Thru the Bible - #181-Deuteronomy 28 Part 2 - Consequences of Disobedience

Transcript

Welcome And Passage Setup

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Welcome to Bereen's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a tea, and let's get into today's lesson. Open your Bible to Deuteronomy chapter 28. The title of today's lesson is Consequences of Disobedience. Now, like last time, uh, we will read and go through the scriptures as we go because this is a long chapter, so we're not gonna have the reader come in and read out the whole chapter. Uh, we're just going to go through the lesson as uh as we go. Now, in this uh

From Blessings To Curses

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second part, we are going to be looking at verses 14 through 48. Consequences of disobedience. Now, one of the realities we all learn early in life is that every choice has consequences. A student who prepares for an exam generally performs better than one who never does. Uh, hey, I I'm I can be a testament to that. You know, there are times that uh I was very prepared back in my uh younger days in school, and it and I remember going into the test confident, as were times where I slacked off. Uh, you were just always praying for the best. Uh, a farmer who neglects his field should not expect a healthy harvest. A driver who ignores warning signs, eventually they will find themselves in danger. God has built this principle into his creation. Our decisions matter because they reveal the direction of our heart. Now, as we come and continue through Deuteronomy 28, we move from one of the most encouraging sections of scripture to one of the most sobering. So if you were with us for part one of chapter 28, uh it was about the blessings, and they were at Mount Geraldine. Now we are transitioning to here in the beginning of verse 15, uh, and we are looking at the curses. Moses described those blessings if you remember the first time, if they faithfully obeyed his covenant. However, Moses presents the opposite side of the covenant. If Israel continually rejected God's word and refused to obey him, they would experience his covenant discipline instead of the blessings. Before

Covenant Relationship Versus Fellowship

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we go any further, we need to understand an important theological truth here. Throughout this chapter, Moses repeatedly uses the covenant name Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, which is Jehovah. But remember that is also Yahweh. That is significant because this passage is about God's covenant relationship with Israel. Israel was God's chosen covenant nation, and that relationship was established by God Himself. Now, according to Romans 11, God has not rejected his people Israel and his covenant purposes for the nation remain intact. But there is an important distinction. Israel could not lose her covenant relationship with God. What Israel could use and often did lose was covenant fellowship with God. When God's people walked in obedience, they enjoyed his favor and his blessing. When they continually rebel, they experienced his loving but sincere discipline. The New Testament teaches a similar principle for us believers today. Those who trust in Jesus Christ possess eternal life and belong to him forever. John chapter 10, verses 27 through 29. Our salvation rests on God's grace, not our performance. And thank the Lord for that. However, believers can lose fellowship with God through persistent disobedience. See, sin disrupts our communion with him, it robs us of joy, it invites his love and discipline into our lives. Hebrews chapter 12 and 6 reminds us for those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. God disciplines his children not because he has abandoned them, but because he loves them too much to let them continue in sin. The central truth of this passage is this when God's covenant people continually reject his word and refuse to obey him, he lovingly but firmly disciplines them until they return to him. That discipline is never random, it is never out of control, it is never inconsistent with God's character, it is always righteous, it is always purposeful, it is always designed to bring his people back into fellowship with him. As we study this passage, we should not read it with pride or think only about ancient Israel. See, Paul warns Gentile believers in Romans 11 not to become arrogant because if God disciplined his covenant people, we should never assume he ignores disobedience among his children today.

