One might think that is a strange question. What do you really want from God, Joyful blessing, or Curse? Of course, I want joyful blessing, all would say. But then how is it that we live so far from that? We may blame the world around us, situations, and the devil. But as you will see, Moses clearly taught the children of Israel what was necessary to find joyful blessings. Yet, alas, they would fail once they entered the land. Just as their parents had before them.
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? Deuteronomy 10 (NASB)
We want the joyful blessing, but we want it on our terms. Just give us the joyful blessing but to love you with all my heart would mean, I must remove myself from the throne of my own heart. Your desires must supersede mine? I would have to say like Jesus, Your will, not my own.
So Why Would I Want His Will Over Mine?
What else did Moses say?
14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set His affection on your fathers, to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, you over all the other peoples, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 10 (NASB)
6 “For you are a holy nation to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the nations on the earth, to be His own. 7 The Lord did not give you His love and choose you because you were more people than any of the nations. For the number of your people was less than all nations. 8 But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the promise He made to your fathers. So the Lord brought you out by a strong hand. He set you free from the land where you were servants, and from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7 (NASB)
He is God, there is no other. Those chosen are loved, because it is his will and pleasure to love them. No other reason. Is that fair?
What if 5 men stood trial for murder. All were guilty. Then, the judge upon sentencing chose to set 1 free and even pay the price himself? We would cry out unjust because one went free. Not because of the ones punished. Is that not our case? Are we not guilty as well? He chose to love them, not because of anything they had done. That is how He chose me as well. For that reason, I owe Him everything. The older I get, the more I realize that
Joyful blessing or curse
9 Know then that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God. He keeps His promise and shows His loving-kindness to those who love Him and keep His Laws, even to a thousand family groups in the future. 10 But He destroys those who hate Him. He will not show kindness to the one who hates Him, but will punish him to his face. 11 So keep and obey all the Laws I am telling you today. Deuteronomy 7 (NASB).
All deserve to die. So why not end it now. Send all away to judgement now. There are a few we wish He would. How horrific the atrocities that occur in the world. Child trafficking. The horrors of war. Death, destruction, power hunger leaders who care only for themselves. How horrific. Why not end it all now?
He could have. As soon as Adam sinned, He could have said “Done. Or in the days of Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, or now. Yet, how often do they choose idol worship, pride, and seek to worship other gods. After all that God has done for them? But what about us, are we much different?
Joyful Blessing or Curse from an All Powerful, Sovereign God.
Oh, listen to this Song of Moses
Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 “Let my teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
As the droplets on the fresh grass
And as the showers on the herb.
3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “The Rock! His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.
5 They have acted corruptly toward Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
But are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 “Do you thus repay the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is not He your Father who has bought you?
He has made you and established you. Deuteronomy 32
Accursed; yet, God steadies His hand of grace. Yes, destruction, judgement is deserved and will come in the fullness of time. It is His will to continue to provide common grace to even these. For until the moment they die, they are given the chance of turning to Jesus.
Judgement will come swiftly
35 ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,
In due time their foot will slip;
For the day of their calamity is near,
And the impending things are hastening upon them.’
36 “For the Lord will vindicate His people,
And will have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their strength is gone,
And there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 “And He will say, ‘Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge? Deuteronomy 32
They had searched to find strength in gods who do not even exist. In our time, also such gods as success, fame, power, greed, and lust. When they do fall, where are these gods to save them. They are gone with the wind.
Further description of their destitution.
38 ‘Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you,
Let them be your hiding place!
39 ‘See now that I, I am He,
And there is no god besides Me;
It is I who put to death and give life.
I have wounded and it is I who heal,
And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Deuteronomy 32
Can all these desires of their heart save them in the end from hell and destruction?
40 ‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven,
And say, as I live forever,
41 If I sharpen My flashing sword,
And My hand takes hold on justice,
I will render vengeance on My adversaries,
And I will repay those who hate Me.
