Deuteronomy 28:66
And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
Life left without security hangs in constant uncertainty, with fear by day and by night and no confidence that it will continue, and with no ease or rest. It stands as the curse for refusing to observe all the words of the law and to fear and obey the Lord, while obedience brings prosperity and blessing, for all His promises rest upon condition of obedience. For Israel it meant being plucked from the land and scattered among hostile nations to serve other gods, left few in number and visited with plagues and sicknesses. It was fulfilled in Herod after he had John the Baptist beheaded, when beneath outward dignity he lived in constant dread with a terrified conscience, fearing that John risen from the dead would condemn him and his house. A guilty conscience becomes its own accuser with no rest day nor night, for God sees hidden wickedness and follows the guilty with fear, sorrow and terror of punishment. Its claim has not weakened with age but binds just as firmly now, for transgression breaks down the barriers God set for health and holiness and brings suffering and disease, while hearkening to His voice and keeping His commandments brings His healing mercy.
Curse Meaning and Setting
Life left hanging in doubt means existence without security, lived in constant uncertainty and fear by day and by night, with no confidence or assurance that life will continue and with no ease or rest. The same warning belongs to the covenant curses for disobedience, under which turning from God and entering relations leading to idolatry would bring scattering from the promised land into exile among hostile nations. There the recent captivity has shown its fulfillment, and the life without safety then seen answers to what was foretold.
That afflicted condition joins to fearful insecurity a trembling heart with failing eyes and sorrow of mind, so that dread in the heart and dreadful things seen with the eyes make the sufferer long in the morning for evening to come and in the evening for morning to come. Among the nations there is no ease or rest, but life remains uncertain and under constant fear day and night with no security. The punishment further includes wonderful plagues and sicknesses, being left few in number, being plucked from the land, and being scattered among all peoples to serve other gods of wood and stone.
The verse stands among the curses for not observing to do all the words of the law, for not fearing the glorious and fearful name of the Lord, and for not obeying His voice. The chapter states plainly the blessings of obedience and expresses the principles of the law of God's kingdom so specifically that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. Obedience brings prosperity and blessing, while disobedience brings adversity and a curse, for all the Lord's promises are upon condition of obedience. Possessing the ark did not protect while His law was transgressed, since God sends prosperity or adversity according to obedience or transgression.
Moses declared these terrible curses because he feared Israel would depart from God their only helper. If they departed from God, after being scattered among all nations and turned to false worship, they would find no rest but live in constant dread with anxious hearts and despairing minds, feeling their lives always unsafe with no confidence day or night. It stands opposite the blessing promised if they lived in obedience to God, and it presses the closing choice to choose life by loving the Lord, obeying His voice, and holding fast to Him as their life and length of days for dwelling in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He foresaw their apostasy and its punishment in dispersion among other nations, departure of their glory, their city lying in ruins, and captivity in foreign lands.
Fulfillments in History
For Israel the verse foretold exile among hostile nations as the consequence of turning from God and entering covenant relations that led to idolatry, with the recent captivity showing its fulfillment in continual insecurity and fear with no confidence that life was safe. The punishment includes wonderful plagues and sicknesses, being left few in number, being plucked from the land, and being scattered among all people to serve other gods of wood and stone. There among the nations there is no ease or rest, but a trembling heart, failing eyes and sorrow of mind, with life left uncertain and in constant fear day and night with no security, wishing for morning at evening and for evening in the morning because of dread of heart and dreadful sights. Moses declared these curses because he feared they would depart from God their only helper, setting them opposite the blessing promised for obedience and pressing the closing choice to choose life by loving the Lord, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him as life and length of days for dwelling in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Possessing the ark did not protect Israel while disobeyed, for God sends prosperity or adversity according to obedience or transgression, and defeat proved the warning true.
The verse was fulfilled in Herod after he had John the Baptist beheaded, when although he appeared dignified before others guilt left him anxious, terrified and troubled in conscience, living in constant dread and fearing that God's curse was upon him. His life hung in doubt before him with no assurance, with a trembling heart, failing eyes and sorrow of mind, fearing day and night so that morning brought a wish for evening and evening a wish for morning. Hearing of the works of Christ he was troubled and believed God had raised John from the dead and sent him with greater power to condemn sin. He lived in constant fear that John risen would avenge his death by passing condemnation upon him and his house, with reason returned, remorse, concealed anxious aching of heart, fearful forebodings and constant terror.
This reaping of a course of sin shows that God is present in every place, sees hidden wickedness in the banquet room, hears wicked commands and exultation over death, and afterward lets the prophet's warnings speak louder to condemn sin. Herod knew God had witnessed the banquet, the command and the exultation, and was convinced nothing can be hidden from Him. A sinner's own thoughts become his accusers, and the stings of a guilty conscience are a keener torture than any other, giving no rest day nor night. That trembling heart, sorrow of mind and longing for morning and evening to change places is the Lord following the guilty criminal with fear, sorrow, concealed aching, fearful forebodings and terror of punishment for sin God has seen.
Doctrine and Daily Application
The chapter sets out the blessings of obedience in plain terms, expressing the principles of the law of God's kingdom so specifically that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. It lays a never-ceasing obligation on all who have been blessed with life and health and with temporal and spiritual advantages. Its message has not grown weak with age, but God's claims are just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual. That enduring claim calls for consecration and self-denial. Each person must choose between the blessing obedience brings and the fearful consequence transgression brings.
A fearful and insecure existence without certainty of life belongs with suffering and disease of every kind that come upon human beings because of sin. Such misery comes when people transgress the law of God and break down the barriers God in His providence erected to preserve them from disease, that they might live in health and holiness and learn obedience. Diligently hearkening to the voice of God and doing what is right and keeping His commandments and statutes brings the covenant of mercy. Under that covenant He will put none of the diseases of Egypt upon the obedient, because He is the Lord who heals.
The verse also pictures a life hanging as upon a thread, with no assurance of its continuance day and night. It describes bodily frailty brought to the point of danger by age, long-continued strain, overtaxed nerves, and burdens beyond strength. In that condition further excitement, disagreeable cares, and heavy responsibilities risk life itself. Preservation of such a life requires quiet rest. It requires refusal of urgent invitations to labor beyond strength, shunning of crushing responsibilities, and turning to quieter useful work with the pen when strength returns.