Blessings Reversed In Everyday Life

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Moses now begins listing the covenant judgments that were that continually rejected God's word. First, the reversal of God's blessings. Notice verses 15 through 19. But it shall come about if you will not obey the Lord your God, to observe, to do all his commandments and his statutes, with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The first thing Moses shows is that every blessing described earlier should now be reversed. Earlier he declared, Blessed shall you be. Now he repeatedly says, Cursed shall you be. The contrast, it's intentional. God was showing Israel what life would be like outside of covenant fellowship with him. And there's a few judgments that he points out. Number one, God's discipline would reach them wherever they live. Verse 16 says, Cursed shall you be in the city and cursed shall you be in the country. Moses begins by saying they would be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. There would be no safe place, no safe location where they could escape God's discipline. Moving to another city would not solve the problem. Changing locations would not remove the consequences. The issue wasn't uh uh it wasn't about geography, the issue was their relationship with God. The principle still speaks today. Sometimes people think that a change of scenery will fix spiritual problems. Uh they change jobs, they move to another state, they switch churches, they start over somewhere else. But if the heart hasn't changed, the problem simply follows them. See, it's okay to get a fresh start, but your heart has to start fresh. David reminds us in Psalm 139 that there is nowhere we can go outside the presence of God. The answer isn't running from God, the answer is running to him. Amen to that. The second judgment. Their daily provision would be affected. Verse 17 says, Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Next, Moses says that their basket and kneading bowl would be cursed. Earlier, God promised to bless their food. Remember that? Now he warns that even ordinary daily provision would become difficult. Every meal would remind them that something was wrong. God was teaching Israel that every loaf of bread, every harvest, every blessing ultimately came from him. It is easy to take daily provisions, you know, these provisions for granted. It really is. We become accustomed to full grocery stores, like we do in the world we live in now, steady paychecks, regular meals. But James reminds us every good thing given and every perfect gift is where? From above. James chapter 1 and verse 17. When God's people forget the giver, they begin to take the gifts for granted. See, that is why we always want to be grateful for our daily bread every day. See, God sometimes removes comforts in order to redirect our hearts back to Him. See, sometimes God would take those things away so we remember the one who gave them to us. The third judgment. Children would not experience God's favor. Verse 18 says, Cursed shall be the offspring of your body. Moses next says that the fruit of their body would be cursed. Children were one of God's greatest covenant blessings. Not that uh blessing will become an area of sorrow. Parents naturally desire to see their children know the Lord, walk wisely, and flourish. One of the greatest responsibilities parents have is to teach their children God's word. Deuteronomy 6 had already made that clear. When a generation abandoned God's truth, the next generation often suffers the consequences. Now that truth remains true today. One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is not wealth, it's not popularity, it's not success, but a genuine example of walking faithfully with Christ. Which brings us to the third, I'm excuse me, the fourth judgment. Their fields would no longer produce as before. Notice verse 18. And the produce of your ground, he said that would also be cursed. The Lord warns that their crops would be cursed. Israel depended upon agriculture. Healthy harvest meant life, poor harvest meant hardship. God reminds them that He alone gives the increase. Psalm chapter 127, verse 1 says, Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. No amount of human effort can replace God's blessing. That's that's it's just none. It can't. The fifth judgment, their livestock will suffer. Verse 18 also says, The increase of your herd and the young of your flock. The increase of their herd and flocks would also come under God's discipline. Their wealth, their livelihood, their future security, it would all be affected. God was removing the very things they had trusted instead of trusting him. Sometimes God allows earthly supports to be shaken, so we remember that he alone is our true security. Judgment number six. There would be no escape. Verse 19 says, Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. Finally, Moses repeats the earlier formula: Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. Every direction of life would be touched by God's discipline. That may sound severe, you know, just listen to it, but remember the purpose. God was not seeking Israel's destruction, he was seeking Israel's repentance. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever God's people humbled themselves and returned to him, he demonstrated extraordinary mercy. Joel chapter 2, verse 13 reminds us return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness. Even in discipline, God's mercy remains available.

