Deuteronomy 28-29

In this passage, God lists the blessings (or curses) that Israel can expect if they obey (or disobey) His commands. Moses then exhorts Israel to hew to the Lord's covenant with them, because the consequences for failing in this regard are too horrible to be contemplated.

1. Blessings for Obedience
If the Israelites are careful to obey all of the Lord's commands, He will bless them as follows:

• their blessings will not be limited by geography


• their children will be blessed


• they will not go hungry - in fact, they will have a surplus of food


• their livestock will be blessed


• their blessings will not be restricted by the time of day


• they will be blessed in their military endeavors.

As a result of these blessings, all other nations will fear Israel - and by extension, the Lord. They will be in a dominant position relative to other nations.

2. Curses for Disobedience
Now if the Israelites fail to obey all of the Lord's commands, He will reverse all of the aforementioned blessings. In addition, He will curse them as follows:

• they will be afflicted with all kinds of unpleasant diseases


• drought, blight, mildew, locusts and worms will strike their land


• they will be afflicted with mental illnesses and blindness


• they will lose their families and possessions, and other nations will be able to put them to good use


• they will be driven into exile and forced to serve their enemies and worship their gods


• they will be in debt to the aliens living among them


• they will resort to cannibalism during long sieges of their fortified cities


• they will lack peace of mind.

3. Renewal of the Covenant
Now that the Lord has presented His new covenant with Israel, Moses reminds them of His faithfulness to them - which should motivate them to honor it. In particular, he reminds them of how God led them out of Egypt, how He sustained them during 40 years of wandering in the desert, and how He helped them to defeat Sihon and Og. He then establishes the fact that all Israel - including future generations - is entering into this new covenant with God. Now he reminds them that serving other gods will lead to disaster, so he warns Israel against this sin. Finally he reminds them that the Lord will punish individuals for their sins, so they cannot hide from Him in the midst of the community. Moreover, Israel should not sin corporately, as this will cause the Lord to strike their land for many generations to come. Other nations would see the resulting destruction and know that the Lord was punishing His people for their sins - especially that of idolatry.