six blessings

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

Deuteronomy 28:3-6

Six blessings are promised to Israel in this passage. These blessings come in covenant with God as Israel worships the Lord and commits to loving and obeying God’s Law. They cover all facets of life for any observant Israelite:

1) Urban life is blessed.

2) Rural life is blessed.

3) Increased blessing abounds with children, produce, and livestock.

4) Even household utensils used for daily sustenance are blessed.

5) Blessing would come when entering home.

6) Blessing would follow when leaving home.

Although Israel would eventually find it totally impossible to keep all of God’s Law, God’s grace and blessing would still attend them. God would bring prophets to graciously issue course corrections. God would bring a Messiah to eventually bless all the world through them so that by the obedience of Jesus all the Law would be fulfilled and all the world, both Jew and Gentile, would be abundantly blessed in Him.

In a time when #blessed is way overused and abused in underrated experiences and gross materialism, the true blessing of Jesus warms my life. Blessing isn’t about showing off my social media enhanced lifestyle with a false humility. Blessing is about a worship style that recognizes that every part of my life, all my day, in every way… from where I live to what I eat… all my life is a blessed gift from a good God that I enjoy thoroughly in the love of my Savior Jesus Christ!