Creation And Nations As Discipline

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Which brings us to the second part. 23 specific expressions of God's covenant discipline. Instead of refreshing showers, dust and powder would fall upon the land. Israel demanded completely, excuse me, they depended completely upon God's provision of rain. Without it, you know, famine would follow. That's just you know natural. The lesson is unmistakable. God controls creation. The weather is not outside of his authority, the seasons are not outside of his authority. Everything in creation ultimately answers to its creator. Psalm chapter 24, verse 1 reminds us the earth is the Lord's and all it contains. Which brings us to the 11th judgment, military defeat. Notice verse 25. The Lord will curse you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them, but you shall flee seven ways before them, and you shall be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. Instead of victory over their enemies, Israel would now experience repeated defeat. Their enemies would pursue them, scatter them, and become a source of terror throughout the earth. Now, history records exactly that. The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Later, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Moses' warning proved tragically, and it was accurate. Whenever Israel abandoned the Lord, they eventually lost their protective hand. Victory had never depended upon Israel's military strength. It depended upon God's presence. It always did. Which brings us to the 12th judgment: death without honor. Verse 26 says, And your carcasses shall be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one frightened. There will be no one to frighten them away. Excuse me. Moses says their bodies will become food for birds and wild animals, with no one to frighten them away. For an Israelite, an honorable burial was deeply significant. To be left unburied represented shame and complete defeat. The picture emphasizes the devastating consequences of persistent rebellion. Which brings us to the 13th judgment. Incurable physical conditions. Notice verse 27. The Lord will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch from which you cannot be healed. The Lord warns of boils, tumors, scavs, and severe itching from which they would not recover. Again, the emphasis is not merely sickness, it is the inability to escape God's discipline apart from repentance. You see, medicine would not solve the deeper spiritual issue. The nation needed more than physical healing. They needed spiritual restoration. Which brings us to the 14th judgment. Mental and spiritual and spiritual stability. Notice verse 28. The Lord will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart. God warns of madness, blindness, and confusion of mind. This is more than emotional distress. It describes a people unable to think clearly because they have rejected God's truth. When people continually refuse the light that God gives them, they eventually begin stumbling in the darkness. Isaiah later describes Israel as people who were seeing but not perceiving and hearing but not understanding. Isaiah chapter 6, verses 9 through 10. Spiritual blindness is one of the most serious judgments that God can allow. That is why we should continually ask the Lord to keep our hearts tender and teachable before his word. The fifteenth judgment. Nothing seems clear. Every step is uncertain. Every decision becomes difficult. That is the picture Moses paints. When Israel rejected God's truth, they would lose his direction. Without God's wisdom, they will stumble through life. This reminds us of what Solomon wrote. When we ignore his truth, confusion follows. Which brings us to the 16th judgment.

Confusion And Crushing Losses

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Everything they love would be taken away. We notice this in verses 30 through 33. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall violate her. You shall build a house, but you shall not live in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not use its fruit. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it. Your donkey shall be torn away from you and shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have none to save it. Your sons and your daughter shall be given to another people, while your eyes shall look on and yearn for them continually, but there shall be nothing you can do. A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you shall never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. The heart section is heartbreaking because Moses describes one loss after another. A man will become engaged, but another would violate his bride. He would build a house but never live in it. He would plant a vineyard, but never enjoy his fruits. His ox would be slaughtered before his eyes, his donkey would be taken away, his sheep would be stolen, his sons and daughters would be carried into captivity. Finally, strangers would consume the produce of the land while Israel watched helplessly. Notice the repeated emphasis. Everything they had worked for, everything they anticipated enjoying would be removed. And why? Because they had forgotten the one who had given those blessings in the first place. One of the most sobering statements appears in this section. Moses says there would be no one to save you. That doesn't mean God had ceased to exist. It means that he had withdrawn his covenant protection because his people refused to return to him. This serves as a solemn warning. We should never presume upon God's blessings while living in continual rebelling. God's discipline is intended to awaken his people, not to destroy them. Which brings us to the 17th judgment, emotional devastation. Look at verse 34. You shall be driven mad by the sight of what you see. Moses says they would witness such terrible events that they would be driven to despair. Imagine watching everything around you collapse, your family suffering, your nation falling apart, your hopes disappearing, yet being powerless to stop it. That is the picture that Moses presents. Sin always promises freedom. In reality, it produces bondage. Only the Lord brings true peace. Isaiah reminds us, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26 and 3. Judgment number 18. Incurable bodily affliction. Notice verse 35. The Lord will strike you on the knees and legs with soyer, with sore, excuse me, with sore boils from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your feet to the crown of your head. The Lord warns that he would allow severe sores and painful diseases from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads. This reinforces a truth already emphasized. God's discipline could affect every area of life. Nothing falls outside his sovereign authority. There's nothing that can. That truth should not make us fearful, it should make us humble. God rules over every detail of our life, and over every detail of life.

