When I last posted, in the midst of summer's heat, I had just read of the blessings and curses the tribes were told to pronounce from opposite mountaintops. Deuteronomy 28 mentions some of those blessings, but then goes on a long tirade, forcefully announcing the many curses that will befall the Jewish nation should they fail to abide by the Mosaic Law. It was a powerful and yet unnerving chapter to read. In many ways it still speaks to us today, for we are all in danger of these fearful fates if we do not heed God's commandments. One verse in particular, Deuteronomy 28:47, really shook me. Moses says these curses will fall on the Jews "because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things." God continues to make all things abundant, and yet we still, today, fail to serve Him with "joy and gladness of heart." It was a wake-up call of a verse, for sure. But specifically speaking, the curses call to mind the fates we now know awaited the Jews. And it is quite amazing to read of them in this old book, hundreds of years before they happened. All things are prefigured, from the Babylonian Captivity to the coming of the Messiah to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the Jew's fate even today among the nations of the world. Deuteronomy 28:29 says, "And mayst thou grope at mid-day as the blind is wont to grope in the dark." This passage is often interpreted to mean that the Jews will drift blindly even as the light of the Gospel and Jesus Christ shines brightly on earth! Profound. Another remarkable passage prefigures the Gentiles being welcomed as one of God's chosen peoples: "May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land, and all thy labours" (Deuteronomy 28:33). This calls to mind Romans 10:19: "I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation." The Gentiles were a non-nation, yet they would end up being included in God's plan, in some ways due to the Jews' insolence, and they would essentially "take over" the Jews' privileged place. All these things we know came true. And therefore it is not easy reading Deuteronomy 28, even though we know that God's salvation, despite a hard-hearted people, extends to all, including the Jews, if they follow Him. But reading these curses and knowing the utter pain and suffering some of those Jewish peoples endured is difficult to imagine. The verses suggesting the coming destruction of Jerusalem were especially harrowing. We sometimes forget what a horrific and tormenting event that was in 70 AD. The abominations that were committed, due to the desperation of a dying, starving, embattled people, were prefigured in Deuteronomy 28, the worst of which was probably the prophecy that men and women would eat their children in their grief and madness. And sure enough, there are accounts that this occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Deuteronomy 28 - Doom To Come
It's a beautiful autumn day, and a perfect time to resume my studies of the Word. I return with renewed vigor, for the past year or so I have neglected to make much progress in this spiritual journey, which I began with much exuberance back in 2009. But I aim now to re-dedicate myself to this endeavor. One chapter a day, at least, from here on out. It's the least I can do.
When I last posted, in the midst of summer's heat, I had just read of the blessings and curses the tribes were told to pronounce from opposite mountaintops. Deuteronomy 28 mentions some of those blessings, but then goes on a long tirade, forcefully announcing the many curses that will befall the Jewish nation should they fail to abide by the Mosaic Law. It was a powerful and yet unnerving chapter to read. In many ways it still speaks to us today, for we are all in danger of these fearful fates if we do not heed God's commandments. One verse in particular, Deuteronomy 28:47, really shook me. Moses says these curses will fall on the Jews "because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things." God continues to make all things abundant, and yet we still, today, fail to serve Him with "joy and gladness of heart." It was a wake-up call of a verse, for sure. But specifically speaking, the curses call to mind the fates we now know awaited the Jews. And it is quite amazing to read of them in this old book, hundreds of years before they happened. All things are prefigured, from the Babylonian Captivity to the coming of the Messiah to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the Jew's fate even today among the nations of the world. Deuteronomy 28:29 says, "And mayst thou grope at mid-day as the blind is wont to grope in the dark." This passage is often interpreted to mean that the Jews will drift blindly even as the light of the Gospel and Jesus Christ shines brightly on earth! Profound. Another remarkable passage prefigures the Gentiles being welcomed as one of God's chosen peoples: "May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land, and all thy labours" (Deuteronomy 28:33). This calls to mind Romans 10:19: "I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation." The Gentiles were a non-nation, yet they would end up being included in God's plan, in some ways due to the Jews' insolence, and they would essentially "take over" the Jews' privileged place. All these things we know came true. And therefore it is not easy reading Deuteronomy 28, even though we know that God's salvation, despite a hard-hearted people, extends to all, including the Jews, if they follow Him. But reading these curses and knowing the utter pain and suffering some of those Jewish peoples endured is difficult to imagine. The verses suggesting the coming destruction of Jerusalem were especially harrowing. We sometimes forget what a horrific and tormenting event that was in 70 AD. The abominations that were committed, due to the desperation of a dying, starving, embattled people, were prefigured in Deuteronomy 28, the worst of which was probably the prophecy that men and women would eat their children in their grief and madness. And sure enough, there are accounts that this occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.
When I last posted, in the midst of summer's heat, I had just read of the blessings and curses the tribes were told to pronounce from opposite mountaintops. Deuteronomy 28 mentions some of those blessings, but then goes on a long tirade, forcefully announcing the many curses that will befall the Jewish nation should they fail to abide by the Mosaic Law. It was a powerful and yet unnerving chapter to read. In many ways it still speaks to us today, for we are all in danger of these fearful fates if we do not heed God's commandments. One verse in particular, Deuteronomy 28:47, really shook me. Moses says these curses will fall on the Jews "because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things." God continues to make all things abundant, and yet we still, today, fail to serve Him with "joy and gladness of heart." It was a wake-up call of a verse, for sure. But specifically speaking, the curses call to mind the fates we now know awaited the Jews. And it is quite amazing to read of them in this old book, hundreds of years before they happened. All things are prefigured, from the Babylonian Captivity to the coming of the Messiah to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the Jew's fate even today among the nations of the world. Deuteronomy 28:29 says, "And mayst thou grope at mid-day as the blind is wont to grope in the dark." This passage is often interpreted to mean that the Jews will drift blindly even as the light of the Gospel and Jesus Christ shines brightly on earth! Profound. Another remarkable passage prefigures the Gentiles being welcomed as one of God's chosen peoples: "May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land, and all thy labours" (Deuteronomy 28:33). This calls to mind Romans 10:19: "I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation." The Gentiles were a non-nation, yet they would end up being included in God's plan, in some ways due to the Jews' insolence, and they would essentially "take over" the Jews' privileged place. All these things we know came true. And therefore it is not easy reading Deuteronomy 28, even though we know that God's salvation, despite a hard-hearted people, extends to all, including the Jews, if they follow Him. But reading these curses and knowing the utter pain and suffering some of those Jewish peoples endured is difficult to imagine. The verses suggesting the coming destruction of Jerusalem were especially harrowing. We sometimes forget what a horrific and tormenting event that was in 70 AD. The abominations that were committed, due to the desperation of a dying, starving, embattled people, were prefigured in Deuteronomy 28, the worst of which was probably the prophecy that men and women would eat their children in their grief and madness. And sure enough, there are accounts that this occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.
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