Chapter 30

 

 

LITV

 

Deu 30:1  And it shall be when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you among all the nations where Jehovah your God shall banish you, you shall bring back to your heart these things; 

Deu 30:2  and shall turn back to Jehovah your God and listen to His voice, according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons with all your heart, and with all your soul; 

Deu 30:3  then Jehovah your God will turn your captivity, and He will have pity on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations where Jehovah your God has scattered you. 

Deu 30:4  If you are cast out to the end of the heavens, Jehovah your God shall gather you from there, and He shall take you from there. 

Deu 30:5  And Jehovah your God shall bring you into the land which your fathers have possessed, and you shall inherit it; and He shall do you good and multiply you above your fathers. 

Deu 30:6  And Jehovah your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live. 

Deu 30:7  And Jehovah your God will put all these curses on your enemies, and on those that hate you, who have persecuted you. 

Deu 30:8  And you shall return and obey the voice of Jehovah, and do all His commandments which I am commanding you today. 

Deu 30:9  And Jehovah your God will make you abundant in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, for good. For Jehovah will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers. 

Deu 30:10  For you shall listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in the book of this Law. For you shall turn back toward Jehovah your God, with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Deu 30:11  For this command which I am commanding you today is not too wonderful for you, nor is it too far off. 

Deu 30:12  It is not in the heavens that you should say, Who shall go up into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it? 

Deu 30:13  And it is not beyond the sea that you should say, Who shall cross over for us to the region beyond the sea and take it for us, and cause us to hear it, that we may do it? 

Deu 30:14  For the Word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. 

Deu 30:15  Behold, I have set before you today life and good and death and evil, 

Deu 30:16  in that I am commanding you today to love Jehovah your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands and His statutes, and His judgments, and you shall live and multiply, and Jehovah your God shall bless you in the land where you are going in, to possess it. 

Deu 30:17  But if you turn away your heart, and you do not listen, and are drawn on, even you will bow down to other gods, and serve them; 

Deu 30:18  I have declared to you today that you shall certainly perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land to which you are crossing the Jordan, to go in there to possess it. 

Deu 30:19  I call Heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, that you may live, you and your seed, 

Deu 30:20  to love Jehovah your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For He is your life, and the length of your days so that you may live in the land which Jehovah has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them. 

 

Main Point(s):

 

1.    What does Moses say will happen to the people (1)?
This is a follow up to chapter 29 when after a period of time, the people will turn away from God. After another period of time, the people will “you shall bring back to your heart these things”. In other words, after experiencing the curses, the people will reconsider the law and the things that God has done for them. (their former relationship, pre-judgment)
Essentially an honest look at their own culpability for the judgments against them..

2.    What will the people do (2)? What will the Lord do (3)?
The people will “return” to God. This will be evidenced with obedience. God, will then have pity on them and return them from wherever they are.
It’s interesting to note that this repentance includes “listening”. Listening or hearing is not complete unless it develops faith in the listener.

3.    Look at the following passages and note the expectation of restoration: Jer. 30:18, 32:44, 33:7, Ez. 39:25, Hosea 6:11, Joel 3:1, Amos 9:14, Nahum 2:2, Zeph. 2:7, 3:20. What were the people to expect?
Jer 30:18  So says Jehovah, Behold I will turn the captivity of Jacob's tents and will have mercy on his dwelling places. And the city shall be built on her ruin heap; and the fortress shall remain on its own ordinance. 
Jer 32:44  Men shall buy fields for silver, and write in a document, and seal it, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the Negeb. For I will cause their captivity to return, says Jehovah. 
Jer 33:7  And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 
Eze 39:25  So the Lord Jehovah says this: Now I will return the captivity of Jacob and will have mercy on all the house of Israel. And I will be jealous for My holy name. 
Hos 6:11  Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed to you, when I return the captivity of My people. 
Joel 3:1  For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, 
Amos 9:14  And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel. And they shall build the waste cities, and live in them. And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them. They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Nah 2:2  Judah and Israel are like trees with branches broken by their enemies. But the LORD is going to restore their power and glory.
Zep 2:7  The LORD God hasn't forgotten those survivors in Judah, and he will help them— his people will take your land to use for pasture. And when evening comes, they will rest in houses at Ashkelon.
Zep 3:20  I will lead you home, and with your own eyes you will see me bless you with all you once owned. Then you will be famous everywhere on this earth. I, the LORD, have spoken! 
All things restored to: “as the first.” Signaling to this time of Deuteronomy. But this will not happen unless God see a move to repentance.

