In the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible, there is a verse that says, "I set before you a blessing and a curse." This verse addresses the choices that the Israelites had at that time, and it continues to be relevant to our lives today. In the context of the Israelites, this verse came after Moses reminded them of the laws and commandments they had received from God. He wanted to emphasize to them the importance of following God's ways and keeping His commandments. By doing so, they would experience blessings, prosperity, and protection in their lives. However, if they chose to disobey God's laws and turn away from Him, they would face curses, destruction, and consequences.
BLESSING AND CURSING
In the Bible these two antonyms have three meanings: (1) the invocation of good or evil; (2) good fortune or misfortune; and (3) the person or thing upon whom or which the fortune or misfortune falls. Thus the first meaning is best represented in English by the terms benediction and malediction or imprecation. The most common formulas of invocation use the terms barukh and ʾarur. Despite the frequent assertion that words themselves were regarded as intrinsically power-laden, there is little evidence that biblical Israel was any more prone to such a view than is contemporary man. When, in the Bible, man does the invoking, the source of power is (explicitly or implicitly) the Deity; hence both blessings and curses are basic prayers. When the Deity pronounces either good or evil against anyone, the pronouncement is to be understood as a decree rather than a prayer; when man is the subject of the verb berekh and the Deity is the object, the verb denotes praise, for nowhere in the Bible is there any indication that the power of God is itself increased by man's pronouncements. As substantive good, blessing is most frequently represented by the terms berakhah, shalom, and ṭov; its most common antonyms are kelalah (qelalah) and raʿah. Blessings include health, long life, many and enduring progeny, wealth, honor, and victory. The dependence of Palestinian agronomy on rainfall is reflected in the use of berakhah for the rains in their due season. Curses, it follows, bring sickness and death, barrenness in people and cattle, crop failure, poverty, defeat, and disgrace. That the beneficiary of good fortune or the victim of ill fortune is himself sometimes regarded as a blessing or a curse is reflected in such passages as Genesis 12:2, "be a blessing" and Numbers 5:21, "may the Lord make you a curse." This use of the terms reflects the usage of beneficiaries of good or victims of evil as examples of felicity and disaster in benedictions and imprecations (Gen. 48:20; Jer. 24:9).
However, if they chose to disobey God's laws and turn away from Him, they would face curses, destruction, and consequences. This principle of blessings and curses applies to us as well. We are faced with choices every day, and these choices can lead to either blessings or curses in our lives.
Terminology
The basic term for imprecation in the Bible is ʾalah. In most instances it represents an adjuration, i.e., a conditional curse upon someone in the second or third person. As "imprecation" the ʾalah is implicitly present in every oath (shevuʿah), for an oath is by definition a conditional self-curse. The close relationship between these two terms accounts for the confusion of the two in many translations; indeed, by the operation of metonymy the term hishbiʿa, which normally means "to administer an oath," may have the meaning "to adjure." The root ʾrr (ארר; and the noun derived from it, meʾerah) shows traces of the concept of "spell," a malignant state in which the victim is barred from such benefits as a share of the earth's fertility, participation in a fellowship or society, and the like. Thus where ʾalah reflects the curse as formulation, ʾrr reflects the curse as operational. The third term most frequently associated with the idea of curse is the verb kallel (qallel; קלל) and the cognate noun qelalah. This term has a far broader connotative range. It reflects attitudes, behavior, and actions all the way from contempt, through verbal abuse, to physical violence; just as berekh (ברך) and kibbed (כבד; and the nouns derived from them) express respect, compliments and good wishes, and material benefit. The failure to recognize the broad range of meanings expressed by qillel resulted in the notion (as early as the Septuagint translation) that qillel ʾElohim means to "curse God" (cf. Ex. 22:27; Lev. 24:10–23). To avoid this horrendous formulation, the biblical text was altered: in i Samuel 3:13 from ʾElohim ("God") to la-hem ("to them"); in i Kings 21:13, and Job 1:5, 1:11, 2:9 the original qillel is replaced by the *euphemistic antonym berekh. The rabbinic tradition in Sanhedrin 7:5 also had recourse to a euphemism in an attempt to understand how imprecation against the Deity is possible in a monotheistic system. In fact, it has been demonstrated that the phrase translated "curse God," qillel ʾElohim, usually really means "show disrespect for God" – for the most part by disobeying His moral standards. The antonymous phrase is yareʾ/yirʾat Elohim, "to fear God," i.e., show respect for His maxims. Since both blessings and curses are types of prayers, it is not surprising that they are encountered everywhere in the Bible, in everyday contexts, legal and diplomatic proceedings. Salutations of greeting and