Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
The verse is one of the curses pronounced from Mount Ebal upon the disobedient on the day Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, while the blessings upon the obedient were pronounced from Mount Gerizim. After passing over Jordan Israel was to plaster stones and write the commandments of God on them, and from those two prominent positions the advantages of the blessing and the disadvantages of the curse were repeated aloud, showing how particular and careful God was over forgetful Israel. After each declaration the whole congregation was to assent with Amen to the specifications, thereby placing themselves under solemn responsibility to fulfill the accepted conditions. God gave the declaration as a repeated, public lesson to make His law familiar and impressive, to deter from transgression and to encourage obedience, for He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but takes greatest pleasure in those who turn from sin.
The vows belonged to the solemn vows spoken on entering Canaan with Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim standing as silent witnesses, and they were renewed at Shechem before Joshua's death when Israel gathered in the presence of their dying leader. That renewal at Shechem joined the vows to God's covenant with Abraham and Jacob and to what God had done in giving Israel a land for which they did not labor, and cities which they built not, and vineyards and oliveyards which they planted not. The curses were rehearsed by Joshua as a warning that disregard of God's law brings a curse.
The verse stands among directions that express the principles of the law of the kingdom of God, made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. It was uttered with His own voice by Jesus Christ enshrouded in the pillar of cloud as a precaution and decided practical demonstration to remind that obedience to the commandments of God is for present and future good. With the surrounding chapters it states plainly the blessings of obedience, showing that obedience brings prosperity while disobedience results in a curse. It presents the never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life and health and temporal and spiritual advantages to publicly acknowledge His special favor so that His name is glorified as verity and truth, and the message has not grown weak because of age but remains just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as God's gifts are fresh and continual.
The verse declares God's curse on anyone who causes a blind person to wander out of the way or lose the way, forbids leading blind people astray, and places them under His special care. The command is among His special directions for how blind people are to be treated, so ignoring the distinction between people who are blind and those who can see, treating a blind person unfairly, disregarding his disability, obstructing him from receiving what is rightfully his, or turning him from his rights violates God and fails to obey Him. Wronging a blind person means more than putting an object in the person's path, and includes dealing unjustly, discouraging his efforts to support himself, taking advantage of his prosperity for one's own gain, and any action that harms his interests or influence, obstructs his progress, or causes him distress. Those who are able should encourage a blind, poor, or ill person who is striving to support himself, people who hinder him must repent and make restitution before their prayers can be accepted, and a church that allows him to be wronged shares responsibility until it does what it can to set matters right.
The verse is one of the curses pronounced from Mount Ebal upon the disobedient on the day Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, while the blessings upon the obedient were pronounced from Mount Gerizim. After passing over Jordan Israel was to plaster stones and write the commandments of God on them, and from those two prominent positions the advantages of the blessing and the disadvantages of the curse were repeated aloud, showing how particular and careful God was over forgetful Israel. After each declaration the whole congregation was to assent with Amen to the specifications, thereby placing themselves under solemn responsibility to fulfill the accepted conditions. God gave the declaration as a repeated, public lesson to make His law familiar and impressive, to deter from transgression and to encourage obedience, for He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but takes greatest pleasure in those who turn from sin.
The vows belonged to the solemn vows spoken on entering Canaan with Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim standing as silent witnesses, and they were renewed at Shechem before Joshua's death when Israel gathered in the presence of their dying leader. That renewal at Shechem joined the vows to God's covenant with Abraham and Jacob and to what God had done in giving Israel a land for which they did not labor, and cities which they built not, and vineyards and oliveyards which they planted not. The curses were rehearsed by Joshua as a warning that disregard of God's law brings a curse.
The verse stands among directions that express the principles of the law of the kingdom of God, made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. It was uttered with His own voice by Jesus Christ enshrouded in the pillar of cloud as a precaution and decided practical demonstration to remind that obedience to the commandments of God is for present and future good. With the surrounding chapters it states plainly the blessings of obedience, showing that obedience brings prosperity while disobedience results in a curse. It presents the never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life and health and temporal and spiritual advantages to publicly acknowledge His special favor so that His name is glorified as verity and truth, and the message has not grown weak because of age but remains just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as God's gifts are fresh and continual.
The verse declares God's curse on anyone who causes a blind person to wander out of the way or lose the way, forbids leading blind people astray, and places them under His special care. The command is among His special directions for how blind people are to be treated, so ignoring the distinction between people who are blind and those who can see, treating a blind person unfairly, disregarding his disability, obstructing him from receiving what is rightfully his, or turning him from his rights violates God and fails to obey Him. Wronging a blind person means more than putting an object in the person's path, and includes dealing unjustly, discouraging his efforts to support himself, taking advantage of his prosperity for one's own gain, and any action that harms his interests or influence, obstructs his progress, or causes him distress. Those who are able should encourage a blind, poor, or ill person who is striving to support himself, people who hinder him must repent and make restitution before their prayers can be accepted, and a church that allows him to be wronged shares responsibility until it does what it can to set matters right.