Consequences

Everything we do has a consequence. Every decision we make. Every action we take. Every word we speak. Every reaction. Every thought.

In Deuteronomy 28, this is simplified into blessings and curses for the Israelites. If they do what God asks, all will be well for them. If they do not, then not so much.

The chapter is almost poetic in its repetition, especially rearranged like this –

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, all these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.  v1-2

However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you.  v15

If you fully obey the Lord your God, you will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. v3

If you do not obey the Lord your God, you will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.  v16

If you fully obey the Lord your God, the fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.  v4

If you do not obey the Lord your God, the fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.  v18

If you fully obey the Lord your God, your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.  v5

If you do not obey the Lord your God, your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.  v17

If you fully obey the Lord your God, you will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.  v6

If you do not obey the Lord your God, you will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.  v19

If you fully obey the Lord your God, the Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.  v7

If you do not obey the Lord your God, the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven.  v25

Plain and simple. No one could ever say they didn’t know where they stood. No one could ever say God had not laid it all out in plain language.

And then Moses spells out in detail the blessings and success and prosperity that will come with obedience.  I particularly like these images. They’re fresh and say it all –

 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.  Deuteronomy 28:13

And then Moses spells out in even more detail the unimaginable curses and atrocities and tragedies that will come with disobedience – diseases, drought, defeat, rape and plunder, exile, famine, slavery, poverty, devastation, siege (they will be so desperately hungry they will turn to cannibalism).  These verses really press the point home –

Confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to….  v20

At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.  v29

You will become a thing of horror, a byword and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.  v37

There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life.  v65-66

This all sounds absolutely awful. How could a loving God inflict such suffering on His people? Well, no one could say they hadn’t been warned. It’s all about consequences, isn’t it?

Bringing it down to a much smaller level, let me put it in the experience of my daughter Nicola. She likes to push the boundaries. She is the definition of stubborn and defiance is her middle name.

I do my best to spell out for her the consequences of her actions. The problem is that she doesn’t believe me. She doesn’t believe I’ll have the strength to carry through. She doesn’t believe I’ll actually do it.

How can you be so mean? I thought you loved me. It’s not fair. A mum should not ruin the life of her child like you are ruining mine. I’ll have no friends. I’ll have a sad life. And it will all be your fault. Mum, please Mum, don’t. I’m sorry, really sorry. I won’t do it again. I’ll love you forever if you let me off. I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t my fault. You make me angry. I can’t help myself. You didn’t say that. I didn’t understand. If you’d explained it properly, I would have done it. You know I would. You’re my mum. You’re meant to love me. You should want me to be happy.

Etc etc etc. A condensed summary of what will be said over a three hour period!

You see what I’m getting at. I had spelt out the consequences. I had made it clear what would happen if she disobeyed me. And yet she was playing on my love and kindness. She thought I would be ‘kind’ and let her off. She thought if I loved her, I wouldn’t be able to bear seeing her unhappy. She didn’t believe me.

SPOILER ALERT: this is exactly what happens with the Israelites in what is to come!

I do love my daughter. Of course I do. That’s why she has to learn to face the consequences of her actions.

We all do. We all need to face the global consequences of our abuse of the planet. We all need to face the worldwide consequences of exploitation and poverty inextricably linked to our consumer choices. We all need to face this nation’s consequences of racial tension and prejudice that starts in our own hearts. We all need to face the consequences of a lack of integrity in the workplace. We all need to face the consequences of broken relationships. We all need to face the personal consequences of our lifestyle choices.

It is not because God does not love us that he makes us face the consequences. It’s because he does love us. He wants us to learn. He wants us to do the right thing. He wants us to enjoy life in all its fullness. He wants the best for us.

Life and love are precious. They need protecting. The consequences of all that we do need to be taken seriously.