God assured Abraham that He would bless the nations that blessed him and would curse those that cursed him. God remained faithful to that fourth facet of His precious and very great promises throughout the period of the patriarchs, and the people of Israel were encouraged to believe that this promise of protection and provision remained an integral aspect of the covenant as it was renewed at Mt. Sinai.

In Deuteronomy 28.1-14, Moses paints with a broad brush to fill the imaginations – the vision – of God’s people with the yet-unseen blessings of the Lord. He would drive out the nations before them. He would turn over towns and villages and fields and vineyards to His people. He would elevate them above all the nations, so that they need not fear any. And He would prosper and bless them in every way.

But the realization of this promise depended on faithful obedience to the Law of God (vv. 15 ff.). Outside the safety and protection of God’s covenant, His people are on their own, and He will stand against them, using adversity, if necessary, to move them back to the blessed path (Heb. 12.3-11).

God wants His people to know the fullness of temporal blessings, without their becoming slaves to circumstances and things, and He knows that this can be possible only within the framework of His Law.

Act: In what ways have you seen that God is faithful to this promise in your experience? Talk with some Christian friends about this question, then spend time praising the Lord and giving Him thanks.

T. M. Moore

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click hereto see the weekly studies available thus far.

ExcEpt as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.