blessings of GOD – Larus Press

The blessings for the Jews abound, if they obey their GOD.

Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings that are offered, “if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your GOD, to observe carefully all His commandments… that the LORD your GOD will set you high above all nations of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

But further on, the curses are listed for disobedience

Deuteronomy 28:62-64 encourages us to trust GOD so that we are not warped into a false religion. The consequences of disobedience are severe and extensive:

“You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your GOD.

“And it will be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

“Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the otters, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known — wood and stone.”

Why is GOD so severe?

The LORD said He was a jealous GOD but it is not only for Himself that He longs for His people to follow Him. It is for their protection as well as to glorify Him. And when He is glorified, the enemy Satan is defeated.

History

Under King David and King Solomon, Israel was truly a blessed nation as GOD had promised in Deuteronomy 26:18-19,

“Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honour, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

But a deeper look at Solomon reveals the damage which began under his rule when he intermarried and allowed false gods to be worshipped. The decline was evidenced at his death when the kingdom became divided and in both Israel and Judah, king after king varied their stance: some worshipped the LORD GOD; some did not.

Rather than Solomon ruling and leading other nations to the One True GOD, he missed his call, got side-tracked (and depressed which a reading Ecclesiastes demonstrates) took numerous wives, and failed to lead the world to an understanding of their Creator GOD.

Likewise, centuries later, the leaders of the Temple missed the call of their long-awaited Messiah; they missed Jesus. Nevertheless, the church was begun by Jews, lead by Jews for three centuries, until the Roman authority “took over” and ultimately, countermanded the Jewish roots.

Anti-semitism was rife and Jews following Messiah dwindled to practically nothing for 1600 years.

Why is GOD so severe with His Jewish children?

Luke makes it clear the link between gift and expectation: “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

In John 8:44 Jesus says to the Pharisees,

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Who speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

But we do not war against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6). Ultimately, we war against the enemy of GOD.

Contemporary spiritual circumstances

If the Jews did not trust — and do not trust and obey GOD, if society does not trust Jesus as Messiah and we do not follow GOD’s ways and glorify Him, we practise a false religion, and Satan is victorious — for the short term.

Heaven and earth will pass away but GOD’s Word will never pass away (Matthew 25:35). And so the ultimate victory always will be GOD’s. But in the meantime, we can either live well or live badly, in health and joy or in sickness and grief, lead by Satan or by Jesus.

Jesus is the Word made flesh, as it says in John 1. Following the Law of Moses in ancient times or following the Messiah who has completed the Law, GOD leads the way to victory over the enemy of darkness and death.

We are blessed by GOD in every way possible and to the degree we honour Him. Further, we are protected from the devil as we yield to the Creator of the universe.

By being “so strict” GOD protects us from Satan. If we follow GOD, the enemy cannot accuse us of wrongdoing and therefore, he cannot have a legal entitlement in our lives. Jesus came to fulfil Jewish Law and by following the Law historically or its eventual fulfilment in Jesus, satan cannot win.

GOD is strict to protect us from the enemy. Thankfully, ultimately, we are saved by His grace not by human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that makes the biggest difference of all — to every society.

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.“ (Genesis 2:3)

GOD blessed the 7th day.

What is blessing?

GOD made a covenant with Abraham. A covenant is more than a commitment or promise. It runs so deep — like a marriage GOD makes an everlasting promise to Abraham…

Genesis 17:4-7 reads, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” Read further into the chapter to grasp the entire promise GOD made with Abraham.

Everything that Abraham might do would be blessed. His family from generation to generation would be blessed. Those who would bless him and his people the Hebrews would also be blessed.

A blessing is an undeserved favour, a gift, a talent, a free pass to rest and comfort and peace.

GOD blessed the 7th day, making it holy and a blessing to man.

Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective.

What is the Lord’s Day

As far as we Gentiles understand, Jesus rose on “Sunday” and so, although Sabbath was declared by the LORD in the Wilderness as the 7th day ie “Saturday” (based on scripture and the Hebrew equivalent), the established Church moved the official Christian day of worship from Saturday to Sunday during the 4th Century.

I can’t help wondering, when we moved the day of worship to the 1st day of the week, what is the blessing of the Sabbath day that we are missing?

From GOD’s perspective, He called one day to be holy, a day of rest, a Sabbath. That was the 7th Day and no one disputes that is what we call “Saturday” The Jews keep their Sabbath as Saturday even to this day. But the established Christian church, by-and-large throughout the world, is not keeping that 7th Day holy.

Are you aware the day of worship was moved from Saturday to Sunday? We can worship seven days a week, and that is grand! But it might be rare amongst Christians to be aware that The Lord’s Day is not the same day as the Sabbath day. When we worship at church on a Sunday that is not GOD’s Sabbath day.

Chosen because it was the day of Jesus’ resurrection, were we called to change our day of worship and rest?

GOD’s Sabbath Day

What does GOD make clear to those who hold onto the Sabbath — His chosen Sabbath — and make it a holy day?

In Deuteronomy 7:12-16 GOD says,

“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you…..”

And Deuteronomy 11:9, 14 reads,

“… and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’” & “… then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.”

Deuteronomy 28:1 is the culmination:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”

GOD offers abundance, prosperity, blessing, victory. peace.

Finally, we know GOD asks for obedience over sacrifice. All the sacrifices in the world are nothing to Him compared to an act of obedience. As it says in 1 Samuel 15:22,

“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

And so the challenge

I challenge us all to make Saturday our personal Sabbath to the LORD.

When we obey we’ll learn His perspective and gain His wisdom. We don’t do it for the blessing but out of obedience. And we allow Him to respond as He will.