Enjoying the blessings of God

Read Deuteronomy 11.

In verse 26, Moses briefly mentioned the themes of a blessing and a curse.  He will come back to that in great detail beginning in Chapter 27 from Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.  For now, he simply laid the foundation for the later message.

Moses casted vision to the nation of what living in the new land would be like.  It could not be compared to Egypt with the Nile River valley supplying water for their crops and livestock.  This new land depended upon rain for its produce.  And, because God ultimately controls the weather, Moses directly tied their spiritual lives to their future well-being.

The blessing: "And if you will indeed obey my commandments...he will give the rain for your land in its season...you shall eat and be full." (vv.13-15)  Obeying the Lord first requires a person to know what God has said.  "For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him..." (v.22)

But, the curse: "Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain..." (vv.16-17)

Those are great promises to Israel of God's watch care over them.  In the Psalms, we read that it often bothered David when the wicked prospered and the righteous did not do as well.  He would always conclude with two points:

1. Material prosperity is temporal at best and is not necessarily an indication of spiritual health.  Judgment Day is coming when the LORD will bring ultimate justice and right all wrongs.

2. In the meantime, God is committed to taking care of His own.

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:8-10)