Tags
Blessings, Curses, Deuteronomy, Israel, Old Testament, Palestine
Violence and the Sacred
For over two decades now, and closer to three, I have believed that the Jesus ethic requires his disciples to follow the path of nonviolence. I make no excuses for this belief and I do not think there are any exceptions. But I am faced with the reality that the bible contains a lot of violence. There are whole books, like Joshua and Judges, that are replete with stories of divinely sanctioned violence.
I am also faced with the reality that, right now a group claiming to be heirs of some promises in the bible are brutally attacking another people group with, most likely, an intention of erasing them from the earth. And to further complexify matters, some who claim to follow Jesus, either think that such genocidal acts are justified or turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the pleas of the Palestinians for relief from the horror inflicted on them by the Israelis.
As someone who insists on hermeneutical consistency, I cannot, in good faith, refuse to tackle these difficult passages and still claim that I am taking the bible seriously. So how do I deal with this disconnect?
Given how many passages in the bible are explicitly violent, it would be ridiculous for me to think I can deal with the matter adequately even in a series of posts. However, I can certainly start! Here I offer a novel approach to interpreting a particularly prickly passage. I have not seen this approach before, but that could be because I have not read as widely as I should have. Nevertheless, I offer this interpretation in the hope that the hermeneutical strategy will help myself and others to interpret other similarly prickly passages that contain copious amounts of violence.
The Chosen Passage
My annual journey through the bible had me read Deuteronomy 28 this past week. For those who do not know, this chapter deals with covenant blessings and covenant curses. With 68 verses in all, this chapter devotes the first 14 verses to the blessings and the next 54 verses to the curses. This drastic imbalance needs explanation. I mean, can we conclude, as many unfortunately have, that we are more likely to incur the covenant curses than receive the covenant blessings? Are we to conclude that Yahweh is actually more concerned about punishing people than praising them? A superficial reading, such as is all too common, will reach such unwarranted conclusions, leading us to be afraid of God and any potential curses that we may incur from his hand. It also makes us prone to having a heavy handed approach toward those who disagree with us. After all, if God himself is more concerned about cursing, and surely those who disagree with us are apostates deserving of curses, then why should we not join God in giving them the rough end of the stick?
In order to go below the surface and obtain a semblance of sanity from this violent chapter, we will first look at the explicit counterparts that exist between the blessings and curses. Second, we will look at the kinds of curses for which there are no counterparts in the first 14 verses. Third, we will attempt to classify those blessings and curses that have counterparts and those curses that do not. Fourth, this will hopefully give us some indication of what this chapter tells us about the character of Yahweh. Fifth, we will draw some conclusions about the current horror in Israel-Palestine.
Curses with Counterparts
The table below shows the counterparts that exist between the blessings in vv. 1-14 and the curses in vv. 15-68.
Blessing | Curse |
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. (v. 3) | You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. (v. 16) |
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. (v. 4) | The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. (v. 18) |
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. (v. 5) | Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. (v. 17) |
The LORD will grant the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. (v. 7a) | The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. (v. 25a) |
They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. (v. 7b) | You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven. (v. 25b) |
The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. (v. 8) | The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. (v. 20) |
Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. (v. 10) | You will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth.(v. 25c) |
The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. (v. 11) | The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. (v. 21) |
The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. (v. 12a) | The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed. (vv. 23-24) |
You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. (v. 12b) | They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. (v. 44a) |
The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. (v. 13a) | They will be the head, but you will be the tail. (v. 44b) |
If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. (v. 13b) | The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. (v. 43) |
In some cases, the counterparts are exact even in wording. In other cases, there is a similarity of ideas, though the wording is inexact. However, in these twelve (coincidental?) counterparts we see Yahweh painting a picture of life characterized by blessings, contrasted with a life characterized by curses. The Israelites were being warned of a reversal of fortunes. What they would enjoy as a result of faithfulness is what their enemies would enjoy if they were unfaithful. The prosperity that would be theirs on account of their faithfulness would visit their enemies if they were unfaithful. In other words, through these twelve blessings Yahweh tells the Israelites that whatever blessing he has for them, he will give to them if they were faithful but would give to their enemies if they were unfaithful.
However, there are big chunks in the part on curses for which there are no counterparts in the part on blessings. These cannot be considered under the rubric of a reversal of fortunes or a redirection of blessings. And to these we now turn.
Curses without Counterparts
As expected, given the massive imbalance between blessings and curses in this chapter, there are many more curses for which there are no counterparts in the section on blessings. The curses for which there are no counterparts first appear in v. 22. There we read: “The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish.” (vv. 21-22)
A little later, we read: “Your carcasses will be food for all the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.” (vv. 26-29)
Verses 21-22 and 26-29 are clearly an expansion of the curses in vv. 23-24, where it seems the author intends to tell the Israelites that the plagues that had visited Egypt would visit them if they turned their backs on Yahweh. Here, we have direct allusions to diseased animals (5th plague), boils (6th plague), and darkness (9th plague). In other words, being chosen as the people of God does not exempt them from facing punishment from the hand of God when they disobeyed him.
