In The Master's Service

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THE CURSE WILL NOT COME WITHOUT A CAUSE

Elder Wayne Crocker

"As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come"
- Proverbs 26:2

When we observe a sparrow, a swallow or other small birds as they go about their activities, we may see little reason for their movements. But there is a cause for their every move. Perhaps they are searching for food, looking for a place to nest, avoiding predators or moving about for some other reason.

There are many questions asked regarding why bad things occur in this world. We do not always have the answer to these questions, but we can be assured that there is a reason or reasons why curses fall upon individuals, families, churches, and nations.

Since there are many meanings for the word "curse," it may help if I give the definition I believe is meant in the text: "the cause of evil, misfortune, or trouble." Evil is defined as: "harmful; injurious."

In a broad sense, every curse is the result of original sin. Genesis 4:16-24 tells us about how pain, suffering and hardships were pronounced upon our foreparents, Adam and Eve. Paul speaks of "the sufferings of this present time" (Romans 8:18) and how "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). As part of our human condition, we will reap some of the consequences brought about by original sin. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).

It is evident that part of the curse of suffering that occurs in the lives of people is the result of the inherited sin-nature, rather than particular sins of the person suffering. The Lord supplies special grace to help His children endure these sufferings and often (if not always) brings them to closer fellowship with their Saviour. One of the purposes of the gospel is to help children of God through these difficult times by pointing them to the comfort found in the scriptures.

Obviously we are powerless to remove the universal curse brought about by original sin. But the scriptures contain much instruction on how we may avoid some curses. If we know the cause, and have the ability to remove the cause, we can prevent the curse from coming. Remember, "the curse causeless shall not come."

The Lord showed the children of Israel how to avoid a curse: "Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: 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 11:26-28). In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, the Lord again reminds His children of the great blessings that await them if they obey His word and serve Him. Then in verses 15-68 the Lord pronounces the curses that shall fall upon them should they fail to follow His commandments but instead serve other gods.

Even before entering the Promised Land, God's children acted in ways that brought curses upon them. Paul recounts some of these in I Corinthians 10. In verses 1-4 he shows how the Lord had blessed all of them by delivering them out of Egypt and providing food and drink in the wilderness. "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness" (I Corinthians 10:5). Why did the curse fall upon them? It was because they lusted "after evil things," became idolaters, committed fornication, and murmured (I Corinthians 10:6-10). Twenty-three thousand fell in one day because of the fornication they committed.

I trust my motive for bringing out these historical occur—krences is the same as Paul mentioned. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (I Corinthians 10:11). How should we react to these truths? "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). Paul tells us that we can avoid these curses by making use of the means the Lord has provided to escape from temptation. "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" (I Corinthians 10:14).

As mentioned earlier in this article, all curses are not the result of particular sins committed by an individual. In fact some are brought about by Satan and his followers due to one's faithfulness ness to Christ. There are sufferings endured for Jesus' sake.

But make no mistake about it; many sufferings in our world are brought about by individuals walking in disobedience to God! Yes, even sickness and death are often brought about by particular sins committed by the individual. Paul gives us the example of how many were sick and many died among the church at Corinth due to their careless and sinful observance of the communion service (I Corinthians 11:29-30).

Many people, including children of God, are sick and dying because of substance abuse. Many of us may die an untimely death because we fail to obey the rules the Lord has placed in nature regarding nutrition and exercise. Millions are suffering and dying of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS because of immoral conduct. Many marriages are broken up due to one or both partners falling into an adulterous affair. Many times this may be partially due to the filling of their minds with immoral entertainment from TV, movies, and the Internet. Remember, "the curse causeless shall not come."

The root causes of all divorces are due to one of the following failures on the part of one or both mates: The husband fails to unselfishly love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). The wife fails to submit herself to her husband in the Lord and to reverence him (Ephesians 5:22-33).

The divorce rate in our country continues to escalate. Within the broad scope of reasons men—ktioned above, there may be a failure of parents, ministers and others in the church to teach by word and example. Paul says that the aged women should "teach the young women to be sober, to love their own husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed" (Titus 2:4-5). While there is a place for women sometimes to be involved in various careers, from a child they should be taught that their greatest goal in life should be to be a godly wife and mother. How many young women are being taught this today?

Moral decay is rampant in our society today. The family unit is being attacked on every hand. The media is promoting the broken home as being the norm and homosexual relationships as common. History and the word of God tell us that a nation cannot continue on the course that we are on without ultimately being destroyed. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17). If our nation experiences the curse of destruction, it will be because we have forgotten God and His word.

Perhaps the greatest underlying cause for the curses that afflict our people is the decline in pure and undefiled religion (James 1:27). Even among our churches, many members do not attend church regularly. Some attend but leave children at home with a spouse who does not attend. A general lack of godly zeal afflicts congregations from the pulpit to the pew. Often ministers (self included) fail to study, pray and preach the whole counsel of God. May we follow the commandments of God more closely, so that we can honor Him as we should and avoid the many curses that are brought upon us due to disobedience.