Solomon the wise wrote, “The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just” (Proverbs 3:33). God’s curses are not like man’s curses. Humans curse others because they hate, fear or wish them harm. For example, Balak called the false prophet Balaam to curse Israel because Balak believed that false prophet could inflict harm on God’s children through spells (Num. 22–24).
But God’s curses are not because of hate or anger. A careful examination to all the curses in the Scriptures reveals that many of them are prophecies of the natural and unavoidable consequence of man’s rebellion against God. “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked” because the sinner’s persistence in sin has disallowed God from bringing him in line with the divine laws of happiness and success. The sinner’s actions withheld God’s blessings.
How does a curse happen?
Some of the worst curses in the Bible are found in Deuteronomy 28, and many of them are clearly warnings of the natural consequences of disobedience to God’s law. The Creator’s hands are tied by man’s choice; He has no choice but to reward a person according to His own conduct: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:7).
The Lord warned His children: “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and… in the country…” (Deut. 28:15-68).
God blesses the righteous
Just as God curses the wicked, He also blesses the righteous. In the book of Deuteronomy we also read, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth…” (ch. 28:1-14). And in the New Testament, the apostle Paul encouraged the believers, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
God knocks at the door of every heart and when people open the door and invite Him in, He brings peace and blessings (Rev. 3:20) and they become His “treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5). Then, the Lord makes their lives “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
