We see in our passage that Moses reminds Israel of God’s punishments for disobedience. – v.16-21

I – DANGERS OF WHAT THEY SAW – v.16-17

Deuteronomy 29:16-17 "ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; ¹⁷And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:”

Moses wants these Israelites to remember the life in Egypt and the passage thru nations. - v.16

Deuteronomy 29:16“(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;

They were barely out of Egypt when they were seduced by a golden calf! (Exodus 32:1-14+)

Exodus 32:1-14 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. ²And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. ³And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. ⁴And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ⁵And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. ⁶And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. ⁷And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: ⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ⁹And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: ¹⁰Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. ¹¹And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? ¹²Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. ¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. ¹⁴And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”

Moses reminds these Israelites what they saw as they went through the heathen lands. They saw their abominable idols (v. 17).

Deuteronomy 29:17 “And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)”

What are those nations: Deuteronomy 2:4,9,19,24; Deuteronomy 3:1,2

Deuteronomy 2:4,9,19,24 “And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: ⁹And the Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. ¹⁹And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. ²⁴Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.”

Deuteronomy 3:1,2 “Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. ²And the Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.”

You need to watch what you watch.

Notice the words, “And ye have seen their abominations,” These Israelites have seen other nation’s disgusting or detestable practices.

The words stated in our passage “and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:”

This is a warning to the Israelites, because they have seen the pagan’s abominations and their idols. The danger of seeing these wicked things is that the flesh may be attracted to participate in these godless practices. That is exactly what happened when they were influenced and ensnared by the abomination as they played the harlots of the daughters of Moab that kindled the anger of the Lord in Numbers 25:1-3 “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. ²And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. ³And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.” The warning is clear “watch what you watch.” Guard what you are watching. Guard what we are watching at computer, tv, reading materials, even when you are out somewhere, what are you looking at?

The Israelites would be facing all kinds of temptations because they had and seen the abominations practices and will be exposed to the different perversions of the surrounding pagan nations like the Moabites, Amorites, and others. We learned from the Scriptures that over and over God consistently warns these Israelites not to go after the gods of the other pagan nations, nor to do the evil practices that they did which stirred up the wrath of God. But there is no excuse before God, because part of the temptation they witnessed comes simply the truth that they have seen what goes on, God have shown them all the consequences. The accountability is lies now in their hand, God warns them completely, but they were stubborn.

According to James, sin is birthed when we are carried away by our own inner lusts in James 1:13-15 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” But the blame and accountability are in ourselves because sometimes the lusts are started by the very things, we allow ourselves to be exposed to, like in the case of Eve in Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Although it is true that sometimes you cannot avoid what you see, and sometimes you just cannot avoid the things in the world, but sometimes you can avoid those temptations you have seen.

Don’t expose yourself to more of the things in this world than you need to be exposed to those spiritual things with eternal value and very essential to your relationship with the Savior. We are not saying you are going to stop sinning, that is not the point, but you can at deprive or refuse the desire of your flesh from finding more ways to sin.

II – DOMINATION OF THEIR SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE – v.18

Deuteronomy 29:18 "Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;”

Notice the words “among you”.

Deuteronomy 11:16, 17 “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; ¹⁷And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.”

Deuteronomy 13:1-15 “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, ²And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; ³Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. ⁵And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. ⁶If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; ⁷Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; ⁸Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: ⁹But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ¹⁰And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ¹¹And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. ¹²If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, ¹³Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; ¹⁴Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; ¹⁵Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.”

Deuteronomy 17:2-7 “If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant, ³And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; ⁴And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: ⁵Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. ⁶At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. ⁷The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.”

Hebrews 3:12 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

Deuteronomy 29:18a “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations;…”

Notice in our text in verse 18a, that Moses says there shall not be any one among them, man, woman, family or tribe that shall have any of those idols whose heart turns away from God to go after their ways. Remember not all Israel are true believers of God, there were Israel who are not saved, stubborn in their heart, claiming they are believers but actually they are not believers of God.

Deuteronomy 29:18b “lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;”

Notice it says in verse 18a that if any man, woman, family or tribe in Israel that have any of pagan idols whose heart turns away from God and go after their wicked ways, God will cause a poison fruit and wormwood (verse 18b) to dominate them. The mentioned fruit or wormwood describes the source of evil.

Look some reference of root or poisonous fruit in the Scriptures:

Jeremiah 9:15 “Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.” The word “gall” here means poison.

