequences of obedience or disobedience. Those consequences were solemnly fulfilled in the fate of that unhappy people, still beloved for the fathers' sakes. Now, keeping the law was also a principle of relationship with God, a righteousness that could be an adequate ground of God's acceptance. Do not confuse the consequences of breaking it that way with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. It is to these latter that chapter 28 refers.

The graphic details of all this are most painful to read. They show how both men and women would suffer. Verses 56 and 57 speak of even the tender and delicate woman. She would eat her newborn infant and her afterbirth, in secret, hiding this from her husband. Verse 58 presses the reason again: "if you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God."

Now, under the government of God, God lets the enemy besiege Samaria. This led to "a great famine" in the city. The people were driven to terrible straits, and so a solemn prophecy spoken more than five hundred years earlier came true. Moses had warned the people of God that if they turned away from Him, a time would come when their enemies would besiege them. They would be driven to such straits that tender, delicate women would secretly eat their young children. This horror had at last come to pass.

There was such distress that women ate their own offspring. It was simply a fulfilment of the judgments threatened against an apostate people (Lev. 26:29; Deut. 28:53). The same horror occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Lam. 4:10) and also, according to Josephus, during the siege by Titus in A.D. 70.

Every trace of compassion, even of natural feeling, was wiped out. We are next told, "The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people" (verse 10). Only one thing accounts for such barbarity, and he adds it at once in verse 11: "The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations." What could be more thorough than to consume foundations?

Think of a woman, a mother, boiling and eating her own child. Impossible, you say. No, women did it. God had said they would do it. In an earlier book God told His people that if they sinned and turned away from Him, they would be reduced to such a state that they would eat their own offspring (Leviticus 26:29). And here they do it. The Word of God never fails. This is the beauty of Scripture: it paints man as he is, and woman as she is, and not as a historian or a novelist paints them.

Further, in Deuteronomy 30 Moses declares what happens when Israel come to repentance among the nations where they have been driven. They return to the LORD their God and obey His voice. Then He will restore them from captivity. In His compassion He will gather them back and bring them into the land. He will not only bless and multiply them there, but put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

It divides itself naturally into two parts. In the first, we have a full and most blessed statement of the results of obedience. In the second, we have a solemn and moving statement of the awful consequences of disobedience. And we cannot help noticing that the section of curses is more than three times the length of the section of blessings. That has fifteen verses; this has fifty-three. The whole chapter gives an impressive commentary on the government of God.

The graphic details of all this, and how both men and women would be affected, are most painful to read. Verses 56 and 57 speak of even the tender and delicate woman, who would eat her newborn infant in secret, hiding this from her husband. The reason is again pressed in verse 58: "if you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book."

It is very beautiful to note the close connection between hearing God's word and fearing His Name. It is one of those great root principles which never change, never lose their power or their real value. The word and the Name go together. The heart that loves the one will reverence the other, and bow to its holy authority in all things... God's aim in giving His word is that it should govern our conduct, form our character and shape our way. If His word does not have this practical effect on us, it is pointless to speak of loving Him.

Every time God declares His name, He calls for a matching separation from the world and sanctification to God. To Abraham God declared, "I am the Almighty God," and at once adds, "Walk before Me, and be blameless" (Gen. 17:1). To Israel God revealed Himself as Jehovah, and God looked for Israel's ways to match this name. They were to fear "this glorious and awesome name" (Deut. 28:58). How much more should there be a sanctification that matches the full revelation of God as the Father.

The fear of God is a foundation principle, but this in the special relationship God established with His people Israel. It is therefore "the fear of Jehovah." For as He chose to be made known to them in this way, so they were called to prize that name as their special privilege.

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 good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance. These must not be confused with the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. Chapter 28 refers to these last ones.

Jerusalem was the home of every unclean thing and bird of darkness; the Lord had struck them, as He said, with madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. They groped at noon as a blind man gropes in darkness. The yoke of iron was fastened on their neck. A nation with a fierce face had come upon them like a flying eagle, because they did not fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God.