4.    What is the new testament hope of restoration? Consider Matt. 17:1, Acts 3:21, Acts 1:6, Acts 15:16.
Mat 17:11  Jesus told them, "Elijah certainly will come and get everything ready. (speaking of John the Baptist)

Act 3:21  But Jesus must stay in heaven until God makes all things new, just as his holy prophets promised long ago. 
Act 1:6  Then, indeed, coming together they questioned Him, saying, Lord, do You restore the kingdom to Israel at this time? 
Act 15:16  After these things "I" will return and "will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen," "and I will build again the things which have been demolished," and I will set it up,

5.    What will God do so that the people will obey (6-10)?
God will re-institute the covenant through “circumcision of the heart”. Israel will love God with all their being. He will send the curses against their enemies and bless Israel. This is all contingent on them “listening and obeying.”
The level of commitment required: “with all your heart and with all your soul.”

6.    What is Moses’ point in 11-14? Look carefully at verse 11.
These things are not a mystery, nor are they unattainable. God does not require from His people something they cannot achieve.
How close? How easy is it? Love God, turn back/obey, turn back with all your heart and soul. the Word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. 
- Paul quotes this in Romans 10:6-8. What was Paul’s point to the Christians?
Rom 10:6  But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, "Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?" 
Rom 10:7  Neither will they ask, "Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?" 

Rom 10:8  All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, "The message is as near as your mouth or your heart." And this is the same message we preach about faith. 
Paul’s point is that the gospel, like the law is not a mystery. It is understandable and doable.

 

7.    What choice was put before the people? What would be the outcome of each choice?
“life and death, the blessing and the curse”
It is easy to see the curses of disobedience. But what is more telling are the blessings of “obedience.” Because obedience is not the end game here. Obedience is simply a manifestations of: “love Jehovah your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For He is your life, and the length of your days”
it’s as simple as that.

Chapter 29

 

 

LITV

Deu 29:1  These are the Words of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb. 

Deu 29:2  And Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, You have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants, and to all his land. 

Deu 29:3  Your eyes have seen the great trials, the signs, and those great miracles. 

Deu 29:4  Yet Jehovah has not given to you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day. 

Deu 29:5  And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your garments have not worn out from off you, and your sandal has not worn away off your foot. 

Deu 29:6  You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or fermented drink, so that you might know that I am Jehovah your God. 

Deu 29:7  And you came into this place, and Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out to meet us, to battle. And we struck them, 

Deu 29:8  and took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and for the half tribe of Manasseh. 

Deu 29:9  Then pay attention to the Words of this covenant, and do them, that you may act wisely in all that you do. 

Deu 29:10  You are standing today, all of you, before Jehovah your God; your rulers, your tribes your elders, and your officers, every man of Israel; 

Deu 29:11  your little ones, your wives, and your alien who is in the midst of your camps, from the woodchopper to the one drawing your water; 

Deu 29:12  so that you should enter into the covenant of Jehovah your God, and into His oath, which Jehovah your God is making with you today; 

Deu 29:13  so that He may establish you today for a people to Himself, and He Himself be your God, as He has spoken to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham to Isaac, and to Jacob. 

Deu 29:14  And I am not making this covenant and this oath with you alone, 

Deu 29:15  but with him who stands here with us today before Jehovah your God; and also with him that is not here with us today. 