Hosea 10:4 “They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.” The word “hemlock” refers to poisonous weeds”.

Amos 6:12 “Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:” The word “gall” means poison. The “hemlock” means wornwood.

Acts 8:23 “For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” It says bitterness is poisonous.

Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;"

Notice our passage in Deuteronomy 29:18 is connected and quoted in Hebrews 12:15.

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”

One person who is permitted to exist who influenced and pulls people away from God and God’s Word can impact or has a great effect on the entire group. If a person or a certain church or an individual or a family member permits evil to spring up and does not do anything about that poisonous fruit or person, God will eventually step in and destroy that root.

In this point, we learned in our context passage that idolatry is like a poisonous plant that take root.

The words in verse 18 “serve the gods of these nations.”. Serve in Hebrew “abad” in Septuagint “latreuo” which means to carry out religious duties in spirit of worship of the gods of those nations. The picture here is of rebellious people who turn away from God to idols that are like a root that could infect the entire nation of Israel with the poison of idolatry of the pagans.

The writer’s word of warning is in the present tense Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently” it means continually looking diligently to it that no one comes short of fails to obtain the grace of God, that no root of bitterness springing up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. This is a principle in life that when we allow sin and remain unchecked, the sin can cause a “root of bitterness” to spring up and pull many people to follow and commit sin. Sin not just only affect the sinner, but sin can cause seeds to spring up into a “plant” that spread moral defilement through an entire body. One member of the family can possibly affect the whole family, one compromiser member of the church can pull away from serving God lot members of the church. It truly hinders the blessings of God.

Notice again in verse 18 of our passage the word “wormwood.”

Wormwood is commonly found in the Middle East; it is a bitter plant. Wormwood speaks of bitterness and sorrow as often used in analogy. Wormwood was pictured as injustice and unrighteousness as opposite of justice and righteousness pictured by the Prophets of the Old Testament (Amos 5:7 “Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,”; Jeremiah 23:15 “Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.”). Wormwood was described as one of the blazing stars which brings destruction in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 8:10-11 “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; ¹¹And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”) This is horrible warning for those who disobeyed God and His Words.

III – DECEITFULNESS OF THE SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE – v.19-20

Deuteronomy 29:19-20 "And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: ²⁰The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.”

This pictures the sin of self-deception.

Notice the words “And it came to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart.”

This professing unsaved Israelite boastfully said that “he bless himself in heart means this person secretly blesses himself.”

This is the description of someone totally deceived and enslaved to sin. It is clear the lesson tells us that the dangerous root that bears poisonous fruit in verse 18 is now described as a man who in essence boastfully mocks the words of the curse.

Notice what this boastful person in verse 19 “saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart”

It speaks if someone hears the Word of God and now, they are not walking in obedience to God in His Word. The word “imagination of mine heart” means stubbornness of heart. So, this person is saying “I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” The ESV translates “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” In spite of disobedience yet this person claims they are at peace with God. It is clear that this professing unsaved person does not know what true peace is, for it is ultimately peace with God (Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”).

This professing unsaved sinner may have an immediate sense of peace at the moment, but it is the peace of the blind, it is the peace of the ignorant, who cannot see the peril of coming judgment. Jesus told the disciples the His peace is not the peace the world giveth (John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. “). An unsaved sinner, a person who claimed a believer may feel confident in his own heart, having a marvelous sense of “peace.” But this peace is an illusion. It is the peace of the blind, of the unknowing.

ILLUSTRATION: If a bomb is on a plane, most everyone on the plane is at peace the moment before the bomb explodes. But their peace is based on their ignorance. In the same way, a sinner who profess to be a Christian may be completely untroubled in his heart. But this is only because he is spiritually blind to the truth.

Regarding the words in verse 19 “I shall have peace.” This is the attitude of sinners who consider God’s patience as an excuse that they may continue to rebel. God’s judgment, though often seemingly delayed, will call every stubborn covenant violation into account because the Scriptures said we reap what we sow.

The Hebrew word used here in verse 19 for “imagination” “is “Sheriruth” means hardness, stubbornness, the state or condition of refusing to change any behavior. The word “Sheriruth” is always found with the “heart” or “mind” and refers to a people who stubbornly refuse to respond to the admonitions of God. This word “Sheriruth” has the basic idea of firmness or hardness, but in its 10 usages in the Old Testament, it is always used in conjunction with the word “leb” meaning “heart” to describe the disobedient Israel. So, the word “Sheriruth” is best to translate “stubbornness.”

