God made many promises to the people of Israel in the Bible, both blessings for obedience and punishments for disobedience. Here is an overview of some of the key blessings God promised to Israel if they followed His commandments:
Blessings in the Land
One of God’s foundational promises was that obedience would lead to blessings in the Promised Land of Israel. For example:
- “If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
- “I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.” (Leviticus 26:6)
- “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)
So obedience would lead to peace, security, and prosperity in the land God had promised. Disobedience, however, would lead to being removed from the land (Deuteronomy 28:63-68).
Agricultural Blessings
In an agricultural society, blessings on crops and livestock were highly valued. God promised:
- “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.” (Deuteronomy 28:4)
- “I will give you the rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:4)
- “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.” (Joel 2:26)
So obedience would lead to fruitful harvests and healthy flocks, providing abundant provision.
National Blessings
God also promised national blessings – strength, reputation, and victory over enemies:
- “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” (Deuteronomy 28:7)
- “And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.” (Deuteronomy 28:11)
- “You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:12-13)
Obedience would strengthen Israel and elevate them above other nations.
Victory Over Enemies
One specific national blessing was victory in battle:
- “The Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes who hate and persecute you.” (Deuteronomy 30:7)
- “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:8)
- “I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.” (Leviticus 26:6)
Israel would have supernatural power and success against any who attacked them.
Health and Long Life
God also promised physical blessings of health and long life:
- “You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” (Exodus 23:25-26)
- “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” (Exodus 15:26)
Obedience would bring healing, fertility, and long life free from disease.
Blessings on Children
In a culture that valued children, God promised blessings on families:
- “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.” (Deuteronomy 28:4)
- “You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.” (Deuteronomy 7:14-15)
Healthy children and livestock was a key sign of God’s blessing on families that loved and obeyed Him.
The Blessing of God’s Presence
One of the greatest blessings promised was God’s presence with His people:
- “If you will walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them … I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:3, 12)
- “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
The gift of knowing and walking with God was the richest reward of all for obedience.
Generational Blessings
Another aspect of God’s promises was that blessings would pass down to future generations of those who loved Him:
- “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
- “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)
Obedience would lead to blessings flowing down through many generations.
A New Heart and Spirit
Along with external blessings, God promised internal transformation:
- “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
- “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Obedience would lead to spiritual renewal, through the power of God’s Spirit.
Ultimate Blessing in the Messiah
All of these blessings ultimately pointed ahead to the blessing of the Messiah – Jesus Christ:
- “I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:7-9)
- “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness.'” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
The Messiah would bring the kingdom of God and ultimate peace, justice, salvation, and security – the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
In summary, God promised Israel incredible blessings in their land, families, nation, health, and lives if they walked in obedience to Him and His commandments. While they experienced some temporary blessings at times, the promises ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ – the long-awaited Messiah who perfectly obeyed God and brought eternal spiritual blessings.
