The Consequences of Not Living Righteously
In this week’s Torah Portion, Ki Tavo כִּי־תָבוֹא (When You Enter), based on Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8, we encounter one of the most powerful and, honestly, one of the most uncomfortable messages found in the Torah: the freedom to choose and the consequences that come with our choices.
One of the greatest gifts God has given humanity is free will. From the beginning, God has allowed us to make choices. He tells us what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil, and what leads to life and what leads to destruction. But He does not force us to choose Him. That is something I believe we often forget.
"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." Deuteronomy 30:19
God could have created robots. He could have created human beings incapable of disobeying Him. He could have removed every temptation, every opportunity to make the wrong decision, and every possible path that leads us away from Him. But then we would not truly have the ability to love Him. Love without a choice is not love. Obedience without the ability to disobey is not obedience. If there is no alternative, there is no real decision to make.
God gives us the freedom to choose.
But freedom to choose does not mean freedom from consequences. This is one of the major themes found throughout Ki Tavo.
In these chapters, Moses presents the people of Israel with blessings that would come through obedience and curses that would come through disobedience. The contrast between the two is striking. The blessings are powerful, but the curses seem to go on and on. In fact, the curses occupy significantly more space than the blessings. Depending on how the sections are counted, the warnings and consequences far outweigh the promises of blessing—approximately four to one.
At first, that may seem unfair.
Why would there be so many more curses than blessings? I believe the answer may be found by simply looking at reality. The truth is that doing the right thing often produces one primary result, while neglecting what is right can create a chain reaction of consequences that affects nearly every area of our lives.
Let me give you a simple example: taking care of your teeth.
If you practice good dental hygiene, brush your teeth, floss, and visit the dentist regularly, the blessing is fairly straightforward. You will likely have healthy teeth and gums for most of your life. You will be able to eat, smile, and speak without the pain and embarrassment that often comes from serious dental problems.
That is the blessing.
Now let's consider the alternative.
It is much easier to neglect your teeth than it is to take care of them. It takes effort and discipline to brush your teeth every day. Flossing takes time. Going to the dentist can be inconvenient and expensive. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we simply don't feel like doing it. Skipping all of those things is easy. But the consequences of neglect can be devastating.
Poor dental hygiene can lead to plaque buildup and cavities. Cavities can lead to infections. Neglect can lead to gingivitis and eventually periodontal, or gum, disease. Over time, the gums can deteriorate, the bone supporting the teeth can be damaged, and teeth can eventually be lost.
Now the consequences are no longer just about having bad teeth.
Missing teeth can affect a person's appearance. That can affect confidence and self-esteem. Difficulty chewing can affect nutrition. Severe dental infections can cause significant pain and, in serious cases, spread beyond the mouth.
Research has also found associations between gum disease and other health problems, including cardiovascular disease, although the relationship is complex and gum disease does not necessarily mean it directly causes heart disease. The point is that something as simple as neglecting your teeth can potentially affect much more than your teeth.
Think about that. The blessing of doing the right thing is that you have healthy teeth and gums.
The curse of doing the wrong thing—or sometimes simply failing to do what you know you should do—can lead to cavities, infections, gum disease, tooth loss, changes in appearance, reduced self-esteem, problems eating, and potentially other health complications.
One blessing. Many consequences.
Perhaps this helps us understand why the curses in Ki Tavo appear to outweigh the blessings. Doing what is right can protect us from many things. But once we begin making the wrong choices, the consequences often multiply. One decision leads to another. One neglected responsibility creates another problem. One small compromise becomes easier to repeat.
And before we know it, we are dealing with consequences we never imagined when we first made the choice. This is how life often works. It is easier to avoid the gym than it is to exercise. It is easier to spend money than it is to save it. It is easier to lie than it is to deal with the consequences of telling the truth. It is easier to stay silent when we should apologize. It is easier to eat whatever we want than it is to discipline ourselves.
The wrong choice is often easier in the moment.
But the consequences can last much longer than the pleasure or convenience that came from making that choice. That is why I don't see the curses in Ki Tavo as God simply looking for reasons to punish His people. I see them as a warning about reality.
Choices have consequences.
God can tell us what is right, but He will not force us to do it. He can show us the path, but He allows us to decide whether we will walk on it. This is what makes free will both beautiful and dangerous. We are free to choose how we live. We are free to choose whether we will obey or disobey. We are free to choose whether we will take care of our bodies, our families, our relationships, and our responsibilities.
But we are not free to choose whether those choices will have consequences. The consequences come whether we believe in them or not. I have learned this lesson personally.
