Why Obey God? God Blesses Our Obedience

Moses:  ¹ “If you fully obey (listen to the Voice of) the LORD your God and carefully keep all His commands (commandments) that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. ² You will experience all these blessings if you obey (listen to the Voice of) the LORD your God: ³ Your towns and your fields will be blessed. ⁴ Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. ⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. ⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. ⁷ The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! ⁸ “The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.”

⁹ “If you obey the commands (commandments) of the LORD your God and walk in His ways, the LORD will establish you as His holy people as He swore He would do. ¹⁰ Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.”

¹¹ “The LORD will give you prosperity (surplus) in the land He swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. ¹² The LORD will send rain at the proper time from His rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. ¹³ If you listen to these commands (commandments) of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top (above) and never at the bottom. ¹⁴ You must not turn away from any of the commands (commandments) I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship (serve) them.” Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (NLT)

This whole chapter of Deuteronomy 28 is a forceful statement of a universal value: those who are faithful to and obey the LORD God will receive His blessings (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14), and those who are unfaithful and disobedient to the LORD God can expect to receive His judgment and wrath (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Obedience to the living God and His moral commands leads to God’s blessings such as military success, good crops, healing, and healthy children (see also Exodus 23:22-27; Leviticus 26:3-13; 1 Kings 2:2-4; Psalm 1:1-3). Sadly, our disobedience to the living God and His moral commands leads to suffering such as disease, famine, and military defeat (see also Leviticus 26:14-39; Psalm 1:4-6). Both the Old and New Testament call for God’s people to wholeheartedly and faithfully obey the living God and His moral commandments and point to deserved punishment for those who do not (e.g., see Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 5:17-19; Matthew 7:21; John 14:15, 21, 23; John 15:10; James 2:14-20; 1 John 2:2-3; 1 John 5:2-5; Revelation 14:12). God’s commandments –  not legalisms such as the world’s rules, regulations, and ceremonies – are not burdensome (see Matthew 11:30; Matthew 23:4).

The living LORD God is always faithful to His people (e.g., see Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13), and He expects His people to be faithful and wholeheartedly worship and obey Him (e.g., see Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Deuteronomy 10:12-13). The living God wants to bless you (e.g., see Deuteronomy 6:2, 24; Deuteronomy 28:1-14)! God’s abundant blessings take many different forms and not just material wealth since as military success, healthy bodies, peace of mind, and productive lands (Deuteronomy 28:3-13; see also Leviticus 26:3-13). However, when we are unfaithful and disobedient to the living God, then the LORD God will discipline and punish instead (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The living God punishes the disobedient not through blind rage but to develop responsibility, character, and obedience from His people (see also Hebrews 12:5-11). In summary, obedience and faithfulness to the living God bring His blessings while our disobedience and unfaithfulness to the living God and His moral commandments bring His curses. Therefore, we should ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL, COMMITTED, AND OBEDIENT TO THE LIVING LORD GOD! There are always consequences to wrongdoing (e.g., see 2 Kings 17:7-20).

In the opening verses of Deuteronomy 28, Moses strongly instructs the people to wholeheartedly listen and obey the Voice of the LORD God and to practice carefully all the living God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 28:1; see also Exodus 15:26). Through our faithful obedience to His Voice and His moral commandments, the living LORD God promised to bless His people and set His people high above all other nations of the earth (Deuteronomy 28:1-2; see also Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 26:19). If we listen obediently to the Voice of LORD God and wholeheartedly obey all His commandments, then the living God promised the following blessings:

·         blessed shall you be in the city and the country (Deuteronomy 28:3; see also Psalm 119:1; Psalm 128:1, 4-6);

·         blessed shall be your children, the produce of your grounds, and the increase of your flocks and herds (Deuteronomy 28:4, 11; see also Exodus 25:26; Leviticus 26:9; Deuteronomy 7:12-13);

·         blessed shall be your fruit and bread (see Deuteronomy 28:5);

·         blessings shall be in your life when you come in and when you go out (Deuteronomy 28:6; see also Psalm 121:8).

Moreover, through our obedience to His Voice and moral commandments, the living God will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face (Deuteronomy 28:7; see also Exodus 23:22, 27; Leviticus 26:7-8). The living God will cause your enemies to come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways (see Deuteronomy 28:7). A part of the blessing of obedience to God is that enemies, concrete or abstract, flee. Even more, the LORD God will command His blessing on you, bless your land, and prosper the work of your hands (Deuteronomy 28:8; see also Leviticus 25:21; Deuteronomy 15:10). The LORD God will guarantee His blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with plenty (see also Leviticus 26:5).

Then, Moses declared to the people that through our keeping the living God’s moral commandments and walking in His righteous ways, the living God will change and establish you into His holy people dedicated to Himself (Deuteronomy 28:9; see also Exodus 19:5-6). Afterwards, all peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the Name of the LORD God, and they will be afraid and in awe of you (Deuteronomy 28:10; see also Exodus 34:6-7).  Through our obedience to the LORD God’s Voice and His commandments, the living God’s Presence (Name) will be with you – that is the Holy Spirit of God (Deuteronomy 28:10; see also Exodus 23:20-33; Leviticus 26:3, 11-13; Jeremiah 7:23; Jeremiah 11:4; John 14:15-17, 21, 23).