Deu 29:16  For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the nations through which you passed. 

Deu 29:17  And seen their detestable things, and their idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them; 

Deu 29:18  that there not be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away today from Jehovah our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you today a root that bears gall and wormwood; 

Deu 29:19  and it happens when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty. 

Deu 29:20  Jehovah will not be willing to forgive him, for then Jehovah's anger and His zeal shall smoke, and His zeal shall be against that man, and all the curses written in this book shall lie upon him. And Jehovah shall blot out his name from under the heavens. 

Deu 29:21  And Jehovah shall set him apart to evil, out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the Law; 

Deu 29:22  so that the generation to come, your sons who rise after you, and the foreigner who comes in from a distant land, shall say when they see the plagues of that land, and its sicknesses which Jehovah shall send into it, 

Deu 29:23  The whole land shall be burned with brimstone and salt; it shall not be sown, nor shall it sprout; nor shall there be any herb in it. It shall be like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which Jehovah overthrew in His anger and in His fury. 

Deu 29:24  And all the nations shall say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land? For what is the heat of this great anger? 

Deu 29:25  Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 

Deu 29:26  For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods which they did not know, and who had not divided to them any portion. 

Deu 29:27  And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book. 

Deu 29:28  And Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger and wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day. 

Deu 29:29  The secret things belong to Jehovah our God; and the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may do all the Words of this Law. 

 

Main point(s): Moses qualifies the principles behind the covenant and the resulting consequences for disobedience.

 

1.    Write down all that God has done for the people as recorded in 1-9. God made them witnesses to His works: trials, signs and miracles. 40 years of wandering and their clothes/shoes have not worn out. They did not eat bread or drink wine. They defeated the kings east of the Jordan (giants).

2.    In spite of all God did, what has happened to the people (4)? Explain what this means in its context. Consider how the following passages also declare this: Is. 6:9-10, Ez. 12:2, Matt. 13:14-17, Rom. 11:8, Acts 28:26. What is God’s message? They had not developed “a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear.” These are hallmark characteristics of a working FAITH. It was not enough to have a faith that God would deliver them, because that faith is tainted with idolatry and entitlement. God expects His people to be ALL IN with Him. Anything less is unacceptable. It took these forty years of discipline to get them to this point.
Note that Moses says there were not properly receptive “until this day.” This indicates that they were receptive properly and ready to go into the land.
Is. 6:9-10: Isa 6:9  And He said, Go and say to this people, Hearing you hear, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make his ears heavy, and shut his eyes, that he not see with his eyes, and hear with his ears, and understand with his heart, and turn back, and one heals him.
Ezekiel 12:2 -  Eze 12:2  Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house. They have eyes to see, but they do not see; they have ears to hear, but they do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. 
Matt. 13:14-17 - Mat 13:14  And the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled on them, which says, "In hearing you will hear and in no way understand, and seeing you will see yet in no way perceive. Mat 13:15  For the heart of this people has grown fat, and they heard heavily with the ears, and they have closed their eyes, that they not see with the eyes, or hear with the ears, and understand with the heart, and be converted, and I heal them." Isa. 6:9, 10 Mat 13:16  But your eyes are blessed because they see; and your ears because they hear. Mat 13:17  For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous ones desired to see what you see and did not see, and to hear what you hear and did not hear.
Romans 11:8 - Rom 11:8  even as it has been written, "God gave to them a spirit of slumber, eyes not seeing and ears not hearing" until this day.
Acts 28:26  - Act 28:26  saying, "Go to this people and say, You will surely hear, and not at all understand; and you will surely see, and not at all perceive; 

