March 16, 2007
This Is A Warning
READ: Deuteronomy 28:58-63
Just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you. —Deuteronomy 28:63
My wife purchased a birthday card containing these words from a paraphrase: “The Lord has rejoiced over you and has done such wonderful things for you” (Deut. 28:63 TLB). It was such a beautiful thought that she turned to the passage to read more.
She found that the words printed on the card were only part of one sentence in a section where God warned His people what would happen if they turned away from Him and disobeyed His commands. The entire verse reads, “Just as the Lord has rejoiced over you and has done such wonderful things for you and has multiplied you, so the Lord at that time will rejoice in destroying you; and you shall disappear from the land” (Deut. 28:63 TLB).
Now that would be an unusual birthday greeting!
The experience reminded me how easy it is to select pleasant phrases from the Bible while ignoring their context and meaning. Today’s passage is a warning from God to His people. It is worth pondering for what it is—an expression of certainty as firm in the spiritual realm as the law of gravity in the physical realm.
The Bible contains words of encouragement as well as words of warning. It’s important to appreciate both for their instruction in our walk with Christ.
That every Christian needs to grow;
Supplying strength from day to day
By teaching what we need to know. —Sper
