Deuteronomy 27:15-19 - Cursed is anyone who makes an idol

27:15

We now get the explicit warnings. The nature of the curse is not given, but a good working definition of “curse” is “God’s judgement on man’s sin”. The first warning is against setting up an idol, with particular reference to this being done in secret. Idolatry was the greatest sin of Israel, and it never comes alone, but always leads on to other things such as sexual immorality, injustice and violence. If it was done in secret the person may delude themselves into thinking that the Lord does not see, but this is not the case.

“Then all the people shall say ‘Amen!’”. The people were signing up to the covenant.

27:16

Dishonouring your father and mother is next. Respect for the family is fundamental to the running of society. We see our societies seeking to undermine the family with the state taking over. This is an evil, and has disastrous consequences. 

27:17-19

There follows a group of curses that essentially deal with honesty and love for one's neighbour. So we start with a neighbour’s boundary stone. Ahab and Jezebel were guilty of this in the case of Naboth’s vineyard.

Then there is a warning against leading a blind man astray, and we can safely extend this to any case of seeking to take advantage of anyone’ disability, or for mocking such a person.

Foreigners, the fatherless and widows come next, and the importance of not withholding justice from them. This triad has occurred several times already in Deuteronomy.