Description of the stubborn people:

1. People who did evil – Jeremiah 16:12

Jeremiah 16:12 “And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:”

2. People who walked after their own plans – Jeremiah 18:12

Jeremiah 18:12 “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.”

3. People who refused to listen to God’s Words – Jeremiah 13:10

Jeremiah 13:10 “This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.”

4. People who did not obey God’s counsel – Jeremiah 7:24; Jeremiah 9:13-14; Jeremiah 11:8

Jeremiah 7:24 “But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.”

Jeremiah 9:13-14 “And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; ¹⁴But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:”

Jeremiah 11:8 “Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not.”

5. People who were deluded to think they were at peace – Deuteronomy 29:18-19; Jeremiah 23:17

Deuteronomy 29:18-19 “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; ¹⁹And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:”

Jeremiah 23:17 “They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.”

God gave such stubborn people over to their own devices – Psalm 81:12-13 “So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. ¹³Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!”

Notice the words in verse 19 “to add drunkenness to thirst.” KJV; “in order to destroy the watered land with the dry” NASB; "This will destroy the watered ground with the parched." NET; "This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike." ESV; "This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry." NIV. We are not sure of the exact meaning of this proverb, but the context demands an idiomatic expression about complete destruction. All Israelites would suffer in the judgment because of one stubborn violator of YHWH’s covenant. We used to say today “one bad apple spoils the barrel” or “one bad egg spoils the omelet.” Or “one rotten tomato spoils one basket of tomatoes.”

In our context of our study, the person who would break the Covenant would face God’s wrath (Deuteronomy 29:20 “The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.”). God’s judgment could be brought against nations as well as individuals (Ezekiel 16:38 “And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.”). When the LORD judges the nations, the earth will be devoured by the “fire of [God’s] jealousy” (Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.”).

Notice the action of God in verse 20 “The Lord will not spare him,” KJV; “The Lord shall never be willing to forgive him” NASB; “The Lord will not be willing to forgive him.” The Lord will never forgive him. This statement is true but only for person who absolutely will not repent and believe, for God is always willing to forgive the repentant believer. This truth is plain in Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.”. No one can forsake the LORD and escape the consequences.

Notice the anger of the Lord in verse 20 “but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy.” It means the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.

Notice the words in verse 20, “shall smoke against that man.” It says the wrath of the Lord will burn “against that man and all the curses (refers to the entire oath), that are written in this book shall lie upon (means will lie in wait against) him, and the Lord shall blot out (means obliterate) his name from under heaven.”

This is a horrible description of the anger of a righteous God found in all of the Bible. God’s anger will always burn against that professing lost soul. Not only does God say this man will be cursed in life, but he will be cursed in death because the Lord blotted out his name from under heaven. The words of the Apostle John confirm this man's eternal destiny for John writes in Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Notice the action of God in verse 20 “The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man.” The Lord will never forgive him, and God’s anger will always burn against that professing lost soul.

If this unsaved professing Christian is not obeying God and yet claims he is at peace with God, that professing lost soul can reach a point where God says, “I am done with you.” Do not overlook this because this is how an unsaved lost sinner, who claim a believer but actually lost can potentially cut God out of his/her life forever.

The lesson we learned here is that an unsaved lost person who professed to be Christian can walk through life saying they have a peace with God with a confidence they are right with God and it is all a delusional life. Do not play games with God, it is a serious matter to disobey God.

IV – DUE PUNISHMENT FOR THE SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE – v.21

Deuteronomy 29:21 "And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:”

Notice the intensity of God’s wrath. It says in verse 20 that the Lord will never forgive this person and the anger of the Lord is burning against that stubborn unsaved Israelite, disobedient false believers and the Lord blot out the name of that individual from under heaven.

God will target this person and hit him with every curse imaginable. God will blot out his name and single him out for adversity (v.21)

Notice the statements “And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel,”

This refers to those false believers who were disobedient stubborn Israelites who were separated from all tribes of Israel.

The Bible is clear concerning the words “separate him” or “single him out” NASB; ESV.

Passages about God’s action of separating the unsaved and professing believers:

Ezekiel 13:9 “And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.”

Malachi 3:18 “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”

Matthew 24:51 “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:32,41,46 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

Notice the phrase “according to all the curses” in Hebrew “alah” translated “oath” in Deuteronomy 29:12.

