Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18
Reading the blessings makes you wonder why anyone would choose to disobey God. During Solomon’s reign was the closest the nation got to living in the blessings. But, it didn’t take long for them to stray and move back to the curses. Proverbs 25:2 says that a curse will not come without a cause. We can read the blessings and the curses and examine our lives to see which we are living in. Most people blame God for everything bad that happens to them and never consider that it may be their fault. Bad things do happen to good people who are obedient and love the Lord. A trial is not a curse. Trials come to promote us; curses come to destroy us. Ask the Holy Spirit when you are in doubt.
In Luke, Jesus healed a mute man and he spoke. This was one of the Messianic miracles that the priests had deemed only the Messiah, when he came, would be able to do. When Jesus did this Messianic miracle, they had to respond. They decided that Jesus had to do it under Satan’s power and not God’s. This was the deciding moment for them and Jesus pronounced judgment on them from this time on. We will read about those woes tomorrow. Jesus ministry took a turn and he no longer did his miracles in the open, but in secret. He had been rejected from his own and now he would be less public and more discrete. He also would require that they had faith to be healed.
The crowds wanted to see signs that he was the Messiah and he had shown them every sign that the Torah gave and the still didn’t believe. So, Jesus told them the last sign they would see is him die and raise to life just like Jonah did. Of course, they didn’t understand… but what was new!
Our Psalms says that God walked through the Red Sea before them but his footprints were hidden. How cool!
Lord, help us to live in your blessings and grow through your trials.
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