″Iwill curse him right before I die!″ This is what a friend of mine vowed to do to someone who had hurt him. In many Asian societies, people usually associate cursing with angry outbursts by bitter people bent on revenge for a wrong done against them, or with hostile charms and spells made through witchcraft or at shrines. The ritual described in Deuteronomy 27:11-26 is different from these.

It was to be performed on two mountains on opposite sides of the city of Shechem after the people crossed the Jordan River. Six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim, a fertile mountain, and pronounce blessings from there. The other six tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce curses from that dry and barren land.

The familiar formula, ″Then all the people shall say, 'Amen!'″, is repeated at the end of each curse, twelve times, to stress the seriousness of these affirmations. ″Amen″ means ″truly″ or ″may it be so″. Today, we usually say ″amen″ after pronouncing a blessing or a promise. But here, it is used to affirm that a curse, or evil tidings, will befall those who sin.

The list of sins that warranted curses covered all aspects of life: our relationship with God (v. 15), with family (v. 16), and with neighbours (v. 17); caring for the disabled (v. 18), social justice (v. 19), sexual morality (vv. 20-23), criminal acts (vv. 24-25), and personal commitment to obedience (v. 26). This list demonstrates that righteous living is not confined to how we live our personal lives, but also includes how we conduct ourselves in the interpersonal, societal, and spiritual spheres.

Can we curse people today? First, we should note that only God can curse people (28:20). Human beings ″pronounce curses″ (27:13), that is, they proclaim that those who commit these sins will suffer. Second, God's people pronounce curses out of a commitment to God's glory. The integrity of the covenant would not be upheld, and justice would be mocked, if God did not punish violations. The glory of God was upheld when Jesus took on the punishment for our sin by becoming ″a curse for us″ (Galatians 3:13).

Third, pronouncing curses is ultimately an act of love. If the wicked were warned of the danger that would befall them, they could be led to repentance (Ezekiel 3:16-21). Fourth, pronouncing curses encourages the righteous to persevere along the path of obedience, even when the wicked seem to prosper while not doing so (Psalm 73). Fifth, the public proclamation of blessings and curses helps the community forge an agreed-on standard of behaviour. This is a powerful feature in cultures where community solidarity is strong, as it was in ancient Israel. It can inspire an entire group of people to walk in godliness.

Today we, too, must warn people of the consequences of sin.