Even more, through our obedience to His Voice and keeping His moral commandments, the LORD God promised to give you an abundance of many children, many cattle, and abundant crops (Deuteronomy 28:11; see also Leviticus 26:9).  Also, the living God will open to you His wonderful treasuries from heaven and give His rain for fine crops every season (Deuteronomy 28:12; see also Leviticus 26:4; Deuteronomy 11:13-15). Moreover, the living God promises to bless the work of your hands and everything you do through our obedience to His Voice and keeping His moral commandments (Deuteronomy 28:12; see also Deuteronomy 8:17-18). In other words, the living God will bless His people in their daily work, care for them, and prosper their efforts. Furthermore, you will be a lender to many nations, but shall not borrow from anyone through obedience to His Voice and keeping His moral commandments (Deuteronomy 28:12; see also Psalm 37:26). Finally, the living God promised if you will obey His Voice and keep His moral commandments, then He will make you the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (see Deuteronomy 28:13).

Moses strongly proclaimed that all God’s abundant blessings depend upon His people wholeheartedly obeying the living God’s Voice and His righteous commandments (Deuteronomy 28:14; e.g., see also Deuteronomy 5:32; Joshua 1:7-8; James 1:22-25). The greatest of all God’s moral commandments is to never seek after and worship other gods (Deuteronomy 28:14; see also Leviticus 26:1-2; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 22:37). The Holy Scriptures clearly proclaim that God’s abundant blessings and His Presence comes to those who honor and respect Him and humbly walk in all His righteous ways (e.g., see Psalm 119:1; Psalm 121:3-8; Psalm 128:1-4; Revelation 21:1-8). Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD (e.g., see Exodus 19:5; Psalm 33:12; Psalm 144:15; Psalm 146:5).

The Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed in the great Sermon on the Mount that He did not come to cancel the commandments of God nor the writings of Old Testament the prophets but obedience to His Father’s commandments (Matthew 5:17-19; see also Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; Romans 3:31). In fact, believers of Jesus are under the same covenant originally given to Israel at Mount Sinai (e.g., see Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; John 14:15-16, 20-21, 23; John 15:9-10; 1 John 2:3-5; 2 John 1:6). The old covenant – the Ten Commandments – was written on stone by the LORD God’s finger for Israel to obey (e.g., see also Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:15-16; Exodus 34:1, 27-28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 5:22; Deuteronomy 10:1-4). However, the ancient Israel often broke and disobeyed God and His righteous laws (e.g., see Exodus 32; Jeremiah 11:10-11; Jeremiah 34:18; Malachi 2:8). The LORD God wrote His moral commandments given to Moses on stone tablets and not on the human heart. Thus, the old system of the law on stone tablets was powerless to purge away our sins and transform our heart and minds from within (2 Corinthians 3:3, 7; see also Exodus 24:12; Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:15-16; Exodus 34:1; Deuteronomy 9:10; Romans 8:3).

The Old Testament prophets predicted that this old covenant will now be written on our hearts which is what the Lord Jesus Christ has done through faith in Him (e.g., see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:37-41; Ezekiel 11:19-21; Ezekiel 36:24-27; Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16). Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we become one with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and the living God writes the covenant – the Ten Commandments – on our hearts! The new covenant instituted at Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death brings a new and transformed heart and mind by the Holy Spirit and declares everyone righteous who believe and obey Jesus and the Gospel message (2 Corinthians 3:6-9, 11-12; see also John 3:3-8; Romans 3:28; Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 3:2-5). Through faith in God’s Son Jesus, God’s original commandments are now engraved inwardly onto believers’ hearts and minds and it is no longer an external set of rules and principles (2 Corinthians 3:3-4; e.g., see also Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:37-41; Ezekiel 11:19-21; Ezekiel 36:24-27). The Holy Spirit works inside believer to activate our consciences, influence our motives and desires, and make us want to obey God (see Romans 8:2, 5; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

Sadly, during Jesus’ years on earth and even today, many religious leaders are guilty of taking away from God’s Law – the Ten Commandments – by replacing God’s commandments with their own traditions and rituals that were not given by God (e.g., see Matthew 15:3-9; Mark 7:1-13). Such rules and regulations may seem holy, but they are legalism. Jesus rebuked these religious leaders for adding to God’s laws (see Matthew 23:1-4). The living God wants everyone to listen to His Voice and practice commandments down in our hearts because obedience to God’s Voice and His commandments brings our salvation and blessings (e.g., see Deuteronomy 26:16-17; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Malachi 3:14-18; Matthew 12:36; Matthew 19:16-19; Luke 8:12, 15; Romans 2:16; Romans 14:10, 12; 1 Corinthians 4:5).