This week we do a deep dive into the curse of the law and what it means to be redeemed.
Let’s start with our foundational scripture. Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. – Proverbs 4:20-22 NASB
Before we pray and dig into tonight’s teaching, I wanted to introduce some truth about the hearing of the Word of God.
“So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him [more] shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” – Luke 8:18 NASB
This is one of those important verses that are very easy to overlook. Jesus actually teaches the way you listen to the Word of God will determine, not only what we get out of each passage, but it works as a multiplying factor on what we already have. Our ability to understand, and to hold on to what we ‘ve learned in the past is directly correlated with how we receive what’s given to us today.
There is an amazing phenomenon in the unseen realm. As the hearer puts forth faith to receive, God gives the preacher/teacher a greater measure of revelation. So how we set ourselves to hear will impact what is given and what is received.
Now it won’t make up for poor preparation on my part, or but if we all press in together to the Word of the Lord today, we will all come away increased in faith for revelation and for healing.
It’s easy if you’ve been around the faith for a time to hear a topic, or a scripture passage and let your mind go into autopilot, assuming we already know what the particular passage holds. But let me assure you, there is no verse of scripture that has yet been fully explored and revealed, and I expect that for all eternity we will be getting more and more revelation from even the simplest passages.
Redemption
Today we are going to talk about redemption and its impact on our lives.
We know at the root, to redeem is to buy back. In this sense, we belonged to God from the beginning by right of creation. We were His because He made us.
But the Word makes is clear that by choosing sin, we have sold ourselves into slavery. Yes, Adam and Eve started the ball rolling, but each one of us separately and individually chooses slavery to sin of our own free will.
I saw a movie once where a man sold his souls to the devil. It’s a dark and stormy night in an unsavory location. Some being show up with a parchment enveloped in vapors and wisps of smoke. A fountain pen appeared through the mist and the soul tortured protagonist signed his life away for fame, or fortune, or for the hand of the woman he loved.
But all that mysticism is not how it goes down. Jesus explains a much-simplified process.
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. – John 8:34 NASB
Let’s get a quick definition of redemption. In its simplest form, to redeem means to buy back. Its original sense is to regain possession of something in exchange for payment. So at the base level: God owned us. We sold ourselves as slaves to sin, and God paid the costly price of the blood of His own Son to buy us back.
That’s why most references to redemption in the New Testament include the blood of Jesus and our sins.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace – Ephesians 1:7 NASB
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of [God’s own] possession, to the praise of His glory. – Ephesians 1:14 NASB
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:14 NASB
But in the redemption is much more than simply the forgiveness of sins. When God bought us back He paid a price so all-encompassing, that it not only paid for our forgiveness. It paid for all we need for life and godliness.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”– – Galatians 3:13 NASB
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. – 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. – 1 Corinthians 7:23 NASB
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. – Galatians 4:5 NASB
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. – Titus 2:14 NASB
There is an amazing scene as Israel enters the promised land. The heads of 6 tribes stand on one mountain, and the other tribes are represented across the way on another mountain. Then all of Israel is led through the valley between. While they pass, the men on one side are reciting the Blessings of the Law from Deuteronomy 28:1-14. At the same time, the men on the other mountain are pronouncing the Curse of the Law from Deuteronomy 28:15-68.
Joshua places on everyone who crossed the Jordan the choice of life or death, blessing or cursing, all based on their keeping of the Law of the Lord their God.
“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: … “Now it shall be, when the LORD your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. – Deuteronomy 11:26, 29 NKJV
Now we know Israel did not do so great at this, but God had another answer. He sent His own Son to keep that law and fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law. Jesus kept the law, then bore the curse for us, as though He was the lawbreaker.
Disease in The Curse of the Law
What follows is a verse by verse look at the diseases–physical, mental, and emotional, listed in the curse of the law with comparisons from various English translations found on BibleGateway.com. I list the verse from the NASB then a few of the other translations of the ailments that are included in the curse.
A few things to keep in mind as we read these scriptures. In today’s culture and the western mindset, it’s easy to look at these scriptures and take sides against God. This is a mistake. God is always good, and what may seem unfair to our mind, goes much deeper than we can understand. The ancient Hebrew language treats cause differently than does English, so when it says the Lord will … it creates an impression of God zapping people. But to demonstrate a different understanding, let’s look at Exodus 12, the Passover, and taking of the firstborn in Egypt.
Consider first:
‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments–I am the LORD. … Exodus 12:12 NASB
Now let’s go down to verse 23:
”For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite [you.] – Exodus 12:23 NASB
In effect, we see God passing judgment on Egypt, and lifting protection from them, and the destroyer coming and doing what he has wanted to do all along. Ofen we look at God allowing something as Him causing that outcome. I don’t even like to use the phrase God allowed… because in our language, it comes across with too much complicity. Perhaps some week in the future, we can look at this in detail, but it may take an entire study to really get hold of this as taught in Scripture.
For tonight, I want us to understand that the Hebrew language treats cause differently. Many places where you see the English Bible say something like we’ll see tonight, God smote Him, the truth is more like God allowed the enemy to smite.
My policy on anything like this is to hold to my point from our first session. Jesus is perfect theology. He only did what He saw the Father doing, and the Father never changes. Jesus went about doing good and healing all, so God is not the giver of disease, but the solution. Always take God’s side and give Him the benefit of the doubt.
