Deuteronomy 28:43 says, The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. Moses said that when they were cursed for disobeying God that the stranger would be over them. We can either serve God or be under the power of the world. Verse forty-four adds, He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. Moses then said strangers would be better off financially than the people of Israel were and in a position of authority over them because they had not kept their covenant with God. Verse forty-five declares, Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: Moses said that they brought all these curses on themselves by failing to listen to the voice of God and keep His commandments. We cannot effectively serve God without obeying His laws, even if we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Verse forty-six adds, And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Moses said that these curses would be on the people of Israel forever, as long as they refused to obey His commandments and listen to His voice. Verse forty-seven continues, Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Moses said that these curses would also be on them because they had not served God joyfully even as He had supplied them with an abundance of all things. I believe that we as Christians too often complain to God or about God instead of praising Him for meeting our needs abundantly. We will not be cursed, or lose our salvation because of this, but we will certainly lose the joy of our salvation and harm our witness for God if we complain all the time as followers of Christ. Verse forty-eight concludes, Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Moses said instead of blessing them with success, God would allow them to be totally defeated because they had failed to be obedient to Him by keeping His commandments. Verse forty-nine states, The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; Moses said God was going to bring a nation against them from the far ends of the earth who spoke a language that the people of Israel did not understand. This nation was the Romans. As a Christian nation, we have always had God on our side, but if we continue to turn farther and farther away from His commandments and say they no longer apply, then this will no longer be true. Verse fifty adds, A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: Moses said that this nation that would destroy them would give no consideration to whether or not a person was old or young. All would be at the mercy of this nation. Verse fifty-one continues, And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. Moses said that the people of Israel would be left with nothing because they had refused to obey God Who had given them everything to start with. We as Christians cannot expect to have our needs met by God if we do not live by faith in Him, glorifying Him for all His provisions He has provided for us to use. Verse fifty-two says, And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. Moses said that although God had given them the victory over all their enemies when He gave them the Promised Land, that now without His protection because of their disobedience that all their walled cities would not protect them. As Christians, if we fail to obey God's commandments, we should not be surprised if we are besieged by sin. Verse fifty-three adds, And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: Moses said that they would become so hungry that they would resort to eating their own children. This was in the land flowing with milk and honey that God had given them. Though God is ready to bless us today, He will not do so if we do not keep His commandments and give Him the glory. Verse fifty-four continues, So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: Verse fifty-five concludes, So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. Moses said that the fathers who committed this barbaric act would not even share with their wife and other children. Verse fifty-six states, The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, Verse fifty-seven adds, And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. Moses said that the women who were usually so kind and compassionate toward their children would even be reduced to eating them because of their hunger. There is no end to the depravity of people when they refuse to acknowledge God and follow His commandments. We may not even be able to imagine this happening, but without God in our life, there is no limit to the wickedness that we might give in to, especially if we are starving.
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