Curses of Disobedience: An Urgent Warning to America

Moses issued a solemn warning to the children of Israel, explaining the blessings of obeying God and the national curses of disobedience (Deut. 28–29). Those words now echo from shore to shore over America, as if Moses were speaking directly to us.

If the people of Israel (or any other nation) listen to his timeless words:

• God would set their nation high above all others (28:1)
• God would overtake them with all kinds of blessings (28:2)
• Their children would be blessed and fruitful (28:4)
• They would be productive and experience increase (28:4)
• The Lord would cause all their enemies to be defeated (28:7)
• Everything they set their hand to would be blessed (28:8)
• The Lord would cause them to overflow in prosperity (28:11)
• The Lord would ensure cooperative weather patterns (28:12)
• They would not need to borrow but would have the means to lend to other nations (28:12)
• The Lord would make them the head and not the tail, always above and not beneath (28:13)

Moses continued, “But it will happen, if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, by being careful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” (Deut. 28:15). The “curse pattern” Moses lays out is predictable and clearly spelled out.

When a nation ignores and offends God and does not turn back to Him:

• A general curse will arrive over the land (Deut. 28:15–17).
• Their children and real estate will come under a curse (28:18–19).
• Perplexing problem after problem will visit the nation, from financial to medical problems (28:20–22).
• Economic problems will go from bad to worse, exacerbated by declining national productivity (28:23–24).
• Military weakness comes and the nation will no longer win (28:25–26).
• Massive confusion will strike, with blindness and bewilderment (28:28).
• Oppression and continual losses will come (28:29).
• National productivity will decrease to deeper levels than ever (28:30–31, 38).
• Dreams of a good life will be forever shattered (28:30–31).
• The nation’s children will be lost to another people (28:32).
• Another nation will oppress, rob and crush them, and the people will be helpless to do anything about it; all they have worked for will go to someone else (28:33).
• The cursed nation will become an international object of ridicule instead of a respected world leader (28:37).
• Their children will go into captivity, including possible addictions and rebellion (28:41).
• Foreigners who have infiltrated the land will get the upper hand and become a higher priority; they will become the head, and the cursed people will become the tail; the cursed nation will need to borrow from foreigners (28:43–44).
• The government will be taken over by fierce, harsh people who do not respect the old or show favor to the young; the cursed people will be in dread day and night and will have no assurance of life (28:49–50, 66).

Notice that already aggressor nations and terrorist regimes no longer fear U.S. retaliation the way they used to. Soon America may become too weak to take any military action against aggressors.

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things. Therefore, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and need of all things, and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you” (Deut. 28:47-48). {eoa}

Dr. Dave Williams served for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. Dave led the church in giving over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from 8 to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. His latest book, Hope in the Last Days, is published by Charisma House. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.