“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Prov10:22.
It was the blessing of the Lord that made all these men very wealthy and successful. It is this same blessing that makes us very wealthy and successful today.
In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 God describes what His blessing will accomplish in our lives as we walk in it and follow Him and trust Him. All the things promised are material blessings. Not some spiritual riches as some people argue. Let us briefly consider a few points from it.
Deuteronomy 28 1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
This word for overtake had several meanings in the Old Testament. Sometimes it described the chasing down of an adversary in battle or pursuing someone until you got them and they could no longer escape or avoid you. Other times it had to do with a pilgrim being able to obtain a sacrifice to bring to the priest and sacrifice to the Lord.
God promises those that trust in Him that His blessing will not only chase us down as in hot pursuit but that it will also lay a hold of us in such a way that we can’t escape it.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Whether our work be in the city or in the field doesn’t really matter. God can bless us in whatever we do and bring us great wealth and riches. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Here we see God speaking a blessing on essentially three areas. First is a blessing on our storehouses. Then a blessing on the works of our hands. And finally a blessing on us wherever we shall settle.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
This is as plain as it can get. God promises to make us plenteous in goods. This means to give us stuff. A lot of stuff.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
The good shepherd leads us into great abundance and prosperity.
Psalm 23 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Jesus made us rich through His death on the Cross. His redemptive work included our finances too.
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” 2Cor8:9
Some people have argued that this scripture is not talking about material riches but spiritual riches. The problem with that argument is that if you read it in context Paul is speaking about finances. About money and the gifts and offerings he was receiving from the churches that supported him in the gospel.
In fact, the whole of 2Corinthians 8 and 9 are talking about money. In context Paul is talking about material riches and not spiritual riches.
Because of Jesus’ death, we have already been blessed with every blessing of God that is in heaven.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” Eph1:3
In Christ God has already given unto us whatever we need to live life and to be godly.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” 2Peter1:3
All of the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to all the other Old Testament men and women have been fulfilled in Christ. To us they are yes and amen. All we do is receive them now.
“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2Cor1:20
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