All the curses of what? It says all the curses “of the covenant” in Hebrew “beriyth”.

Where the all curses of the covenant be found? It says “are written in this book of the law.”

Both verses 20 and verse 21 mentioned about all the curses written the book of the law. In verse 20 “all the curses that are written in this book” and verse 21 “all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law.”

Well, what are all the courses of the covenant written in the book of the law?

ALL THE CURSES OF THE COVENANT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW:

1. Deuteronomy 29:27-28 “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: ²⁸And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.”

This statement in verse 27 is based on Israel’s forsaking God and seeking false gods. It was said that the righteous wrath of promised covenant of God curses fell on the people of the Promised land. We see that the anger of the Lord was burned against the land, that the land is effect by Israel’s sin (Genesis 3:17) and generally the land is effect by human sin (Romans 8:18-22). In order for God to redirect the thoughts and priorities of mankind, God uses natural phenomena.

The words in verse 28 speaks of a future prophecy in the past tense, so this prophecy come to pass surely. It says here that Israel had been planted in the promised land but due to disobedience and stubbornness of Israel, they would now be uprooted and be banished from the land and deported to another land.

2. Deuteronomy 27:15-26 “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. ¹⁶Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. ¹⁷Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. ¹⁸Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. ¹⁹Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²⁰Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²¹Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²²Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²³Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²⁴Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²⁵Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. ²⁶Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

Notice the words “cursed” in Greek “arar.” The term “cursed” used 39 times in Deuteronomy 27-29. There are 12 curses. Cursed is used 12 times in Deuteronomy 27 and these are not statements of what are going to happen to those who broke the covenant, but these were the declarations calling down a curse on the breaker of the covenant which the nature of the curse is not specified. The Septuagint translated curse with “epikataratos” which means a person or a nation is under a severe curse, condemned by God, and Paul used “epikataratos” to describe that Christ becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”). The curse declarations that all Israel was entering into covenant with Yahweh was in essence the making of a solemn vow or oath with Yahweh.

Therefore, curse is for all the breakers of the covenant and it says that equivalent to their pronouncing an oath with one’s own mouth, all the people answering “Amen” because the Levites calls for all Israel to respond to each declaration resulting in a curse. Their response “Amen” as they are saying “so be it” which means that they were assenting to each covenant curse because they understood and agreed to the curse. They are saying they would be held guilty of breaking the covenant they have agreed if they then committed the sins and therefore must be punished. Their Amen is equivalent to pronouncing a curse upon themselves. Their Amen was such an imprecation upon themselves, as strongly obliged them to have nothing to do with those evil practices of Canaanites on which the curse is entailed. We read of those who entered a curse to walk in God's law. (Nehemiah 10:29 …” entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;”). All the people, by saying this Amen, became bound one for another, that they would observe God's laws, by which every man was obliged, as far as he could, to prevent his neighbour from breaking these laws, and to reprove those that had offended, lest they should bear sin and the curse for them.

Eight of the 12 curses mentioned in Deuteronomy 27 refer to violations of the Ten Commandments:

Violation of the second commandment (verse 15, Deuteronomy 5:8-10)

Violation of the fifth commandment (verse 16, Deuteronomy 5:16)

Violation of the eighth commandment (verse 17, Deuteronomy 5:19)

Violation of the seventh commandment (verse 20, 22-23, Deuteronomy 5:18)

Violation of the sixth commandment (verse 24-25; Deuteronomy 5:17).

Many of these curses, if not all, of the Mosaic laws can be seen in their contrast to Canaanite society.

The first curse mentioned in verse 15, is the violation of the first and second commandments that condemned idolatry (Exodus 20:1-6). Carving or casting or worshipping an idol means to denying that Jehovah was the One True and Living God, and that sin of idolatry was the sin that God pour out His wrath on Israel.

The laws written in the covenant deal with the sins that were flagrantly practiced by the godless Canaanites these laws are aim to protect the people of God from the unholy influences of these Canaanite. Today, in our lives as believers in Christ, the laws of God still serve with the same purpose to protect us from the unholy influences of the world, these laws of God were given for our good and not to steal our joy as a people of God. Continual and consistent obedience to the holy laws of God enabled by the Holy Spirit is the pathway to true joy and peace and freedom in Christ.

