See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse
Deuteronomy 11:26
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Moses proclaimed that he was presenting them with blessings and curses – blessings contingent on fidelity through obedience and curses upon infidelity through allowing other gods into their lives. These blessings and curses were to be declared on two mountains – Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal about 18 miles into the heart of the Promised Land (Israel) after crossing the Jordan. After they had seen the hand of Yaweh working before their eyes by expelling tribes much stronger than their motley crew of refugees.
In the same way, Jesus (our second Moses) called his first disciples. They immediately followed him, and upon doing so he began healing people and casting out demons. After this, he withdrew with his disciples and began teaching them by declaring blessings over them, for it was they who had followed him and crossed over into the great unknown before he had shown them his wonders. Now he was declaring these blessings to this new Israel.
But these blessings stand in a stark difference to the blessings of Moses' address. The blessings cited by Moses were natural blessings: health, prosperity and victory. Rather the blessings cited by Jesus are unnatural and spiritual: comfort, inheritance, beholding God, etc. And what's more, the preconditions for the blessings are different. Those cited by Moses are obedience to laws - “do-attitudes”. These were the ways to show fidelity, even love to Yaweh. But Jesus came with a different set of conditions – the “be-attitudes”.
To mourn, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be pure in heart, etc. – all of these are states of the soul that lead to the Kingdom blessings. And they are eternal - much more intangible and difficult to achieve, making our need for him inescapable.
Avail yourself to allow Jesus to change your soul, that you can be of a Kingdom attitude. Once you do so, he will do mighty things that will bring you to a place of eternal, supernatural blessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment