June 7th, 2018

The Lord Has Spoken

“Hear, O heavens!  Listen, O earth!  For the Lord has spoken:” Isa. 1:2 

The Book of Isaiah opens with the Lord calling His two witnesses to testify in a trial pitting the Lord’s covenant against the rebelliousness of Israel.  God’s key witnesses in this trial are heaven and earth, for both were present to witness the covenant agreement God made with His people.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 states the agreement: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.  For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  The covenant agreement contained blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.  God’s word was clear then and remains very clear today.  Deuteronomy 28:1-14 details the blessings for obedience, which we shall summarize below:

v  You will be blessed;

v  Your children will be blessed;

v  Your food supply will be blessed;

v  Your tools for storing and cooking food will be blessed;

v  Your travel will be blessed;

v  Your enemies will be defeated;

v  Everything you put your hand to will be blessed;

v  You will be a holy people;

v  You will have abundant prosperity;

v  You will lend to many nations but borrow from none;

v  You will be the head, not the tail;

v  You will be at the top, never at the bottom.

All these incredible blessings were promised if Israel: “fully obeyed the Lord your God and carefully followed all his commands.”  In verse 14 God speaks clearly: “Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you (today), to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.” 

The Lord also depicted the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.  The list of maladies is extensive, and God begins by stating:  “However if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”

The opposite of the list above is promised:  everything shall be cursed, not blessed.  To gain a complete understanding, read the entire list of curses for disobedience.  It is a humbling reminder of the conditional promises of God.