In says in verse 15 “in a secret place”. Even if a Jew worshipped idol in secret and did not try to convince anyone to join him, it was still a great sin and must be punished for disobedience (Deuteronomy 13). The punishment for sin will find the guilty, if not in this lifetime, then in the next. In secret indicates it kept secret and hidden away, concealed from others and unknown to them. Of course, sin is not kept secret from God (Numbers 32:23 “…behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.”). Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” As a believer, never sweep sin under the rug, but put it under the blood. (Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”; I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”).

3. Deuteronomy 28:15-19, 20-26, 27-37, 38-48 “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: ¹⁶Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. ¹⁷Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. ¹⁸Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ¹⁹Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.”

There is a change of direction, blessings to curses. The preceding blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) with the following curses of disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-64). God wanted His people to know that when these calamities struck, they would recognize the hand of the Lord and not think it was a series of coincidences. Just as God promised to bless them in every area of life if they obeyed His covenant, so God warned that He would curse them in every area of life: their bodies, families, fields, flocks and herds, if they disobeyed. Obedience would carry great blessing but disobedience would carry terrible curses. Like the blessings for an obedient Israel, the curses for a disobedient Israel would be inevitable.

Notice the word “if” in verse 1,2,9,13,15,58 introduces the promise is conditional which will result in experiencing of the curses of Yahweh. It reminds us of one of the inviolable law of reaping and sowing (Galatians 6:7-8; Hosea 8:7). Moses had spoken a similar warning to the first generation of Israelites regarding the curses of disobedience.

Deuteronomy 28:20-26 “The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. ²¹The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. ²²The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. ²³And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. ²⁴The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. ²⁵The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.”

It is not simply that they have disobeyed God’s word; they have abandoned the covenant God. Grief will inevitably overtake them, because of the evil they have done in forsaking God (verse 20). The very fact that they have been warned in this way, however, is an evident of God’s generous mercy. God warns them because he loves them and does not want them to suffer. The land they are about to enter is populated with Baal-worshippers.

There will be no escape from the curses if Israel disobeys and forsakes Yahweh. The same truth is repeated in verse 45 where Moses declaring all these curses shall come upon these disobedient Israel and pursue them and overtake them until they are destroyed (v.20, 24).

Deuteronomy 28:27-37 “The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. ²⁸The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: ²⁹And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. ³⁰Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. ³¹Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. ³²Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand. ³³The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: ³⁴So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ³⁵The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. ³⁶The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. ³⁷And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.”

As we have read the judgments of God’s curses to Israel disobedience to the covenant with Yahweh from verse 16 – 26, and let us continue to read more curses from verse 27 to 37.

a.) In verse 27, God will cause bodily infirmities that will not be able to be healed.

There is a list of bodily infirmities here that God says God authorizes:

1) boils - some violent inflamed swelling.

2) tumors - would be a hemorrhoid type of swelling or burning.

3) scab - would be something that destroys the eyes.

4) itch - some sort of burning itch that you want to scratch.

Now God says here that “you cannot be healed.” It does not mean that there aren’t medicines that were there to help heal, what it means is you cannot get rid of it. No matter how much medicine you take, it won’t work.

b.) In verse 28a, God will cause mental instability.

c.) In verse 28b, God will cause blindness.

d.) In verse 28c, God will cause spiritual instability.

e.) In verse 29a, God will cause no prosperity.

f.) In verse 29b, God will remove all protection and allow you to be robbed.

g.) In verse 30-33, God will cause everything to be taken away from you.

They lose their mates. – verse 30a
They lose their house. – verse 30b
They lose their vineyards. – verse 30c
They lose their oxen. – verse 31a
They lose their donkeys. – verse 31b
They lose their sheep. – verse 31c
They lose their children. – verse 32
They lose everything. – verse 33

h.) In verse 34, God will let you see things that will drive you mad.

i.) In verse 35, God will strike you down with things that cannot be healed.

j.) In verse 36, God will cause foreigners to dominate His people.

k.) In verse 37, God will cause His people to become as a horror story.

Deuteronomy 28:38-48“Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. ³⁹Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. ⁴⁰Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. ⁴¹Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. ⁴²All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. ⁴³The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. ⁴⁴He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. ⁴⁵Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: ⁴⁶And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. ⁴⁷Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; ⁴⁸Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.”

Verse 38-40, describe Israel's devastated economy where their fervent efforts would only yield frustration and futility! These are curses of frustration and failure: much labour will result in little reward.

Notice in verse 47 the word “Because” The next reason the curses would come upon Israel is they had an attitude of joyless ingratitude! How do you serve the LORD, in gratitude or ingratitude?

