Biblical Prosperity? "The Curse?" (Page 1)
Updated: Jan 3, 2019
Prosperity begins here.
We are told to make a choice:
Choose life and prosperity
or
death and adversity.
I will comment briefly and ask questions. But, I have decided to let the WORD of God speak for itself. You will need to read and study and mediate on His Word and decide: What is Prosperity in the Bible? And can it help or hinder? (I have made separation in paragraphs and used bold type for emphasis)
Deuteronomy 30:8 "And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.
9 "Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers;
10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
11 ¶ "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.
12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’
13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’
14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
15 ¶ "See, I have set before you today
life and prosperity,
and
death and adversity;
16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
1. But, is what we hear about prosperity from Christian Preachers today the same as what we read from the Word of God?
The Bible tells us that we will experience BOTH, prosperity and adversity and life and death. It is withing our reach - it is in our mouth and in our heart that we may observe it.
This is the balance of scriptures.
Observation #1. The Bible tells us to expect to encounter both prosperity and adversity.
Observation #2. Is this what we hear and see in the Western-style Christianity being practiced by most American Christians today? Many, if not most, churches and Christians have discarded much of the clear teaching in the Bible in favor of "what sounds reasonable in post-modern America" and thereby fail to appropriate the Promises of God contained in His Word.
We cannot understand God's Word from a modern perspective. We cannot understand God's Word from a human perspective. We must come to know Jesus, be filled with The Holy Spirit and posses the Mind of Christ in our diligent, passionate and fervent pursuit of Him and His Word.
The Bible tell us that we must walk in His ways and keep His commandments and His statues and His judgments so we may live and so that the LORD our God may bless us in the land.
Please read the following, which I have titled "Page 1" and consider the Eternal, Unchanging, Word of God:
"The Curse" from Strong's Concordance #07045 קללה qᵉlalah kel-aw-law’
from 07043; n f; [BDB-887a] {See TWOT on 2028 @@ "2028d" }
AV-curse 27, cursing 5, accursed 1; 33
1) curse, vilification, execration
from #07043 קלל qalal kaw-lal’, a primitive root; v; AV-curse
1) to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light
1a1) to be slight, be abated (of water)
1a2) to be swift
1a3) to be trifling, be of little account
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be swift, show oneself swift
1b2) to appear trifling, be too trifling, be insignificant
1b3) to be lightly esteemed
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to make despicable
1c2) to curse
1d) (Pual) to be cursed
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to make light, lighten
1e2) to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonour
Deuteronomy 27:1 ¶ Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I command you today.
2 "So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime 3 and write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 "So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime. 5 "Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them. 6 "You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God; 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. 8 "You shall write on the stones all the words of this law very distinctly." 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, "Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God.
10 "You shall therefore obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today."
11 ¶ Moses also charged the people on that day, saying, 12 "When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
13 "For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 "The Levites shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice, 15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’ 16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 18 ‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 19 ‘Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 20 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 22 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 23 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 24 ‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 26 ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
(Next: The Blessings, Page 2