“The foreigner living with you will rise higher and higher while you sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will be the head and you the tail.”-Deuteronomy 28:43-44
From verse 43, we are exposed to yet another aspect of the curses the Israelites will suffer IF they disobey the Lord’s Torah: their money.
What’s being revealed here is nothing more nor less than a complete role reversal.
Whereas in the past it was foreigners who because they were poor and in need came to Israel to borrow money, this time the Lord says the opposite will happen.
In their accursed state, Israel will become so poor that they will be forced to borrow money from those very same foreigners they lent money to in the past.
Talk about humiliation and embarrassment.
Onward.
“Adonai will send your enemy against you; and you will serve him when you are hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed and lacking everything; he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he destroys you.”-Deuteronomy 28:48
We have seen that Israel will suffer diseases, psychological trauma and unimaginable deprivation due to their disobedience.
However, that will not be the end.
Here we’re told what will happen when they are conquered by other nations.
The result will be poverty, starvation and slavery to the foreign nations and their heathen gods.
Let’s back up real quick and take a look at verse 46.
“These curses will be on you and your descendants
as a sign and a wonder forever.“
Hmm…doesn’t that phrase “sign and wonder” sound familiar to you?
It should because this is another reference to the theme of “Egypt” embedded within the context of Deuteronomy 28.
It’s the same phrase used to refer to the purpose of the 10 plagues the Lord cast upon Egypt.
Moses is making it clear to Israel that all of the national disasters and reversals-of-fortune that they will suffer…
…will serve as a “sign and wonder” testifying to their disobedience to the Lord for all time.
Let me just stop here for a second and check in with you.
Do you understand what’s being explained here?
God is undoing Israel’s redemption from Egypt.
That’s right.
He’s telling His People that if they disobey Him, He is going to return them back to Egypt and back to slavery because they rejected His covenant by disobeying Him.
Are you catching the big takeaway here?
To receive the Lord’s salvation and not be grateful via obedience to His commands is an open invitation to receive His curses.
Understand that the curses listed here in Deuteronomy 28 is HASHEM warning Israel that He will reverse their salvation history.
He brought them out of Egypt where they were slaves to a great enemy and then He redeemed them and gave them His divine Torah.
Yet, because they rejected His Word, this would be the same as rejecting God Himself.
The result is that they would go back to serving the enemy as slaves and no longer partake of the great blessings that were a part of the Mosaic covenant.
Nothing could be more tragic than that.
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