Does God curse people?

I recently published a new song, for which I expectably got a bit of flak.  I do stand by the theology contained therein although some artistic license is required to express a song.

The song called Jesus Christ is coming to town is considered a parody of a Santa Clause is coming to town.  I’m not sure if parody is appropriate when something fake is replaced with something true.

The concern with my song is highlighted with the second line of the third verse.  But the song has a general theme of judgement of the righteous and unrighteous e.g. the sheep and the goats.

He knows if you are one with him.
He’ll curse you if you’re not.
And you’ll be left to suffer,
With the Devil and his lot – ouch!

I appreciate my presentation may be inappropriate, but before addressing that, I first need to filter through a reaction that seems to stem from false doctrine.  I appreciate God’s judgement is offensive to many, but it is a core part of the gospel and the Apostle’s Creed.  I appreciate that modern theology strongly focuses on God’s love and grace.  But in common extremes, it rejects the core biblical principal that God will eventually judge the wicked and the righteous.  This brings a bias against the possibility that curses can be from God.  In explaining this, unfortunately, I must dwell on some uncomfortable aspects.  The focus of this writing may seem that I’m promoting curses.  This is not my intent, but to bring wholeness to our theology and address a topic generally avoided in our “seeker-friendly” preaching.

I feel I’m in good company when musicians often skip the verse of Joy to the world that repeats “far as the curse is found”.

When searching the Bible, “curse” occurs about 178 times, while “bless” occurs 453 times.  Most times curse occurs, it’s about people behaving badly.  Blessings are so important.  We are generally called to bless and not to curse, to forgive and encourage rather than to condemn.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.

This key verse in the biblical narrative summarizes a key concept.  Over the ages, those who have blessed the Jews have prospered, and those who have persecuted them have eventually fallen.  If God does not curse (or judge) people, then he can’t keep this promise.

Deuteronomy 27:13 And these will stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.  ¹⁵Cursed be the man…

This is another key principle: There are blessings for those who delight in the Lord, but those who despise his standards bring a curse on themselves.

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you:

Proverbs 3:33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesses the habitation of the just.

Jeremiah 17:5 The Lord says, “Cursed be the person that puts their trust in people, and draws strength from mere flesh, and whose heart departs from the Lord.”

Jeremiah 48:10 Cursed be he that does the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keeps back his sword from blood.

Malachi 2:2 If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, declares the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.

Matthew 25:41  Then he’ll also say to them on the left hand, “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mark 11:12 (Jesus curses a fig-tree and clears the temple courts)

John 7:49 But this people who knows not the law are cursed.

That line in my song was particularly thinking of Matthew 25:41 and the song echoes the parable of the sheep and the goats, that this verse is part of.

The biblical theme including curses extends to God hating sinful behaviors and lots of judgement of the wicked.  God’s curses connect with his judgements, denying Adam eternal life, destroying Noah’s generation, Babel, Lot’s city, Israel’s two exiles.  These historical events set precedent for the prophesied judgements, particularly the tribulation.  Whether God’s judgements are curses, comes down to an argument of semantics.  I’m comfortable with calling a condemnation to Hell a curse.

While curses and judgement are prophesied, we currently live in an amnesty of grace.  But this must eventually end – otherwise God would be untrue and unjust in not fulfilling his promises to destroy the wicked.  While God banished Israel from their land, he has restored them and continues to watch over them.

Just as the Sadducees rejected life after death and many other core doctrines, so too, liberal theologians today love to embrace all the nice touchy-feely bits of the Bible but reject the less appealing bits.  Ultimately their teaching condones, even promotes sexual immorality, the hallmark of false prophets:

Revelation 2:20 However I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

Their teachings were forewarned

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but following their own lusts they’ll heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.  ⁴And they’ll turn away their ears from the truth, and they’ll be turned to things people have just made up.

They deny the inerrancy of God’s word:

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for scolding, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

I am deeply concerned about such false doctrines tainting the church today, while attempting to dismiss all of those “nasty bits” about God’s judgement of the wicked, they claim huge parts of God’s word, particularly Genesis, to be inaccurate.  Such teachings imply that God suddenly changed character in the new testament: Where the old testament God is all wrathful and legalistic, the new testament God is all loving and forgiving.  This totally dismisses the old testament saints finding forgiveness, grace and mercy in God, even after committing adultery and murdering.  This also ignores swathes of the new testament speaking of God’s judgement and wrath; such as God striking Ananias and Sapphira dead in Acts 5, Jesus’ end-times teaching, and Revelation.

Even if God has cursed someone, or if you prefer to say their life choices bring God’s curse upon themselves, he encourages us to use the authority he’s given us to contend with him in intercession, that all might be saved.

1 Timothy 2:1 I therefore encourage you, that, first of all you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all people.  ²For kings, and for all who are in authority.  That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  ³For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; ⁴who wants that all people are saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This is perfectly modelled by Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah:

Genesis 18:32 And he said, please Lord, don’t be angry, and I will speak yet just this once more, “Perhaps only ten [righteous] are found there…”  And he said, “I won’t destroy it for the sake of ten”.

When ministering to people who believe they’ve been cursed by God, or feel their affliction is his will, it’s important to acknowledge the place of curses and afflictions in this fallen world, and redirect people to God’s gracious will – that he does not want any to suffer.  We’re all imperfect, so for you to be judged, means that I must be judged too.  However, Jesus’ death on the cross covers this for all who reach out to him, believing he is the son of God who died in our place.  It’s so often that Jesus healed people saying, “Your sins are forgiven” and “Go and sin no more”.  For him, the cause of affliction was not important, but rather their healing would glorify God.

John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, “Master, who sinned?  This man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It wasn’t this man that sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

For those who understand God has established curses and as consequences for sin, to deny this comes across as denial of scripture, inhibiting people from receiving healing.  It may be necessary to humbly teach correction into their misunderstanding, and instill faith that despite our shortcomings, God has endowed us with the authority to forgive sin. And he strengthens us through his Holy Spirit to abstain from temptation.

Here’s the full text of that song:

Chorus
You’d better watch out.  You’d better keep prayin’.
You’d better be ready.  I’m telling you why.
Jesus Christ is coming to town.

Verse 1
He knows if you’ve been praying,
And studying his word.
He knows if you’ve been witnessing,
To the people that you meet.

Verse 2
He knows if you are holy,
Or fakin’ it for looks.
He knows if you’re in love with him,
And have righteousness through his blood.

Verse 3
He knows if you are one with him.
He’ll curse you if you’re not.
And you’ll be left to suffer,
With the Devil and his lot – ouch!

Verse 4
He knows all those who seek him,
To live for him each day.
He knows who are just playin’ church,
And traditions are their god.

Verse 5
One moment you’ll be here on Earth.
The next you will be gone.
For Jesus Christ has taken you,
As his bride forevermore.

I pray God would richly bless you as you meditate (chew and re-chew) over his word and contend with those bits which are most difficult to digest.

Shalom

– Brent