BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE

Passage: Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Key verse: 1-2

NIV

Blessings for Obedience

28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow(A) all his commands(B) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.(C) 2 All these blessings will come on you(D) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

3 You will be blessed(E) in the city and blessed in the country.(F)

4 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.(G)

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.(H)

7 The Lord will grant that the enemies(I) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.(J)

8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless(K) you in the land he is giving you.

9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name(N) of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock(O) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(P)

12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse(Q) of his bounty,(R) to send rain(S) on your land in season and to bless(T) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.(U) 13 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(V) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.(W) 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,(X) following other gods and serving them.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Blessings for Obedience

28 “And (A)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 (B)high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and (C)overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and (D)blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be (E)the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your (F)kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be (G)when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 “The Lord (H)will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord (I)will command the blessing on you in your barns and (J)in all that you undertake. (K)And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 (L)The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 And (M)all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are (N)called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be (O)afraid of you. 11 And (P)the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in (Q)the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, (R)to give the rain to your land in its season and (S)to bless all the work of your hands. And (T)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you (U)the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 (V)and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

God wanted to keep blessing his covenant people in the Promised Land. However, a blessed life doesn’t come by accident. The secret to enjoying God’s blessing is to take God’s word seriously and obey it carefully and fully. God lists his abundant blessings for those who obey him in detail (1-13): God will set them high above all the nations; every area in their lives will be blessed; protection and victory over their enemies are promised; and all the work of their hands will be richly blessed so that they will be the head and not the tail, a good influence, and a blessing to the nations.

However, God’s blessings are not limited to visible or material things. When God’s people keep his commands and walk in obedience to the LORD, God will set them apart from all nations and make them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for him. To grow in the holiness of God and to be used as a blessing in God’s redemptive work is the best blessing from God. We all want blessings. But we have to remember that our purpose of life is not to receive and enjoy God’s blessing, but to obey and please God. God’s blessing is a by-product of our obedience to God’s word. Our obedience to God’s word should be our expression of love for God.

Prayer: Lord, you are the source of blessing. Help me to walk in obedience to your word. Please bless the work of my hands so that my life may honor you and be a good influence to others.

One Word: God’s holy people