Deuteronomy 26-28

March 3

Deuteronomy 26-28

Before they enter the Promised Land, God reminds the Israelites what He expects from them. God promises to bless them beyond measure if they walk in obedience to Him. God expects the people to bring a tithe to the Levites as an offering in response to God’s goodness and provision. Realizing that He is the source of their blessing, they willingly share their crops because they know that God will continue to provide. But God warns them of the consequences of not obeying Him, of not trusting Him.

There are a lot of “ifs” in these verses. We, like the Israelites, have to make a choice. If we walk in obedience to God, He will bless us. If we trust him enough to bring Him a tithe of our first fruits, He will provide for us. If we provide for the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, God will make sure we have a surplus for ourselves. God wants us to remember what He has already done, and to trust Him to continue to care for us.

If we trust Him and therefore obey Him, He will bless us beyond measure. If we reject Him and therefore disobey Him, He will heap curses upon us. These are not popular words to hear today. We like to think that God is going to bless everyone. We hear people say that if God is a loving God He will accept everyone into heaven. But as we see God as revealed in the scripture, He is a loving God, but He also expect obedience from His people. He gives us a choice. Obey and be blessed or disobey and be cursed.

This is not just an Old Testament proclamation. Read a few of the words of Jesus;

 "He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”" (Luke 11:28, NIV)

“If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15, NIV)

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”" (John 14:21, NIV)

"Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:23-24, NIV)

"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21, NIV)

The Good News is that we do not obey our way into salvation. God’s grace through the blood of Jesus bought us our salvation. But the result of God’s grace our response is obedience through trust, enabled by our total commitment to Christ and our being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Obedience comes through faith.