Captivity And Becoming A Warning

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Notice verse 36. The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you shall set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone. Moses says, Both the people and their king would be taken to a nation they had never known, where they would serve other gods. Now I want you to remember that because when we get to the end of this chapter, I am going to bring up this verse 36 again. That what did the Lord say? He said that the people and their king would be taken to a nation that they had never known. He didn't say just the people, but he said their king. History records this repeatedly. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans. Israel experienced exactly what Moses foretold. I want you to listen to that again. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans. This is not symbolic. This is not an allegory. These are actual nations that did these things. When they rejected the Lord, he allowed foreign nations to rule over them. This was never because God had become powerless, it was because he remained faithful to his covenant warnings. Judgment number 20, becoming an object lesson to the world. Verse 37. Rather than being an admired among the nations, Israel will become an object of horror, ridicule, and scorn. Think about the contrast. Earlier in the chapter, God promised the nations would recognize his blessing upon Israel. Now the nations will recognize his discipline upon Israel. Both blessing and discipline reveal something about God's holiness. God takes his covenant seriously. The 21st judgment. Agricultural failure. Verses 38 through 40. You shall bring out much seed to the field, but you shall gather in little, for the locusts shall consume it. You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall devour them. You shall have olive trees throughout your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. Moses returns to the fields. Israel would sow much seed, but harvest little. Locusts would consume the crops. This is literal. Vineyards would fail, olive trees would drop their fruit before the harvest. Every failed harvest would remind the nation that prosperity ultimately comes from the Lord. Psalm 127 to verse 1 says, Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Without God's blessings, even our greatest efforts cannot produce lasting success. We need to remember that and be mindful of that. The 22nd judgment, the loss of future generations. Notice verse 41. Moses warns that sons and daughters would be born, but they would not remain in their parents with their parents because they will go into captivity. Few sorrows are greater than watching children suffer. This judgment reminds us that sin rarely affects only one generation. Its consequences often spread to those who follow. That is why teaching God's word to the next generation remains so important. And I want everyone to hear that. That's why it is important for you and I to be teaching that to our children. And if we are blessed, our children's children, and maybe even our children's children's children, and it is important that our children carry that so they can carry that on, and that blessing will continue on. Which brings us to the 23rd judgment. Creation itself would become an instrument of discipline. Notice verse 42. The crookets shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground. The insects will consume the trees and product and produce of the land. The Lord who created nature also rules over it. He could even use the smallest parts of creation to accomplish his purposes. Nothing is outside his authority. Listen, the Lord said the crookets. The Lord is reminding them that he can use anything to destroy anything on this earth. Which brings us to judgment number 24. Foreigners would rise while Israel declined. Verses 43 and 44. The alien who was among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head and you shall be the tail. Moses finally says that foreigners living among Israel will become stronger while Israel became weaker. They would lend, Israel would borrow. They would become the head, Israel would become the tail. This is the complete reversal of the blessings described earlier in this chapter. The nation that once enjoyed God's favor would now experience humiliation because it had abandoned his

