Deu 7:13 | KingComments | STEP | By keeping God’s commandments, the people can show that they love God. This in turn results in God’s special love. It gives Him opportunity, so to speak, to declare a new reason for His love for them. He loves the people from Himself, but He also wants His people to feel His love based on what He finds of them in the practice of their lives ( ). This also applies to us and to a more intimate degree. The Lord Jesus speaks about this in the upper room with His disciples. There He tells how keeping the commandments and love for Him belong together ( ). The reward of this is to experience the love of the Father and the Lord Jesus and to gain an insight into the further glory of the Son. Our knowledge of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus will increase. The commandments mentioned by the Lord Jesus are not the Ten Commandments. They don’t promise a revelation of the Son. The commandments of the Lord Jesus go far beyond that. It is the commandments that indicate the desire of the new life to do the will of God. These are not limiting or prescriptive commandments – “you shall” and “you shall not” –, but it is every obedience to whatever the Lord Jesus asks us to do. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” ( ). These commandments are not burdensome because they fit perfectly with the new life that finds its joy in keeping these commandments. This is followed by an even more far-reaching proof of love toward the Lord Jesus. We find this in the Lord’s words: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” ( ). The reward of this is that the Father and the Son will come and make Their abode with such a person. This is not just about doing something that the Lord Jesus asks us to do, but about doing everything that we know pleases Him without His having expressly said it to us. When a father tells one of his children to do something, and the child does what he is told to do, it's a good thing. When a father tells his wife to do something and one of the children hears it and does it for his father, it goes beyond. The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Love that manifests itself in obedience results in abundant blessing. There is multiplication of the earthly blessing. There is abundance in the fruit of the land and in the posterity, exaltation above other peoples, no diseases and ailments of Egypt. For us, spiritual prosperity is linked to obedience ( ). Prosperity is presented in three areas. First there is the fruit of the womb. That’s about new life, in the land. Paul says of the Galatians, about whom he is in great concern because of the legalism that has entered there: “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” ( ). The fruit of the womb is seen spiritually where a person is presented complete in Christ, that is to say that someone knows his position in Christ and lives by it ( ). The second proof is the fruit of the land, summarized in “your grain and your new wine and your oil”. These are for us symbols of Christ as our food (grain) and our joy (wine) that we enjoy in the power of the Holy Spirit (oil). The third proof of prosperity is the fruit of cattle, in which the increasing possibilities of sacrificing can be seen, which for us means an increasing worship. For us, illness is not proof of disobedience. The illnesses and ailments of Egypt speak to us of the spiritual attitude we used to suffer from ( ). This attitude will again be visible in us as we stray from God. God rewards His people for their walk. However, they must beware of the trap of protecting the hostile peoples and serving their idols. We fall into this trap when we are no longer pleased with everything the Lord has given us in blessings. Then we become jealous of what the people of the world or worldly-minded Christians can all afford and want the same.

‏ Deuteronomy 7:13

Blessing as a Reward

By keeping God’s commandments, the people can show that they love God. This in turn results in God’s special love. It gives Him opportunity, so to speak, to declare a new reason for His love for them. He loves the people from Himself, but He also wants His people to feel His love based on what He finds of them in the practice of their lives (Deu 7:13).

This also applies to us and to a more intimate degree. The Lord Jesus speaks about this in the upper room with His disciples. There He tells how keeping the commandments and love for Him belong together (Jn 14:21). The reward of this is to experience the love of the Father and the Lord Jesus and to gain an insight into the further glory of the Son. Our knowledge of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus will increase.

The commandments mentioned by the Lord Jesus are not the Ten Commandments. They don’t promise a revelation of the Son. The commandments of the Lord Jesus go far beyond that. It is the commandments that indicate the desire of the new life to do the will of God. These are not limiting or prescriptive commandments – “you shall” and “you shall not” –, but it is every obedience to whatever the Lord Jesus asks us to do. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1Jn 5:3). These commandments are not burdensome because they fit perfectly with the new life that finds its joy in keeping these commandments.

This is followed by an even more far-reaching proof of love toward the Lord Jesus. We find this in the Lord’s words: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (Jn 14:23). The reward of this is that the Father and the Son will come and make Their abode with such a person. This is not just about doing something that the Lord Jesus asks us to do, but about doing everything that we know pleases Him without His having expressly said it to us. When a father tells one of his children to do something, and the child does what he is told to do, it's a good thing. When a father tells his wife to do something and one of the children hears it and does it for his father, it goes beyond.

The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Love that manifests itself in obedience results in abundant blessing. There is multiplication of the earthly blessing. There is abundance in the fruit of the land and in the posterity, exaltation above other peoples, no diseases and ailments of Egypt. For us, spiritual prosperity is linked to obedience (Acts 9:31).

Prosperity is presented in three areas. First there is the fruit of the womb. That’s about new life, in the land. Paul says of the Galatians, about whom he is in great concern because of the legalism that has entered there: “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:19-20). The fruit of the womb is seen spiritually where a person is presented complete in Christ, that is to say that someone knows his position in Christ and lives by it (Col 1:28).

The second proof is the fruit of the land, summarized in “your grain and your new wine and your oil”. These are for us symbols of Christ as our food (grain) and our joy (wine) that we enjoy in the power of the Holy Spirit (oil).

The third proof of prosperity is the fruit of cattle, in which the increasing possibilities of sacrificing can be seen, which for us means an increasing worship.

For us, illness is not proof of disobedience. The illnesses and ailments of Egypt speak to us of the spiritual attitude we used to suffer from (Tit 3:3). This attitude will again be visible in us as we stray from God.

God rewards His people for their walk. However, they must beware of the trap of protecting the hostile peoples and serving their idols. We fall into this trap when we are no longer pleased with everything the Lord has given us in blessings. Then we become jealous of what the people of the world or worldly-minded Christians can all afford and want the same.