Deuteronomy 28:1-2 Voice
Moses: If you listen closely to the voice of the Eternal your God and carefully obey all the commands I'm giving you today, He'll lift you up high above every other nation on earth. [2] All of the following blessings will be yours-in fact, they'll chase after you-if you'll listen to what He tells you.
Reading the Old Testament can be daunting, even depressing at times. Some people struggle with the history of pain, suffering, destruction that is depicted in these pages of the Bible. They ask the question, if God is so loving, why is there so much pain and suffering? This question is difficult for many to answer and sometimes causes doubt and fear in the minds of men.
However, when we study carefully the Word of God, we see a different distinction. A blessing is God’s favor in the life of those who believe in Him, trust in His Word and live according to His will. A curse is not the willful malevolent act of God, but the result of the unwillingness and choosing not to believe in Him, Trust in His Word, and live according to His will.
In other words, God has made a way, a path of life, that is beneficial not only to our spiritual well being, but also our physical well being. When we walk in The Way, we are blessed simply by being obedient to His Word.
In other words, when you say to your children, brush your teeth daily and you will avoid cavities. The avoidance of cavities is the blessing brought about by your obedience, by brushing everyday.
But when you decided to be disobedient, and choose not to brush, and floss, the disobedience allows the bacteria to fester and grow, until you are cursed with cavities and have to endure the pain and suffering of someone drilling into your teeth to remove the cursed cavity, which was brought about, not by some malevolent act, but by disobedience.
God wants to bless you! So He says, If you obey my Words, then Blessings will be upon you. But disobedience will bring pain and suffering.
In other Words, blessings are the result of faithfulness to the will of God. God has given us The Way, The Truth and the Light. But when we choose to walk in darkness, we will stub our toe. We stub our toe not because of a curse, but because we refused to walk in the light of His Word.
God gave specific instructions to Moses, and Moses gave these instructions to Israel. In Deuteronomy 26-28 Moses has led the Children of Israel to the edge of the promised land, but he is not going to enter. After all that Moses has been through, since a boy, in a basket, on the river Nile, rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, raised in the palace, banished to the wilderness, meeting God at burning bush, crossing the Red Sea, receiving the commandments of God, written by God’s own hand, receiving manna from heaven, getting water out of the mountain side, building the temple of God in the wilderness and dealing with the unruly children, He is now at the edge of the promised land, but he can’t go in because of disobedience.
But God gave Moses a Word for the Children. This Word was for their well being. This word was to keep them close to God. This Word was to remind them who God is. This Word was to keep them near to God, This Word was to keep them anchored to the God who rescued them from slavery. God made it clear. If you don’t obey MY Word, then the blessings that I have specially set aside for you, you will not receive.
In Deuteronomy 26, God told Moses to tell the people. “Deuteronomy 26:1-3 Voice;
“When you go into the land the Eternal your God is giving you to live in, when you've taken possession of it and are living there, [2] then take some of the very first produce you harvest from the land He is giving you, put it in a basket, and go to the place He will choose for His name. [3] Go to the priest who is serving at the time and say, "The Eternal promised our ancestors He'd give us this land, and I'm here today to acknowledge to the Eternal, my True God-I've officially settled in!"
God reminds us in His Word, that every blessing we have is because of His goodness. There is no one worthy of the Goodness of God, for “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” God has prepared a land for you and for me, and he wants us to occupy this land.
Jesus told us in John 14:1-4, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you, and If I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also, and whither I go, ye know the way.”
How can we be where He is? How can we occupy the place prepared for you? How do we know the way to Christ, How do we know the steps to Christ? By being faithful to His Word. Be Faithful to His Love. Love Him, because He loves you. Love is manifested in what we do, not how we feel. Jesus says, if you love me keep my commandments. God reminded the Children of Israel, while they are on the border of the promised land, when you enter this land, testify of the Goodness of the Lord, because He has brought you through the wilderness of life.
