Title: The promised blessing
Contents
promised blessing
Leviticus 26:1 - 13
To a person dying because a hundred pills were invalid, someone said, “There are only two drugs that can give you life.” Family members and patients asked me to open my eyes and teach them what the medicine was. Then he said. “The medicines this patient needs to take quickly are none other than the Old and New Testaments. If you take this medicine you will have eternal life, but if you do not take it, you will suffer eternal destruction.”
It may not have happened, but it is true that the most important thing for human beings is eternal life, and the Bible is absolutely necessary for that eternal life.
The Old Testament is the record of the old covenant about the coming of the Messiah, and the New Testament is the record of the new covenant given by the coming Messiah. The Bible can be said to be the book of the covenant. The Hebrew word for “covenant” means “to cut”. In other words, it means that those who do not keep the covenant they made with each other will be destroyed like an animal cut in two.
When God gave the laws and regulations to the people of Israel, He gave them in the form of these covenants. In other words, if you obey the Word of God, you will be blessed, but if you disobey, you will be cursed.
The law of Deuteronomy ends with these blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 28), and the same is true of Exodus and Joshua (Exodus 23:25-33; Joshua 24:20). Leviticus also concludes the word of the law by recording the words of blessing and curse through the text. Today, among the blessings and the curses, we will meditate on only the words that correspond to the blessings.
Then what is the principle of blessing and curse? In other words, obeying a certain word is a blessing, and disobeying a certain word is a curse? Its principles are verses 1 and 2, prohibiting idolatry, observing the Sabbath, and honoring the sanctuary. This is similar to the previous four commandments among the Ten Commandments. The special veneration of the sanctuary is added because the sanctuary serves as a link between God and the people of Israel. They must observe the Sabbath system in time, and the sanctuary system in space. If you do, you will be blessed. What blessings do you receive?
■ First, he promised rain and a bountiful harvest.
This summer, too much rain has left many people dead or missing, and innumerable economic losses have been incurred. The paddy fields to be harvested are full of water, and the fruits to be shipped are rotting, making it difficult for farmers to watch. It's not just floods. Even in a drought without rain, people suffer greatly. Even today, when science is advanced, how much suffering must the ancient world suffer from floods and droughts? Palestine, in particular, has suffered great damage if it does not rain at the right time.
Barley and wheat cannot be planted unless there is an “early rain” in late October or early December, and summer crops cannot be planted unless there is a “late rain” in March and April. Then you will face indescribably great difficulties.
God, who is well aware of this situation, has promised to give rain at the most appropriate time according to the season (after the hour) if we obey His ordinances and commandments. Then the people will be able to reap the fruits of their labor according to the blessings God gives them, and they will be able to fill their stomachs with the harvested grain and live safely in the land. I pray that you will become blessed saints who enjoy abundantly with the things God gives you every day.
■ Second, He promised peace.
Even if it rains moderately after the hour and yields a great harvest, it is nothing if they are taken away. So the second blessing that God has promised is peace. By the time Gideon was called by God, Israel had to suffer greatly because of the looting of the Midianites, including food and livestock. However, he promised that if the people of Israel obey God's ordinances and commandments, there will be no thieves or thugs who disturb the people's hearts. He also promised that the wild beasts would be removed from the land so that the crops would not be damaged. Not only that, he promised that even if the enemy attacks, he will win the war so that the grain will not be taken away.
He said that the people will prosper and prosper in the peace that God gives.
History proves that even today, the people who serve God are stronger than other peoples. I pray that you and your family will obey the word of God and enjoy the prosperity that God gives.
■ Third, He promised the presence of God.
It is a great blessing to enjoy financial abundance and to enjoy peace without internal or external pressure or problems, but the greatest blessing is living with God every day. “I will set up my tent among you” (11) is a promise that God will dwell with them and be their protector and guide.
What could be a more reliable protector than God? Who has a more certain background than God? God promises to those who obey His Word, “I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people” (verse 12). ‘To do’ means ‘to walk back and forth’, and it is a promise that we will always accompany you.
If God is your background and companion, you will live a successful life. Do you want to be successful? Do you want to be blessed? If so, please obey the Word of God. A faithful God will do what he promises. Believe in the faithful God and live according to His Word. - Amen -