#DailyDevotion Getting Blessed By God
October 26th
Read Deut 28:1–22
Deu 28:1-2 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. (2) And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Deu 28:15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
Israel was about to have it good. The Lord God had freed them from the land of Egypt, brought them through the wilderness and was about to give them the promised land. And then He sets before them these blessings and curses. Blessings if they faithfully obey the voice of the Lord and Curses if they do not.
When one looks over the blessings you might think, “Those sound great! Let me at the commandments, rules, regulations, precepts and statutes. I’m going to do everything I can to avoid that stuff He doesn’t want.” It might sound reasonable. They had the gospel and method of taking care of their sins when they sinned. God was not saying they would not ever sin or fall short of the moral prescriptions of the Law. That’s why the Law had all sorts of sacrifices in it. But as we can see from history they did not and could not keep the Law in its entirety. Many throughout the history of Israel were faithful though: Joshua, Ruth, David, Hezekiah, Josiah and the prophet not to mention everyone else not mentioned.
Never-the-less, it was too much. Peter tells us, Act 15:10-11 “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? (11) But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” The Law of Moses is too much. No one excepting Jesus was or is able to bear and keep it, including the sacrificial system. David knew this for he says, Psa 19:12 “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.”
And so as Peter says, we must rely not on our obedience before God for blessings but the grace of Jesus Christ. The grace of Jesus Christ brings this upon us: Mat 5:3-12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) “Blessed are those who mourn, … (5) “Blessed are the meek, … (6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, … (7) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. … (8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, … (9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, … (10) “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, … (11) “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account…
As far as the curses are concerned Paul tells us, Gal 3:10-13 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”–
Lord Jesus you are our curse and our blessing. Grant your grace to believe this. Amen.