I understand the curse of the law as the outworking of man’s choices. God, from the beginning, created a system of sowing and reaping, seedtime and harvest. The curses contained in the law are effectively the harvest of a soul given to self.
OK – let’s dig in. As we read these, remember, though it sounds like bad news, it couldn’t be better. We are REDEEMED from all of this. It’s been taken for us, and we don’t have to bear it again.
Deuteronomy 28:21 NASB – “The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.
Plague
terrible disease
epidemics
disease after disease
long-lasting diseases
deadly diseases
You will never be well again
28:22 NASB – “The LORD will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish.
Fever
Extreme burning
Wasting disease
Scorching heat
Burning fever
Swelling
Pain
Burning ague
Miserable want
Fever and cold
Tuberculosis
High fever
Infections
Plague
Seizures
Blight
Jaundice
Take note here. Fever and cold are under the curse. Here’s the quick quiz. What do you do when you wake up with a scratchy throat? Do you immediately say, “I’m getting a cold?” That’s like signing for the package. You’re saying, cold, I accept you, and receive you. We get so when the symptoms show up, we were expecting them. Oh – You’re HERE! Welcome! – NO NO – a thousand times NO – Don’t accept delivery of even the smalled cold, or fever, or headache. Fight each one as if it were cancer.
This is really important because when the giant comes along, you want to have the lion and bear trophy’s on your wall. You need to know that you can take this uncircumcised Philistine just like you faced every cold and headache in the past.
One more note before we move on. This word “SMITE” – let’s jump briefly over to Isaiah 53. We will spend a full session here in the near future, but for tonight I want to look at this word SMITE.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. – Isaiah 53:4 NASB
Jesus taking the curse for us is smitten of God. All the smiting included in the curse was laid on Jesus. He was smitten so we don’t have to be.
Notice this next verse.
“The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. – Deuteronomy 28:23 NASB
A heaven of bronze and an earth of iron. These both have dual meanings. First int he natural, it means no rain and rocky soil. In the spiritual, we see it as a closed heaven that is neither pouring out the rain of blessing nor receiving our communications. An iron earth would be hearts that CAN’T receive from God, and can’t hear the voice of the Father.
But we are not under the curse, not doomed to a silent heaven. We live under an open heaven, where we can hear and receive from the giver of all good things. We live with soil that can receive the imperishable word of God and grow fruit for the kingdom of our Father and His dear Son. – Hallelujah.
28:27 NASB – “The LORD will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.
Emerods
Hemorrhoids
Scurvy
Tumors
Festering
Rash
Ulcers
Oozing sores
Eczema
Skin diseases
Bad growths
Crusty itchy patches on your skin
Sores
You will be untreatable
You cannot be cured
You cannot be healed
28:28 NASB – “The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart;
Astonishment of heart
Dismay
Mental confusion
Make you go crazy
Insanity
Utter confusion
Fury of mind
Senile
Panic
Lose your mind
You won’t know what’s going on
Troubled in your mind
Wildness of thought
28:35 NASB – “The LORD will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils, from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
Evil ulcer
Incurable boils
Grievous boils
Incurable painful sores
Distressing boils
28:59 NASB – then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.
Unimaginable plagues
Wondrous calamities
Terrible diseases
Severe and lasting afflictions
Grievous and lasting maladies
28:60 NASB – “He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you.
All the sicknesses of Egypt
The torments of Egypt
They won’t be curable
You will never recover
They will persistently afflict you
You will have no relief
You’ll suffer from them continuously
28:61 NASB – “Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed.
Every sickness and every affliction
Troubles and diseases
Sickness and every Stroke
Diseases and plagues
Illness and plague
Malady and affliction
28:65 NASB – “Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.
Sorrow of mind
Anguish of heart
Dimness of eyes
Apathy of spirit
You will be restless
Always longing for home, but never able to return
Trembling heart failing of eyes [from disappointment of hope]
Fainting of mind, and languishing of spirit
Sorrow of mind despondent spirit agitated mind
Depressed spirit. mind (filled) with worry.
Eyes will feel tired
You will be very upset.
Longing eyes and a despairing soul
Despair of soul. languishing soul unsettled mind,
Failing eyesight, and despair.
The LORD will make your ·mind [or heart] ·worried [tremble],
Your ·sight weak [eyes fail], and your soul sad [languish; C depressed].
Restless heart, longing eyes, a homesick soul
A soul wasted with secret sorrows
Your mind worried
Your sight weak, and your soul sad
28:66 NASB – “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life.
Filled with anxiety
Worried
Fear day and night
Never certain of survival.
Terror
You will live in constant jeopardy,
Terrified of every shadow,
Never knowing what you’ll meet around the next corner.
28:67 NASB – “In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.
Let’s circle back to Galations 3:13 once again. Every curse of the law has been paid for by Christ. Everything in this chapter has been put upon Jesus. There is no judgement left that has not been put on Christ that we must bear ourselves.
Galatians 3:13-14 NASB – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”– in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
This is such good news. It gets me excited every time I think of it.
If you would like to join us, we’re meeting via Zoom on Sunday evenings starting at 7:30. The classes run until about 8:30, and then there is time for some Q&A. We’d love to have you join us. Here’s the meeting info. Note, you can’t join the meeting until about 7:20 or so, but there will be plenty of front row seats available.
Here’s the meeting info:
Ben’s Healing School
Time: 7:30 PM every Sunday evening
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 827 3836 9564
PassPhrase – TakeHold
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See you again soon
Blessings,
Ben