Deuteronomy 28:1 says, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: Moses said that if the people of Israel obeyed God's commandments, then God would set them high above all other nations of the earth. They were not to be set above others simply because of who they were, but because of their relationship with God, and so are we today. Verse two adds, And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. If we want God's blessings to overtake us today, we must obey His voice, just as was true with the people of Israel. Verse three states, Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Moses then began to list some of the things that God would bless them in if they obeyed His commands, beginning with their cities and fields, which would include basically all their land collectively. If we want God to bless our nation, we need to obey His commands. Verse three adds, Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Moses said all that could bear fruit would be blessed. Verse five continues, Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Moses then said that what they reaped from their crops would be blessed. Verse six concludes, Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. Moses said they would be blessed wherever they were, whether at home or out in the world. We need to realize that God is with us wherever we go, whether at home or out in the community or beyond as long as we are obedient to His word. Verse seven says, The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. Moses said that God would cause their enemies to rise up before them to be smitten, coming against them one way, or united, and fleeing seven different ways, or scattered out. God does not promise us that He will eliminate all our enemies, but promises us that if we are faithful to Him, He will cause them to flee before us. Verse eight adds, The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Moses added another blessing that God would bestow on them, and that was to bless their storehouses and everything that they set their hand to do, under God's guidance and in obedience to His commands. If we want God to bless all that we do today as followers of Christ, we must do everything in obedience to His commandments. Verse nine declares, The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. Moses said God would establish them as a holy people, or a people set aside unto Him, if they would obey His commandments. He never said that they would be a holy people because they were born into the nation of Israel, but would only be so because of their relationship with Him. This is still true today. We are a holy people as Christians because of relationship with Jesus Christ. Verse ten adds, And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. Moses said that all the people of the earth would see that the people of Israel were called by the name of the LORD and be afraid. Too often today, we as followers of Christ are either ignored or ridiculed, possibly because we are not following God's commandments faithfully. Verse eleven continues, And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Moses said that God would bless them with plenty if they obeyed His commands, and nowhere in His commandments did He say that He was to bless them with everything they wanted to use strictly for their own betterment. When God blesses us with an abundance of things todsy, I believe He does so in order for us to help others. Verse twelve continues, The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. Moses said that God would bless them with an abundance and that they were to lend to many nations, but they were not to borrow from them. I believe that God still expects us to help people everywhere when we have the ability to, and we are to look to God, and not other nations or people to provide for our needs. Verse thirteen says, And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: Moses said that if the people of Israel obeyed God's commandments that they would be above all other people. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will always spiritually be above all those who do not. Verse fourteen adds, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. Moses said for these promises to be fulfilled that the people of Israel were not to turn aside from God's word even in the least. Though we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, if we expect God's blessings here in this lifetime, we must not deviate from His commandments even the least bit.
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