As Christians standing for marriage restoration and facing so much economic and cultural turmoil, it is vitally important that we better understand the judgment and blessings of God and how they impact our lives and the lives of our spouses and those we love. And since we know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, a great place to begin understanding God’s judgment and blessings is with the declarations found in Deuteronomy 30 and Isaiah 55, which I strongly urge everyone to read and study on your own.

While many people believe and teach that God gives us “free will” and that it’s up to us to choose; when we read what He actually said; it’s clear that God COMMANDS us to OBEY Him and HE leaves absolutely NO DOUBT about what happens when we don’t! Yet, those who believe that we have free will tend to leave off the part about the terrible judgment and consequences of choosing to disobey God. And we can’t possibly understand what God said about setting life and death, blessings and curses before us in Deuteronomy 30 without reading it in its full context, especially when Deuteronomy 30:19 is in no way a valid basis for the false and misleading doctrine of free will that’s promoted today in direct opposition to the Word of God; because verses 17-20 actually declare… But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And the Bible is full of verses declaring that we have to TRUST AND OBEY God to receive His blessings, provision and protection; such as some of our favorites like Psalm 37:5-6 and Proverbs 3:5-6. And in addition to declaring the blessings, protection and provision gained through obedience to God’s Word, in Luke 6:46-49, Jesus reaffirmed the total and complete destruction we can expect when we fail to put the Word of God into practice.

And it’s just not possible to read and study the Old Testament without realizing that God ALWAYS brings judgment and consequences for disobedience, and there’s not one word in the New Testament indicating that He no longer does that. Quite the contrary, just look at what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they needlessly lied (Acts 5:1-11)! It’s also pretty obvious that God did not do away with His requirement for obedience in the New Testament when we read Hebrews 3:7-19, which makes it very clear that God’s view of disobedience and disbelief was the same in New Testament times as in Old Testament times; just as it is today because God never changes.

Yet, it’s also very important to understand WHY God brings judgment when we “choose” to walk in ways contrary to His Word, and the Bible is full of passages making that abundantly clear; such as Hosea 2. God ALWAYS wants us to turn from our wicked ways and to Him, so He does whatever it takes to make us do that; because as Deuteronomy 4:30-31 declares, When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. And as every man and woman standing for marriage restoration can attest to, when our lives were turned upside-down, we turned to God and called on Him for help; which is exactly what He intended us to do, as confirmed in Jeremiah 29:11-13, which says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. But the really GOOD NEWS is the wonderful assurance of restoration and mercy we have in Isaiah 55 when we turn from our disobedience and seek the Lord; as verses 6-7 declare…Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. And then Isaiah 55 goes on to reveal how through the love, goodness and mercy of God, we will literally reap a much better harvest than the seeds we’ve sown when we turn back to the Lord, because verses 11-13 declare…You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.” And then in Ephesians 14-14, we even have God’s Word and assurance that EVERYTHING WAS ALL PREDESTINED for that very purpose BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD and that the promised Holy Spirit GUARANTEES it!

It’s also important for us to understand WHAT God expects us to do during this time in our lives, and we have a great illustration of that in Jeremiah 29:4-13, which makes it pretty obvious that God does NOT expect us to be idle; quite the contrary, He clearly expects us to use this time very productively. And this passage also reminds and assures us that there is an appointed time and expected end, which for us will be the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families as God faithfully restores all that the locusts HE SENT have destroyed (Joel 2:24-27)!

While Deuteronomy 28 reveals the great promise of blessings, provision and protection to those who remain obedient to God, it is a particularly heart breaking and powerful passage of scripture in light of all we see going on in the world around us today and what it reveals will happen to those who are not obedient and who refuse to acknowledge God. And since that might well apply to many of our beloved spouses and family members, we are called to stand in the gap and pray and fast for their salvation and deliverance from the hold the devil has on their souls and in their lives. Sadly, God’s judgment against this country is long overdue and we have likely reached a time when it will no longer be withheld, and as we study Deuteronomy 28, we can see how God’s judgment for our disobedience as a nation is now being manifested before our very eyes. And just as happened to the Israelites and as foretold in verse 47; because we failed to serve the LORD our God joyfully and gladly in times of prosperity, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, we will serve the enemies the LORD sends against us. Yet we still have to DO as God instructs us to do in such times, which is to live PRODUCTIVE lives in obedience to His Word as we trust HIM to defend and deliver us. Thankfully, we can rely on His Word in Revelation 3:10, where He promised…Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. And we can take comfort in the knowledge we have that no matter what happens, and no matter what harm and evil others intend, NOTHING happens that God has not intended for the ultimate good and saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20) and no matter how bad something might seem to us, when we love God and are called according to HIS purpose, we have HIS Word, that HE will cause it all to work together for our good (Romans 8:28)! And we can all rely on God’s awesome promise in 1 Peter 5:10-11, which declares And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Since God only disciplines those He loves, it’s important to understand that His greatest blessings are often brought about through His judgment and discipline, because that’s often what it takes to bring us to repentance and into right relationship with Him (Revelation 3:19), which many of our testimonies bear witness to. And as Job 5:17-18 states, and many standing for marriage restoration can attest to as well…“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. Therefore, we must learn to welcome and wisely accept God’s judgment and discipline, realizing that His blessings will follow. Even though the Bible rarely makes me laugh, I couldn’t help laughing when I read the “no nonsense” declaration in Proverbs 12:1, which just says Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. So let’s not be stupid! Let’s understand how to avoid God’s judgment, why He brings it, what we are to do in such times, and what it will accomplish in our lives and the lives of many others. The bottom line is that no matter what, when we turn to God in obedience, and when we put ALL of our hope, trust and faith in Him as we obey Him, He will restore all we have lost and then some as He restores us to both Him and to our spouses, which He will do for the praise, honor and glory of Jesus Christ! So let’s not despise the judgment and discipline of God because it will ultimately bring His blessings for us and those we love! Therefore, be blessed and encouraged!

Posted Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 10:34 pm in Seeds Of Faith.