This is part of a video series covering the entire Bible in 4 years, one chapter at a time. Start at the beginning with Genesis 1 (Youtube link: https://youtu.be/wC2qD4RGOdo) and work through the playlist. Or go to https://www.peace.org.au/bible.html for more information.
In this video listen to Deuteronomy 28 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.
In Deuteronomy 28 we now come to the second longest chapter in the Bible, and the longest chapter (just) in the Pentateuch, the five books of the law. Here the specifics of the curses and the blessings of the covenant are going to be outlined.
God seems to think long-term, so while the first generation may not have seen all the blessings or curses, it builds over time. God thinks of a corporate “you.” This was true of them as we see historically, but also true of us too.
Up to verse 14 are the blessings. These blessings are incredible, any one of them a great promise to the believer, but of course these are in a context of the one who obeys and walks with the Lord. It is easy to be tempted to take the good parts of scripture for ourselves and throw out the other parts, such as all the verses that are about to follow in this chapter. And naturally we often have an elevated view of our own righteousness, so we would never dream that we are not always wholehearted toward the Lord, but sadly we are often misled.
From verse 15 are the curses. The curses get increasingly worse and it goes on, and they are gruesomely detailed.
If the curses stopped at verse 44, we might easily think that these things were fulfilled in the invasions of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. However the continued disobedience of Israel and Judah meant that these things were to ultimately culminate in the Roman Invasion and the complete destruction of not just the Jewish nation, but also the Jewish system which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. John the Baptist was aware of it when he said “the axe is at the root of the tree.” (Matt 3:10)
In verse 49 it speaks of a nation from far away, swooping down as an eagle. This was none other than the Roman Empire with the eagle as its insignia. Italy is as far away, and as foreign a nation as you could get in ancient times. Josephus’ remariable book “Wars of the Jews” outlines the three and a half year campaign the Roman armies fought in Palestine and the terrible sieges, especially that against Jerusalem.
Verse 53-57 outline the terrible cannibalism that would happen under siege warfare. Josehpus in his writings later outlined the most horrible examples of cannibalism during the siege of Jerusalem. As sad as it is to recall here, what Moses prophesied, and what the Israelites agreed to by saying Amen came to pass about 1510 years later. (1440 BC + 70AD)
In verse 63 God says he will take the land off them. The land which was promised to them, was also promised to be removed from them if they failed to obey, which they did, and which happened. The nation that is there now, also called Israel, is a secular nation with a democatic government, nothing at all like the biblical nation of Israel. We are now the people of God, said Peter in 1 Peter 2:10. Paul also said the Jews and the Gentiles have now been joined with no distinction. (Romans 10:12)
Some people have tried to suggest that the book of the Law was a compilation some of which was written as late at 700 AD. This prophecy wipes out that idea pretty well, being still well before the Roman wars.
Josephus records this happening after the Roman wars. This was all terribly nasty. One of the great (in the sense of big) things missing from the world view of most Christians is a real sense of the judgement that came on Israel in AD70. A proper eschatology is crucial to interpreting the entire bible and our salvation history, but many people have a futuristic view, and thus they fail to see this passage, along with many others in Romans, Matthew, Revelations and more as part of the grand narrative of the Lord’s dealings with his people over a long long time.
Like so many other things like the temple, the sacrifices and more, the Israeli nation was a physical example of what was to be a spiritual reality. We are the nation of God and despite it being a non physical entity, it is a far greater reality than the shadow. People are sadly blind to these things.
Ultimately we are left with a great tragedy of a people who failed to obey the Lord, and judgement came on them. In some holocaust documentaries, words from this chapter are read over sad sad music. While that isn’t a good interpretation of this chapter in my opinion, it does give a sense of the sadness of it.
Who are we to judge? We too are called to walk in God’s ways.
Jul 10, 2021 | Message by David Alley