I imagine my loyal readers are wondering, “Why are you posting about such a gruesome scripture?”  Well, I know what you mean because I thought it was pretty gruesome too and condemning as well.  It sounds like a curse without any logic to it.   

But I then I started thinking about it a little more. 

I thought to myself, “This is written by a desert people.  There is usually a reason behind the imagery the ancient Israelites used.”  I asked myself, “Under what conditions would the birds be eating someone eyes?” and myself answered, “If the person were dead in the wilderness.  Think of vultures around a carcass.”  Then I asked myself, “Why are the person dead in the wilderness?” and myself answered, “Because they refused to listen to their parents who warned them about different dangers.  They wandered off and they got themselves into trouble and there was no one to help them.  No one knows where they are, which is why they haven't been buried.” 

So what sounds like a really gruesome statement is actually an important lesson about dire natural consequences of being disobedient to parental instruction.  This is something that we can understand, and now that verse is actually helpful.

So, let's say you had to come up with a modern equivalent for this warning. What would that warning be?