Blessing, Curse and Restoration
This has been a wintry day with cold and light snow. We had some difficulties with our furnace so I had a repairman come to check it out. Outside of that some office work, nap and fitness center work consumed my day. Tomorrow I return to my Neurologist for a follow up appointment. It will be interesting to see what he thinks about my progress.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “I have now given you a choice between a blessing and a curse. When…you are living among the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you, you will remember the choice I gave you. If you and your descendants will turn back to the Lord and with all your heart obey his commands that I am giving you today, then the Lord your God will have mercy on you...” Deuteronomy 30:1-3
As the Children of Israel prepare to enter the promise land, the Lord renews His covenant in the plains of Moab. He lays out the blessings of obedience and the curse that disobedience and rebellion brings.
The words of Deuteronomy 28:6 summarize the blessings, “The Lord will bless everything you do.” But the blessings were not just the activities of life, it was all of their life. Family, work, protection from enemies, the crops they grew, the livestock they raised, the food they prepared. And the result would be they would be honored among the nations of the world.
Moses also outlines the consequences for rebellion and disobedience. The list is the opposite of the blessings from the Lord. Struggles with crops and livestock, oppression from enemies, pestilence, all resulting in unrest and insecurity. Deuteronomy 28:20 summarizes the consequences of disobedience, “If you do evil and reject the Lord, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed.”
The warning of Moses is reflective of the simple statement, “The way of the transgressor is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15) But the way of disobedience is also irrational in many ways. Moses reminds God’s people of their life as slaves in Egypt, the wanderings in the wilderness and how the Lord is bringing them into the land He promised. Moses reminds the people of how the Lord provided for them everything they needed, their sandals did not wear out, they had the food they needed, they had God’s protection and victory over enemies. If you were a contestant on “Let’s Make A Deal” choosing the door that said, “obey” would not be a difficult choice.
It is interesting that we see the responsibility of the individual to obey and the obligation of the people to the community. “Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of other nations….Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. (Deu. 29:18,19)
But the Lord knows human nature and how we test the limits and feel the “rules don’t apply to us.” So we see with the choices that are laid out, there is also hope for redemption and restoration, “…if you turn back I will have mercy…”
This is where we see the New Testament, foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ came that we might be restored to a right relationship with God and the life of blessing that He promises for all who place their faith in Christ and commit themselves to obey Him. We have in Christ, a message of hope and redemption. That’s the best deal that you could ever be offered!