Deuteronomy 28:48
Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
This verse belongs to the curses for disobedience to God's commandments in Deuteronomy 28, set alongside the blessings for obedience in Deuteronomy 26-28. It was read by Moses to Israel as a warning that transgression would bring suffering and national ruin. Disobedience would bring the people under the power of enemies sent by the Lord and permitted to rule over them. It would mean serving those enemies in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things, with a yoke of iron upon the neck showing the severity of that subjection, until destruction.
God's promises and blessings are upon condition of obedience, with disobedience bringing curse instead of blessing. He sends prosperity according to obedience to His law and adversity according to transgression of His law. The judgment of serving enemies under a destroying yoke is an altering of His purpose toward disobedient Israel. Read together with the first chapter of Deuteronomy, the chapter explains why the adult army that left Egypt was refused entrance into the promised land.
Transgressing God's law breaks down the barriers He erected to preserve people from disease, bringing suffering and disease of every kind. Diligently hearkening to His voice and doing right and keeping His commandments and statutes keeps His mercy and protection and healing, so people can live in health and holiness and learn obedience. The law given at Sinai was kept in the sacred chest, and the ark itself was not a source of protection apart from obedience to that law. The curses of the chapter foretold the later overthrow of Israel and Jerusalem by Rome.
The voice speaking in Deuteronomy 28 is the voice of Christ from the enfolding pillar of cloud. It expresses the principles of the law of the kingdom of God made specific so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. The chapter plainly states the blessings of obedience and presents the never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life and health and advantages in temporal and spiritual things. People must choose whether to suffer the fearful consequences of breaking His commands or enjoy the blessings of obedience. Its message has not grown weak because of age, but God's claims are just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual, and Christ has repeated these directions with His own voice, calling His followers to a life of consecration and self-denial.