Under what condition do the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15 come on Israel?
The curses in Deuteronomy 28:15 come upon Israel conditionally, if they will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God to observe and do all His commandments. Obedience brings blessing, but disobedience brings the curses, as the passage contrasts blessed with cursed.
Les teaches that Deuteronomy 28:15 begins with the crucial conditional word, showing the flip side of blessing. If Israel will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe and do all His commandments, then instead of blessed, they become cursed. Les explains that from verse 16 onward, the word is cursed: cursed in the city and field, cursed in basket and store, cursed by the fruit of the body and the fruit of the land. He notes this continues all the way down to how Israel will receive the wrath of God because of their disobedience. In the Old Testament, God promised that if they were obedient, He would bless them in every which way, mostly material, but disobedience brings the curses.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
More Questions
Why has Israel suffered so much according to Deuteronomy 28?
Les says that Deuteronomy 28:15 makes the reason for these catastrophes plain: they came because Israel would not hearken to the voice of the LORD their God and obey Him.