But what about the rest of the verses? A whole 37 verses (vv. 30-42, 45-68) are devoted to distinct curses, which cannot be classified either as counterparts of blessings, as seen in the previous section, or expansions of curses, as seen earlier in this section. And these curses are bone-chilling, to say the least. Even a person with a stout heart would shudder at some of the things described in these verses. Since there is nothing to compare these with in the first part of the chapter, we cannot do a similar comparison. And since these are, as I have said, bone chilling, nothing would be gained by my reproducing them here.
However, we can attempt to understand the two groups of curses by contrasting the ones with counterparts and the ones without counterparts. In other words, we can ask ourselves what it is about the group that has counterparts that distinguishes it from the group that does not have counterparts. Since the text has been created with a purpose and intention, there must be something about the second group that does not allow for those aspects to have counterparts in the first group. In other words, we will be attempting to go behind the text to the intention of the author or final redactor to determine why he could not include counterparts to the second group.
Contrasting the Two Groups of Curses
If we look at the set of curses for which there are counterparts, we can see that, barring the 4th and 5th above, none of them has any hint of violence. The 4th one is written in passive voice throughout, indicating that the outcome of battles will be determined by Yahweh himself. Any violence done by the warring parties only serves the purpose of Yahweh’s blessing or cursing. The 5th one has no mention of violence. However, a fleeing army would probably imply the use of violence. I will deal with the matter of violence during wars in a later post since I cannot adequately deal with such a vast topic here.
However, what we observe from the curses for which there are no counterparts is that they are, for the most part, things that involve harsh, inhumane, and unspeakable violence on the part of the enemies of Israel. For example, having one’s wife raped (v. 30) or being forced to watch as one’s children are taken away as slaves (v. 32) are things for which there is no counterpart among the blessings. Similarly, being so deprived of food that one is forced to cannibalism (vv. 53-57) is something that is described in horrifying detail but which has no counterpart among the blessings. Further, being in a constant state of fearing for one’s life (vv. 66-67) is something that is caused by an ever present external threat that acts malevolently and unpredictably. Let us just consider these four curses briefly in order to understand what we can learn from their presence in this gut wrenching chapter.
The curse that soldiers of an invading nation would rape a woman is something that any woman would be terrified of and any husband would find impossible to stomach. But the curse says that this would happen to the Israelites. This is an action that an enemy combatant would engage in. However, there is no counterpart among the blessings. Clearly, Yahweh’s act of blessing his people does not include a license that they could violate any women. Other nations, in their depravity, may rape women as a part of a war strategy, but God’s people are not permitted to do this.
The curse that one would see one’s children taken en masse as slaves is something any parent would find unbearable. Quite obviously, this is something that an enemy nation would do after defeating Israel. However, there is no counterpart among the blessings. Clearly, while the Pentateuch does describe cases in which Israelites take foreigners to be slaves, the Israelites are not supposed to engage in mass displacement of populations since nothing of the sort is mentioned in the context of blessings. Other nations may include mass displacement of populations as part of their military strategy, as did the Assyrians and Babylonians, but God’s people have no recourse to such an identity destroying practice.
The curse that one would be so close to death by starvation that even cannibalism would seem acceptable is something that most humans would find horrific. Again, this would have been the result of a military siege that deprived the Israelites of food (v. 52), thereby starving them to death. This too has no counterpart among the blessings. Clearly, while the chapter describes this as something the Israelites would face at the hands of some foreign nation, this is something they were not supposed to engage in. The people of God are not to be involved in using starvation as a method of waging war. Other nations may rely on sieges in order to starve a population into submission, but God’s people are denied such an inhumane practice.
The curse that one would be constantly afraid of losing one’s life is something no one would want to contemplate. We are created to live in the security created by a loving God. When this is not realized, we live in a constant state of fear for which we were not designed. This fear is caused by an enemy that acts malevolently and capriciously. This too has no counterpart among the blessings. Clearly, while the chapter describes this ever fearful state into which they would be cursed to live, God’s people are not supposed to create a realm of fear for anyone within their borders. Other nations may resort to state sponsored terror practices in an attempt to subjugate a population, but God’s people are prohibited from resorting to such terror inducing practices.
Bearing God’s Name
What we have seen is that there is a massive imbalance in this chapter because there are some actions that most nations use that are not available for the people of God because they are the people of God. God’s people are entrusted with the job description of reflecting his character. Since they are the people who bear God’s name, God’s reputation is linked with their reputation. What people see God’s people doing is what they will think God allows his people to do. Because of this, God’s people may not engage in sexual violence. God’s people may not engage in forced displacement of populations. God’s people may not engage in siege activity that deprives people of food and pushes them closer to starvation. And God’s people may not form a society in which anyone fears for his or her life.
