BLESSINGS OR CURSES?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:”

“You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.”

“The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.”

“Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.”

“You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.”

“The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.”

“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.”

“The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land He swore to your forefathers to give you.”

“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.”

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of Deuteronomy, chapter 27, we saw a list of curses that would come on anyone who decided to break the commands of God. As chapter 28 opens, we now see a list of blessings to those who “fully obey the Lord…and carefully follow all His commands”. This included God setting the nation of Israel “high above all the nations on earth”, sending blessings while accompanying them at all times. The scriptures show us just how plentiful those blessings would be:

There would be blessings on them personally whether in city or country.

They would gain blessings whenever they came in and went out.

There would be blessings on the fruit of their wombs as well as their land, crops, livestock and flocks.

Finally, God promised blessings on their basket and kneading trough, their barns, and everything they would put their hand to.

Indeed, God was ready to “establish (Israel) as His holy people”, fully prepared to “grant (them) abundant prosperity” so that “all the peoples on earth” would see that they were “called by the name of the Lord”. To make this happen, we read where the Lord promised to “open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on (Israel’s) land in season and to bless all the work of (their) hands”. In order to receive these things, Israel was required to “pay attention” and “carefully follow” the commands” the Lord had given them as they walked in His ways. They weren’t to “turn aside from any” of His demands and this included following, serving, or worshipping other gods.

Now, all this sounds easy enough, right? And in a perfect world, it would be simple. Israel would perfectly comply with all of God’s directives and, in turn, the Lord would provide all the blessings He promised, exalting His people above all other nations.

There was only one problem.

You see, the nation of Israel was made up of sinners and they didn’t live in a perfect world. Far from it actually.

We only need to go back to the ancestors of this generation of Israelites to see how their ancestors had failed and fallen before God time after time after time. In fact, the fathers and mothers of the Israelites who were about to cross the Jordan River and inherit the land had all died in the desert wilderness, a penalty imposed by God because of their sinful rebellion against Him when He had brought them to Canaan the first time.

Unfortunately, these Israelites were going to follow the same path, showing that they were far from a perfect people. In fact, as we follow their story once in the Promised Land, we are going to see them turning away from their Lord and become idolaters. As a result, they would experience a mixture of curses and blessings from their God, curses when they rebelled against Him in disobedience and blessings when they decided to follow His commands.

Today, we’re not much different from the Israelites of old. For if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and adhere to God’s word in obedience, then we can expect to enjoy His favor which includes being blessed in all things. However, if we decide to rebel against our Lord and do whatever pleases us, chasing after our own desires and surrendering to our sinful nature while rejecting His perfect will for our lives, then we can expect His disfavor in the form of a curse or two as He seeks to teach us to respect and humble submission to what He wants us to do.

Personally, I like the blessings the Lord offers far more than any cursed correction He could bring if I sin against Him. I hope you feel the same way.

In the end translation, the choice is ours.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.