PROSPERITY - DEUTERONOMY 8:6-19
6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. KJV
Deuteronomy is labeled as the fifth book of Moses, the Law Giver. This book was a part of the Law given to Moses through the inspiration of God. The Law of God was revealed to Moses for the nation of Israel as a foundation for their society and government. Since the Law of God was necessary for that nation to understand not only what was required by them but also what was the Heart of God to make it easier for them to worship Him. The Lord reveals His will all through the Law and more importantly God reveals Himself, showing the Israelites that He has a true and deep love for His People. Since the Children of Israel represented God’s chosen people for that day we can take many of their instructions and apply the principles to our life today as Christians. Although not everything from the Old Testament should be applied directly to the New Testament we can rest assured that the covenant God had with the Israelites was a lesser covenant than the one established with the current New Covenant for Christians.
Hebrews 8:5-6 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
6 But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he (Jesus) is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. KJV
Therefore in this teaching from God through Moses we can receive the thoughts of God’s desire to bless His Covenant People. This God breathed desire is still applicable for all Jews and Christians like, because we are both in a Covenant with God today. The first thing we would like to draw your attention to is verse 6, which brings out three things. First, “thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God” which is basically stating that we must concentrate upon God’s Word. This is the substance of our heart that brings forth fruit. The Lord always starts on the inside then once His principles and precepts become a part of our inner man they will automatically affect our outward actions in a positive manner. The positive actions are what the Lord mentions secondly, “to walk in his ways”. This simply means we should be doers of God’s Word not just listeners to God’s Word. We must do both because after listening to God’s Will one would be walking in disobedience to ignore the commandments of God revealed to them. The blessing of God is typically a process where by we listen (to learn) then we do (to experience). Doing what God said for you to do is upholding righteousness before God and your fellow man. Thirdly, we see the phrase, “and to fear him” which speaks about our reverence toward God. This third instruction is just as important as the other two because if you have no fear (reverence, respect) of God you are biblically considered a fool.
Psalm 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. KJV
We must be wise enough to acknowledge the Presence of God in our daily affairs. I know some will ask the question, “Is God helping me today?” The correct answer is, “Only if you are doing His Word”. The reverence of God is the beginning of wisdom so we should always look to start out our day in wisdom by praying and thanking God when spending some quality time in His Word. Spending adequate time in God’s Word will help us to see exactly what our Gracious Lord promises to His Beloved Children that obey Him. Notice in verse 7 that the Lord said that He brings the Israelites into a good land, which includes brooks of water, on all levels. We can see that the land has great contour and depth because God created the land for His people. Notice that mountains provide shelter from overflowing brooks and also provide the best look out for protection for miles around. Mountains are commonly used to provide shelter from the intense heat of the sun and various types of storms. We know wherever there is water there is also some vegetation, which brings us to verse 8. The production of wheat and barley, vines and trees, pomegranates and oil olive and honey speaks to us about adequate provision. The sustenance of man is always a high priority when it comes to following a leader, therefore the Lord was calming man’s concerns with this information. We also know according to verse 9 that the Lord told the Children of Israel that this land had stones like iron and brass in the hills (plural). This informs the Children of Israel that stones of iron, which represents military strength, weapons, could be formed and fabricated in this land. Remember David used a stone to smite Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:39-51. Yes, the wall of the city could be strong with a plentiful supply of stone left over. The houses and buildings of the land could also be formed with stones and mortar. Stones in the land also informed them that the land as a whole had a strong (good, solid) foundation. Remember this is a good land. The digging for brass symbolizes some accumulation of wealth and aesthetics. Brass may be used for jewelry or home decoration and yet it can also be used for currency in the land. The term, “thou shalt not lack any thing in it” points to all their needs being met in this new land. This encourages them to forget about Egypt and they should not compare this new land to their experience in the wilderness. The first step toward prosperity is removing all wants because as soon as you are in the position of no lack you can start gathering up the extra. This storing of extra goods (assets) produces prosperity, which is a prerequisite of wealth. Many a person can be prosperous but being a person of wealth is usually an honor for the extremely prosperous. The promise of provisional prosperity is implied in verse 10 with the statement, “When thou hast eaten and art full”. This shows that the Lord has no doubt whatsoever about the success of the mission (His Calling, their ministry to take the Promised Land). This is probably because He has seen the future and knows the power of His Word. However, this is the verse where God starts instructing the Israelites on what to do after the prosperity is consummated. The