Verse sixteen and the following verses refer to the statutes! As you continue to read you will find that a curse is pronounced on the people for every statute law that is violated. Notice that the Levites of the Levitical priesthood would pronounce a curse for violation of the "Ten Commandments" while the other tribes of Israel would pronounce the curse for violation of the statutes.

Folks, God has made it clear, that any violation of His laws (statutes, judgements or Ten Commandments) will bring curses that will conclude in the ultimate curse of -- death. On the other hand, obedience to God's laws will bring blessings. In Deut. 30: 1 we read: "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessings and the curse which I have set before thee"... In verse fifteen (Deut. 30: 15) we read: "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil". Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (death) when He took our death sentence on Himself as He hanged on the tree (cross).

Again, you have heard it said so many times, that the old covenant was based on the law, and was given to the Jews, and that the new covenant, is based on grace and was given to the Gentiles. Nothing is further from the truth!

To hold the Jews to one standard and the gentile to another would mean that God favors one nation or peoples above the other! God, lamenting the actions of the priests, says in His word: "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his (the priest's) mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of host. But ye (the priest) are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi (covenant of the Levitical priest hood), saith the Lord of host. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base (lowest standing) before all the people, according as you have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law" (Malachi 2: 7-9). In Acts 10: 34 we read: "Then Peter opened his mouth' and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Again, in Romans 2: 11-13: "For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

The preaches of today do not even seem to know what the "new covenant" is. Frankly, they do not even understand what the "old covenant" is.