NOTES for Deu 28:1-34

The conditions attached to the blessings and curses in this chapter have two parts: listening to the voice of the Lord and obeying His commandments. This reminds us of two fundamental aspects of the relationship between a person and God: receiving revelation and responding to it appropriately. It is no accident that the Apostle (Heb 11:1) defines faith as “assurance of things unseen” (hearing God) and “the realization of things hoped for” (the human response). These two aspects are inseparable. If we know God's will but do not carry it out, we turn away from God. If, on the contrary, we keep the commandments without listening to His will, the commandments themselves threaten to lead us away from God into legalism and Pharisaic blindness. Blessing, the expression of God's love for us, is the fruit of hearing and doing.