Monday, February 13, 2023

Deuteronomy 28:28

Deuteronomy 28:28 says, The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:  Moses continued to tell of the punishment God would send on them if they didn't obey His commandments.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.  Moses said God would strike them with madness, blindness, and their hearts would be astonished as they groped around in the middle of the day as though it were dark.  If we refuse to believe God and accept His commandments today, we are spiritually blind and grope around in spiritual darkness.  God said they would not prosper materially, and we will not prosper spiritually if we do not obey God's commandments.  Verse thirty continues, Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.  Moses said if they didn't obey God's commandments that they would never be successful in anything thay did.  We today as Christians do not put our faith in Jesus Christ for material success, but even though we are saved if we truly put our faith in Him, we will never prosper spiritually if we do not obey God's commandments once we do.  Verse thirty-one states, Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.  Just as God had blessed them with great riches when they left Egypt, they would see them taken away if the didn't obey God’s commandments.   No matter how rich a person may become today, if they do not put their faith in Jesus Christ and then live by God's commandments, one day they will lose it all.  Verse thirty-two adds, Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.  Moses said their sons and daughters would be taken captive by other people and they would be helpless to do anything about it.  Their children were a blessing from God, and if they did not obey God's commandments and teach their children to do so as well, they would lose them.  Our children are still a blessing from God, and we will lose them spiritually if we do not follow God's commandments and teach them to as well.  Verse thirty-three says, The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:  Verse thirty-four, So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.  Moses said that they would see all the fruit of their labor taken by another nation and they would go mad at the sight.  God was the One Who had given them success, and if they did not live up to their part of their covenant relationship with Him, He would allow it to all be taken away, since they would be His people in name only and not in fact.  If we are Christians in name only without really putting our faith in God, one day we will lose everything.  Verse thirty-five continues, The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.  Moses said that not only would they lose everything to another nation, but God would cause them to suffer physically from the soles of their feet to the top of their head.  Just as God gives us physical health,  He can remove His protective hand as well.  Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone who suffers physically is guilty of turning away from  God.  Verse thirty-six states, The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.  Moses said that if they didn't obey God that they would be taken captive by a nation they had never even heard of, and there they would serve false gods made of wood and stone.  We today can either put our faith in God, or we can serve the false gods of the world.   Verse thirty-seven adds, And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.  God said the people of Israel would become an astonishment to the rest of the world.  They were known as God's people, and if they were carried away captive and worshipped other gods, this would be an amazement to others, because they had professed their God to be all powerful.   As followers of Christ today, we follow the all powerful God, and if we turn away from His teachings when we face opposition, people should still be amazed at our failure to obey Him.  Verse thirty-eight says, Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.  Verse thirty-nine adds, Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.  Moses said that they would never reap very much from what they sowed.  Verse forty continues,  Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.  Moses said no matter how great the number of olive trees they had throughout the land, they would have very little oil.  God was the One Who had given them the land flowing with milk and honey, and if they refused to obey Him, He would take it away.  God promises us that He has prepared a place for us,  a place called heaven, that is a place of perfection, but if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will never see it.  Verse forty-one states, Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.  Moses said that they would continue to have children, but they would never enjoy them.  Verse forty-two adds, All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.  Moses then said that the fruit of all their trees would be consumed by locusts.  Nothing that we do outside of God's will can ever bring us everlasting happiness. 

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