Daily Devotions- Blessings and Curses

Daily Devotions- Blessings and Curses

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

 

Deuteronomy 27:26-28:6 (NIV)

26 “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” 28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

 

Our Sunday study on Galatians brings us to a section filled with quotes: Galatians 3:10-15.  Paul is using every argument, every element of reason he can find to convince the Galatians to trust in the promise of God’s grace, to add nothing to what Christ has done for them on the cross.  To make his case, he pulls from the ancient Hebrew scrolls, our Old Testament.  This week, we too will review these quotes and reflect on what they mean for us as we too stand in God’s grace!  We begin with these Blessings and Curses found in Deuteronomy.  God’s law was not a set of arbitrary rules.  These mandates were set out to protect his new, chosen community.  The laws gave them guidelines for living well.  Living according to these laws would not only benefit the community, the faithful would live a life blessed by God.  Standing in the sure knowledge of God’s grace and forgiveness, hear well the Blessings that reach through history to us this day.  May you know God’s Blessing, may you see his grace.