3.    Write down the heart warnings in 16-19. What will be the consequences for this kind of heart: 20-28? The people have witnessed idolatry in Egypt and the surrounding nations. They know they are not to turn away from God and to these idols. The process can happen in spite of the knowledge they have. It goes like this: “and it happens when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty.”
This is the practice of “self deception.” It reveals the absence of faith. In the context of THAT time, God was dealing directly with the people. They saw plagues happen, they saw the earth open up and swallow families (all for the cause of disobedience). There will be a time where they will be free moral agents without God immediately dispensing justice. That is when this attitude rises up against Him.
In these cases: 20/21-Jehovah will not be willing to forgive him and his name will be blotted out (utterly destroyed). 22-28 Their land will become desolate and it will be a testimony to their disobedience and God’s justice (for everyone, even the foreigner). Their NAME will be blotted out (in a society where the name’s sake is paramount).

4.    What do these warnings look like in our lives today? Throughout all bible history we see God’s people deceiving themselves and turning to “other gods.” Jehovah was just another god among many other gods. By doing this the heart of man desecrated the authority of Jehovah. Today is no different. We still have free moral agency whereby we can choose our God or other gods. The self deception occurs when we chase after those things that are diametrically opposed to Him, and think there is room in our hearts for gods we make “equal” to Jehovah. In reality  these “*things” have no right to that position. *money, people, covetousness, unbridled lust, time, …the list is nearly endless.

5.    Read Hebrews 12:14-15. Notice how there is a “root” problem identified. What must we do to deal with these roots? What does it look like?
Heb 12:14  Eagerly pursue peace and holiness with all, without which no one will see the Lord, Heb 12:15  watching diligently that not any lack from the grace of God, that "no root of bitterness growing up" may crowd "in on you", and through this many be defiled; -
In the Deuteronomy context it is God who “rooted them out” (28). These are cases where the offender blatantly disrespects God. Rooting out is a metaphor. As one would pull offensive weeds by the roots before going to seed. The weed loses its power and influence over the crop, dries up and is forgotten.
So what do we do when this happens within our own lives, or within the church? Note for that the person who does this, God is not WILLING to forgive them. This indicates that the will of God is affected by our heart and the actions we take based on our heart (faith). Within the Christian paradigm, there is a road to forgiveness, although there may still be consequences. For the person who refuses to stop sinning against God, against the church, against himself: There needs to be a “rooting out.” I Cor 5 describes the process: “…deliver such a one to Satan for destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus… not to associate intimately; if anyone is called a brother and is either a fornicator, or a covetous one, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a plunderer, with such a one not to eat…” – The term we use is “withdraw.” The hope is that the discipline of removing this one from the assembly will motivate them to see their sin and repent. Note that it is not punishment. The action is done to stop the “leaven” of sin’s affect on others.

6.    Read verse 29 carefully. What point is being made about God? What is God’s revelation intended for us to do? First, not all things have been revealed. Some things are still hidden to them. Secondly, Jehovah has dispensed enough information to them that if they just obey (and grow their faith) this will bind them to God “for ever.”
For *ever: *H5769 ‛ôlâm    ‛ôlâm o-lawm', o-lawm'

1.    From H5956; properly concealed, that is, the vanishing point; generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity

We must not miss the component of “heart” in this text. Obedience without the correct heart is futile. In new-testament days, heart is faith.

Chapters 26-28

 

LITV

Deu 26:1  And it shall be, when you have come into the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance, and you have possessed it, and live in it; 

Deu 26:2  then you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground which you shall bring in from your land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, and shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. 

Deu 26:3  And you shall come to the priest who is in those days, and shall say to him, I declare today to Jehovah your God that I have come into the land which Jehovah has sworn to our fathers to give to us. 

Deu 26:4  And the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and place it before the altar of Jehovah your God. 

Deu 26:5  And you shall speak and say before Jehovah your God, My father was a perishing Aramean! And he went down to Egypt with few men, and lived there, and became a nation there, great, mighty and many. 

Deu 26:6  And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and put hard labor on us. 

Deu 26:7  And we cried to Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression. 

Deu 26:8  And Jehovah brought us out from Egypt by a mighty hand, and by an arm stretched out, and by great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders. 

