"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:
That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:"
Deuteronomy 29:9-15
This is good stuff. It makes it plain. If we live up to our covenants with God, we'll prosper in all that we do. Now, of course, it gets more complicated since we keep screwing up and having to brush ourselves off and get back on track... but the promise still holds, inasmuch as we keep our covenants.
There are lots of really great things here. God wants to work with us. Kind of like Isaiah 1:18. God wants to sit down with us and help us figure things out. He isn't casting any of us away... he is offering to work together and come to an agreement... and if we fulfill our part of the bargain, he will ALWAYS fulfill his part. He promises us amazing things... things that are miraculous compared with the world we live in. Immortality. Spiritual fulfillment... no emptiness. Happiness. Eternal families. Perfect bodies, immune to pain and sickness. A Zion society, where everyone is loved and treated well, with no poor. And he promises more, as though that weren't enough. Posterity, priesthood, and a place to prosper... land here, inheritance in the afterlife... all of it. And our part? We have to listen to him, let him lead us. Learn what he teaches. Kind of like an apprenticeship in the coolest trade ever. :)
All of that is amazing, but even better... my favorite part of these verses is "also with him that is not here with us this day." God offered this deal to his ancient covenant people, but he also offers it to us now, today. Everyone reading this today and everyone who reads this verse ever. Everyone who comes before God has the opportunity to reason together with him, and work out his salvation. And so today, let's take God at his word. Whatever our lot in life... captains, drawers of water, children, and everyone... God offers us this same deal. If we'll follow him and do as he asks, and work to learn what he teaches, then he will be our God, and he will cause us to prosper... and so much more. ... I don't know about you, but seems like a super-sweet deal to me. I suggest we try it. :)
Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:
That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:"
Deuteronomy 29:9-15
This is good stuff. It makes it plain. If we live up to our covenants with God, we'll prosper in all that we do. Now, of course, it gets more complicated since we keep screwing up and having to brush ourselves off and get back on track... but the promise still holds, inasmuch as we keep our covenants.
There are lots of really great things here. God wants to work with us. Kind of like Isaiah 1:18. God wants to sit down with us and help us figure things out. He isn't casting any of us away... he is offering to work together and come to an agreement... and if we fulfill our part of the bargain, he will ALWAYS fulfill his part. He promises us amazing things... things that are miraculous compared with the world we live in. Immortality. Spiritual fulfillment... no emptiness. Happiness. Eternal families. Perfect bodies, immune to pain and sickness. A Zion society, where everyone is loved and treated well, with no poor. And he promises more, as though that weren't enough. Posterity, priesthood, and a place to prosper... land here, inheritance in the afterlife... all of it. And our part? We have to listen to him, let him lead us. Learn what he teaches. Kind of like an apprenticeship in the coolest trade ever. :)
All of that is amazing, but even better... my favorite part of these verses is "also with him that is not here with us this day." God offered this deal to his ancient covenant people, but he also offers it to us now, today. Everyone reading this today and everyone who reads this verse ever. Everyone who comes before God has the opportunity to reason together with him, and work out his salvation. And so today, let's take God at his word. Whatever our lot in life... captains, drawers of water, children, and everyone... God offers us this same deal. If we'll follow him and do as he asks, and work to learn what he teaches, then he will be our God, and he will cause us to prosper... and so much more. ... I don't know about you, but seems like a super-sweet deal to me. I suggest we try it. :)
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