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better homes and gardens

Deuteronomy 28:1-6 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now if you faithfully obey Yahveh your God and are careful to do all his commands I am commanding you today, Yahveh your God will put you far above all the nations of the land.
Deuteronomy 28:2 All these empowerments will come and overtake you, because you obey Yahveh your God:
Deuteronomy 28:3 You will be empowered in the city and empowered in the country.
Deuteronomy 28:4 Your offspring will be empowered, and your land’s produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks.
Deuteronomy 28:5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be empowered.
Deuteronomy 28:6 You will be empowered when you come in and empowered when you go out.

better homes and gardens

The Israelites, as the Mosaic covenant community were to be empowered so that they could demonstrate God’s power to the nations. Their empowerment consisted of better crops, better livestock, better homes and better cities. That was not code for “going to heaven when you die.” The betterment was the actual outcome to obedience to the Mosaic instruction.

There are additional blessings under the new covenant with Christ, but the principle of empowerment for the purpose of witness remains the same. We who are saved by grace are to be a city set on a hill, advertising God’s goodness to a world who needs him. The means of this betterment is also the same — obedience. When we obey the commands of Christ, he empowers our lives, so that we demonstrate his goodness, drawing others to him.

Lord, thank you for saving us by your grace. Show us how to obey your commands so that others can experience this grace as well.