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, still loved for the fathers' sakes. The law was also a principle of relationship with God, offering a righteousness that was adequate ground of His acceptance. Breaking it in that way brings consequences of its own. They must not be confused with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 is about the second kind.

God promised Israel that if they obeyed, He would take away all their sickness. He would put on them none of the evil diseases of Egypt, the ones they had known (Deut. 7:15).

Great and prolonged plagues and prolonged sicknesses would fall on them, like the plagues and diseases Egypt suffered before the Exodus. They would bring death and destruction, leaving them few in number (v.62), in contrast to the multiplied millions they once enjoyed.

It is striking that the curses take more than three times the space of the blessings. The blessings fill fifteen verses; the curses fill fifty-three. The whole chapter is an impressive commentary on the government of God. It shows with great force that "our God is a consuming fire." Israel's remarkable history teaches all the nations of the earth that God must punish disobedience, and that He begins with His own. And if He has not spared His own people, what shall be the end of those who do not know Him?

The Lord exercises righteous government with a closeness proportioned to nearness and privilege. It is useless for unbelief to complain, for this is exactly what righteousness is and should be. The more favoured you may be, so much the more responsibility increases. This was why God made so much of David's sin. He chastened David as He has chastened few others, and his family after him beyond most.

How exactly this book foretells the curses that were to come on the people! How exactly they came true — and they are still coming true.

The Lord had struck them, as He said, with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind. They groped at noonday as the blind grope in darkness. An iron yoke was fastened on their neck. A hard-faced nation had swooped on them like an eagle, because they did not fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God.

In Deuteronomy 28 the word appears six times of Israel, and never once means their extinction. "Every sickness also and every affliction… the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed." Are they extinct? No — "you shall be left few in number." And once the curse has been fulfilled, this is added: "the LORD your God will restore your fortunes"! (Deut. 30:1-3.)

Century after century of weary Jewish history records these solemn declarations coming true. Look at the Jew and his history, the land and its desolation. This is God's standing witness to the nations that the Bible is the Word of God.

A feast of the Jews, the pool of Bethesda, and the sabbath came together in a strange way through Israel's sins. It was strange because in Israel's normal state God had said, I will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt on you, and will take away all sicknesses.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We also have 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. But two things must not be confused. Breaking the law has consequences when the law is the basis of relationship with God, on the question of a righteousness good enough for God to accept. Those are not the temporary consequences of disobedience under the government of God. It is the temporary ones that chapter 28 refers to.

In the first part we have a full and most blessed statement of the results of obedience. In the second, we have a solemn and moving statement of the awful consequences of disobedience. And one thing must strike us: the section of curses is more than three times as long as the section of blessings. That one has fifteen verses; this one, fifty-three. The whole chapter is a striking commentary on the government of God... All the nations of the earth may learn from Israel's remarkable history that God must punish disobedience. And He punishes it first of all in His own people. And if He has not spared His own people, what will be the end of those who do not know Him?

Great and long-lasting plagues and sicknesses would fall on them. They would be like the plagues and diseases Egypt suffered before the Exodus. They would cause death and destruction, so that Israel would be left few in number, in contrast to the multiplied millions they once enjoyed.

Before the law, had not Jehovah said this? "If you will listen carefully to the voice of Jehovah your God, and will do what is right in His eyes, will give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am Jehovah that heals you." Yet what was the witness of the man swollen with disease before the Lord and before them? And what did all manner of disease and sickness in the land of Israel mean, as it crowded around Him to be healed?... It was not Jehovah-Rophi who had failed, but man generally and Israel in particular.

Further, in Deuteronomy 30 Moses says what will happen when Israel repent among the nations where they are driven, and return to Jehovah their God, and obey His voice. Then He will restore them from captivity. In His compassion He will gather them back and bring them into the land. He will not only bless and multiply them there, but put all the curses on their enemies and persecutors.

