Israel will inherit the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. If they don't obey God, then God's curse for their disobedience will come upon them in a form of natural disaster. They will live in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and dire poverty under foreign oppression. Foreign armies' cruel oppression and siege of the cities will make them so desperate for food that they would eat even their own children (53-57). The nation would be destroyed. The people would be scattered among all nations and worship other gods. There, they would live in constant suspense, anxiety, and a despairing heart and would be treated worse than animals.

Why would all these curses come on them? It is because they would refuse to serve God in the time of prosperity. When God blesses them in the Promised Land, they are to serve God with joyful and thankful hearts. If they neither honor God nor give thanks to him but serve idols, their blessings will turn into terrible curses to help them realize that all their prosperity came from God. We need to remember that all curses on mankind are a result of Adam and Eve's doubt of God's love and goodness and disobedience to God's holy commandment in the Garden of Eden, a paradise.


Application: Lord, all my blessings came from you. Help me not to just enjoy your blessings, but love, obey, and serve you with a joyful and willing heart.
One Word: Use God's blessing to serve Him.