The Consequences of Disobedience

Deuteronomy 28:49–68
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These final verses in chapter 28 speak of (1) the siege (vv. 49-57) and (2) the exile (vv. 58-68).  It says that “a nation from far” comes to bring judgment to Israel (v. 49).  It doesn’t say who that nation was. Some commentaries say it was the Babylonians and others say it was the Romans. Whoever it was, they brought swift, powerful, and brutal destructiondestroying the crops, killing the livestock and laying siege to all the cities throughout the land of Israel. 

This time was so terrible that it climaxed in cannibalism. It is hard to imagine but even the parents were so starved that they ate their own children (v. 53). This is one of the biggest examples in all of Scripture as to the perversity that disobedience to God leads to.

Since God is just, he must judge Israel and every sin must be punished. Where she had escaped the plagues and disease of Egypt God would bring them on her (Amos 4:10). Where God had multiplied her number as the stars of the sky (Genesis 15:5) she would be reduced to few (v. 62).  Where she had dwelt securely in the land she would be uprooted and scattered among all nations (vv. 63-64).

Application

One of the curses was that those who rejected God would go mad (v. 34) seeing all the tragedy around them. Do you ever feel that you will go crazy because of all that is pressing in on you? I need to remember that nothing happens that God doesn’t know about, and he will one day come back to make everything right.