Notice the words “thou servedst not”, Septuagint “latreuo” refers to carry out religious duties in spirit of worship.

Notice the words “the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things,”

The phrase abundance of all things as can be rendered "in the time of prosperity." One would think this would be a minor issue compared with their penchant for idolatry, but it is critically important as Paul shows in Romans 1:21-25.

It is Warning that "Idolatry begins with a proud and selfish heart that someone loves the gifts more than it loves the Giver, and it ends by losing both the Giver and the gifts.

The people of God, Israel should have learned to serve God with rejoicing and with a good heart because of God’s abundant provision for all their needs; but on the other hand, to receive the blessing of God and then to find no joy in it and offer no thanks for it, was to invite the curse of God. The words “abundance of all things refers to the point of prosperity of nations of God, that is contrasted for those cursed of God, who are in need of all things (verses 48, 57). Notice the word in verse 48 “Therefore” - Since they served Yahweh with joyless ingratitude, He would give them masters which would justify their ingratitude! They would be assigned to serve their enemies!

Deuteronomy 28:49-57 “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; ⁵⁰A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: ⁵¹And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. ⁵²And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. ⁵³And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: ⁵⁴So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: ⁵⁵So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. ⁵⁶The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, ⁵⁷And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.”

Notice in verse 49, the active hand of the LORD in this curse. God Himself will bring the nation against His chosen people! The phrase as the eagle flieth, depicts how sudden and swift will be the invasion of Israel.

Who is the nation mentioned in verse 49 that is from far, from the end of the earth, that flieth like the eagle? In Scripture, we find that the image of the eagle is often used to describe military invasion by different nations, including Babylon (Jeremiah 48:40; 49:22; Ezekiel 17:3), Egypt (Ezekiel 17:7), and Assyria (Hosea 8:1). The Assyrians captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and the Babylonians invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 606 and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC. Thousands of Jews were taken captive to Babylon and forced to live in that land of idols, and this cured them once and for all of idol worship. Perhaps the image that is illustrated in verse 49 meant to include all the invasions that brought chastening to the Jewish people, including the Roman invasion in A.D. 70. The description of all things in verses 49 to 57 surely occurred during the Babylonian and the Roman sieges of Jerusalem.

Notice in verse 50, that this invading nation will be merciless, predatory and have no compassion regardless of age, as no one will be spared not even the old or the young, no one will be excluded from the violent treatment of this nasty nation. Especially the Assyrians but also the Babylonians would kill the elderly and the children purposely to demoralized before they were deported to a distant region. In verse 51 the invading nations are described in terms of a total devastation or demolition of Israel’s livestock, crops, resources similar to the locust plagues of Joel, Amos, and Micah. In verse 52 we see the prediction of enemy’s successful siege against all the towns in Israel not only Jerusalem and Israel’s misplaced truth because it is sad to know that Israel trusted in their high and fortified walls instead of trusting in their God Who is high and lifted up above all the nations including the enemies of Israel. Israelites thought the Canaanites to be safe and secure behind their city walls. But such human defenses are mere chaff before Yahweh. This was a painful reminder that Israel would lose control of the very land that Yahweh had given them. In verse 53, these describes the horrors of the siege. Sieges were used in ancient warfare caused famine of the inhabitants and in this case the famine drives them to do the unthinkable, that is to commit cannibalism of their offspring. The Israelites would devour their own children, the fruit of their own wombs, God’s gifts to them. Cannibalism was the last resort in times of impending starvation. This severe famine could be the result of siege, when the food supply had become depleted. This prophetic curse was also fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman General Titus laid siege to Jerusalem. This curse was literally fulfilled when the Arameans besieged Samaria (II Kings 6:24-29) and when the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem (Lam. 2:20; Lam 4:10). This was one of the greatest examples of the depth of perversity, the results of disobedience to God. We see also in verse 54 that says the most tenderhearted man among them will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife and his surviving children. When the Roman armies at length besieged and desolated Jerusalem, the famine was so extreme that even rich and delicate persons, both men and women ate their own children, lest others should tear it from them. Women snatched the food out of the very mouths of their husbands, and sons of their fathers, and mothers of their infants (most miserable). In every family, if there is something appeared semblance of food, there is a battle fighting for survival, and the dearest friends fought with one another, snatching away the provisions of life. After the solders had plundered all the possessions of a woman, she was boiling her own sucking child, then she ate half of her baby, and reserved the other half for another time. What a horrible and miserable punishment as result of Israel’s disobedience. Then in verse 55, this describes an amazing depth of desperation and depravity, because the tender-hearted man will not even share or withhold or refuse to share from all of them his children’s flesh he is devouring, the flesh of one of his own children, his cannibalistic meal. In Deuteronomy 28:56-57 we have the female counterpart of Deuteronomy 28:54:55. Even a pampered woman who rides in a carriage and is carried on a litter so her feet do not touch the ground with be compelled to commit cannibalism! The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not even dream of walking around barefoot, would be so desperate that she would begin cannibalizing her family, shall be hostile toward the husband she loves and cherishes and toward her son and daughter. This delicate woman is no longer delicate but seeks to hide her placenta and newborn from others so this delicate woman may eat them. Now, we notice in verse 58 the word “if” which means curses are conditional, specifically conditional due on their obedience and fear of the LORD. The effect of fear of the LORD is to keep one from evil (Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”). The glorious and fearful Name mentioned in this verse 58 stands for the person and character of the LORD. This reiterates the general principle that disobedience to the Law of God (in verse 59) invites the curses of God. The words in verse 58 “do all the words of this law that are written in this book”, we here see the word “book.” We usually think of a book as having pages, a binding and a cover. That kind of book did not exist in the ancient world. The term used here can refer to any document from inscription to scroll, from papyrus to clay tablet to stone.