Deu 26:9  And He has brought us to this place, and has given to us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 

Deu 26:10  And now, behold, I have brought in the first of the fruits of the ground which You have given me, O Jehovah. And you shall place it before Jehovah your God, and bow yourself before Jehovah your God, 

Deu 26:11  and rejoice in all the good which Jehovah your God has given to you, and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the alien who is in your midst. 

Deu 26:12  When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the orphan, and the widow, that they may eat inside your gates, and be filled, 

Deu 26:13  then you shall say before Jehovah your God, I have consumed the devoted things from the house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the alien, to the orphan, and to the widow, according to all Your command which You have commanded me. I have not transgressed Your commands, and I have not forgotten. 

Deu 26:14  I have not eaten of it in my mourning; nor have I put any of it away for uncleanness; nor have I given of it for the dead. I have listened to the voice of Jehovah my God. I have done according to all that You have commanded me. 

Deu 26:15  Look down from Your holy habitation, from Heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the land which You have given to us, as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. 

Deu 26:16  Today Jehovah your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall take heed to do them with all your heart, and with all your soul. 

Deu 26:17  You have today declared Jehovah to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes and His commands, and His judgments, and to pay attention to His voice. 

Deu 26:18  And Jehovah has declared you today to be His people, a special treasure as He has spoken to you, and to keep all His commands. 

Deu 26:19  And He will make you high above all nations that He has made, in praise, and in name, and in glory; and that you may be a holy people to Jehovah your God, as He has spoken. 

Deu 27:1  And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commands which I am commanding you today, 

Deu 27:2  and it shall be in the day you cross over the Jordan to the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, that you shall raise up for yourself great stones, and plaster them with plaster. 

Deu 27:3  And you shall write on them all the Words of this Law when you have crossed over, so that you may go into the land which Jehovah your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah the God of your fathers has promised you. 

Deu 27:4  And it shall be when you have crossed over the Jordan, that you shall raise up these stones as to which I am commanding you today, in Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 

Deu 27:5  And you shall build an altar there to Jehovah your God, an altar of stones. You shall not wield any iron tool on them. 

Deu 27:6  You shall build the altar of Jehovah your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to Jehovah your God. 

Deu 27:7  And you shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there. And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God. 

Deu 27:8  And you shall write on the stones all the Words of the Law very plainly. 

Deu 27:9  And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, Keep silence, and hear, O Israel: Today you have become the people of Jehovah your God. 

Deu 27:10  Therefore you shall obey the voice of Jehovah your God and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today. 

Deu 27:11  And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, 

Deu 27:12  These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin. 

Deu 27:13  And these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 

Deu 27:14  And the Levites shall answer, and shall say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice: 

Deu 27:15  Cursed is the man who makes a carved and molten image, an abomination to Jehovah, the work of a craftsman's hands, and who sets it up in a secret place! And all the people shall answer and say, Amen! 

Deu 27:16  Cursed is he who dishonors his father or his mother! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:17  Cursed is he who removes his neighbor's landmark! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:18  Cursed is he who makes the blind to wander out of the way! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:19  Cursed is he who perverts the judgment of the alien, the fatherless, and widow! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:20  Cursed is he who lies with his father's wife, because he uncovers his father's skirt! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:21  Cursed is he who lies with any kind of animal! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:22  Cursed is he who lies with his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:23  Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:24  Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor secretly! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:25  Cursed is he who takes a bribe to strike a life, to shed innocent blood! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 27:26  Cursed is he who does not rise to all the Words of this Law, to do them! And all the people shall say, Amen! 

Deu 28:1  And it shall be if listening you will listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, taking heed to do all His commandments which I command you this day, Jehovah your God shall give you to be on high above all nations of the earth. 

Deu 28:2  And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you if you will listen to the voice of Jehovah your God. 

Deu 28:3  You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. 

