How can understanding Deuteronomy 28:57 impact our daily obedience to God? The Shocking Warning in Deuteronomy 28:57 “the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears. For in secret she will eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy will impose on you within your gates.” (Deuteronomy 28:57) Setting the Verse in Context • Deuteronomy 28 divides into blessings for obedience (vv. 1-14) and curses for disobedience (vv. 15-68). • Verse 57 describes one of the most horrific consequences that would fall on Israel if they broke covenant—so severe hunger during an enemy siege that a mother would cannibalize her newborn and even the afterbirth. • The passage is literal history preview: 2 Kings 6:24-29 shows a partial fulfillment when Samaria was besieged by Aram, and Josephus records similar horrors in A.D. 70 when Rome besieged Jerusalem. The Heart of the Warning • Sin eventually destroys the natural affections God built into humanity (cf. Romans 1:28-31). • God’s covenant is not a casual agreement; violating it invites unbearable judgment (Galatians 6:7). • Even the most refined, gentle person (“the most delicate woman,” v. 56) can sink into unthinkable acts when cut off from God’s protection and provision (Proverbs 13:15). Lessons for Today • Sobering fear of God guards daily choices – Hebrews 12:28-29 calls us to “offer to God acceptable worship…for our God is a consuming fire.” – Understanding the extremity of divine judgment moves obedience from optional to urgent. • Sin’s consequences reach further than we think – Personal rebellion harms families and entire communities (Joshua 7; 1 Corinthians 5:6). – Remembering Deuteronomy 28:57 keeps us alert to the ripple effect of hidden compromise. • Covenant faithfulness brings security – Deuteronomy 28:2 promises blessings that “will overtake you” when you obey; verse 57 shows disaster overtaking the disobedient. – John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Love and obedience cannot be separated. • Gratitude for redemption fuels obedience – Christ bore the curse of the law for us (Galatians 3:13). – Meditating on what He saved us from deepens desire to live holy lives (Titus 2:11-14). Daily Action Points • Begin each day by choosing life (Deuteronomy 30:19); verbally affirm, “Today I will obey You, Lord.” • Examine motives: ask whether any decision would compromise covenant loyalty (Psalm 139:23-24). • Guard natural affections—especially toward family—by refusing bitterness and quick repentance (Ephesians 4:26-27). • Practice immediate obedience in small matters (Luke 16:10) so you’re fortified for larger tests. • Teach children the blessings-and-curses pattern of Deuteronomy 28; let them see your own reverence (Psalm 78:5-7). • Thank Christ daily for absorbing the curse you deserved, letting gratitude propel joyful, consistent obedience (Romans 12:1). |
    |