Four Realities Behind The Curses

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word. Which brings us to the third part of this lesson, four final realities. We see this in verses 45 through 48. Verse 45 says, So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. And they shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of all things. Therefore, you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things, and he will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. After listing these lit listing these covenant judgments, Moses closes this section by emphasizing four truths Israel would never forget. Number one, these judgments came because God's people rejected his word. Verse 45. So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you will not obey the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. Moses leaves no doubt about the reason. The problem was not military weakness, the problem was not economic conditions, the problem was not bad leadership, the root issue was spiritual. They refused to obey God's revealed word. Everything else flowed from that decision. Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John chapter 14 and verse 15. Love for God is demonstrated by obedience to God. That's something that you and I have to have to remember. We're not going to be perfect, but we show our love by obeying him and the things that he told us. The second reality, these judgments were meant to be a warning. Verse 46. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Moses says these judgments will serve as signs for Israel and her descendants. God intended future generations to learn from history. You know, we call those cautionary tales. His discipline was never meaningless, it was instructional. The apostle Paul says something very similar in 1 Corinthians 10. The events in Israel's history were recorded for our instruction so we would not repeat the same mistakes. God wants his people to learn from his word before they have to learn through painful experiences. See, God doesn't want his people then and he doesn't want us today going through things that were painful. He wanted us to look at what happened in the past and learn from that. If only a lot of us experienced that and listen to that, I can speak to that myself. I wish I would have been that wise. Which brings us to the third reality. These judgments came because God's people stopped joyfully serving the Lord. Verse 47. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of all things. Perhaps the most surprising statement in this entire chapter comes in verse 47. Moses says these judgments will come because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart. Notice what God points out. He doesn't simply say they failed to perform religious duties, he says they failed to serve him with joy and with gratitude. This is an important distinction. God has never desired empty religious activity, he has always desired hearts that delight in him. Israel still had opportunities to worship, they still had sacrifices, they still had feast days, but somewhere along the way, worship became routine instead of joyful. Gratitude gave way to complacency. Obedience became a burden instead of a privilege. The Lord isn't impressed by outward activity when the heart is far from him. David understood that when he prayed after his sin with Bathsheba, restore to me the joy of your salvation. Psalm 51 and verse 12. Notice he didn't ask God to restore his salvation. He asked God to restore his joy. Sin robs believers of joy long before it revs them, you long before it robs them of opportunities. The New Testament echoes this same principle. Paul tells believers, rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 4. He also writes, Whatever you do, do your work heartedly, as the Lord rather than for men. Or I should say, as for the Lord rather than for men. Colossians chapter 3 and verse 23. God desires cheerful worship, joyful obedience, and God deserves our thankful heart. Think about two children who are asked by their father to help around the house. One complains the entire time. He obeys outwardly but grumbles inwardly. The other gladly helps because he loves his father. Both complete the task, only one reflects the father's heart. See, God is interested not only in what we do, but why we do it. Our service should flow from gratitude for his grace. After all, everything we have comes from him. Every breath, every blessing, every answered prayer, every spiritual gift. When we remember his goodness, joyful worship becomes the natural response. The fourth reality persistent rebellion would lead to complete humiliation. Look at verse 48 again. Therefore, you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things, and he will put an iron yoke on your neck until he destroys you. Moses concludes this section with a sobering picture. If Israel refused to serve the Lord willingly, they would eventually serve their enemies. It's just that simple. You're either going to serve the Lord or you're going to end up serving your enemies. Instead of enjoying God's abundant provision, they would experience hunger. They would experience thirst. They would experience poverty. They would experience bondage, and they would be dominated by a foreign domination and oppression until they were broken. The irony here is striking. Every person serves someone. Israel could willingly serve the gracious God who had redeemed them from Israel from Egypt, excuse me. Or they could reject him and find themselves serving cruel foreign rulers. Jesus later taught the same principle. He said, No one can serve two masters. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24. Paul writes in Romans 6 that we are either slaves of sin or servants of righteousness. There is no neutral ground. One master brings freedom, the other brings bondage. Moses wanted Israel to understand that obedience was never slavery. Obedience to God is freedom. Sin always promises liberty, but eventually it enslaves. Jesus said, Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. So if the man excuse me. Let me start over. Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. So if the son sets you free, you really will be free. John chapter 8, verses 34 and 36. See, only Christ provides true freedom. Let us conclude.

