Deuteronomy, of a surety, holds the most impressive array of blessings and curses I have ever read anywhere. The list of blessings God puts forth to the Israelites is relatively short compared to the list of curses, but that small list of blessings encompasses every aspect of life… the basic end result of receiving all those blessings is that you would never want for anything. Period.
The list of curses for not following God’s commandments, however, is most impressive and detailed. There could be absolutely no misunderstanding what would happen to the Israelites if they did not follow God’s commandments; the detailed descriptions are far too graphic to leave room for any speculation.
One of the curses that fascinated me was that the Lord would smite them (the Israelites) with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning. Why should this be interesting?
In 1918, tuberculosis (TB) was a major epidemic in America. It is interesting to note that fever and chills is one of the symptoms for this disease. For a while, TB was known as the “Jewish disease,” with Jewish immigrants being blamed for the spread of TB in the United States. This is understandable given the level of prejudice against Jews at the time, but interesting since God had spoken so many years before that He would smite the Israelites with consumption – the other popular name for TB.
As if that wasn’t enough, God also specifically stated He would smite the Israelites with all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Would it then surprise you to know that archaeologists have found Egyptian mummies, dating as far back as 2400 BCE, that were diagnosed as having had tuberculosis?! I don’t think God messes around when He stipulates the conditions of a curse (or a blessing).
One way to notice God’s hand was still on His people in the area of TB was the fact that although many Jewish immigrants brought TB with them to the United States, the Jewish population died of TB far less often than people from other groups. When God chooses someone, He really chooses them!
Another interesting item that caught my eye was a verse in Luke 11, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. And there we have the earliest form of the saying, “From A to Z” when used to describe a period/event/thing involving everything.
The other verse that always amuses me, and which took me years to fully comprehend, is Luke 11:42, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. It took me many years of reading this verse to finally realize what Jesus was saying here. The Pharisees were known for being extremely legalistic, following the letter of the law down to the least little jot and tittle. Here, Jesus was throwing that very legalism back in their faces by pointing out that, yes, they did indeed tithe religiously… down to the most humble herbs that grew in their garden. But what had they left undone in pursuit of such obedience to the letter of the law? They had passed over the love of God. They had passed over the concept of judgment. Their focus was on obeying the letter of the law and completely ignoring the Spirit behind that law and the power thereof.
In turning to the Psalm portion of today’s reading, I realized Psalm 78 is a detailed list of all God’s miracles, signs, wonders, and salvations for the Children of Israel as He led them out of Egypt. This list of amazement is coupled with the petty desires and flagrant rebellion of God’s chosen people as they sought after their own lusts and constantly ignored and despised the cherishment of God.
All in all, an interesting reading…
