How can Deuteronomy 28:56 be related to the importance of family values today? Setting the Scene “The most gentle and refined woman among you, so delicate that she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her own son or daughter.” (Deuteronomy 28:56) What the Verse Shows • Moses is describing one of the covenant curses that would fall on Israel if they rejected God’s commands. • The picture is shocking: a woman renowned for tenderness becomes hardened toward the very family she once cherished. • The breakdown is not economic first—it is relational and spiritual. Disobedience to the Lord poisons affection at the most intimate level. Family Tenderness Designed by God • From Eden onward, the LORD designed family as the first community (Genesis 2:24). • Children are called “a heritage from the LORD” (Psalm 127:3). • Parents are to “teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). • Husbands must “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25). • When those foundations crumble, affections invert, just as Deuteronomy 28 warns. Why It Matters Today • Modern culture still reaps the same consequence when God’s Word is sidelined—self-interest replaces sacrificial love. • Rising divorce rates, absentee fathers, and neglected children echo the curse’s relational fallout. • 2 Timothy 3:2-4 describes people who are “lovers of self,” “disobedient to parents,” and “without natural affection,” mirroring the coldness in Deuteronomy 28:56. Lessons for Our Homes • Treasure tenderness. The verse reminds us that gentleness is a gift that must be guarded by obedience to God. • Keep covenant priorities. When worship of the Lord is central, family love thrives (Joshua 24:15). • Model self-denial. Parents who lay down their own comforts cultivate children who do the same (Philippians 2:3-4). • Strengthen marital unity. A wife “begrudging the husband she embraces” signals spiritual drift; nurturing oneness protects the entire household (Ephesians 5:31-33). • Provide faithfully. “If anyone does not provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8). Provision includes emotional and spiritual care, not merely finances. Hope Beyond the Warning • The curse shows what happens when hearts turn from God, but Christ redeems us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). • Obedience motivated by love for Christ restores warmth and loyalty within families. • By embracing God’s Word as fully true and authoritative, today’s families can shine as countercultural witnesses of covenant love and stability. |
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