“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee” (Deuteronomy 28:15).
TEXT — Deuteronomy 28:15-44
Message
It is eternally true that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16). This shows that no part of the Scripture is redundant. However, some Bible passages enjoy more patronage and traffic than others do.
Today’s text is one of those scriptural passages that are less frequented because it deals with the subject of curses. Incidentally, the preceding verses are read out frequently, even at wedding occasions. The difference is that the first part deals with the blessings that God pronounced on the obedient and the special privileges earmarked for the faithful people of God, whereas the latter part contains terrible curses and miseries reserved for those who live in disobedience to God’s commandments. By stating these curses plainly to the Jews, the awful prospects that attend to a life of ungodliness and apostasy are clearly outlined.
Observe the nature and dimensions of the curse stated here. The curse trails the sinner everywhere he goes and whatever he does. It affects even his possessions. There is also such misery that the New Testament captures thus: “…unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation, and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile” (Romans 2:8,9). For the apostate Jews, God declared that they shall be smitten with epidemic, starvation, assorted diseases, drought and barrenness.
Many professing Christians are actually going through one divine chastisement or the other; yet, they rationalise it by assuring themselves that Christ has taken away every curse. Some quote Scripture that says “curse causeless shall not come” without examining their lives to find out if there is a cause for the curse. The redemptive effect of Christ’s work can only apply when we care enough to repent of sin and place our faith in Him. It will work for every backslider that retraces his/her steps back to Calvary and for any erring believer who relinquishes any accursed thing with him/her and resolves to do God’s will.
Thought for the day
The only protection from divine justice is the shelter of grace.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
