Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Deuteronomy
Book: Deuteronomy
Chapter: 28
Overview:
The blessings for obedience.
(1-14) The curses for
disobedience.
(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.
(45-68)
1-14 This
Chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the
blessing and the
Curse. They are real things and have real
effects. The blessings are here
Put before the curses.
God is
slow to
Anger, but swift to show
Mercy. It is his delight to
Bless. It is better that we should be drawn to what is good
By a
Child-like
Hope of
God's favour, than that we be frightened to
it
By a slavish fear of his wrath. The blessing is promised,
upon condition that they diligently hearken to the voice of
God.
Let them keep up religion, the form and power of it, in their
families and nation, then the
Providence of
God would prosper
all their outward concerns.
15-44 If we do not keep
God's
Commandments, we not only come
short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the
Curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness.
Observe the
Justice of this
Curse. It is not a
Curse causeless,
or for some
Light cause. The extent and power of this
Curse.
Wherever the sinner goes, the
Curse of
God follows; wherever he
is, it rests upon him. Whatever he has is under a
Curse. All his
enjoyments are made
Bitter; he cannot take any true comfort in
them, for the wrath of
God mixes itself with them. Many
judgments are here stated, which would be the fruits of the
Curse, and with which
God would punish the people of the Jews,
for their apostasy and disobedience. We may observe the
fulfilling of these threatenings in their present state. To
complete their misery, it is threatened that
By these troubles
they should be bereaved of all comfort and
Hope, and left to
utter despair. Those who walk
By sight, and not
By Faith, are in
danger of losing reason itself, when every thing about them
looks frightful.
45-68 If
God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his
Curse can
bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are
but the beginning of sorrows to those under the
Curse of
God.
What then will be the misery of that world where their
Worm
dieth not, and their
Fire is not quenched! Observe what is here
said of the wrath of
God, which should come and remain upon the
Israelites for their sins. It is amazing to think that a people
So long the favourites of
Heaven, should be
So cast off; and yet
that a people
So scattered in all nations should be kept
distinct, and not mixed with others. If they would not serve
God
with cheerfulness, they should be compelled to serve their
enemies. We may justly expect from
God, that if we do not fear
his fearful name, we shall feel his fearful plagues; for one way
or other
God will be feared. The
Destruction threatened is
described. They have, indeed, been plucked from off the land,
ver. 63. Not only
By the Babylonish
Captivity, and when
Jerusalem was destroyed
By the
Romans; but afterwards, when they
were forbidden to set foot in
Jerusalem. They should have
No
Rest;
No Rest of body, ver. 65, but be continually
On the
remove, either in
Hope of gain, or fear of
Persecution.
No Rest
of the mind, which is much worse. They have been banished from
City to
City, from country to country; recalled, and banished
again. These events, compared with the favour shown to
Israel in
ancient times, and with the prophecies about them, should not
only excite astonishment, but turn unto us for a
Testimony,
assuring us of the
Truth of
Scripture. And when the other
prophecies of their
Conversion to
Christ shall come to pass, the
whole will be a sign and a wonder to all the nations of the
Earth, and the
Forerunner of a general spread of true
christianity. The fulfilling of these prophecies upon the Jewish
nation, delivered more than three thousand years ago, shows that
Moses spake
By the
Spirit of
God; who not only foresees the ruin
of sinners, but warns of it, that they may prevent it
By a true
and timely
Repentance, or else be left without excuse. And let
us be thankful that
Christ hath redeemed us from the
Curse of
the
Law,
By being made a
Curse for us, and bearing in his own
person all that
Punishment which our sins merit, and which we
must otherwise have endured for ever. To this
Refuge and
Salvation let sinners flee; therein let believers rejoice, and
serve their reconciled
God with gladness of
Heart, for the
abundance of his spiritual blessings.