departure are normally expressions of goodwill, hence the term b-r-kh (ברך) for such salutations. Recourse to prayer, i.e., an address to the Deity, is to be expected when human resources are exhausted or, by nature of the situation, unavailing. Hence one notes the employment of oath and adjuration in legal disputes and in treaty formulations. Ancient Near Eastern treaties exhibit the feature of curses, in that the subjected power invokes its own god or gods to administer punishment in the event of failure to observe the agreed upon (i.e., imposed) terms of the treaty (cf. Ezek. 17:11–19). The formulation of the covenant between Israel and its God follows the pattern of such "vassal treaties." An examination of the curses in Deuteronomy 27:15–26 reveals the essential function of the curse, for all the enumerated breaches of provisions of the covenant are of such a nature that society would be unable to punish them. It follows also that the invocation of God in a curse (be it oath or adjuration) is not only blameless but also praiseworthy, for every such invocation is implicitly an acknowledgment of the Deity's sovereignty. This is made explicit in such passages as Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20, and Isaiah 45:23. Heinous, by contrast, is swearing or cursing "by the name of " other deities. A frequent formulation of biblical curses is Ko yaʿaseh yhwh ve-kho yosif ("May the Lord do such-and-such and worse if…"). Another formulation invokes the power of both king and Deity or of one of them only: "by the life (Heb. ḥai) of the king/the Lord." This formula is a frozen form, i.e., a relic of a concept no longer in consonance with the thinking of the people who continue to employ it. The earlier belief was that the life of the king or a god could be put in jeopardy by a solemn pronouncement in support of a promise or of the truth of an assertion; thereby involved in the outcome, the king or god (and his punitive power) was brought into an issue which might otherwise have been of no concern to him. (This type of thinking remains in evidence today when a person swears "by" or "on" something more precious than his own life, e.g., the head of his child, or his mother's grave.) Alternatives to ḥai in cursing/swearing by the life of God or king are nefesh ("life," "soul") and shem ("name"). Thus the Deity Himself is pictured as employing this oath form, swearing "by Myself " (Gen. 22:16, Jer. 22:5; 49:13) or "by My great Name" (Jer. 44:26). [Herbert Chanan Brichto]
When we choose to live according to God's principles, follow His commandments, and seek His guidance, we can expect blessings to come our way. These blessings may manifest as peace, joy, answered prayers, protection, and success in various areas of life. On the other hand, when we choose to disobey God and go against His principles, we open ourselves up to curses. These curses may come in the form of negative consequences, hardship, pain, and a sense of being far from God's presence. It is important to note that God does not curse us directly, but rather, our choices and actions can lead to negative consequences. God desires to bless us and see us flourish, but He also respects our free will. He allows us to make choices, and with those choices come the potential for both blessings and curses. Therefore, we should be mindful of the choices we make. We should seek God's wisdom and guidance in decision-making, and strive to align our lives with His will. By doing so, we can position ourselves to receive the blessings that God has in store for us. In conclusion, the verse "I set before you a blessing and a curse" reminds us that our choices have consequences. When we choose to follow God's ways, we open ourselves up to His blessings. However, if we choose to go against His will, we may experience negative consequences. It is important to be intentional in our decision-making and strive to align ourselves with God's principles in order to experience His blessings in our lives..
Reviews for "The Law of Attraction: How Our Choices Determine Blessings or Curses"
- John - 1/5 - I found "I set before you a blessing and a curse" to be incredibly boring and tedious. The writing was dry, the characters were flat and uninteresting, and the plot felt completely disconnected. I struggled to finish reading it and was ultimately left feeling unsatisfied and unimpressed. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and enjoyable read.
- Emily - 2/5 - I had high hopes for "I set before you a blessing and a curse" after reading some positive reviews, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The pacing was slow, and the story felt unnecessarily convoluted. I found it difficult to stay engaged with the narrative and often felt like I was forcing myself to continue reading. Additionally, the character development was lacking, and I struggled to connect with any of them on an emotional level. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
- Sarah - 2/5 - I found "I set before you a blessing and a curse" to be a confusing and disjointed read. The story seemed to jump around without any clear direction or purpose. The character motivations were unclear, and I often found myself questioning why certain events were even happening. Additionally, the writing style was overly verbose and made the book feel longer than it needed to be. Overall, I didn't enjoy this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.