Blessings And Curses Series

September 06, 2025

Moses has just spent 15 chapters reviewing the law. Now, to impress upon the people the seriousness of what they have promised to do,

Deuteronomy 26:17 - You have declared this day that Yahweh is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him.

he will spend some time telling them about the consequences of obedience/disobedience.

God wants them to take their faithfulness as seriously as he takes his faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 27 interrupts the flow between chapters 26-28.

Once the people crossed the Jordan, they were to have a covenant renewal service from the tops of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. To help underscore the permanent nature of the law, they were also to build stone monuments, cover them with plaster, and inscribe them with the entire law. Beyond that, the Levities were then to recite before the people a list of 12 sins and their accompanying curse.

The word “curse” often trips us up. Here is one of the English definitions:

“A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object.”

Let’s step back for a moment. Based on the evidence so far, do we really think that the same God who has been wandering around in the desert for 40 years with these people, expressly wishes for some calamity or misfortune to fall upon them?

Of course not!

This is another great example of why understanding the original meaning of a word is so important.

Here the word “curse” in the Hebrew is ’arur ???? . It is the idea of being without God, without His protection, presence or covering.

Let’s take the 1st “curse” in 27:15

“Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol – a thing detestable to Yahweh, the work of the craftsman's hands – and sets it up in secret."

What that is literally saying is, “Without God is the man who carves an image or casts an idol – a thing detestable to Yahweh, the work of the craftsman's hands – and sets it up in secret."

I would go a step further and suggest that is not a statement of what happens to a person who does these things so much as it is a statement of what the person who does these things has already become – a person without God.

Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" – “Let it be so” – in other words they were stating their agreement with God’s verdict.

That brings us to chapter 28, which is divided into 2 sections:

Blessings for those who are faithful to the covenant.

Curses for those who persistently rebel.

Deuteronomy 28:1-7 - If you fully obey Yahweh your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, He will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you if you will obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and in the country. Your families will be blessed. Your land will be blessed. Your livestock will be blessed. Your food will be blessed. You will be blessed when you go in and when you go out.

The blessings highlight the fact that Yahweh is the originator of the benefits. The people will not be able to take credit for any of their success. They are experiencing the blessings God has promised to give them within the covenant relationship.

Deuteronomy 28:15 - However, if you do not obey Yahweh your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Here is another Hebrew word for “curse” – qelalah ??????. This word indicates placing an individual or community or object under divine disfavor and stands in deliberate contrast to “blessing.” It is related to the rule of law and the administration of justice which rests ultimately in the hands of God.

Let’s look at Deuteronomy 28:16-20:

“You will be ‘without God’ in the city and in the country. Your food will be ‘without God.’ Your families will be ‘without God.’ Your land will be ‘without God.’ Your livestock will be ‘without God.’ You will be ‘without God’ when you go in and when you go out.”

Choosing rebellion will bring about an “undoing” of the covenant blessings.

“Yahweh will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.”

Here is another Hebrew word for curse - “meerah.” This word indicates a divine judgment – a lawful response to a covenant violation.