DEUTERONOMY 28
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. – Deuteronomy 28:1-11
DEUTERONOMY 28 OBEDIENCE LEADS TO BLESSINGS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
You are called to obey the Lord if you are part of his people
If you follow his laws and do as he command, you are faithful
Faithfulness is rewarded by God with much blessings
You will bear fruit in whatever you are undertaking
The Lord will establish you and you will be blessed
You will also be shielded from the enemies’ plots
You will never be defeated by anyone but will be victors
Because you have God on your side, you’ll be conquerors
You will be set above all nations and be looked up to
Everyone will recognize the presence of the Lord in you.
In this account, we hear Moses stressing the importance of obedience to God’s holy laws. As we obey his commands and statutes, we gain much discipline and confidence to navigate this corrupt world. We become fruitful as a result of abiding in his commands. Obedience in itself is a form of discipline. In other words, if we don’t obey, we will find out that things will be hard to come by. It will be difficult to make progress in anything we venture in. So, Moses gave the Israelites a list of consequences to obeying God’s laws. He says that faithfulness to his commands will result in fruitfulness. Verse 2 uses a very strong word “blessings will come upon you and overtake you.” It sounds like a force taking over our whole being and we cannot help but experience God’s grace and blessings.
REFLECTION
- What blessings have you been poured upon as a result of obeying God’s will and commands?
