How does Deuteronomy 28:35 illustrate consequences of disobedience to God's commands? Locating the Verse in Its Flow • Moses has just laid out the blessings for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). • Beginning in verse 15, the tone shifts to the curses—escalating judgments for covenant violation. • Deuteronomy 28:35 sits near the middle of that list, intensifying earlier warnings of disease (vv. 27, 29). Text of Deuteronomy 28:35 “The LORD will afflict you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and legs, spreading from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.” What the Plague Reveals about Disobedience • Divine origin: “The LORD will afflict you”—the suffering is not random; it is God-sent discipline (cf. Amos 3:6). • Severity: “painful and incurable” underscores the utter helplessness of the sinner once judgment falls. • Total coverage: “sole of your foot to the crown of your head” pictures comprehensive misery—nothing left untouched. • Public shame: Visible boils would ostracize the sufferer (Leviticus 13:45-46), matching the social humiliation that accompanies rebellion. Key Truths Illustrated 1. Sin produces tangible consequences – Deuteronomy 28:15 “All these curses will come upon you” is realized physically in v. 35. – Psalm 38:3-5 traces bodily agony to unconfessed sin. 2. God’s warnings are specific and literal – Earlier, Egypt’s boils were literal (Exodus 9:8-11); Israel should not assume symbolic language here. 3. Judgment escalates when repentance is resisted – Compare v. 27’s “boils” with v. 35’s “incurable boils.” Delay deepens the penalty (Leviticus 26:18, 24). 4. Covenant faithfulness is a matter of life and health – Obedience brings protection (Exodus 15:26). Disobedience forfeits it. Parallels and Reinforcement • Job 2:7 shows Satan replicating a similar plague, but only under God’s permission—highlighting divine sovereignty. • 2 Chronicles 21:18-19 describes Jehoram’s bowel disease after idolatry, affirming that covenant kings were not exempt. • Galatians 6:7 “God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The principle spans both covenants. New Testament Echoes • Revelation 16:2 speaks of “harmful and painful sores” on worshipers of the beast—linking end-time judgment to Deuteronomic curses. • Acts 12:23 records Herod struck down physically for impiety, illustrating that divine retribution remains operative. Takeaway for Today • God’s standards have not lowered; holiness still matters (1 Peter 1:15-16). • While Christ bore ultimate curse for believers (Galatians 3:13), persistent disobedience invites discipline (Hebrews 12:6). • The verse calls every generation to swift repentance and wholehearted obedience, lest temporal consequences remind us of eternal realities. |
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