BLESSED SHALL BE THY BASKET

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all of His commandments which I commanded thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (Also read) Deuteronomy 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Although a number of blessings were enumerated, for purposes of this lesson, we will consider the blessing of our basket. Symbolically, the basket can be considered the receptacle which contains all of our blessings. In this passage, the basket is blessed by being filled from God's gift of a bountiful harvest. The crops are gathered in the baskets and then transported to stores (storehouses). In this instance the baskets and stores were full. The bountiful harvest was due to the promise of God as recorded in the lesson text. They received this blest harvest because they heard the voice of God and obeyed His commandments.

The commandments of God, as recorded by inspiration in the New Testament, are many. Notice this question posed by a lawyer followed by Jesus' answer: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? In His answer to him Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matt. 22:36-39).

In order to be obedient to the commandments of God, our deeds must demonstrate our love of God and, likewise, our love for our fellow human beings. To be acceptable in God's sight, our faith in our Heavenly Father and the hope of eternal salvation that we have through His Son, Jesus Christ, must lead us to share our God-given blessings by charitable works for others. We are assured that our obedience to God will results in our basket being filled with these spiritual blessings revealed in Matthew 5:3-12.

1) The Kingdom of Heaven - Blessed are the poor in spirit, and also blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2) Comfort - Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3) Inheritance of the Earth - Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

4) Filled with Righteousness - Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

5) Mercy - Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6) The Presence of God - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

7) God's Children - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

8) Reward in Heaven - Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

These are just a small sample of the spiritual blessings we have through obedience to God's will. What about our physical blessings. What about the blessings that sustain our lives: food, clothing, shelter, air to breath, water to drink, sunshine and rain, bountiful harvests just to name a few. What about the blessings that we receive that makes this life on earth more pleasant: our family, friend and neighbors: the beauty of the changing seasons, the mammals, birds, fish, and plant life with whom we share this Earth.

On the other hand, Deuteronomy 28:15 & 17 tells us, ...if thou wilt not harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I commanded the this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Take a look in your basket. Is it full and running over with God's blessings, or is it empty?