God again tells Moses, to say to His children;
“When you cross the Jordan into the land the Eternal your God is giving you, set up some giant stones and whitewash them with lime. [3] Write each word of this law on them when you cross the Jordan to enter the land He is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey that the Eternal, God of your ancestors, promised you. [4] When you cross the Jordan, you will set up these stones on Mount Ebal and whitewash them with lime just as I've commanded you this day. [5] Build an altar there to Him with stones that iron has never struck; [6] with stones you find whole, build an altar to Him. Offer burnt offerings on the altar to Him. [7] Then sacrifice peace offerings and have a celebration feast in His presence. [8] And remember, write a complete copy of the law on the large stones. Make it clearly legible.” Deuteronomy 27:2-8 Voice;
What God is trying to remind us here, is that when you come into His blessings, do not forget who is the provider of blessings. Do not forget how far He has brought you. And in fact, write down on the altar of your heart, so that you will not sin against Him. I want to continually bless you, but you must keep the Word near you at all times.
God told Moses to whitewash the stone with lime.
God gave specific instructions to Moses to build an altar and whitewash it with lime, so that it will last a while. Not only that, whenever the children of Israel would cross the Jordan they would see the monument to the goodness of God. They would see the testament to His Word. They would see this symbol of His never ending desire to save His people.
Not only was this altar be whitewashed to maintain it over time, it was to be made with stone that has not been struck. Stones that have not been altered. God is reminding us here that His Word can never change. The devil can’t change it. Man cannot change it. Governments have tried, but they have all failed to change His Word. Philosophers have tried, but their efforts have been futile. Atheists have joined the bandwagon, but their word fades, when the next man-made fad comes along. No one can change the Word. No one can change the stone, because Jesus is the Rock of Ages. No one can alter the Stone, Because Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. No one can chisel the rock, because Jesus is the Rock in a weary land, He is The Shelter in the Time of Storm.
Finally, God told Moses to write a complete copy of the law on the large stones. Make it clearly legible. Deuteronomy 27:8 Voice
God is telling us. My Word is eternal, because It is whitewashed with Lime. My Word is the Rock that cannot be altered. And my Word is the Law. It is clear, it is Legible for all to see. If you keep my Word, you will be blessed. But if you run from My Word and live in disobedience then curses will be upon you. Not by my doing, but because of your disobedience.
If you run from My Word, Idolatry will deceive you.
If you run from MY Word, You will not be obedient to the mother or your father,
If you run from My Word, thieves and robbers will overtake you.
If you run from my Word, deception will be all around you, in you and on top of you.
If you run from my Word, you will deprive the less fortunate and practice injustice.
If you run from My Word, sexual immorality will come calling your name.
If you run from My Word, murderers will be among you.
If you run from MY Word, you will cause the death of the innocent ones in your mist.
But then there is Chapter 28. If you stop reading in Chapter 27, you would have missed the blessing, you would have missed the Hope. Because Immediately after the warning of curses upon the disobedient, there is a promise of a blessing for those who love and obey His Word.
“If you listen closely to the voice of the Eternal your God and carefully obey all the commands I'm giving you today, He'll lift you up high above every other nation on earth. [2] All of the following blessings will be yours-in fact, they'll chase after you-if you'll listen to what He tells you.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 Voice;
His blessing will not just be upon you, they will chase after you. Tag was a game we played in the streets as children. We would identify a tree as home base, if you were on home base you were safe. If you were not at home, you were a target to be chased. And if you were caught before you got to home base you were It. You now became the chaser.
God’s blessing is chasing after you, when you are obedient to His Word. His blessing is chasing you so that you can be it. To be it is to be with HIM. To be it is to be where He Is. to be it is to be chased Home. To be it is to have the desire to chase others home, so that they too can be it. To be it is to be anchored in Christ. When you are it you are blessed.
You'll be blessed in the city and blessed in the fields. [4] You'll be blessed with children, crops and cattle. Your herds will multiply, and your flocks will increase. [5] Your basket will be blessed; it will be full at harvest time, and your kneading bowl will be blessed; you'll always have plenty of bread. [6] You'll be blessed when you go out of your home and blessed when you return to your home. Deuteronomy 28:3-6 Voice
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