Christ Bears The Curse For Us

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As we step back and look at this entire passage, one truth becomes unmistakably clear. God takes his word seriously. He is patient, he is compassionate, he is slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness. But he is also holy. That's something I always remind people of. When his covenant people continually reject his word and refuse to walk in fellowship with him, he lovingly disciplines them. Everything that Moses described eventually happened to Israel. The Assyrian captivity, the Babylonian captivity, the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the uh of the Jewish people. History confirms that God's warnings were not empty threats, and God does not make empty threats. He always keeps his word. That truth should produce both reverence and hope. Reverence because we serve a holy God who deserves our obedience. Hope because his discipline is never intended to destroy his children, it is intended to restore them. Hebrews chapter 12 reminds us all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful. Yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards, it yields the peace, the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 11. God discipl uh disciplines because he loves. That's why God disciplines, he corrects because he cares, he pursues because he refuses to abandon his own. Ultimately, however, this chapter points us to, it points us to an even greater reality. If God's blessings depended on our perfect obedience, every one of us would stand condemned. Plain and simple. Like Israel, we have all sinned, we have all fallen short of God's perfect standard. Once again, Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 declares, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is why we need the gospel. Jesus Christ came as the only one who perfectly obeyed the Father. He fulfilled every requirement of God's law. Then he willingly took upon himself the judgment that we deserve. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians chapter 3, verse 13. What an incredible truth, people. My brothers and sisters. That is that is just incredible. The curse that should have fallen upon you and I, it fell upon Christ. The judgment was deserved, he bore it. The wrath, our sins earned, he sacrificed completely at the cross. Through faith in him, we receive forgiveness, righteousness, peace with God, and an eternal life. So let me leave you with four questions to consider after you listen to this lesson. Am I walking in close fellowship with the Lord, or have I allowed sin to create distance between us? I ask myself that question often. Next, is my obedience flowing from a joyful and thankful heart, or has serving God become routine and mechanical? Next. When God lovingly corrects me, do I respond with humility and repentance, or do I resist his discipline? Next. Have I placed my complete trust in Jesus Christ, who bore the curse of the law, so that I might receive the blessings of God's grace. May we never take God's word lightly. Never. May we treasure his truth. May we respond quickly when he convicts us. And may we rejoice that because of Jesus Christ, God's discipline is never the final word. His grace is, his mercy is, his love is. And through Christ, we have the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 and 39. And as always, to him and to him alone be all the glory. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Final Encouragement

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Well, that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 28, part two. We will be back where we will finish up this long chapter where we will take on part three. As always, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, this lesson. I pray that you got something out of it. And as always, I ask you to pray for me. See, I am not above prayer, I am nowhere near perfect. Listen, I'm I'm not gonna be perfect, I'm never gonna be perfect, and I ask for you to pray for me. Pray for your brother over here that I stay steadfast in these scriptures, pray that my health stays strong, that my spirit always stays up, that my faith is always strong, and as always, that the Lord is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And I am praying for you as always. Uh, it means a great deal to me that you take time out of your morning, your afternoon, and your evening to listen to me go through the word of God as we go through this word of God together. I am praying for you. I may never meet you on this side of eternity, I may never even get to talk to you on this side of eternity, but I am always praying for you. I'm always very thankful for you. I'm praying that you are in good health, you are in good spirits, I pray that you are in the scriptures. I pray that you are going through these scriptures that I'm presenting to you. I am a I I don't stand and call myself a Berean for no reason. I want you to be reading these scriptures daily to see that the things that I'm even telling you is is true. That's what the Bereans did. They went through the scriptures daily to see if these things were so, and your prayers have definitely worked because uh a few, I'm gonna be honest, I don't remember what lesson it was, but a couple lessons ago, I said that uh recently in the last month, the month of July, we hadn't had any listeners on the continents of Africa and Australia. Well, Africa is back in the mix. We have been uh receiving downloads and listeners there, but Australia, we're waiting we're waiting on you to come back. At one time, we had all six of the uh continents. Australia, we're waiting on you to come back. So we're praying for our people, our brothers and sisters over there, and the people who are willing and want to go through the word of God to uh come over here and join us on Berean's Corner. Okay, that brings us to the end of today's lesson, Deuteronomy 28, part two. That is all for now. God bless.

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