Curses Do Not Lie

The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them. Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant! For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” [Jeremiah 11.1-4]

What ARE the terms of God's covenant with His people? In a broad generalization, Jeremiah answers this question immediately following his mention of those terms of the covenant: "Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!" "Terms of the covenant" is a phrase describing a body of stipulations upon God's people requiring obedience. By the terms of the covenant, people's obedience then brings blessings on their lives elevating them out of the default condition of curses (curses being established in the Garden of Eden as man's 'default setting' due to sin).

Obedience to the terms of the covenant is a simple phrase but describes a disciplined adherence to a detailed set of rules. Failure to comply to the terms of the covenant yielded a plethora of undesirable circumstances (described at length in Deuteronomy 28.15-68) whose presence indicated non-compliance. "Blessings." on the other hand, were the direct result of (reward for) successful compliance to the terms of the covenant.

The problem with the preceding paragraph is the grammatical "past tense" in which it was written ("yielded, indicated," and "were"). Modern religion made the decision that the terms of the covenant no longer apply to mankind and therefore speaks of these terms and their implications in historical retrospect with no present application. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus said this regarding the terms of the covenant (the Law):

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. [Matthew 5.17-18]

Jesus' Advent actually added another single component to the existing terms of the covenant, the compliance to which cumulatively fulfilled all the other terms. In other words, to comply with the one stipulation brought in Christ fulfills ALL the other stipulations combined. Jesus actually described this in His conversation with Nicodemus:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.16-18]

Faith in Christ fulfills ALL the terms of the covenant. Faith in Christ redeems the believer in Christ from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3.13). Failure to comply to "faith in Christ" puts a person right back into the default cursed condition of all the other terms of the covenant (which, as man found out, are impossible to keep in their entirety).

Regardless how developed man's knowledge, understanding, wisdom and even theology have become, to interpret a "curse" (as God defined in Deuteronomy 28.15-68) as anything less than an indicator of the need for reconciliation with God is ludicrous. Sickness, disease, poverty, destruction, turmoil and loss ALL indicate violation of the terms of the covenant including the added term of faith in Christ as much today as at any time in history. "Developed man" however has sadly "grown" past such understanding. Everything now has an (almost) perfectly good explanation and, in most cases, at least an adequate (albeit costly) solution (met through the idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology - see Modern Day Idolatry).

If we fail to recognize the indicators that point out violation of the multiple terms of the covenant or the single term of the covenant in Christ, we are bound to the hopeless condition of those indicators and ultimately the curse of hell itself. Curses do not lie! They did not lie before Christ and they do not lie in this present day. Only Satan and men deceived by him lie to conceal the truth of curses - that reconciliation is necessary through repentance and impossible meticulous rituals (not going to happen), or, through repentance and faith in Christ who fulfilled all the rituals in one act of obedience on behalf of all who would believe in Him.

The fact that Jesus healed the sick and fed the multitudes means something! He was and remains the Incarnate Fulfillment of the Law but only repentance and faith (as a singular obedience) can enjoy that benefit of relief from judgment (There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him). Curses are judgment and curses do not lie! Being "in Christ" is not an abstract spiritual experience any more than having cancer is an abstract spiritual experience! Being "in Christ"  means being resurrected from the judgment of curses and resurrecting others from the judgment of curses as Jesus said.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” [Mark 16.15-18]

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” [John 20.21]

Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. [John 17.18]

Even though the Bible is compelling, the proud religion of man refuses to acknowledge its Truth. Curses do not lie but call men to repentance and faith (collectively, obedience). This is not about Old Testament vs. New Testament, but about curses that do not lie and how we deal with them - or simply rely on our idols to take care of them.

The implications of what is said here are serious. Will we shrug off curses as happenstantial or take another look at them? If we claim "redemption" in Christ and we still suffer from the curses we are supposedly redeemed from, shouldn't we have cause for alarm? Shouldn't we look to the Bible for answers instead of the libraries of books explaining why "bad things happen to good people"? 

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

Curses do not lie. They never have and they never will.

Father, help us to get real with our reality! Help us to understand that curses do not lie but are engineered indicators of our need to repent and believe.