Deu 28:4  The fruit of your body shall be blessed, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, the offspring of your oxen, and the young ones of your flock. 

Deu 28:5  Your basket and your kneadingtrough shall be blessed. 

Deu 28:6  You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out. 

Deu 28:7  Jehovah shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be stricken before your face. They shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. 

Deu 28:8  Jehovah shall command the blessing on you in your storehouses and all that you set your hand to. And He shall bless you in the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you. 

Deu 28:9  Jehovah shall establish you a holy people to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commands of Jehovah your God and welcome His ways. 

Deu 28:10  And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of Jehovah, and they shall fear you. 

Deu 28:11  And Jehovah shall prosper you in goods, and in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers to give it to you. 

Deu 28:12  Jehovah shall open to you His good treasure, the heavens to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 

Deu 28:13  And Jehovah shall make you the head, and not the tail. And you shall be only above, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I am commanding you today, to be careful to do them. 

Deu 28:14  And you shall not turn away from all the Words which I am commanding you today, right or left, to go after other gods, to serve them. 

Deu 28:15  And it shall be, if you will not heed the voice of your God, to take heed to do all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, even all these curses shall come on you and overtake you: 

Deu 28:16  You shall be cursed in the city, and you shall be cursed in the field. 

Deu 28:17  Your basket and your kneading-trough shall be cursed. 

Deu 28:18  The fruit of your body shall be cursed, and the fruit of your land, the offspring of your oxen, and the young ones of your sheep. 

Deu 28:19  You shall be cursed when you come in, and you shall be cursed when you go out. 

Deu 28:20  Jehovah shall send cursing on you, trouble and rebuke in all that you set your hand, all which you will do, until you are destroyed, or until you quickly perish, because of the badness of your doings by which you have forsaken Me. 

Deu 28:21  Jehovah shall make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from off the land where you are going, to possess it. 

Deu 28:22  Jehovah shall strike you with lung disease and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting and mildew. And they shall pursue you until you perish. 

Deu 28:23  And your heavens over your head shall become bronze, and the earth under you iron. 

Deu 28:24  Jehovah shall make the rain of your land be dust and ashes. It shall come down on you from the heavens until you are destroyed. 

Deu 28:25  Jehovah shall cause you to be stricken before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them, and shall flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a trembling to all the kingdoms of the earth. 

Deu 28:26  And your body shall be food to all the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to cause them to tremble. 

Deu 28:27  Jehovah shall strike you with the boil of Egypt, and with hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with itch, of which you cannot be healed. 

Deu 28:28  Jehovah shall strike you with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart. 

Deu 28:29  And you shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness. And you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be always oppressed and plundered all the days; and there will be no one to save. 

Deu 28:30  You shall betroth a wife, and another shall lie with her. You shall build a house, and you shall not live in it. You shall plant a vineyard, and shall not use its fruit. 

Deu 28:31  Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, and you shall not eat of it. Your ass shall be violently taken away from before you, and it will not be given back. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no deliverer. 

Deu 28:32  Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people; and your eyes shall look and fail for them all the day. And no power shall be in your hand. 

Deu 28:33  The fruit of your ground, and all your labor, shall be eaten up by a nation which you do not know. And you shall always be oppressed and crushed. 

Deu 28:34  And you shall be maddened because of that which you shall see with the sight of your eyes. 

Deu 28:35  Jehovah shall strike you with an evil ulcer on the knees, and on the legs, of which you cannot be healed from the sole of your foot even to your crown. 

Deu 28:36  Jehovah shall cause you and your king whom you shall raise up over you, to go to a nation which you have not known, you and your fathers. And you shall serve other gods there, wood and stone. 

Deu 28:37  And you shall be an astonishment, a proverb and a byword among all the peoples where Jehovah shall lead you. 

Deu 28:38  You shall carry much seed out to the field, and you shall gather in little; for the locusts will devour it. 

Deu 28:39  You shall plant vineyards, and shall labor, and you shall not gather, nor drink wine; for the worm will devour it. 