Summary of the Judgments listed: (Not only Deuteronomy 28 but also in Lamentation. This is solemn reminder that it is very dangerous and miserable to rebel against God and try to have our own way.

1. children cursed (Deuteronomy 28:18); low birth rate (Deuteronomy 28:62–63)

2. crops ruined, and animals killed (Deuteronomy 28 :18, 22, 31–32, 38–40, 42, 51)

3. confusion of mind, madness, and fear (Deuteronomy 28:20, 28–29, 34, 65–68)

4. sickness (Deuteronomy 28:21–22, 27–28, 35, 59–61)

5. drought, hunger, and thirst (Deuteronomy 28:22–24, 48)

6. defeat in war (Deuteronomy 28 :25, 49–50, 52)

7. wives ravished (Deuteronomy 28:30)

8. oppression and slavery (Deuteronomy 28:29, 33, 48, 68)

9. cannibalism (Deuteronomy 28:53–57)

10. captivity (Deuteronomy 28:36, 63–64)

11. corpses not buried (Deuteronomy 28:26)

12. plans shattered (Deuteronomy 28:30)

13. poverty, debt, and nakedness (Deuteronomy 28:44, 48)

14. robbery (Deuteronomy 28:29, 31, 33)

15. children kidnapped (Deuteronomy 28:32, 41)

16. aliens take over the land (Deuteronomy 28:43)

17. shame and scorn (Deuteronomy 28:37)

A series of refrains are found within the extended passage that God’s judgements will certainly happen because of certain things the covenant people persistently did not do:

1. They did not heed God’s word (v. 45, v. 62): disobedience.

Deuteronomy 28:45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:”

Deuteronomy 28:62 “And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.”

2. They did not appreciate God’s mercies (v. 46–47): ingratitude.

Deuteronomy 28:46-47 “And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

⁴⁷Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;”

3. They did not honour God’s name (58): irreverence.

Deuteronomy 28:58 “If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God;”

This statement in verse 21 supports the premise described in verse 12 that all who entered into the covenant with the Lord also entered into all the curses of the covenant. (Deuteronomy 29:12 “That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:”) If anyone broke the covenant (like the one in this passage), they would be guilty of all the curses of the covenant.

Why hypocritically claim you are right with God and are at peace with God (v.19 “in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination or stubbornness of mine heart,”) and at the same time saying that you do not want to persist in sin but stubbornly disobedient to God and His Word. That is not a joke, it is deadly serious (v.20 “anger of the Lord and His jealousy will burn against that man”) for a person to risks God refusing not willing to forgive (v.20 “Lord will not spare him or the Lord will not be willing to forgive him”).

Friend, if you know that you are living in sin, now you have to confess your sins and turn from it and seek to obtain God’s mercy. Never tell anybody and show people that you are right with God which the truth is, you are not really right with God. God takes that very seriously, for God will eventually pour out His anger and jealousy against you.