“The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just” (Prov 3:33).
This proverb serves as a reminder that Almighty God has two hands and not just one. And by His own words, He is not a God who changes (Malachi 3:6). One hand is that of mercy, grace and love beyond measure, something none of us will fully comprehend on this side of glory. The other hand is that of righteousness, justice and judgment, something many of us choose to minimize. There is a sound basis as to why at the end of his days, Joshua told the Hebrews, God’s chosen people, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Jush7a 24:15). They’d been a rebellious people, forced by God to wander 40 years in the wilderness because of their unbelief and unwillingness to follow the directions of the One who brought them out of captivity in Egypt.
The proverb reminds us God has two hands. Over the years, I’ve known many who cherish one of many books which detail the promises of God. With good reason, they’re uplifted by reviewing the promises, especially during those times of trial experienced by all men and women. But never once have I heard of a book that details the conditions which much be obeyed under all covenants for one to experience the promises of God on an ongoing basis. Nor am I familiar with books devoted to warnings of God for those who deliberately reject His ways as did most people during the years of judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). And scripture is filled with warnings equally a part of God’s word as promises.
For those not terribly conversant with God’s word, the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy can prove quite instructive. The setting is that of Moses reviewing their covenant with God for the sake of a new generation of Israelites. They were preparing to enter the promised land and the book was to be read to the people every seven years as a reminder of their need to consecrate themselves in obedience to the LORD and to honor Him with all of their heart, soul and strength. An important part of the book is the “faith-plus-obedience” intended to insure the blessings and promises which were their inheritance as God’s chosen people. Chapter 28 begins with the exhortation, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1,2).
Following this exhortation, there are eleven verses which list various promises which will result as a consequence of obedience to the commands of God, concluding with “So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them” (28:3-14). Then comes the warning of the LORD: “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” (28:15). And this warning is followed by fifty-three verses detailing curses which apply to virtually every aspect of life for the Israelites, including scattering them among other nations where they would find no rest from one end of the earth to the other (28:16-68). And chapter 29 begins with the words, “These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel” (29:1). A loving yet two-handed God who has created us would have us read chapter 28 periodically and take Proverbs 3:33 to heart lest we be deceived in belief that one will not reap what one sows (Galatians 6:7,8).
