Have you ever read Deuteronomy 28?
If you haven’t, or can’t remember if you have, here’s a crash course. Chapter 28 is a part of a set of texts that could be considered as Moses’ farewell speech. At this point Moses knows his days in the land of the living are numbered so he takes the time to speak to the young generation of Israelites (children of Israel) who are about to enter into the Promise Land.
Deuteronomy 28 details the specifics of the blessings of God and the curses from God. The principles throughout are simple-Obedience leads to the blessings and disobedience leads to the curses.
What’s interesting is the chapter is clearly broken up into two distinct parts, and Moses chooses to begin with the blessings.
I like that because it shows us that God’s ultimate will is to bless us. He is loving, kind, holy, true, long-suffering, and gracious. If God could pick anything for us He would choose the blessing over the curse. He is a faithful Father who wants the best for His children. God would rather we obey than disobey. God would rather we live than die. God would rather we experience His fullness than lack and emptiness.
I am continuously amazed at how God is holistic in His concern for His children. He’s not only concerned about your spiritual well-being, but He wants to make sure that emotionally you are at peace, that financially you are stable, that physically your body is functioning at its best, that on a personal level or within your family there is structure and wholeness. God’s desire is to bring His peace – nothing missing, nothing lacking, nothing broken to every area of your life.
So here’s what we learn: God is the source of all blessings because everything in the entire world belongs to Him (See: Psalm 24:1). All throughout the text we see things like “the Lord will grant, the Lord will send, the Lord will bless, the Lord will establish, the Lord will open, the Lord will
make,” further proving that everything happens at His command.
“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. (Deuteronomy 28:1, NLT)
The key is that God can only bless you as you walk in obedience. Yes, there are some conditions that must be met God only blesses on His terms. And there’s little wiggle room here. Here are 3 keys to unlocking the blessings of God in your life, according to Deuteronomy 28:
1. Diligently hearken to the voice of God. First, we are required to listen to God – we do that by
reading His Word. 2. Observe and do all his commandments. Next, we must recognize or have an understanding
of what the commandments are and actually do them. 3. Walk in His ways. Finally, we must commit to a life of surrender; not only once but over and
over until it becomes second nature.
Understand that we can’t earn our blessings because we inherit them through Jesus Christ. That means you can’t work hard enough, or connect with the right people to get access to the blessings of God. The bible teaches that servants earn their wages but sons receive an inheritance (see: Matthew 20).
And because of our inheritance, Jesus qualifies us for every single blessing because He is the only one who has kept all of God’s commandments. When He died for us on the cross, He not only fulfilled all of God’s commandments, He also redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).
When God chooses to bless us it affects our entire lives and I like to think He blesses from a place of “go big or go home.”
Deuteronomy 28:2 teaches that the blessing will seek you out and overtake you.
God wants to bless you beyond your imagination and the blessing is for your family, your career, your relationships. It includes mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. In fact, your mind literally can’t even comprehend the depth or the magnitude of the blessing He wants to unfold, outpour, and release on your life.
But God will only bless you as you walk in continual obedience to Him.
Can you identify any areas of your life where you are lacking obedience?
God cannot bless sin. He will, however, forgive it with open arms. It only takes a moment of repentance and a commitment to righteous living to get back on the right track.
