Day 477: The oppression of sin - Deuteronomy 28 vs 25 - 37

Moses said to Israel: 25-26 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. Your carcasses will be food for all the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 27-29 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt  and with tumours, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.”

30-32 “You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.  You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. 33-34 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labour produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. The sights you see will drive you mad.” 

35-36 “The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors. 37 There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. You will become a thing of horror, a byword  and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.” Deuteronomy 28:25-37 From the New International Version.

We are still in a long sad chapter which tells of the terrible things that would happen to Israel if they turned their backs on God who had so graciously saved them out of Egypt, given them such good laws to live by, and promised them so many good things. Again, we may want to skip over parts of the Bible like this. But they were written so that we can learn from the mistakes others made. The sad truth is that all of the things God warned them of here actually came to pass when the Babylonians plundered the nation.

What was the effect of the sorrows they would experience in vs 33-34?

Dear reader – that is what rebellion against God and sin can lead to in any person's life. Yes, many people rush blindly and happily on in sinful pursuits. But many also reach the point where they realize what sin has done in their lives and to their children, and are driven to despair.

In the case of Israel, what was the other thing that their sin would result in? (vs 37)

Apart from becoming the laughing stock of others - foreign kings would rule over them and they would go even deeper into serving idols. The apostle Paul also wrote of people who know God, but don’t give Him glory as God, or the thanks He is worthy of. Instead, they become futile in mind and heart, and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images. He says: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie - and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator! (Romans 1:25)

That's what happens when men and women won't repent of sin and seek to return to the God who created all things, and who gave them their very life. They breathe God's air, they eat the food He has provided, but they don't give Him any praise or thanks, and they become so foolish as to worship what was made instead of the One who made them. Living in ways that God has forbidden may look exciting and full of pleasure. But it's end will ultimately be despair and death. That's what Moses was waring Israel of. Contrast that to what Paul wrote in Romans 3:23 when he said: “The wages of sin is death - but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin is an oppressor – it is only Jesus who gives freedom and life that is life indeed.