7-24-15.  Deuteronomy 6:1-3. God Seeks To Bless His People- My Devotional

 Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 10-11.                                                   Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 6:3                                                                          7-24-15

“Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.”

We all want to find God’s favor and live lives that are blessed by God. But how can we? Moses said that God gave his people his commands to obey so that they may be blessed people.  look at verses 1-3, “These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.”  (NIV)

Let’s break it down and discover the blessings that God was offering his people. First, their kids and grandkids would fear the Lord and thereby bring long life. Look at verse 2.  “so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.”

     To fear the Lord, means to have a deep respect for God and a strong desire to do what is right before his eyes. Not too many people today would say that they wished that their kids and their grandkids would fear the Lord. Most people would wish that their kids be happy, find a job that they like and a spouse they can be happy with, be debt free and travel a little. Who would hope and pray that they fear the Lord? But for those who know the Lord, to have a healthy fear of God, is the secret to a happy life, for those who have a fear of the Lord, walk with God and are shepherded by God throughout their entire lifetime. They are blessed people. They live in God’s love and favor. They live in God’s peace. Having faith that fears the Lord will pay off more dividends in one’s lifetime than winning the lottery. How wonderful it would be to have the next two generations of your family fearing the Lord! God will not only extend their lives but also extend their parents lives, because they will have peace knowing their children and grandchildren are walking with the Lord. Kids and grandkids who fear the Lord will more than likely care for their aging parents, extending everyone’s life a little more.

Obedience to God is the best way to prosper. Look at verses 3-4, “Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.” Keep in mind, “to go well for us” could mean going well for us in God’s everlasting kingdom, and not on earth. Some Christian live a hard, short, life in this world, but will be brought into the Kingdom of God through their faith in Christ. But God will make us prosper, even if we are persecuted and tossed about like a driven leaf. Romans 8:28 always stands true for people of faith, in light of eternity. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV) But God does bless many of his people in this life. The ones that are the most blessed are the ones that obey the will of God. A Christian may be going to heaven. But they will fail university if they refuse to obey the truth of God that they must study hard. Or they will get fired from a job if they don’t obey the truth of God they need to work hard and responsibly. A Christian man may be on his way to heaven, but he may not have a happy marriage unless he obeys the truth of God to love his wife as Christ loved the church and the two of them obey God by moving towards oneness.

God wants to make his people fruitful. Look at verse 4, “and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.”  The Israelites will increase as a people. The land flowing with milk and honey is described in verses 10-11, “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,…”  The previous inhabitants lost their cities due to their lack of repentance for millennia of idol worship that included orgies, child sacrifice and extremely cruel practices. Their cities and vineyards were handed over to the Israelites by God, so they could make a new beginning. Though the houses probably had dirt floors, outhouses and animals walked freely in the streets, to the Israelites, who spent 400 years as slaves and 40 years wandering in the desert, these lands seemed like a and flowing with milk and honey. God was giving it to them so that they could prosper and be fruitful and bring glory to God’s holy name. All they had to do was have faith in God, thankfulness and obey his commands.

In the New Testament we can see this principle being worked out on Matthew 6:33 which states, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV) God cares about us. He wants to provide for us as we live by faith in this world. He wants to provide what we need and not necessarily what we want. There is a condition for his provision. We need to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. God’s righteousness is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30 reads, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” This means God is asking us to seek his kingdom and Jesus Christ as top priority in our lives. Then we can know that the Lord will provide. He will fill our lives with his grace and love so much so, that even if we live in a shed and drive an old beater, it will seem like we live in a land flowing with milk and honey. Ultimately Jesus will bring us home to be with him in his kingdom where their will be streets of shining gold.