Deuteronomy 28:21
The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The verse is a curse for disobedience to God's commandments, that clinging pestilence would consume Israel from the land they were to possess, in direct contrast to the blessing of obedience and protection from disease. His promises of life and entrance into the promised land are conditional upon keeping His judgments and statutes, and disobedience forfeits them and alters His purpose. Transgression of His law breaks down the barriers He erected in providence to preserve health and holiness, bringing disease as the effect of sin and leaving His people exposed to enemies and to threatened judgments. As transgression becomes almost universal the curse is permitted to become as broad and deep as the transgression itself, resting upon the earth, upon man, upon cattle and beasts and upon all flesh. The obligation has not grown weak with age but is just as binding now, so that those who obey with a whole heart have Him as their shield of protection, while distrust and alienation place the sinner where He cannot give divine favor, a warning seen in the increasing disease among animals that makes meat eating without safety.
Words and Historical Setting
The verse belongs to the curses that follow disobedience to God's commandments, warning that pestilence would cling to Israel until consuming them from off the land they were going to possess. It stands in direct contrast to the blessings of obedience, by which blessing and protection from disease are secured, while disobedience brings the curse with its fearful consequences. It was read aloud to all the assembled people of Israel from the written book as a declaration of what God would bring upon them if they were disobedient, set against His promises to them if they would be obedient.
The chapter states plainly the blessings of obedience and gives not the voice of man but the voice of Christ from the enfolding pillar of cloud. It expresses the principles of the law of God's kingdom, made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty.
The Lord's promises are upon condition of obedience, upon doing His judgments and keeping His ordinances and statutes. That obedience brings life and entrance into the land He promised, while disobedience alters His purpose and forfeits it. So it was that the adult army that left Egypt was refused entry into the promised land.
Disobedience Brings Disease and Exposure
Transgression of the law brings disease as an effect of sin, while the covenant offered protection from the diseases brought upon Egypt to those who heeded the voice of God and kept His commandments and statutes. That promise meant diligently hearkening to God, doing what is right, and keeping His commandments would bring His healing and keep away the diseases of the Egyptians. The lesson was shown at Marah, where the sweetened waters revealed healing power in connection with obedience.
In providence barriers were erected to preserve Israel from disease, that they might live in health and holiness and learn obedience. This took place while they journeyed under special direction and sheltering preservation. Breaking down those barriers by disobedience brings disease.
The Lord sends adversity as punishment when His law is transgressed, with pestilence made to cling until the people are consumed from the land they were to possess. Disobedience brought Israel under the power of enemies and exposed them to the threatened judgments, including pestilence. Obedience would have kept Satan from harming them, but sin left them vulnerable to destruction.
The curse rests upon the earth itself, upon man, upon cattle and beasts, upon the fish of the sea, and upon all flesh, and human suffering results from departing from the commandments. As transgression becomes almost universal, the curse is permitted to become as broad and as deep as the transgression. Pestilence belongs to the covenant pattern in which obedience brings blessing and protection from disease while disobedience brings curses that consume from the land, as part of the worsening effects of sin on people and the earth. Disease in cattle makes meat eating dangerous, and disease among men follows the eating of diseased flesh sold in the marketplaces.
Present Obligation and Protection
The warning has not lost its force with the passing of time, but lays a continuing obligation on everyone blessed with life and health and with temporal and spiritual advantages. God's claims remain as binding at present as ever, and they are as fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual.
Those who take God at His word and obey His commandments with the whole heart will be blessed, and He will be their shield of protection. Distrust and disobedience and alienation from His will and way put the sinner in a place where the Lord cannot bestow His divine favor.
Because of human transgression and sin a curse has been pronounced upon the herds of the field, and disease in cattle and among animals is becoming more common, with the most aggravated diseases now prevalent. Eating meat has always been a curse to the human family, but it is especially so now, making meat eating dangerous and leaving no safety in its after influence and results upon the human mind. Eating flesh so largely corrupts the blood, demoralizes men and women, and plants disease in the system, for in eating meat people partake of diseased dead flesh that sows its seed of corruption in the human organism. Because of this many die without understanding the cause, and the only safety is in leaving meat entirely alone. In a short time milk and anything coming from the animal creation will not be safe to use, for God would bring His people to a position where they will not touch nor taste the flesh of dead animals.