1. Deuteronomy 27-30 “Curses, Blessings and Choices”

2. Romans 9:1-5 ( NIV ) the adoption as sons; “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ…”

3. 26:16-17 17 You have declared today that YaHWeH is your God. And you have promised to walk in His ways, and to obey His decrees, commands, and regulations, and to do everything He tells you.

4. 26:18-19 YaHWeH has declared today that you are His people, His own special treasure 18 YaHWeH has declared today that you are His people, His own special treasure, just as He promised, and that you must obey all His commands. 19 And if you do, He will set you high above all the other nations He has made. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to YaHWeH your God, just as He promised.”

5. 1 Peter 2:9–10 ( NKJV ) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people who once were not a people but are now the people of God 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

6. 27:1-4 Write this whole body of instruction on them 2 When you cross the Jordan River and enter the land YaHWeH your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 3 Write this whole body of instruction on them when you cross the river to enter the land YaHWeH your God is giving you… 4 When you cross the Jordan, set up these stones at Mount Ebal and coat them with plaster, as I am commanding you today.

7. Tom Constable “They probably copied the Ten Commandments, but they may have copied the blessings and curses, the legal parts of the law, the salient parts of the laws reiterated in Deuteronomy, or the entire Book of Deuteronomy.”

8. 27:8-10 “O Israel, be quiet and listen! Today you have become the people of YaHWeH your God. 10 So you must obey YaHWeH your God by keeping all these commands and decrees that I am giving you today.” 8 You must clearly write all these instructions on the stones coated with plaster.” 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests addressed all Israel as follows: “O Israel, be quiet and listen! Today you have become the people of YaHWeH your God. 10 So you must obey YaHWeH your God by keeping all these commands and decrees that I am giving you today.”

9. 27:11-13 Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali 11 That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: 12 “When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. 13 And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse.

10. Warren Wiersbe The valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (South) is a beautiful place, with the city of Shechem in it. The entire area forms a natural amphitheater about two miles wide, and it would not be difficult for the people to hear the Law read.

11. Joshua 8:30-35

12. 27:14-26 ‘Cursed is anyone And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’ 14 “Then the Levites will shout to all the people of Israel: 15 ‘Cursed is anyone who carves or casts an idol and secretly sets it up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to YaHWeH.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’ (“So be it” – This is an oath. Taking responsibility for obeying the Laws and acknowledging the curses as being just and righteous”)

13. Life Application Bible “Sometimes looking at a list of curses like this gives us the idea that God has a bad temper and is out to crush anyone who steps out of line. But we need to see these restrictions not as threats, but as loving warnings about the plain facts of life. Just as we warn children to stay away from hot stoves and busy streets, God warns us to stay away from dangerous actions.

14. Life Application Bible The natural law of His universe makes it clear that wrongdoing toward others or God has tragic consequences. God is merciful enough to tell us this truth plainly. Motivated by love and not anger, His strong words help us avoid the serious consequences that result from neglecting God or wronging others.

15. “This is one of the most important chapters in the O.T., furnishing the basis on which the prophets preached repentance to later generations of Israel.” Dr. Criswell “For understanding and explaining Israel’s history as recorded throughout the Old Testament, there are perhaps no more important chapters than Deuteronomy 28– 30.” J. Dwight Pentecost, “Thy Kingdom Come”

16. 28:1-2 YaHWeH your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 1 “If you fully obey YaHWeH your God and carefully keep all His commands that I am giving you today, YaHWeH your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey YaHWeH your God:

17. 28:3-14 9 “If you obey the commands of YaHWeH your God and walk in His ways, YaHWeH will establish you as His holy people as He swore He would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by YaHWeH, and they will stand in awe of you… If you listen if you carefully obey 13 If you listen to these commands of YaHWeH your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, YaHWeH will make you the head…

18. John 13:34–35 ( NASB 95) A new commandment I give to you if you have love for one another 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

19. John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

20. 28:15-20 15 “But if you refuse to listen to YaHWeH your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you… until at last you until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly 20 “YaHWeH Himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly for doing evil and abandoning me.

21. Dr. W. A. Criswell The phrase “until you are destroyed [shamad] and until you perish [ ˓ avad,]” is echoed in reverse order in v. 63—“to destroy [ ˓ avad] you and bring you to nothing [shamad].” Between these two phrases the same idea is expressed seven times with one of the same verbs, shamad (vv. 24, 45, 48, 51, 61) or ˓ avad (vv. 22, 51). This emphasis on the destructive consequences of disobedience, however, should not be misunderstood as predicting an end to the nation.

22. Dr. W. A. Criswell The destruction promised is that of the disobedient generation’s relationship to the Promised Land of blessing. That the Lord’s covenant promises to Abraham and to his believing descendants would not be nullified by the nation’s disobedience is shown by the Lord’s promise of Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration in 30:1–6.