Deu 28:40  You shall have olive trees in all your border, and you shall not anoint with oil; for your olive shall fall off. 

Deu 28:41  You shall father sons and daughters, and they shall not be with you; for they shall go into captivity. 

Deu 28:42  The locust shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. 

Deu 28:43  The alien in your midst shall go above you, higher and higher; and you shall come down, lower and lower. 

Deu 28:44  He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 

Deu 28:45  And all these curses shall come on you and shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed; for you did not heed the voice of Jehovah your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 

Deu 28:46  And they shall be on you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed forever, 

Deu 28:47  because you did not serve Jehovah your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, 

Deu 28:48  and you shall serve your enemies whom Jehovah shall send on you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things. And He shall put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. 

Deu 28:49  Jehovah shall raise a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you will not understand, 

Deu 28:50  a nation fierce of face, who will not regard the person of the aged, nor show favor to the young. 

Deu 28:51  And he shall eat the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your land, until you are destroyed. He shall not leave to you grain, new wine, and oil, offspring of your oxen, or young ones of your flock, until he has destroyed you. 

Deu 28:52  And he shall distress you in all your gates, until your high and fortified walls in which you are trusting come down, in all your land; yea, he shall distress you in all your gates, in all your land which Jehovah your God has given to you. 

Deu 28:53  And you shall eat the fruit of your body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom Jehovah your God has given to you, in the siege, and in the anguish with which your enemies shall distress you. 

Deu 28:54  The man who is tender and very delicate among you, his eye shall be evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons which he leaves, 

Deu 28:55  so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his sons that he shall eat, because he has nothing left to him in the siege, and in the anguish with which your enemies shall distress you in all your gates. 

Deu 28:56  The soft and delicate woman among you, who would not have ventured to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil against the husband of her bosom, and against her son, and against her daughter; 

Deu 28:57  and against her fetus which comes out from between her feet, even against her sons whom she shall bear. For she shall eat them in secret, for the lack of everything in the siege and in the anguish with which the enemy shall distress you within your gates. 

Deu 28:58  If you will not take heed to do all the Words of this Law written in this book, to fear this glorious and fearful Name, Jehovah your God, 

Deu 28:59  then Jehovah will make your plagues remarkable, and the plagues of your children shall be great and persistent plagues with evil and long lasting sicknesses. 

Deu 28:60  He shall also bring on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid; and they shall cling to you. 

Deu 28:61  Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this Law, Jehovah shall cause them to come on you until you are destroyed. 

Deu 28:62  And you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of the heavens for multitude, because you would not obey the voice of Jehovah your God. 

Deu 28:63  And it shall be, as Jehovah rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Jehovah shall rejoice over you to destroy you, and to lay you waste. And you shall be plucked from the land you are going to possess. 

Deu 28:64  And Jehovah shall scatter you among all people, from one end of the earth even to the other, and you shall serve other gods there, wood and stone, which you have not known, nor your fathers. 

Deu 28:65  And among these nations you shall find no ease, nor shall the sole of your foot have rest. But Jehovah shall give you there a trembling heart and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. 

Deu 28:66  And your life shall hang in doubt before you, and you shall fear day and night, and shall have no assurance of your life. 

Deu 28:67  In the morning you shall say, Oh that it were evening! And in the evening you shall say, Oh that it were morning! For the fear of your heart with which you fear, and for the sight of your eyes which you shall see. 

Deu 28:68  And Jehovah shall bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I said to you, You shall never see it again. And you shall be sold to your enemies there, for male slaves and slave-girls; and there shall be no buyer. 

 

Main points: The tithing ritual established through action and words. Set up at Mt Gerzim to declare blessings, and at Mt Ebal for curses. Blessings, curses are declared.

1.   What repetition is found in 26:1-4 that the Lord wanted the people to remember? Tithing is brought up again to expand on the ceremony. Tithing was not merely a sacrifice to God. It was a ceremony where the Israelites would eat before God (giving Him the glory for the harvest).

