READ THE FINE PRINT

November 4, 2013

READ THE FINE PRINT

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Beau Fournet

Central Truth

God's call to Israel was the same as our call today -- complete obedience. The call, on our own, is impossible. The solution is a Savior.

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. . . . [A]nd do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them." (Deuteronomy 28:1, 14)

Blessings for Obedience

1 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. 12 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. 13 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, 14 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.

This passage is overflowing with messages, including three repeated phrases: (1) obey/keep commandments; (2) bless/blessings; (3) the Lord shall/will. As I initially wrote down my observations, I finished with the following: "I NEED A SAVIOR."

Our text is preceded by Deuteronomy 27:26, "Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them." Moses explains the new law to the nation and tells them they will be cursed if they disobey. Now he turns to the blessings of obedience. The fine print, however, is relevant.

Verse 1 says the basis for the blessing is "being careful to do ALL His commandments" (Deuteronomy 28:1 (emphasis added)). Moses then shares a list of the blessings, and they are really appealing to me -- family, children, job, provision, finances, physical protection, and the rest of life. Finally, Moses concludes where he started, "[D]o not turn aside from ANY of the words which I command" (Deuteronomy 28:14 (emphasis added)).

Here is my problem. I want all of God's promised blessings, and I oftentimes incorrectly believe I have earned them.

For instance, on a recent Saturday, I ran all over town doing errands for my bride and kids. I looked forward to an evening of "me-time," watching a football game and eating decadently with kids quietly complying. As the day went on, I was less willing to run errands because I felt I had served enough. I got short with my wife and was rude. However, I still felt I earned my idyllic football night. Why? Because I grade myself on a curve! If I have "enough" obedience to God's commands, I round up to 100 percent and turn my eyes to the blessings I desire. I focus on the blessings, which God controls, instead of the obedience, which I control.

God is clear that I am a sinner. I need a Savior. Like the rest of the Bible, this passage should point me back to Christ. Israel disobeyed and suffered as God promised they would. But then the Messiah came as promised, so while I still fall short as the Israelites did, I have the privilege of being overwhelmed by grace.

1. Is there an area of your life in which you feel you are being shortchanged or not receiving what you desire? Closely analyze your behavior, attitude, and motives to determine how God might use the circumstance to grow your faith.

2. Scripture frequently speaks of the negative consequences of disobedience. Alternatively, we are also told that faithfulness can coincide with suffering, often to bring glory to God. If your life feels upside down in some respects, is there any persistent sin that needs to be addressed? If you are being faithful, have you seen how God is using the experience to bring glory to Him? How can you grow in faithfulness?

3. Have you recently read any Bible passages that seemed dry? If so, reread them and look for how the passage points to our need for a Savior and the coming of the Messiah.