Today, I am reading and commenting on  Deuteronomy 27-28.

Moses told the Israelites that when they crossed over the Jordan they should build an altar on Mount Ebal and write God’s commands on the altar.  Then, half of the tribes should stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce blessings on the people, and the other half should stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses that would occur if the Israelites failed to keep God’s laws.  What struck me first was that the tribes were listed according to the sons of Jacob.  Manasseh and Ephraim were not mentioned as tribes.  They were lumped together under their father Joseph.

Once the tribes were in position, the Levites were to call out a list of commands which would bring curses on people and the people would affirm theses commands as binding.  Then Moses lists the blessings which will come from obeying God’s commands, followed by the reciprocal curses for disobedience.  The blessings, or the curses, would come whether they were in the city or in the country, when they came home and when they travelled.   If they obeyed God’s commands. their families and livestock would reproduce healthily.  If they disobeyed, their families and their livestock would be sickly and diminish.  If they obeyed, all of their economic activity would prosper.  If they disobeyed everything to which they turned their hand would fail.  If they obeyed God’s commands, their enemies would scatter before them.  If they disobeyed, they would scatter before their enemies.   Now, as I read these blessings and curses, Moses goes into more detail on the curses.  The curses include disease and plague, inflammation and fever, drought and heat, sores, madness, and confusion.  As I read this, the curses seem to me to be those which fall on a society which honors self-indulgence, greed, envy, and sexual immorality.  On the other hand, the blessings look like those experienced by a society which practices honor, self-discipline, and generosity.  Look around, where you see the first of those, you see the curses described here, where you see the latter, you see the blessings.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.