words, “then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee” are not complicated. The Lord knowing the heart of man will be tempted to take credit for the works of their hands warns them against such arrogance in verse 11. The words “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God” can not be taken lightly. In today’s society many a saint of God, yes even ministers, who are enjoying prosperity have forgotten that the Lord gave them the ability to get this wealth by following His commandments as mentioned in the rest of verse 11. We can understand from verse 12 the temptation to forget about God’s instruction is much greater when one is full. Notice that in a nice house with a table full of provision one can easily get caught up on the lust of the eyes, thus allowing the pride of life to set in. The material prosperity is unlimited in verse 13 because the Lord specifically states multiplication of your herds, flocks, silver, gold and just in case something is left out what ever you have shall multiply. In the midst of total prosperity one could very easily think that their wisdom and their knowledge and their foresight has created this estate of wealth according to verse 14. When anyone accepts this erroneous ideal they have forgotten the Lord God which brought them out of Egypt. For us today this would be akin to forgetting that Jesus Saved us, not we ourselves. Some would boast, “I know that the Lord Saved Me but My obedience to His Word has cause me to be in the position of prosperity, not just faith in God alone”. This is the person who does not believe in the truth of Ephesians 2:7-9.
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. KJV
There will always be some who are proud through ignorance of God’s Word which many in the earth fall into by the rejection or non-education of God’s Word. However, they’re some others who choose to be haughty by reason of rejection of this truth in Ephesians 2:7-9. The whole emphasis of those particular verses and many others in the Holy Bible is that God’s Grace was given unto men for the sole purpose of blessing them. The praise, glory and honor should be given to God wholeheartedly without reservation. Those who choose to reserve some of God’s praises to them selves because they like to take pride in their works are unwise. Yes, many a person must choose to be humble and their humility will be seen through their actions and words. Angela and I choose to be humble by giving all glory, honor and praise unto Jesus and our Heavenly Father for all good things we possess upon the earth. This is not a decision we make every time someone blessings us with a good thing it is rather a principle we live by all of our life. We can only hope and pray that all believers would do likewise. We know this is a big problem because verse 15 simply reminds the Children of Israel of what they were brought through coming out of Egypt. Not only was there danger behind them in the form of pursuing Egyptians but also danger around them in the form of serpents and scorpions. The Lord reminded them that the threat of hunger was surrounding their future due to a lack of food and water. However, all this was done simply to test their humility. The question is asked of all believers today just as it was asked of the Israelites of Moses day, “Can we trust God to be the source and sustainer of our life?” We can note from verse 16 that all this was done unto them to do them (the Israelite, the Christian today) good in the long run. We must be a people who know that God will take care of us or else we will be a people that trust in ourselves. In verse 17 it is very clear that many who are rich will say in their heart that their power (their mind, their wit, their intellect) and the might of their hands (their work ethic, the athlete, the builder, the strong man) hath gotten them this wealth. We see that those who believe this will not say it openly but rather privately, inwardly in their heart where the Lord is listening to their thoughts. The real problem is with those Israelites or Christians leaders thinking that their own ability has brought them out of bondage and excelled them into a position of prosperity. When the leadership thinks this way they communicate to others under their influence to commit this sin also. Verse 18 points back to the original truth of God, “thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth”. This is still a test of humility because the humble will always remember God’s goodness, whereas the proud choose to ignore God’s prior workings in their life. Verse 18 goes on to say the purpose for the prosperity with the statement, “that he (God) may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day”. This points out that the reason God is blessing you is solely for the establishment of His covenant that He made with your forefathers. This reveals to us that the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob still holds true for today. It is not about you in the sense of being so great and faithful but rather the obedience and faithfulness of your forefathers. Therefore, believers must be grateful by remembering it is purely through God goodness and grace that He performs such acts of kindness and mercy. Likewise we as Christians today must remember it is the goodness of God that leads us unto repentance, not the wisdom of our own intelligence. This is more proof that Jesus Christ lives today because that is the sole reason we are bless of God. The Heavenly Father made a promise to Jesus that He should be heir of world, which includes all the riches in the world. Therefore it would be silly for a Christian to presumptuously think that the reason he is blessed is partly due to his good works. Good works are done because the Lord graciously informed us of what a good work is. The performance of the good works are not to be confused with you deciding which works are good before God and thus expecting a reward for your actions. The Holy Bible is clear any good works we perform on this earth is solely the grace of God working through us to produce it.