2.   What are the people then to do in 26:5-11? This was a unifying ceremony where all participants rejoiced before God. They were to remember and proclaim where they came from and give God glory/praise for what He has done for them. (Note that after one generation, the proclamation would have to become symbolic. People who never saw (lived in) Egypt would still need to identify as one coming out of that slavery).

3.   What then do the people declare 26: 12-15? This was the third year tithing which was also a gift to the less fortunate. The declaration made by the giver suggests they have obeyed God in very specific actions. This would help them remember what those actions were to be. If a person spoke these words untruthfully, they would convict themselves before God.

4.   What do the people promise to do in 26:16-19? What does God promise to do? The people were to be obedient to God and declare Him as their God. For this, Jehovah would make Israel His people and would elevate them above all other nations.

5.   What are the people instructed to do in 27:1-8? What is the purpose? At Mt Ebal: They were to set up a monument with the law written on it, and a sacrificial altar. From there curses would be declared.

6.   Describe the curses listed in 27:9-26. What is the message? Collectively, these sins address idolatry, disrespect, injustice, impurity, deceit. At the end of the pronouncements, the people were to say amen! In other words “we are in agreement.” Remember this is a contract (covenant). Throughout these chapters what is commissioned is what GOD will do, and what the PEOPLE will do.

7.   Look at the curse in 27:26. What must the people do? Look at Gal. 3:10-14. How does Paul use this idea in his message to the Galatians? Those under this covenant were to join themselves to it and DO them (practice them). More importantly, Paul indicates that relying on the law for acceptance before God was futile. God was looking for His people to be faithful (then and now). This points to what the law was to generate within His people…faith. Obedience was necessary, but obedience without faith is useless. The law ultimately will convict. THAT is why we have Jesus today. He removes the conviction of the law for the believer. 

8.   What did God expect of His people (28:1-14)? What does God say he will do? Listen and take heed to what God is saying (concerning these commands). Do that and He will bless every aspect of Israel’s life. (the blessings will overtake you) The body, crops, livestock, everyday life, rains. Power over enemies. The surrounding nations will see a people “called by the name of Jehovah.”
The promise here is an abundant life.

9.   What did God expect the people not to do (28:15-68)? What does God say He will do? Why is this section longer than the blessings section? If they do not listen to God (evidenced by disobedience): Then every aspect of their life will become arduous and unfruitful. Also: Plagues, diseases, defeat at the hands of enemies, God will give them into the hands of idolatrous nations. They will become a cautionary proverb in the land. Eventually, God will prefer them to be destroyed at the same level He sought their protection and abundance. This section is longer to emphasize the destruction with specifics as a warning.

10.                Look at 28:47.  Why would the people be condemned? What does God expect of us? “because you did not serve Jehovah your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things”. Joyfulness: śimchâh sim-khaw' blithesomeness or glee – Gladness: ṭûb toob - good (as a noun), in the widest sense, especially goodness
These emotions are an indication of a broader spectrum of actions and mindset(s) of the people. In order to get to this place, a person need first understand who God is as creator and our place before Him. We are here to serve God, borne out of our understanding of His goodness, mercy and loving kindness. God makes us His children. His biggest warning in this book is not to FORGET His love for us. We do not make our way in this world. He does it for us. Understanding this requires the constant discipline of keeping Him at the forefront of our minds and the things we do.

 

Additional:

Gal 3:10  For as many as are out of works of Law, these are under a curse. For it has been written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them." Deut. 27:26 

Gal 3:11  And that no one is justified by Law before God is clear because, "The just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4 

Gal 3:12  But the Law is not of faith, but, "The man doing these things shall live in them." Lev. 18:5 

Gal 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us; for it has been written, "Cursed is everyone having been hung on a tree;" Deut. 21:23 

Gal 3:14  that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.