Throughout my life, there were times when I knew what I was doing was wrong. I knew the consequences that could eventually come from my choices, but I continued anyway because the immediate pleasure or comfort seemed more important than the consequences I could not yet see.
That is another danger of free will.
We often make decisions based on what we can see immediately and ignore what may happen later. We think, “This won't hurt me.” Or, “I can stop whenever I want.” Or, “Nobody will find out.” Or perhaps the most dangerous one: “I'll deal with it tomorrow.” But tomorrow eventually comes. And by then, what began as a simple choice may have grown into something much larger. This is why the Torah repeatedly warns us to remember.
Throughout Ki Tavo, Israel is reminded of where they came from and what God has done for them. They are instructed to remember their history, remember their deliverance, and remember that the blessings they are about to receive are not merely the result of their own strength.
That is important because remembering changes the way we make decisions.
When we remember where God brought us from, we become less likely to take our blessings for granted. When we remember the consequences of our past mistakes, we become more careful about repeating them. When we remember that our choices affect more than just ourselves, we begin to understand the weight of free will.
This is especially true when it comes to our families. The choices we make today can affect our children tomorrow. A father who chooses to be absent may not see the full consequences immediately, but his absence can affect his children's understanding of love, security, and relationships for years.
A person who chooses addiction may believe that it is only hurting himself, but addiction rarely affects only one person. Families suffer. Friendships suffer. Children suffer. Communities suffer.
Again, one choice can produce many consequences.
This is not meant to make us live in fear or believe that every mistake will result in disaster. We all make mistakes. We all fall short. We all have things in our past that we wish we could change. The message of Ki Tavo is not that God is waiting for us to fail so He can punish us. The message is that God gives us a choice and warns us about the consequences before we make that choice.
That, to me, is love.
A loving parent does not allow a child to run into the street without warning him about the danger. A loving parent explains the consequences and establishes boundaries. The child may still choose to disobey, but the parent has given him the knowledge necessary to make a better choice.
God does the same thing with us.
"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." Proverbs 3:11-12
He does not hide the consequences. He puts them right in front of us. He says, in essence, "Here is the path. Here is what happens when you follow it. Here is what happens when you walk away from it. Now choose."
That is free will. And that is also responsibility.
Perhaps the reason the curses in Ki Tavo outweigh the blessings by approximately four to one is because the consequences of making the wrong choices can multiply much faster than the benefits of doing what is right.
It is easy to destroy something that took years to build. It is easy to lose trust that took years to earn. It is easy to damage our health after years of neglect. It is easy to destroy relationships with words that take only seconds to speak.
Doing the right thing may take discipline every single day. But doing the wrong thing can create consequences that take years—or even a lifetime—to repair. This is why obedience is not simply about following rules.
It is about understanding that God, like a loving Father, sees things we cannot always see. He understands the consequences at the end of a path when we can only see the first few steps.
Sometimes God tells us "no" because He knows where "yes" will lead.
Sometimes His commandments feel restrictive because we only see what we are being asked to give up, while He sees what we are being protected from. I believe this is the message I take away from Ki Tavo. God gives us the freedom to choose, but He loves us enough to tell us that our choices matter. We can choose the easy path, but easy does not always mean good.
We can choose temporary pleasure, but temporary pleasure can sometimes produce permanent consequences. We can choose to neglect what we know is important, but neglect does not eliminate responsibility. Or we can choose discipline. We can choose obedience. We can choose to do what is right even when it is inconvenient, difficult, or uncomfortable. Because sometimes the greatest blessings are not what we receive for doing what is right. Sometimes the greatest blessing is what we avoid by making the right choice.
I pray that this week we take a moment to consider the choices before us. Are there things we are neglecting because doing the right thing feels too difficult? Are we making choices based only on what feels good today without considering what those choices may produce tomorrow? Are we ignoring warnings that God, our families, or even our own experiences have already given us? Perhaps today is the day to make a different choice.
The beauty of free will is that as long as we have breath, we can choose again. We cannot always change the consequences of our past, but we can decide what we will do today. We can learn from what we have done. We can change direction. We can choose a better path. And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. The freedom to choose. But may we also have the wisdom to understand that with every choice comes responsibility.
I pray you have a blessed week. A life filled with purpose, wisdom, and service to others. Remember that every day presents us with choices. Some choices may seem small and insignificant, but over time, those choices shape the people we become and the lives we live.
Choose wisely.
Choose what is right, even when it is difficult.
Because the easy path may feel good for a moment, but the consequences can last much longer.
Shalom!
"...Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." Deuteronomy 30:19b
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