How does this verse connect to God's warnings in Deuteronomy 28:53? The Verse Under Consideration Luke 21:23 — “How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.” Echoes of Deuteronomy 28:53 • Deuteronomy 28:53 warns that during a siege Israel’s people would “eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you.” • Both passages speak of extreme distress linked to motherhood: – Luke highlights the misery awaiting pregnant and nursing women. – Deuteronomy foretells parents driven to the unthinkable act of eating their own children. • Jesus’ words pick up the same theme of covenant judgment laid out centuries earlier, signaling that the curses Moses listed had not expired and would fall on a later generation rejecting God’s covenant (cf. Luke 19:41-44). Historical Fulfillment • Deuteronomy 28:53 found fulfillment during the Babylonian siege (2 Kings 6:28-29; Lamentations 4:10). • Jesus points ahead to the Roman siege of A.D. 70, when Josephus records mothers consuming their infants—directly mirroring Deuteronomy 28:53. • The prophetic pattern shows God’s warnings are literal, recurring whenever the nation breaks covenant. Theological Thread • Covenant faithfulness brings blessing (Deuteronomy 28:1-14); covenant rebellion brings curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). • Luke 21:23 stands as a New-Testament restatement of the curse section, affirming that the moral order God established in Deuteronomy remains in force. • Other prophets echo the same link: Jeremiah 19:9; Ezekiel 5:10; Hosea 13:16. Lessons for Today • God’s Word is consistent; what He said through Moses He confirmed through Christ. • Sin has tangible, historical consequences; divine warnings are trustworthy and precise. • The severity of judgment underscores the urgency of repentance and faithful obedience (Acts 3:19; Hebrews 2:1-3). |
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