Curses have long been pronounced upon others with the intention of inflicting penalty or retribution. Pronouncing a curse on God's people was not allowed, as seen when God declined to let Balaam curse Israel, declaring them a blessed people. However, pronouncing a curse on evil was deemed appropriate, such as Joshua's curse on anyone rebuilding Jericho, where disobedience would bring the curse upon their children. God inspired Moses to command the Levites to shout from Mount Ebal the details of curses that would befall the children of Israel for disobedience after crossing the Jordan River. Deuteronomy 27:14-15 declares, 'Cursed is the one who makes any carved or molded image,' identifying this as a breach of God's law. Further, Deuteronomy 27:16-20 lists curses for dishonoring parents, moving a neighbor's landmark, misleading the blind, perverting justice, and other sins. Deuteronomy 27:26 states, 'Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by obeying them,' requiring the people to affirm with 'Amen.' Deuteronomy 28:15-68 emphatically sets down curses for disobedience, affecting all aspects of life for Israel and their descendants, and anyone worldwide who breaks these laws. These curses, summarized as defeat, disease, desolation, deprivation, deportation, and death, serve as warnings of what God will cause to happen to those who disobey. Deuteronomy 28:16-18 specifies, 'Cursed shall you be in the city and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land.' Jeremiah and Paul speak of the curse tied to the law, noting that anyone who disobeys any part of God's law falls under the curse of the entire law. Galatians 3:10 states, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them,' using a term for curse that implies a thorough and malevolent penalty. Galatians 3:13 reveals that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, bearing an intensely thorough penalty greater than any other. In Numbers 5:20-21, a curse is pronounced on an unfaithful wife, making her a curse among her people through physical affliction as a result of her sin. This illustrates how one becomes a curse under the law's penalty. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 further explains that a person hanged on a tree for a sin deserving death is accursed of God, representing the curse over Israel until buried. Christ's cry on the cross in Matthew 27:46, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' shows the separation caused by the curse of the law, which He bore for us. Through genuine repentance, Christ removes this curse and its penalty from us. Soon, the climax of curses will come upon the world and modern Israel due to their sins, manifesting as defeat, disease, desolation, deprivation, deportation, and death. Yet, in God's Kingdom, as stated in Revelation 22:3, there shall be no more curses.

The concept that experiences and events appearing as curses may actually be blessings in disguise is illustrated through the experiences of Job. Job's trials, though seemingly curses, were part of God's providence. The providence of God touches on the pain and suffering of persecution, faith, and His sovereignty, as well as the sometimes violent and inexplicable deaths, such as those of Nadab and Abihu. In the Old Testament, God's providence is generally tied to obedience and disobedience, with the principle that if you obey God, you are blessed, and if you disobey Him, you are cursed. However, the book of Job presents an anomaly, where Job, despite being obedient and upright, suffered greatly. Job's trials were a part of God's providence, demonstrating that God can create both good and calamity. This is further supported by the notion that God's judgments are also part of His providence, as seen in the case of Job, who accepted calamity as being from God, alongside blessings.

The tragedies of September 11 can be seen as a curse that struck with devastating impact, and it must be acknowledged that such a curse would not have occurred without divine approval. Proverbs 26:2 suggests that a curse without cause does not alight, implying that there was ample justification for this calamity to befall the nation. The immense loss of life, with a death toll between 3,000 and 5,000, is a stark reminder of the severity of this judgment, especially when contrasted with the daily toll of over 4,000 lives lost to abortion in the United States, a figure that reflects a broader moral failing. As a people, we are not innocent victims but bear collective guilt, deserving of whatever God in His wisdom chooses to inflict upon us. Historical figures like George Mason and George Washington have warned that national sin invites divine punishment through calamities, reinforcing the belief that Providence responds to a nation's disregard for divine order with judgment. As citizens, we share in the nation's fate, having accepted God's material blessings, and must now deeply consider the many ways we may have offended the Creator who sustains us.

All the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children,' as they responded to the proceedings against Christ. This phrase likely refers to the rabble, stirred by the Temple leaders, who acted in accordance with what God had ordained from the foundation of the world. In the execution of this plan, both Gentile and Jew played their part. At the appointed time, the burden of supposed blood libel and the cycle of rejecting God will be set aside, allowing the Jews to begin anew as a people under the rule of Jesus Christ in His millennial Kingdom.