DEUTERONOMY 28

So, here we have a mega-extension of yesterday’s chapter and lesson about God—that He warns us of impending danger. I know I’ve read this chapter of Deuteronomy several times as I’ve made my way through the Bible in the past, but never have I been so struck by the description of what life is like when we disregard God’s law of love. It is bleak.

To sum it all up, I believe, is this verse: "You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, 'If only it were evening!' and in the evening, 'If only it were morning!'—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see." (vs 66-67) What I see described here is a state of living in which there is no peace. There is only anxiety, worry, fear, and helplessness. Wow, if that doesn’t describe a large cross-section of today’s society!

God is the only place where we find true peace. And He really wants us to have true peace. He wants us to have true freedom. That’s why He doesn’t believe in "small print"—you know, the kind of terms and conditions you find buried at the end of a credit card agreement or mortgage documents. He is fully up-front and forthright about everything because He wants us to make fully-informed decisions.

Sometimes, though, I think it’s still hard for us to believe—especially when we look at the law—that He is trying to preserve our freedom and not restrict us. Some of His laws can look awfully restrictive at first. The other way looks so much more fun and appealing. We think to ourselves, could this possibly lead to a curse?

If there’s one area where Americans have made definite strides toward "freedom" in the last 50 years, it’s in the realm of sex. Ever since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, young men and women have been told that they are "free" to explore their sexuality in any context they want: within marriage, outside of marriage, with people of the same sex, with multiple partners at the same time, with animals, with children. (Yes, there are adults who advocate for the "right" to have sexual relations with children.)

Let’s examine where this so-called freedom has landed us. With healthier relationships? I don’t think so. With a stronger family unit in society? Hardly. The family unit is being decimated in America. Has it landed us with more emotional health? Not from what I’ve seen. Rather, I see an epidemic of young girls—who don’t know any better—trying to find their meaning and self-worth by giving themselves away to boys who aren’t committed to them. I see devastation, not freedom.

But, that’s the abstract realm. It might be easy to make the case that I simply know a lot of people for whom "sexual freedom" hasn’t worked out so well. So let’s go with something a little more concrete. Do you know how many sexually transmitted diseases there were in the 1960s? Two—gonorrhea and syphilis. After 50 years of "sexual freedom," do you know how many there are today? Over fifty.

So, you tell me, has ignoring God’s guidelines for sex led to more freedom or less freedom? Do we have more peace now, or less? When it comes to sex, are we truly free to focus on our partner without fear, or do we have to worry about condoms, diseases, unwanted pregnancy, and past emotional baggage? You tell me where the true freedom lies.

I think it is in God. He knows it. And He wants us to know it, too. And that’s why He will say the hard things when they have to be said. That’s why He will paint the scary picture for us, to let us know exactly what things will be like if we ignore the law of love. I’m so glad God believes in full and honest disclosure. He will never trick us with small print or speedy disclaimers (like the ones that come at the end of radio commercials). He will always tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!