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. KJV
Just settle the issue of all good things coming from God and all other things done outside of God’s grace just a work of flesh or the devil. We can see the test of humility is not easily passed because there are many who grasp unto some measure of pride by refusing to give God all glory, honor and praise due His Name. The final verse 19 speaks to these people with the sober warning that all those who refuse to remember the goodness of God will perish. When it comes to abundance by choosing to forget the goodness of God they are choosing to serve their own interest (idols, money, sex, the science of men, pleasures of this world, etc…). Yes, the Jew and Christian alike are both under God’s judgment because the Lord God is no respecter of persons. His promise of blessing to the obedient doers of His Word also includes a promise of cursing to the disobedient. Therefore choose to remember God by doing His commandments (His Word) in every detail of your life and you too shall come into prosperity with peace. The prosperity will come because you did it God’s Way and most importantly you stayed humbled by remembering to give glory, honor and praise unto the Lord thy God which brought you out of the land of bondage. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster
PS – One foot note that was brought to our attention (we believe it to be a revelation from God) is that when reading the chapter of Deuteronomy 8 (verse 1-20) it is very obvious that the total personal pronouns of thee, ye, your, thou, thy, thine, my, mine, and me are used approximately 69 times. This emphasizes that this particular passage of scripture is speaking to you personally. This scripture applies specifically to the individual that is in a covenant relationship with God. It has nothing to do with you giving some money to establish God’s covenant upon the earth but rather God giving you wealth as a sign of His covenant with you. This is not a scripture to use for giving offerings to the church but rather a confirmation of God’s goodness toward you when obedience and faithfulness to God’s Word is fulfilled. Although may churches and ministers use verse 18 for collections toward their ministry or church in context that particular usage for personal giving is not implied in this exhortation by Moses. These verses are not teaching us what we should be giving to God for establishment of His Covenant but they are speaking to us about obeying His Word and remembering Him in our prosperity. Remember, these verses are teaching us that God already established His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and because of that covenant they are receiving the wealth of the land from God. Today for the Christian, we may receive the wealth of our land through the precious Blood of Jesus Christ based upon our New Covenant with God. However, please do not use this information to cause strife if someone you know likes to use verse 18 to take up an offering. You have every right to humbly present this article to them and if they can receive it, well and if they can not agree with it, Angela and I love them and you equally. We believe in sharing the scriptures of God in their context but if the sharing of certain scriptures results in strife we strongly disagree with arguing with others. When strife is present no one wins the argument, we all lose peace when we operate outside of love.
2 Timothy 2:24
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, KJV
IHLCC is a teaching ministry in love so please feel free to use all our material under the guidelines demonstrated by Law of Love. Angela and I know according to 1 Corinthians 8:1 knowledge can puff up but love edifies. We have come to buildup the Body of Christ in Jesus Name, not to tear it apart on disputations of doctrine. Amen!