23. 28:21-31 will afflict you will strike you will change 21 YaHWeH will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 22 YaHWeH will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew… 23 The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. 24 YaHWeH will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.

24. 28:34-37 You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which YaHWeH sends you. 34 You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you. 36 “YaHWeH will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! 37 You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which YaHWeH sends you.

27. 28:45-47 “If you refuse to listen If you do not serve 45 “If you refuse to listen to YaHWeH your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. 46 These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. 47 If you do not serve YaHWeH your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received,

28. 28:48 48 you will serve your enemies whom YaHWeH will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. YaHWeH will put an iron yoke on your neck (slavery), oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.

29. 28:49-50 49 “YaHWeH will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture (or eagle – bird of prey). It is a nation whose language you do not understand, 50 a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young.

30. 28:58-63 “If you refuse to obey will overwhelm you He will afflict you will afflict you 58 “If you refuse to obey all the words of instruction that are written in this book, and if you do not fear the glorious and awesome name of YaHWeH your God, 59 then YaHWeH will overwhelm you and your children with indescribable plagues… 60 He will afflict you with all the diseases of Egypt that you feared so much, and you will have no relief. 61 YaHWeH will afflict you with every sickness and plague there is, even those not mentioned in this Book of Instruction, until you are destroyed.

31. 28:64-65 There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And YaHWeH will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. 64 For YaHWeH will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! 65 There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And YaHWeH will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair.

32. 28:66-67 66 Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you.

33. 29:1 (28:69 in Hebrew Bible ) 1 These are the terms of the covenant YaHWeH commanded Moses to make with the Israelites while they were in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Mount Sinai.

34. 29:2-4 But to this day YaHWeH has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear! 2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything YaHWeH did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to his whole country— 3 all the great tests of strength, the miraculous signs, and the amazing wonders. 4 But to this day YaHWeH has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!

35. Isaiah 6:9–10 ( NASB 95) 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ 10 “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”

36. 29:5-6 5 For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other alcoholic drink, but He gave you food so you would know that He is YaHWeH your God.

37. 29:9-12 YaHWeH is making this covenant, including the curses. 9 “Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do. 10 All of you—tribal leaders, elders, officers, all the men of Israel—are standing today in the presence of YaHWeH your God. 11 Your little ones and your wives are with you, as well as the foreigners living among you who chop your wood and carry your water. 12 You are standing here today to enter into the covenant of YaHWeH your God. YaHWeH is making this covenant, including the curses.

38. 29:13-15 “But you are not the only ones with whom I am making this covenant with its curses. 13 By entering into the covenant today, He will establish you as His people and confirm that He is your God, just as He promised you and as He swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14 “But you are not the only ones with whom I am making this covenant with its curses.

39. 29:15-18 with the future generations who are not standing here today. 15 I am making this covenant both with you who stand here today in the presence of YaHWeH our God, and also with the future generations who are not standing here today. 18 I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from YaHWeH our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit (“wormwood”).

40. 29:19-20 ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ All the curses written in this book will come down on them, and YaHWeH will erase their names from under heaven. 19 “Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin! 20 YaHWeH will never pardon such people. Instead His anger and jealousy will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will come down on them, and YaHWeH will erase their names from under heaven.

41. James 1:14–16 ( NASB 95) 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

42. Galatians 6:7–8 ( NASB 95) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

43. 29:29 29 “YaHWeH our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

44. 1 Peter 1:10–12 ( NASB 95) 10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

45. 1 Peter 1:10–12 ( NASB 95) 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

46. 30:1 take to heart all these instructions 1 “In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which YaHWeH your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions.

48. 30:2-3 2 If at that time you and your children return to YaHWeH your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, 3 then YaHWeH your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where He has scattered you.

50. 30:4-5 4 Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, YaHWeH your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. 5 YaHWeH your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then He will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!

51. Israe l

52. 30:6 6 “YaHWeH your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love Him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 – NASB95)

53. John 3:3-5 ( NASB 95) I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” … unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

54. 30:11-14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it. 11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

55. Romans 10:5–13 ( NKJV ) 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

56. Romans 10:5–13 ( NKJV ) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

57. Romans 10:5–13 ( NKJV ) 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the L ORD shall be saved.” 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the L ORD shall be saved.” “This decision to love or not to love God is one of life’s major decisions.” Schultz

58. 30:15-16 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love YaHWeH your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and YaHWeH your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

59. 30:17-18 17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

60. 30:19 life and death blessings and cursesNow I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. 19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

61. 30:20 This is the key to your life. 20 You can make this choice by loving YaHWeH your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey YaHWeH, you will live long in the land YaHWeH swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

62. Life Application Bible “Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience His blessings. God doesn’t force His will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow Him or reject Him. This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for He would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.”