A solemn sign came first: six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless, and six on Mount Ebal to curse. Yet whatever happened in fact, the chapter shows the Levites proclaiming to all Israel nothing but the curses. This is the basis of the apostle's word to the Galatians (Gal. 3:10): "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse" — not merely those who broke it, but everyone on that principle. Spiritually it was no use telling us of the blessings on Gerizim. Deuteronomy 28 speaks, not of the personal curse, but of governmental blessings or curses, and therefore temporary.

It is clear that Moses was conscious that the word he gave Israel had divine authority. His writings are called "the book of this law," and "the covenant," and "his statutes which are written in this book of the law." "And Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests." (Deut. 28:1, 61; 29:21; 30:10; 31:9.)

"Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are DESTROYED. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number" — that is, not utterly extinct at all (Deut. 28:61-62). Chapter 30 adds further, "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse… and you return to the LORD your God… then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes" (Deut. 30:1-3). So Scripture predicts national repentance and restoration, after what some call "utter extinction."

The siege and capture of Jerusalem by the Romans is one of the blackest pages in the history of the human race... Moses and the prophets foretold it, and so did the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Some of the darkest parts of Scripture describe it (see Deuteronomy 28:49-68; Zechariah 11; Luke 21:20-24)... How solemn to think that the worst is still to come (Matthew 24:21).

The Jehovah of Israel now appeared among them, "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases." Their disobedience had brought every sickness and every plague upon them (Deut. 28:61). But He who had once led them out of Egypt was saying to them again, "I am the LORD, your healer." (Ex. 15:26).

No one can ignore the government of God, least of all those whom He has blessed with the knowledge of redemption. Plain obedience to the Lord would have kept Israel from such physical diseases, for He is the Lord who heals. In our present time of grace, God does not promise us freedom from physical disease as the reward of obedience. But obedience will certainly keep us from spiritual diseases, and give us spiritual health and strength.

The words, "Your fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven," take up the general fact to show the remarkable increase.

They would suffer great and long-lasting plagues and sicknesses, like the plagues and diseases that struck Egypt before the Exodus. These would bring death and destruction, so that only a few of them would be left (v.62), in contrast to the many millions they once had.

In Deuteronomy 28 we have the principles of God's government among that people. We see 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. The consequences of breaking the law as a principle of relationship with God — the question of a righteousness good enough to be the ground of God's acceptance — must not be confused with the temporary consequences of disobedience under God's government. Chapter 28 speaks of these temporary consequences… As for Israel, world history shows us the threats of this chapter carried out.

Yet we find that word used to predict the curse on Israel. As a nation they are still under that penalty, and it is not "utter extinction," as the very passage shows. "Every sickness and every plague that is not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you, until you are DESTROYED. And you shall be left few in number," and so on — that is, not utterly extinct at all (Deuteronomy 28:61-62). Chapter 30 adds more: "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing AND the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind … and return to the LORD your God … then the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity" (Deuteronomy 30:1-3). Here we have national repentance and restoration foretold, after what Mr. Constable calls "utter extinction."

The "stars" were connected with Isaac, the son who stood as the guarantee of the unconditional promise God made to Abraham. Both the "dust" and the "sand" are linked with Jacob, the man in responsibility, while Isaac was the son of promise… Might not Moses and the Levites have had enough light to see that if God was going to bless Israel, it must be on the ground of His unconditional promise, and not on the ground of their responsibility?

On merely natural grounds one cannot understand how such a small nation has survived. It was terribly reduced in number by sword, famine and disease. It was scattered in tiny groups among hostile nations, with no leader and no visible unity… For centuries it faced the most horrible persecutions and efforts to wipe it out. On merely natural grounds one cannot understand how the Jew holds his ground. Yet younger nations have vanished without a trace, while the Jews, distinct and separate, are found in every nation.