A severe warning hangs over the Temple service, tying the continued prosperity of the nation directly to the reverence they show in their worship. God issues a strict ultimatum to both the priests who manage the offerings and the people who bring them [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. The demand placed upon them is twofold. They must not only obey God's explicit warning but also take it deeply to heart, requiring a genuine internal and intellectual understanding of their actions [מלבי״ם]. The ultimate goal is to restore honor to God's name. This means putting an immediate end to the desecration caused by offering flawed, blind, and lame animals that are completely unfit for the altar [מצודת דוד, צאינה וראינה].
If the people and the priests refuse to change their ways, God threatens to introduce a severe curse and a sense of lack into their lives [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This punishment is highly specific. It will strip away their existing prosperity, effectively turning their very blessings into a curse [אבן עזרא]. Commentators offer different perspectives on the exact nature of these ruined blessings. One approach suggests a loss of material and agricultural wealth, such as the grain, wine, and oil that were meant to be abundant [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. Another perspective views this as a withdrawal of the historical successes and good fortune that God had granted the nation since the building of the Second Temple [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. A third interpretation focuses directly on the priests. Because they show disrespect for God's name, the actual Priestly Blessing they recite over the people after the sacrifices will itself be transformed into a curse [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The warning then takes a sharp turn from a future threat to a present reality. The primary approach among commentators is that this curse is not merely a hypothetical scenario for tomorrow, but a process that has already been set in motion. The hardships the nation is currently experiencing are not random events, but the direct result of their ongoing disrespect for the Temple service. God makes it clear that the blessing has already been cursed because they have failed to take the matter to heart. If they continue to ignore His voice, the current situation will only grow worse [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, צאינה וראינה]. Alternatively, some explain that God does not even present this as a condition. Because He knows in advance that they will not listen to the warning, the curse is applied immediately and without delay [רש״י].