Joshua 8:34-35 Seek the Holy Spirit, the source of all blessings
Joshua 8:34-35
34 Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.
Background
As Israel begun their conquest of Canaan in earnest expectation of obtaining what God had promised to their forefathers, the law of Moses (part of which was Deuteronomy 28) was read in their presence. It was made known through the law that Israel’s prosperity in the land was conditional on their obedience to God’s commands. God desires to bless His people with exceedingly great blessings if only they would give prominence and exigency to His law. In today’s passage, we learn that by being fixated on the blessing may actually be counter productive. In the new covenant, the Holy Spirit becomes the source of all blessings. By seeking to be filled with the Spirit, and to do His will, we gain access to all blessings in the universe. We will do a brief study on Deuteronomy 28, the part that Joshua delivered in the presence of the people.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Observation
Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:
Our attitude towards God and His commands will affect the community’s wellbeing and our standing in the society. By attributing utmost prominence and exigency to God’s commands, God’s community will enjoy supreme status and blessedness among the peoples. To diligently obey is to give earnest heed and prominence to God’s instructions. By being careful is to harbor an attitude of exigency towards God’s instructions just like a servant who is attentive to the voice of the master.
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
Blessed can be said of one who has a covenant with God. God protects and provides for him, be it in the city or countryside. In other words, God’s favor is upon him no matter what he does or where he is.
4 “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
Blessed depicts the quality of excellence and abundance. God promises bountiful harvest to those who are blessed. Their harvest baskets will contain fruits and produce that are of the highest quality.
6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Blessed carries a connotation of fruitfulness, effectiveness and security in all their endeavors. God’s favor rests upon his people from the moment they step out of their house (when you go out) to the time when they return (when you come in).
7 “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
The Lord protects His people by confounding and dispersing their enemies in multiple directions. In doing so, God preserves His people and all that they possessed. And they will continue to live in peace and prosperity in the land that God has given.
9 The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.
Holy carries a connotation of cherished personal adoption. The Lord adopts his people and considers them His sons, His very own flesh and blood. Conditional to this adoption is the willingness to obey all that God has commanded. In doing so, the nations will recognize them as the sons of the Most High God and grant them utmost respect.
11 The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, 14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
The promise given to God’s covenant people is financial prosperity and dignity. God will cause His people to be highly productive by providing rain in a timely manner. He will grant them bountiful harvests continually without fail. The result is an economy that is bursting with surplus and having the power to provide for others. All these blessings will come upon God’s people if they do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
How does the blessing of Deuteronomy 28 compare with the new covenant blessing in Christ?
The blessing of the Old Covenant largely consists of material wealth which was part of the multifaceted grace of God. The blessing of land, descendants, and wealth were considered the promised inheritance of the Israelites. In the new covenant, Christ’s resurrection caused a shift in focus from material possessions to the gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul said concerning the blessing found in Christ,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
Spiritual blessing refers to blessings obtained through the ministry of the Spirit. Therefore, the new covenant considered the Holy Spirit as the most cherished gift in the universe through which God’s people gain access to every blessing in the heavenly places. It is through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling that God’s people enjoy every good gift in the universe both tangible and intangible. The intangible gifts include virtues of Christ (fruit of the Spirit) and the ability of Christ (gifts of the Spirit).
Jesus taught concerning the new covenant gift of the Holy Spirit which ranks above the material things our earthly fathers could provide,
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Luke 11:13
Why is the Holy Spirit the key to every blessing?
Unless man’s heart and mind is wholly transformed by the Holy Spirit (born of the Spirit) according to God’s nature, man can never experience the blessing in God’s kingdom. Jesus taught,
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5
Therefore, man should not be fixated on the blessing but rather to be filled and transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Truth
A people’s attitude towards God and His commands will ultimately determine their blessedness and prosperity. In other words, man’s social and financial wellbeing are by-products that cannot be obtained directly by hard work alone. The spiritual condition of an individual, family, community or nation is the bedrock of her social and financial wellbeing. Many churchgoers suppose by their incessant requests for divine provisions, God will grant them their desires despite their waywardness. Some even supposed by their own ingenuity, they could make something of themselves. It remains that the individual’s heart posture towards God is the major contributing factor that determines his wellbeing. Man possesses a base instinct to be independent of God and his pride leads to his downfall. God grants his people blessings on condition of their obedience: … if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God.
Blessing does not come from natural human resources but from heaven. The tendency of man is to seek blessing from the natural resources of the earth and from human abilities. Many have a misplaced sense of security thinking all will be well with the resources they possess. However, true and enduring blessing comes from God who protects and provides: The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand. Man has no control over rain, the movement of his enemies, nor the onset of natural disasters and plagues. Thus, one may possess much and have his assets suddenly wiped by natural disasters and plagues. The story of Job is a classic example of the frailty of man. Therefore, man must give God preeminence and honor Him by walking according to His ways.
In order to ensure prosperity and wellbeing in our children, parents must focus on the spiritual condition of the heart. Many people place prime emphasis on a child’s mental development and academic capability. Their lives revolve around the physical wellbeing of their children such that these children never had to work for anything. As a result, children become self-centered being obsessed with personal performance at the expense of spiritual development. The present generation sees many children forsaking their parents relegating them to nursing homes when they have outlived their usefulness. This is the tragedy and shortsightedness of the asian society that sees many old people abandoned and toiling well into their golden years. By revolving their lives around the needs of their children supposing they will be reciprocated for their efforts is flawed thinking. Children must never be led to think that they are the center, but rather God must be central in every aspect of family life. Moses’ law emphasizes the centrality of God in the family and the inculcation of truths into children. In the spiritual development of a child, there are three virtues that are of supreme importance:
– Respect for authority and the fear of God.
– Mercy, where the wellbeing the community ranks above the individual.
– Honesty and integrity.
Application
1. Are you to an extent disillusioned that the unrighteous and undeserving are being rewarded and society seems to run counter to biblical ideals? God is aware of the injustice and evil that is prevalent in the world today. However, on the Day of Judgment, God will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation (Romans 2:6-8). Therefore, believers must accept the fact that all who desire to live godly lives will face much injustice and be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). But those who remain righteous and persevere to the end will be rewarded.
2. Are you accustomed to being pragmatic as opposed to being principled in all your dealings? God favors those who respect the laws of the state despite being disadvantaged because they deal according to the rules. However, the Holy Spirit gives wisdom and insight in the midst of dire circumstances. A classic example is Daniel, to whom was given extraordinary abilities to solve difficult problems thus enabling him to rise above the rest in the Babylonian court.
This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Daniel 5:12
The Holy Spirit is given to those who seek the will of God in all their circumstances. Thus, we seek not blessing per se, but the Holy Spirit, the source of all blessings.
Dear Lord, I believe that you have ordained blessing and glory in all my life. Now, I ask for nothing else but the Holy Spirit that will enable me to be a blessing to the poor and to establish your Kingdom. I ask for divine wisdom, love, patience and the power to destroy the works of darkness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.