Deuteronomy - Remember What God Has Done and Said , Sarah Barry
BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE
Passage: Deuteronomy 28:1~14  
Key verse: 13
Blessings for Obedience
28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow(A) all his commands(B) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.(C) 2 All these blessings will come on you(D) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
3 You will be blessed(E) in the city and blessed in the country.(F)
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.(G)
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.(H)
7 The Lord will grant that the enemies(I) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.(J)
8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless(K) you in the land he is giving you.
9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name(N) of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock(O) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(P)
12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse(Q) of his bounty,(R) to send rain(S) on your land in season and to bless(T) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.(U) 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow(V) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.(W) 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,(X) following other gods and serving them.
Cross references
- Deuteronomy 28:1 : S Dt 15:5
- Deuteronomy 28:1 : S Lev 26:3
- Deuteronomy 28:1 : S Nu 24:7; S Dt 26:19
- Deuteronomy 28:2 : Jer 32:24; Zec 1:6
- Deuteronomy 28:3 : Ps 144:15
- Deuteronomy 28:3 : S Ge 39:5
- Deuteronomy 28:4 : S Ge 49:25; S Dt 8:18
- Deuteronomy 28:6 : Ps 121:8
- Deuteronomy 28:7 : 2Ch 6:34
- Deuteronomy 28:7 : S Lev 26:8, 17
- Deuteronomy 28:8 : Dt 15:4
- Deuteronomy 28:9 : S Ex 19:6
- Deuteronomy 28:9 : S Lev 26:3
- Deuteronomy 28:10 : S Nu 6:27; 1Ki 8:43; Jer 25:29; Da 9:18
- Deuteronomy 28:11 : S Ge 30:27
- Deuteronomy 28:11 : ver 4; Dt 30:9
- Deuteronomy 28:12 : Job 38:22; Ps 135:7; Jer 10:13; 51:16
- Deuteronomy 28:12 : Ps 65:11; 68:10; Jer 31:12
- Deuteronomy 28:12 : S Lev 26:4; 1Ki 8:35-36; 18:1; Ps 104:13; Isa 5:6; 30:23; 32:20
- Deuteronomy 28:12 : Isa 61:9; 65:23; Jer 32:38-41; Mal 3:12
- Deuteronomy 28:12 : ver 44; S Lev 25:19; S Dt 15:3, 6; Eze 34:26
- Deuteronomy 28:13 : Jer 11:6
- Deuteronomy 28:13 : S Dt 26:19
- Deuteronomy 28:14 : S Dt 5:32; Jos 1:7
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Blessed indeed (28:1-2)
The Lord was not vague about how his people would be blessed if they carefully followed his commands. He gave them a detailed list of all the blessings he would shower on them. Every activity of life would be blessed. It shows that the Lord is almighty and sovereign, in control of the weather, the womb, and everything in the universe. Those whom he decides to bless are blessed unconditionally.
2. Prosperity and victory (28:3-14)
God promised his obedient people abundance of the field and the womb, and victory over their enemies. It doesn't mean that we will always enjoy all the material aspects of the blessing. Jesus said that persecutions also come along with these blessings (Mk 10:30). Nonetheless, we should have confidence that we are blessed people indeed when we follow Jesus. In dark times, godly people may look like the "scum of the earth" (1 Co 4:13). But we can be sure that before God we are the head and not the tail, and overcome our inferiority complexes and self-pity.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you are the giver of true blessing that no one can take away. Help me to seek your blessing first.
One Word: The head, not the tail