Reflection on
Deuteronomy 28:15–68
God
pronounced blessing upon blessing—if the people of Israel would remain faithful
to him. His promises were extravagant, a reflection of his pleasure in doing
good on behalf of those who love him. But the 14 verses describing blessings in
the first part of chapter 28 are followed by 54 verses describing the most
heart-rending curses imaginable. God goes to extra lengths to warn the
Israelites of the dangers of breaking the covenant. The ravages of sin are
severe. This section of Deuteronomy sets up the next few hundred years of
Israel’s history and gives the background for why the people will eventually be
led into exile.
SOWING AND REAPING
Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap
The
Scriptures are full of warnings about self-deception. James 1:26 reminds us
that we deceive ourselves when we think we are religious but do not bridle our
tongue. There is nothing that grieves God more than when we bad-mouth people
instead of building them up with our speech. We are never to use our tongues to
put others down. Instead we are to edify one another in what we say and thereby
give grace to those who hear us. If your tongue is out of control, you're fooling
yourself to believe that you have your spiritual life together.
We
also deceive ourselves when we think we will not reap what we sow (Galatians6:7). As Christians we sometimes think we are exempt from this principle, but
we are not. Even though our sins are forgiven, we will have to live with the
results and consequences of our thoughts, words and actions whether good or
bad.
Since
I was privileged to be raised on a farm, I witnessed every year the law of
cause and effect. If we didn't sow good seed in the spring, we didn't reap a
good crop in the fall. If we didn't feed the sheep, they died. Our young people
have difficulty grasping this simple sow-and-reap truth. Living from weekend to
weekend or party to party, they fail to prepare themselves for the future.
Your
life may be measured by what you reap, but it is determined by what you sow.
For example, if you want a friend, be a friend. What you get out of life is
what you put into it.
Prayer: Lord, guard me from
the self-deception of thinking You will always cover for me or pull me out of
the jams I get myself into. Help me learn to sow what I hope to reap.
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