Good Morning on Thursday,

As I was typing this devotional, my son, Steve came in to share the news about passing an important exam for his EMT course at WCTC.  He was emotional as he shared about passing this important exam for the course.  I rejoiced with him in answered prayers and in his hard work in attaining the level of success in this class.  As we sat and chatted about that exam and other matters, two gray squirrels came to the base of the birdfeeder outside my study window.  We watched as they ate the seeds and then started to “fight” with each other.  It seemed after watching them for five minutes that they were competing for the area around the base of the feeder.  The larger squirrel seemed to be the victor today.  The smaller one ate outside the area while the larger one feasted on the many seeds at the base of the feeder.  I thank God for the privilege of watching God’s creation in real life!!!

THE CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE – DEUTERONOMY 28

This chapter 27 it speaks about the place where the blessings and curses were supposed to be declared once the children of Israel crossed the Jordon River.  Some of the leaders of the tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people and another group of leaders of the other half God was to lay out those blessings and the curses before the people of Israel. 

The blessings of god are shared in Deut. 28:1-14.  They give to the nation of Israel those things which God would do for those who would diligently obey the Lord God and are careful to do all His commands.  It was important for them to hear the blessings they would reap if they followed the ways of the Lord.

Verse 11 says it so well when it states, “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity…in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.”  The nations would esteem Israel and He would allow the nations to see that it was Jehovah-God who blessed them and they would be afraid of them.  They would become the head of all nations and not the tail, if they listened to what God told them to do.

The curses would come upon Israel if they were to indulge in the wicked acts noted in Deut. 27:15-26.  The top abomination (one that God extremely hated) to God was the sin of idolatry.  Please note in verse 15 that this included any secret idols that they set up in the land of Israel.  The people were to respond with a hearty “Amen” or “I agree with the curse”.  Each of the curses would come upon the nation should they chose to rebel against God and the people were to agree with an “Amen”.

In the 28^th chapter of Deuteronomy God lays out the curses that would come upon the people as well as the individuals that would be walking outside the will of God.  The plagues of God would come in many forms and at different times.  Some would affect the family, some would affect the city they lived in and others the entire nation.  The bottom line is that the nation of Israel as a whole (not completely, but mostly) had forsaken to follow God’s laws and will.

The more and the longer that Israel sinned against God the more drastic would be the curse upon the nation.  These curses and wonders would come upon them because they chose to leave the God of their deliverance.  Those curses would follow the next generation unless there was a national revival.  God would extend grace and mercy, but only when one turned their hearts fully toward the Lord God.

God makes a very powerful statement in verse 63, “It shall come about that as the Lord delighted ovr you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the LORD will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you…”  The same intensity and desire by God to bless and to curse stood between God and His people.

God always deals with His children.  Even today God is not silent, but He does deal with us righteously and fairly.  We do not have a list of blessings and curses as Christians, but God does still deal with us and our families by His power.  Oh that we would desire to follow the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds.  Where are you in your walk before God?

In His love,

Pastor Les