Deuteronomy 28:1-2 – Obedience and God’s overwhelming blessings

One key subject that keeps coming up in the book of Deuteronomy is obedience. In the beginning verses of chapter 27, the children of Israel were told to set up stone monuments with the Commandments of God inscribed on them. The purpose of those monuments erected on Mount Ebal was to be reminders of God’s call to a life of obedience. Then the same chapter ended by reminding them of the curses that would follow should they choose to walk in disobedience. God’s primary intention was for His people to live in ways that would attract blessings rather than curses. In that sense, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, then showed them what they could expect from their covenant God when they faithfully walked in obedience. God’s unsurpassed blessings would literally pursue them when they chose to do so.

Deuteronomy 28:1 emphatically showed in what ways obedience was to be demonstrated. His instructions must be faithfully followed and acted upon diligently. Notice the emphasis in verse 1. They were expected to “faithfully obey and be careful to do His commandments.” Obedience towards God must be the spontaneous outflow of one’s relationship with Him. Undeniably, at the very heart of one’s obedience is one’s love for God. When we truly love God, obedience would be a natural outcome. Anyway, we can only love God because He first loved us.   

While the spontaneous outcome of one’s love for God is obedience, the spontaneous outcome of one’s obedience to Him would be His blessings. To be blessed by God is to receive His favor. Blessing is literally God’s grace and favor that He bestows upon those who diligently walk in obedience to Him. His promise to the Israelites was that when they walk in obedience, they would be highly favored and priced above all the nations of the earth. Similarly, when we walk in obedience, He will favor us. This favor does not just come in trickles every now and then. It will come continuously, consistently, and in immeasurable volume. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God can do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think. When we obey God’s word, we are building our life on a firm foundation that will enable us to weather the storms of life and stand strong. That’s the promise of Jesus in Matthew 7:24-25. Be obedient and lay a solid foundation to receive God’s blessing!