42 ‘I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword will devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’ Deuteronomy 32
But for those who love Him, Truly His own.
43 “Rejoice, O nations, with His people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And will render vengeance on His adversaries,
And will atone for His land and His people.” Deuteronomy 32
Jesus in Deuteronomy
Jesus took our curse upon Himself, so that we might have His Joyous Blessing. Is that not why we should adore Him above everything else. Cut away all the desires that go against Him. So, what need we do? Look to Jesus and in looking love Him more than anything else. If we truly look upon Him, we will love Him.
16 So circumcise your heart, and do not stiffen your neck any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the orphan and the widow and shows His love for the stranger by giving him food and clothing.
19 So show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 He is your glory, and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. Deuteronomy 10 (NASB)
But What then If We Fail?
15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to be careful to follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the [p]country.
17 “Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed will be the [q]children of your womb, the [r]produce of your ground, the newborn of your herd, and the offspring of your flock.
19 “Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.
20 “The Lord will send against you curses, panic, and rebuke, in [s]everything you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have abandoned Me. Deuteronomy 28
Why?
45 “So all these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they will become a sign and a wonder against you and your descendants forever.
47 “Since you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all things, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and devoid of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. Deuteronomy 28
And What then?
“So it will be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have placed before you, and you call them to mind in all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you, 2 and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul in accordance with everything that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, 3 then the Lord your God will restore [c]you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If any of your scattered countrymen are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will be good to you and make you more numerous than your fathers.
God Will Do It–The Blessing
6 “Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8 And you will again obey the Lord, and follow all His commandments which I am commanding you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in every work of your hand, in the children of your womb, the offspring of your cattle, and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; 10 you obey the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
Blessing IS Not Too Hard with God’s Grace
11 “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you could say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ 14 On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it. Deuteronomy 30
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may [j]follow all the words of this Law. Deuteronomy 29:29
OH FATHER, I LOVE THEE
Oh, Father I came to you first in my youth
Ready to run and tell of Your truth
I studied and worked to make you so proud
You’d see all I’d done- I’m not like the crowd
Polished and shined Your Glory I’d show
From mountaintops shout to the valleys below
I knew I could do it-then you would see
All of my beauty-then you’d love me
Then came the years when all seemed so wrong
I fell to the ground-crushed by the throng
Though I struggled so hard with all of my might
Nothing seemed good, nothing seemed right
Oh Father, my Father; I don’t understand
Weary and worn by the years in this land
I’ve failed you so often, I’ve made Your heart sad
When all that I wanted was to make your heart glad
All of the struggles, the trials of life
The sickness, the pain, the sorrow and strife
I’m covered with scars, the battles I’ve lost
While chasing vain dreams at such a high cost
Then God said,
“Dear Child, don’t you see it is all as I planned
So, please, my dear child, come take my hand
Your beauty will shine bright as the stars
Aglow with my spirit covering the scars
Your eyes are so tender, washed by a tear
My Grace to reflect to all who draw near
Your heart that was broken-stripped of your will
A vessel now emptied- my spirit could fill
Oh, how I do love you, my child don’t you see
I’ve heard every whisper, I’ve heard every plea
It was I who held you tight in the dark of the night
I sang you love songs until the dawn’s light
I’ve watched how you’ve grown, the love in your heart
That sparkle of joy to strangers impart
You could not become the person you are
Were it not for the tears or occasional scar
I’m so proud of you child, all you’ve become
I’ll shout from the heavens, my child “Well Done”
You’ve been faithful and true through all of your life
Through the trials, the heart breaks, and even the strife
Covered with righteousness bought by my son
Redeemed you have been, your victory won
You never were meant to win by your might
The battle was mine, mine only to fight”
Oh, Father, I love you with all of my heart
My greatest treasure you’ve been from the start
The Joy I know now, came from all those years
A precious, rare gift you gave me through tears
Effie Darlene Barba
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
For Prayer or Comments
If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2024
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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