Deuteronomy 32 - The Bitterness of Blessing

Moses makes his final pleas to the nation of Israel to honor God, avoid the idolatry of nations, and not to turn from their only hope. He begins by reminding the nation of how magnificent God is. He is the Rock, the solid foundation that will not fail - even their enemies say so. Think of it - a puny ragtag collection of grumblers have experienced the adoption of God as His own people and have seen miraculous acts as God feeds, guides, sustains, and protects the nation through  the wilderness. 

The nation of Israel twisted God's blessing into entitlement and griped every time they didn't get their way. They grew full and fat on the bounty they received. You would think that abundance would  make them grateful, but instead they chased after the gods of the foreign nations and rejected God their Savior who delivered them from Egypt. 

Wealth can be a blessing, but more often than not it turns us from God and into trusting our own power and in temporal pleasures. We don't remember that every provision we have comes through God's hands. We don't have the same urgency to trust God in the moment when all our desires are fulfilled. 

God does not judge people based on their wealth or lack their of. God looks on the heart and asks his people to trust Him no matter what. Look to God for our provision even when we don't see abundance all around and thank God for the blessings when our needs are met. Blessing can turn to bitterness if we abandon the God who gives us all good things.

I think of our own nation who has enjoyed greater blessing in my lifetime than any other nation on the planet. We have incomes beyond the reach of most nations. We have abundance in our stores as we shop for the desires of our hearts, we have every new technology in the palm of our hands, yet there is great animosity against the God of the Christians and the Jews. It is not fashionable to live righteously - it flies on the face of our worldly lifestyle as a nation. I believe the hostility is because those that see the contrast hate the conviction that they feel in their hearts. 

The bitterness of blessing is that we fail to rely on God our Savior and lean on our wealth and our own knowledge to sustain is. We forget our sin and our need of a Deliverer. Ultimately that is insufficient. 

Our eternity in Heaven is in jeopardy and God will judge us for our rejection of Him. (Deut 32:36). God says he will judge His own people, those who have experienced the blessing of God and have been nurtured by Him.  But the second part of verse 36 says that God will have compassion on His servants. We certainly all have failed to do right, but God sees the desire of our hearts whether we love Him or love stuff and our own pleasures more. 

As the people of God we have the desire to please God, but we live in a world that does not play by the same rules. There is strife and ungodliness all around. Praise God we have a Savior who has overcome this wickedness and can keep us until our final breath. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.