Blessing and Curses
Sorry this blog is so inconsistent. I just don't have a ton of time to get into it. Plus I'm not as passionate as I ought to be in finishing the series of thought I've begun. It's all based off of a big revelation I had a while ago. I'll try to be more consistent and finish this little series thing I'm doing.
Alright, so last blog ended with Abraham nearly slaying his only son of the promise. God stops the affair, praises Abraham for being obedient. Later, Isaac begets Jacob, Jacob begets his twelve sons, the Patriarchs, who are the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Through a series of events they end up in Egypt. A few generations later, the Egyptians persecute the descendants of Jacob. God sends Moses to take them out of Egypt. God sends a bunch of plagues on the land of Egypt through Moses and Aaron, his brother. The we have the parting of the sea and the Israelites are finally free of Pharoh's clutches when he and his army end up under the waters of the Red Sea. This is the Exodus.
So the next Israelites in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. The book of Leviticus is all about the law God gives to the people. Numbers is a counting of all the people, plus some neat stories about their journey through the wilderness and the disobedience of he people. Deuteronomy is the last words of Moses before he dies and before the people enter into the land. In Deuteronomy, Moses repeats the law and reminds the people of what God has done for them.
Sorry for all the background. It's sort of necessary.
In Exodus 24, God and Israel make a covenant with each other. The rest of Exodus talks of the Tabernacle, the place where the people would meet with the Lord to offer sacrifices. Leviticus gives most of the law. Then comes Leviticus 26, where God lists His blessings and His curses for the people if they keep or break covenant with Him. This is my summary of the blessing and curses:
If the people obey, God will give them, in this order-
1. Good harvests
2. Safety in the land
3. Victory over their enemies
4. Abundance
5. Close Relationship with God (He says He will "walk among them")
These are the promises of obedience. For disobedience comes-
1. Illness and disease
2. Defeat at the hands of their enemies
3. The land will produce nothing
4. Wild beasts will take their livestock and their children
5. More defeat and exile ("I will scatter you")
The language used to describe the curses is very strong. At one point, the LORD tells them that they will hear a leaf shake in the wind, and they will flee as if from an enemy who is trying to kill them, and they will fall. Just take a second and imagine it. How terrible.
The blessings and curses hold one thing in common- a succession that leads to completion. Perfect disobedience leads to perfect terror. Perfect obedience leads to perfect relationship with God. He promises even to "walk among them." The only other time I can recall that happening in scripture is Genesis, before sin entered the world.
Sorry this wasn't too exciting. It kind of reads like a text book. But it sets the stage for the last blog or two. So it was necessary. Thanks for reading. I hope you learned something!
Alright, so last blog ended with Abraham nearly slaying his only son of the promise. God stops the affair, praises Abraham for being obedient. Later, Isaac begets Jacob, Jacob begets his twelve sons, the Patriarchs, who are the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Through a series of events they end up in Egypt. A few generations later, the Egyptians persecute the descendants of Jacob. God sends Moses to take them out of Egypt. God sends a bunch of plagues on the land of Egypt through Moses and Aaron, his brother. The we have the parting of the sea and the Israelites are finally free of Pharoh's clutches when he and his army end up under the waters of the Red Sea. This is the Exodus.
So the next Israelites in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. The book of Leviticus is all about the law God gives to the people. Numbers is a counting of all the people, plus some neat stories about their journey through the wilderness and the disobedience of he people. Deuteronomy is the last words of Moses before he dies and before the people enter into the land. In Deuteronomy, Moses repeats the law and reminds the people of what God has done for them.
Sorry for all the background. It's sort of necessary.
In Exodus 24, God and Israel make a covenant with each other. The rest of Exodus talks of the Tabernacle, the place where the people would meet with the Lord to offer sacrifices. Leviticus gives most of the law. Then comes Leviticus 26, where God lists His blessings and His curses for the people if they keep or break covenant with Him. This is my summary of the blessing and curses:
If the people obey, God will give them, in this order-
1. Good harvests
2. Safety in the land
3. Victory over their enemies
4. Abundance
5. Close Relationship with God (He says He will "walk among them")
These are the promises of obedience. For disobedience comes-
1. Illness and disease
2. Defeat at the hands of their enemies
3. The land will produce nothing
4. Wild beasts will take their livestock and their children
5. More defeat and exile ("I will scatter you")
The language used to describe the curses is very strong. At one point, the LORD tells them that they will hear a leaf shake in the wind, and they will flee as if from an enemy who is trying to kill them, and they will fall. Just take a second and imagine it. How terrible.
The blessings and curses hold one thing in common- a succession that leads to completion. Perfect disobedience leads to perfect terror. Perfect obedience leads to perfect relationship with God. He promises even to "walk among them." The only other time I can recall that happening in scripture is Genesis, before sin entered the world.
Sorry this wasn't too exciting. It kind of reads like a text book. But it sets the stage for the last blog or two. So it was necessary. Thanks for reading. I hope you learned something!
posted by I Believe We Shall Win at 9:13 PM
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