Blessings and Curses

Deuteronomy 28 describes the blessings that would come on the children of Israel if they fulfilled the Old Covenant and the curses that would come upon them if they failed to obey God. This covenant was unique to the descendants of Jacob. However, there is a sense in which these blessings and curses apply to all nations because they describe what God likes to do and what the spiritual powers of evil like to do.

The blessings are not special. Deuteronomy 28:1-13 describes what should be normal in the good world that God created before the spiritual powers of evil messed things up. This is what life would be like if communities of people were able to push the spiritual powers of evil out of their territory.

Deuteronomy 28:14-60 describes what the spiritual powers of evil would like to do in any situation where they gain authority to act. This is the stuff that they like to do whenever they get the opportunity. Here is a list of the things that the spiritual powers of evil will do if they get control of a nation (even if it is not subject to the old covenant).

• turmoil 
• bad and lasting sores 
• epidemics 
• wasting fevers and inflammation 
• insects destroying trees and fruit 
• heatwave and drought
• blight and mildew 
• invasion by enemies 
• hemorrhoids 
• sores and rashes 
• blindness 
• confusion of mind 
• debt and interest 
• robbery and fraud 
• no power in your hand 
• defeat in battle. 

Any nation that surrenders authority to the spiritual powers of evil can expect some or all of these problems to plague their lives. We are not immune from their activities just because we are not subject to the Old Covenant.

Law and Grace (8) Blessings

The blessings specified in Deuteronomy 28 are mostly economic blessings. They are not magical, but the natural consequence of living in a perfect economic system, even if they are sinful people.

Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do (Deut 29:9).

To get the promised prosperity, they would need to practice the caring and sharing prescribed by the Instructions for Economic Life. This was not works to earn a blessing, but receiving a blessing through being obedient.

The Mosaic covenant was not a failure. It accomplished everything that God intended. The only problem was that the Israelites rejected the covenant and chose to worship idols, which invited evil spirits into the land. They released evil among the people and life deteriorated. When things went wrong, the people did not turn back to God as the covenant suggested. Instead, they chose to have a king, just like the other nations. These kings won a few military victories, but they imposed taxes and forced labour to support their building programmes. Kings who were good at fighting were hopeless at providing justice, so the law was deserted and replaced by royal favours and privileges.