When we study the Holy Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, we can understand that the children of Israel had a special status before God that He chose them to be His people. God called them and separated them for Himself as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation and His treasured possession out of all the nations on earth (Genesis 17:7; Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; Psalm 135:4; John 15:16; 1 Peter 2:9). Deuteronomy 7:6 says that For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. God chose the Israelites that He would bless them and bless all nations through them. When God called Abraham, God not only blessed him or promised to make his name great or promised to make a nation out of him, but God also promised him that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). The requirements to receive God’s blessings in their lives and in the lives of others through them is that they need to lead a life that is according to God’s will and for His purpose, obey the laws and commandments He gave to them, and worship Him and Him alone. As a kingdom of priests, they are called to stand in the gap and intercede to restore the broken relationship between the holy God and sinful humanity. As a result, God would forgive their sins and save them from deadly consequences (Psalm 32:1; 86:5; Isaiah 43:25; Daniel 9:9; 1 John 1:9).

Since God chose the children of Israel for a purpose, He promised unlimited spiritual blessings for them but He also set boundaries that they cannot cross in certain areas of their life. That means, they cannot live their lives according to the pattern of this world, rather their lives needed to be rooted in the Word of God and they needed to obey the laws and commandments He had given to them. God warned them against all kinds of evil desires and advised them not to live in the way of the nations around them. They cannot rebel against God’s will and expect Him to bless them. These are two different factors and just opposite to each other. It is like serving two masters who are different in their attitudes (worldly attitude or godly attitude). Jesus made it very clear that No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).

This week’s Scripture passage (mentioned above) for the Scripture for the Week explicitly talks about the blessings that God has promised to His chosen people Israel. Below mentioned are some of those specific promises of blessings God assured to His people according to Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

• • You will be blessed in the city (28:3a)
  • You will blessed in the country (28:3b)
  • The fruit of your womb will be blessed (28:4a)
  • The crops of your land will be blessed (28:4b)
  • The young of your livestock will be blessed (28:4c)
    • The calves of your herds will be blessed (28:4c1)
    • The lambs of your flocks will be blessed (28:4c2)
  • Your basket will be blessed (28:5a)
  • Your kneading trough will be blessed (28:5b)
  • You will be blessed when you come in (28:6a)
  • You will be blessed when you go out (28:6b)
  • The Lord will grant you victory against your enemies (28:7a)
  • The Lord will help you defeat your enemies (28:7b)
    • They will come at you from one direction (28:7b1)
    • They will flee from you in seven different directions (28:7b2).
  • The Lord will send a blessing on your barns (28:8a)
  • The Lord will send His blessings upon everything you put your hand to (28:8b)
  • The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you (28:8c)
  • The Lord will establish you as his holy people as He promised you on oath (28:9a)
  • The Lord will make all the peoples on earth will fear you (28:10a)
  • The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity (28:11a)
    • The Lord will bless the fruit of your womb (28:11a1)
    • The Lord will bless the young of your livestock (28:11a2)
    • The Lord will bless the crops of your land/ground (28:11a3)
  • The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to bless you (28:12a)
    • The Lord will send rain on your land in season (28:12a1)
    • The Lord will bless all the work of your hands (28:12a2)
      • You will lend to many nations (28:12a2i)
      • You will borrow from none (28:12a2ii)
  • The Lord will make you the head, not the tail (28:13a)
  • The Lord will place you always be at the top, never at the bottom (28:13d)

The above-mentioned blessings are those that the Lord God Almighty (The El Shaddai/Yahweh) promised to the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. God is faithful and He will fulfill all the promises He uttered to His chosen ones. He will never change His Word because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 7:9; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 71:22; Malachi 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 13:8). However, the blessings do not come by itself or without a cost. Moses said, It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 13:4). They had to commit their lives according to God’s will and for His purpose, and were asked to do the following in order to receive God’s blessings:

• Keep the commandments of the Lord your God (28:9b)
• Walk in obedience to Him and His commands (28:9c)
• Pay attention to the commands of the Lord our God (28:13b)
• Carefully follow the commands of the Lord (28:13c)
• Do not turn aside to the left or to the right from the commands He gave us (28:14a)
• Do not follow any other gods (28:14b)
• Do not serve any other gods (28:14c)

God has promised the same blessings and more to us, the New Testament believers, the Church, who are chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter at what point of time we are living (during the Old Testament time or New Testament time), God’s blessings are for everyone who calls upon His name, worships Him, and obeys His commands. Whether it is the children of Israel or the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the criterion to receive God’s blessings is nothing but to love the Lord God and worship Him, and obey His commands. We are chosen for a purpose and we all need to do the following irrespective of who we are and where we are in order to receive God’s blessings in our lives:

1. Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27a);
2. Obey the Laws and Commandments He has given us (Leviticus 22:31; Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 24; 30:10; John 14:21; 1 John 5:3); and
3. Love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27b; James 2:8).

In the light of the above discussions, the fact is that anyone who is called by God must live according to God’s will and must live a life that is worthy of fulfilling God’s purpose in and through their lives. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are given the privilege of being God’s children by adoption through His Son Jesus Christ  (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:5). Therefore, we must love Him, trust Him, obey Him, and live a life that is worthy of His call. The Lord God Almighty, who chose the Israelites as His treasured possession and adopted us as His children, is a God who blesses anyone who calls upon His name (Psalm 115:12-15; Philippians 4:19; James 1:17). Apostle Paul wrote: For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:12-13). So, as the chosen in the Lord, let us abide in Him and bear fruit for Him (John 15:4). Amen!