"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God"

Deuteronomy 28:1-2

The blessings promised to Israel in today’s reading are of that kind. Four times obedience is mentioned as the condition for their bestowal (vv. 1, 2, 9, 13).

First, let us consider what it means to ‘walk in obedience’ to God (v. 9). When we arrange a walk with a close friend, it is because we enjoy their company and the opportunity to chat and share what is in our hearts. Well, God loves fellowship with us. Walking with him is like holding a two-way conversation by which we hear his voice through his Word and by his Spirit, and speak to him in prayer. The more we get to know him, the more we choose to obey him, not under compulsion but because of love.

Second, note that God’s blessings on Israel were meant to be a testimony to all nations, an example of what happens when a people obediently follows the true and living God (v. 10). That was intended as a means of drawing the nations to God, that they might be blessed too. God had promised this to Abraham, Israel’s forefather, many centuries earlier (Gen 12:2-3). Ultimately, that blessing took the form of the Messiah’s coming into the world for our salvation. He saved us so that we might draw others to him.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for inviting me to walk in you, to walk in your ways. Thank you for your presence, your guidance, and for the fellowship I enjoy with you (edited from Encounter with God).