Readings for today: Deuteronomy 28-30
Obey God and you will be blessed. Your family will flourish. You will never be defeated. Your crops will never fail. Your flocks will only grow. You will be healthy and wealthy and prosper in all that you do. Disobey God and you will be cursed. Your family will suffer. Your enemies will be victorious. Your crops will fail. Your flocks will miscarry. You will be sick and poor and everything you do will turn to ash.
If only things were that simple...
This is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood part of Deuteronomy. Perhaps even the entire Bible. Prosperity preachers love this part. Especially Deuteronomy 28:12-14, “The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” They love to tell their listeners that if they will just obey God by sending in their money - “Sowing a seed” is the phrase they commonly use - God will make them the head not the tail. Their fortunes will only go up and not down. They will find healing for all their hurts. They will accumulate more possessions and earn more money than they know what to do with. All because they had faith and obeyed God.
If only things were that simple...
Life is not that simple. I’ve seen God’s faithful suffer. I’ve seen their families struggle. I’ve seen the stock market crash and take their savings. I’ve seen natural disasters strike and destroy all they owned. I’ve seen cancer come out of nowhere and take the lives of some of the most godly people I’ve ever known. I’ve watched evil flourish. I’ve witnessed dishonest people get ahead. Horrible, manipulative, ungodly people flourish. And I’ve asked God how I can square what I’ve seen and experienced with what He says in His Word.
Here’s God’s answer...What does it mean to faithfully obey the voice of the Lord? (28:1) What does it mean to keep His commands and walk in His ways? (28:9) What does it mean to return to the Lord and obey His voice? (30:2) The key is not found in keeping His commands. Following God’s Law is a means to a much greater end! As always, the key is the heart. “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deut. 30:6) The key is living from the inside out rather than from the outside in. You and I cannot “work” our way to God. We can’t “obey” our way to God. We can’t “earn” our way to God. That’s “outside-in” thinking! The idea that if we just follow God’s commands faithfully enough we will be blessed is nonsense. Life with God doesn’t work that way! It’s not an equation. It’s not an A+B=C kind of deal. So we can’t look at our life - with all it’s ups and downs - and conclude that when life is up, God and I are good. Or when life’s down, God and I are on the outs. That’s not how life with God works.
It’s just not that simple...
What God’s after is the heart. Over and over again, He’s makes this clear. Genesis. Job. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. The theme is consistent. God wants a family. A people with whom He will share His great love. Furthermore, He desires their love in return. Love Me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength! Return to Me with all your heart and soul! Love Me for who I AM! I AM the God who chose Abraham when he was bouncing around Ur living life as a happy pagan. I AM the God who visited your forefathers and mothers. Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob and Leah and Rachel. I AM the God who delivered you from slavery in Egypt. I AM the God who guided and protected you in the wilderness. I AM the God who has brought you to the Promised Land. Yes, obey Me! Not because you have to or are forced to or because you are afraid of what might happen. No! Obey Me because you love Me and long to serve Me! This is the key. Loving God from the heart will NATURALLY lead to obedience which in turn NATURALLY leads to blessing! Don’t get these confused. Don’t put the cart before the horse. The goal here is NOT the blessings. The goal here is God! God must be our supreme treasure! God must be our heart’s truest and deepest desire! God must be our all in all!
So is He?
Maybe it’s simple after all...
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 31-34