What we see is that this chapter, which, with a superficial reading, seems to endorse violence of all sorts, is actually describing the kinds of actions that those who call themselves God’s people may not engage in. By extending the section on curses to include abominable behavior, the text is telling us that, while other nations may not have any qualms about engaging in such reprehensible acts, there is no counterpart that would indicate God’s blessing for his people. In other words, God does not bless his people through such loathsome behavior. Hence, even through the explicit violence of a large chunk of this chapter, the imbalance exists to showcase God’s character. There are some acts, commonly done during war, that God will not tolerate among his people because they are designed to rob humans of their dignity and humanity.
In the course of this post so far, I have employed a different hermeneutical scheme than what I have seen elsewhere. I have considered seriously Paul’s claim that, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17) The purpose of the scriptures is not just to inform us, but primarily to form us. And since the people of God have been called to faithfully represent God, that is, to faithfully bear God’s name, I have used that as the lens through which to interpret the gross imbalance that we find in Deuteronomy 28.
The Inexorable Conclusion
So how would I apply what I have learned about Deuteronomy 28 in the current situation in Israel-Palestine? The case that South Africa has brought against Israel at the ICJ has found that Israel is likely guilty of acting in ways that are genocidal. While Israel’s claims that Hamas systematically used sexual violence on 7 October 2023 have been somewhat verified by an official UN report, another recent official UN report has found that the Israeli Army also engaged in sexual violence against Palestinian women and children. Moreover, forced displacement of the Palestinians has occurred even before the nakba of 1948 and continues to this date. The siege of Gaza that has existed since Israel’s withdrawal 2005 has included keeping the populace at a minimal nutritional level. This has become all the more severe since October 2023, with Israel not permitting even humanitarian aid to reach the residents of Gaza. In addition to this, Palestinians live in a constant state of fear (see here, here, and here). In other words, Israel has committed all four actions that are specifically not to be done by the people of God. What can we conclude from this?
Israel has acted in ways that Deuteronomy 28 indicates the nations that are not God’s people will act. In other words, there is no way to refuse to draw the conclusion that, by engaging in actions that God’s people were not supposed to engage in, Israel has declared itself not be the people of God. That is, this nation, by engaging in the four deplorable acts, has asked God and the world to treat it as though it were not the people of God. And I think we should comply with this tacit request.
Some people may say that this proves I am anti-Jewish.1 I am not. I am against the current nation that calls itself ‘Israel’ because it has co-opted a holy name from the bible and used it to oppress and kill people. There are other reasons, but this one is most pressing and is enough for this post.
What we have seen is that a careful study of Deuteronomy 28 reveals the line that distinguishes God’s people from the other nations. Those who cross the line by committing acts described within the realm of the curses have exempted themselves from being classified as those for whom such actions are prohibited. But since such an argument may still not be convincing, allow me the luxury of a couple of illustrations.
Suppose I am a particularly bad driver, who violates traffic rules left, right, and center. A policewoman is well within her rights to stop me and confiscate my license after a few run-ins with the traffic cops. My decision to not obey the traffic rules results in my exclusion from the community of people who are given the privilege to drive. I can no longer claim to be a person who is licensed to drive in India.
Or suppose I am a landlord and have rented an apartment to a family. I stipulate some rules that they must follow. I can do this because the apartment belongs to me, not to them. Now suppose the family violates some of my rules. I am then well within my rights to evict them from my apartment. They then can no longer say that their home is where my apartment is. Nor can they associate themselves with me any longer. They will no longer be my tenants.
Actually, this second illustration is not far from the truth. First, in Leviticus 25.23, Yahweh says, “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants.” In other words, contrary to the common assertion that the Jewish people were granted a piece of land in the Levant in perpetuity, Leviticus says that they are actually tenants in Yahweh’s land. Second, as part of the curses in Deuteronomy 28, v. 63 declares, “And just as the Lord took delight in making you prosperous and numerous, so the Lord will take delight in bringing you to ruin and destruction; you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to possess.” So on the one hand, Leviticus says that the Israelites were tenants. On the other hand, Deuteronomy says that if they disobey Yahweh, they will be ‘plucked off the land’. Only someone who refuses to see the logic of these two statements can avoid reaching the conclusion that the current state of Israel actually has no rights to the land since they are guilty of violating God’s laws, especially the four that we have dealt with in this post.
The current nation of Israel does not bear the name of Yahweh well among the nations and hence is not authorized to claim the blessings that Yahweh promised to the nation that would bear his name well. It has, in other words, excluded itself from being called a nation under Yahweh and is just like any other nation on this earth. It has no special status since it has wilfully committed precisely those acts that the people of Yahweh are prohibited from committing.
Does this mean that the Jewish people do not deserve a nation to call their own? I will turn to that question in the next post. But for now it seems clear that, given the actions of the current state of Israel, it has, like Esau, sold its birthright and has declared itself not to be the people of God by any accounting.
- See my post Hoping for the Rubble, where, in footnote 1, I explain why I no longer use the term ‘anti-Semitic’. ↩︎