(Deuteronomy 28:1-13, Psalms 4:3-8, Romans 4:6-8)
Blessings to most people is narrowed to finances. To others, blessings include good health. Some do not only know but are conscious that their blessings include divine peace, divine favour, God’s mercy, comfort and every good things.
God’s definition of blessings is even more than these. His definition of blessing is all-encompassing. Every good thing manifested in all His creations is blessing. Everyone benefits from His blessings; known or unknown. Now, whoever is blessed has good things coming His way. However, the blessings the Lord is talking about in Deuteronomy 28:1-13 are multiple folds blessings. We can imagine being blessed in multiple folds. Each blessing indicated in this passage of the Bible is remarkably qualified. This is when blessings come upon us and at the same time overtake us. May these be our portion in Jesus name.
Verse 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
We all understand if blessings come upon us but what does it mean when we say blessings “overtake” us (as old KJV rightly put it)? For blessings to overtake us means we are no more the one seeking blessings but blessings are coming for us in their own accord. Fruitfulness awaits us to plant. Peace goes ahead of us. Mercy and grace become what people enjoy from associating with us. Even our enemies are at peace with us (either they submit or they jump ship and become friends). How terrible will it be to become an enemy to someone God said enemies will flee from in seven ways? If a bad thing is allocated to such person, it becomes blessing.
Psalms 121 says, “the Lord preserves our going out and coming in” but when blessings overtake us the Lord will not just preserve but He will bless our going out and coming in. What a wonder!
Verse 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
What can we do to possess these?
1) Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day
We must always seek for these qualities; ears that hear, eyes that see and heart that perceives. We must not wait for them to be giving to us, instead we must seek our Lord Jesus’ face for them.
2) Deuteronomy 29: 6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God
Submit to the Lord and tremble before Him. Many people stay longer in problems because they have not learnt early enough to submit (yielding) to the Lord and to tremble before Him. Many a time, problems are used to teach someone submission and for the person to know that “God is God”. Some plans of success are divinely disrupted because the people involved have not learnt to honour God as God in all affairs of man. This will not be our portion in Jesus name. (please, only God knows the heart, we should not judge anyone)
3) Deuteronomy 29:12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
Our God is a Respecter of covenant. He remains faithful to it as long as we are also faithful to it. When we continue to walk with God, He commits Himself into covenant with us. There some level of our walk with God when we start asking Him for some assurances which can only be given by covenant. (Nothing evil in such covenant than an assurance to remain obedient and faithful. Nothing strange!). Most time we hear our fathers and mothers in the Lord “reminding” God such covenant.
4) Psalms 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
Let everyone be zealous for God and passionate for Him.
Being zealous for the Lord is not to fight for Him. Our Lord is not the one followers fight for, He is a God that fight for Himself. In fact, it is a sin to fight for Him. Being zealous for God is pursuing and doing His will with all good zeal. Being passionate for Him is like not being able to imagine not being with God or not living for Him. Counting all as dung for Christ (Philippines 3:6-8).
5) Psa 119:148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
We should let His word be before us everyday and every night, studying to do and not only to know. This was what He told Joshua in Joshua chapter 1. This also characterized the life of David.
6) Deuteronomy 30: 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live
Let us seek for the circumcision of our heart. This can be done before the Lord in the place of prayer until Christ is formed in us. The circumcision of the flesh is religious but the (spiritual) circumcision of the heart is godliness (Christ likeness).
What summarizes all of these is obedience.
Deuteronomy 28:13 If that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them
Now, what is this obedience that brings multiple folds blessings? Is it not just the usual doing what He says? No please, this OBEDIENCE is characterized by OBSERVING to do and DOING to please Him.
Deuteronomy 28 verse 47 gives a clearer picture, saying, because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with JOYFULNESS , and with GLADNESS of HEART, for the ABUNDANCE of all things.
This is saying that when we are actually obeying the Lord, we must be doing it with joyfulness and gladness. Holy Spirit, please, help us to understand this as it is, in Jesus name. In other words, we must be delighted to obey and we must obey to delight Him.
(Psalms 100:2) Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
(Psalms 122:1) I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Is there any passage in the Bible from the old to the testament where God’s blessing is not attached to obedience. We can read through the Bible for everywhere God blessed. Likewise, we can search for the word blessings or any word related to it from the Bible; one thing is common… a deliberate obedience which pleased the Lord.
(Proverbs 16:7) When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
(1 Corinthians 10:5) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
So beloved, who blesses if not God, He endorses every blessing uttered by human? So, let us continue to please Him with our obedience, then we will see a river of His blessings overtaking us and the rain of His blessings coming upon us. May the grace and the Spirit of obedience (Matthew 19: 25-26) come upon us and make us those children that please His heavenly Father always.
You are blessed in Jesus name.
Prayer Points
1) Lord Jesus, thank You for Your blessings upon me and my house.
2) Father, let Your all-encompassing blessings come upon us and overtake us all, in Jesus name.
3) Every restriction against my blessings, fall down into pieces and be consumed with the fire of the Holy Ghost, in Jesus name.
4) Every spiritual armed robber and swindler (stealing blessings from me) your time is up, you are condemned, perish, in Jesus name.
5) Lord Jesus, give me the ears that hear, the eyes that see and the heart that perceives according to Your will.