And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Deuteronomy 11:28 (KJV)
To go after other gods, which ye have not known – In order to really understand what God is saying here, we need to consider this verse with the two before it.
26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
Deuteronomy 11:26-28
27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Did you catch the difference between the blessing and the curse? The blessing comes if you obey the commandments of God which He is commanding that day. The curse comes if you disobey the commandments AND go after other gods. So let me ask, is it possible to disobey the commandments, but still worship YHVH?
John states in the New Testament (1 John 5:3) that the love of God is obeying His commandments. It is pretty straight forward there. So if we do not love YHVH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then we will disobey the commandments. And if we do not obey Him, then how can we possibly worship Him?
The answer must be “no” – one cannot worship the true YHVH and choose to disobey Torah because it is not the true God that is being worshiped. The God that is being worshiped and loved has changed. Despite the efforts to call Him by the same name, or recognize His place in Scripture, it is no longer the same god. This other god that does not require obedience to His teachings is a god that conforms to your life and paradigms. It is a much easier god to serve because this new god’s teachings are customized to fit your life.
Simply by disobeying the commandments of YHVH, you have turned to other gods. It is no longer YHVH that is the Creator of the universe, but someone else.
That is harsh. But with the word “curse” were you expecting something fun and enjoyable?
Love God, keep His commandments, and receive His blessing.
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