Deuteronomy 28:45-60: a reflection

45All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you didn’t listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. 46They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your offspring forever. 47Because you didn’t serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; 48therefore you will serve your enemies whom the LORD sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not understand, 50a nation of fierce facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favor to the young. 51They will eat the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed. They also won’t leave you grain, new wine, oil, the increase of your livestock, or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. 52They will besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout all your land. They will besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. 53You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will distress you. 54The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining, 55so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left to him, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in all your gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil toward the husband that she loves, toward her son, toward her daughter, 57toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of all things in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in your gates. 58If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD your God, 59then the LORD will make your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration. 60He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they will cling to you.

In the midst of a sobering warning about the consequences of forsaking God, one striking reason is given for the coming trouble: that they did not serve the LORD with joyfulness and gladness of heart, in the midst of abundance. Because you didn't serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things, the warning says. It is a striking indictment: not only that they forsook God, but that even when they had abundance, they did not serve him with joy and gladness. Their service, if there was any, was joyless and ungrateful, even amid plenty. This confronts the danger of serving God joylessly and ungratefully, even in abundance. God is to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Serving God joylessly, even in abundance, is a real failing. Ingratitude amid plenty is a serious thing. Serve God with gladness, not grudgingly, especially in abundance.

Notice the particular failing named here: not serving God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, even in the midst of abundance. It is striking that this is named as a reason for coming trouble. They had abundance, all manner of good things from God; and yet they did not serve him with joy and gladness and gratitude, but joylessly, ungratefully, taking his good gifts for granted while failing to serve him with a glad heart. This confronts a real danger in us, especially when we have plenty. We can serve God, if at all, joylessly, grudgingly, as a burden, without gladness or gratitude; and this is a real failing, not a small one. God is not honored by joyless, grudging, ungrateful service; he desires to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of grateful love, especially by those who have received abundance from his hand. When we have much and serve God joylessly, taking his gifts for granted, we fail to give him the glad, grateful service he deserves. We do well to serve God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of gratitude for his abundant goodness, not grudgingly or joylessly. Serve God with joy and gladness, not joylessly or grudgingly. God desires glad, grateful service, especially from those who have received much. Do not take God's abundance for granted with joyless service. Gladness and gratitude, not grudging service, honor God.

That is worth taking to heart, for God desires to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart, and joyless, ungrateful service, especially in abundance, is a real failing, as this warning names. We can serve God joylessly, grudgingly, taking his good gifts for granted, especially when we have plenty; but this warning names not serving God with joy and gladness in the midst of abundance as a real failing. God desires glad, grateful service. Do not serve God joylessly or grudgingly, taking his abundance for granted; serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of gratitude. Serve God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of gratitude for his goodness, rather than joylessly or grudgingly taking his gifts for granted, for in the midst of warning about the consequences of forsaking God, one striking reason given for coming trouble was that the people did not serve the LORD with joyfulness and gladness of heart even in the midst of abundance; for it is a striking indictment that even when they had all manner of good things from God, their service, if any, was joyless and ungrateful, and this confronts a real danger in us, especially when we have plenty, that we can serve God, if at all, joylessly, grudgingly, as a burden, without gladness or gratitude, which is a real failing, since God is not honored by joyless, ungrateful service but desires to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of grateful love, especially by those who have received abundance from his hand, so that we do well to serve him with a glad and grateful heart rather than taking his abundance for granted with joyless service.

Lord, in the midst of a sobering warning about the consequences of forsaking you, one striking reason is given for the coming trouble: that they did not serve the LORD with joyfulness and gladness of heart, in the midst of abundance. Because you didn't serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things, the warning says. It is a striking indictment: not only that they forsook you, but that even when they had abundance, they did not serve you with joy and gladness. Their service was joyless and ungrateful, even amid plenty. This confronts the danger of serving you joylessly and ungratefully, even in abundance. Show me the particular failing named here: not serving you with joyfulness and gladness of heart, even in the midst of abundance. They had all manner of good things from you; and yet they did not serve you with joy and gratitude, but joylessly, taking your good gifts for granted. This confronts a real danger in me, especially when I have plenty. I can serve you, if at all, joylessly, grudgingly, as a burden, without gladness or gratitude; and this is a real failing. You are not honored by joyless, grudging service; you desire to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart, out of grateful love, especially by those who have received abundance from your hand. When I have much and serve you joylessly, taking your gifts for granted, I fail to give you the glad, grateful service you deserve. Take that to my heart, for you desire to be served with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Keep me from serving you joylessly or grudgingly, taking your abundance for granted; help me serve you with joy and gladness, Lord, out of gratitude for your goodness, giving you a glad and grateful heart rather than joyless, ungrateful service, especially amid the abundance you give.