Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed in city and field means blessed in every place of living and working, the city covering town life and work and the field covering country life and livelihood. That blessing is strictly conditional on obedience, on diligently listening to God's voice and keeping His commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances in love and fear, including the precepts proclaimed at Sinai. Disobedience brings the opposite, for blessings and curses are measured by obedience or transgression, so prosperity follows keeping the law while adversity, hardship and judgment follow breaking it. Its purpose was to give a settled, prosperous, holy and happy life in livelihood, health, wisdom and all undertakings, in order to exalt God's people to represent His goodness, mercy, love and glory and restore His moral image before the nations. Israel broke that covenant pledge by distrust, unbelief, rebellion and idolatry, making it impossible for God to manifest His power for them, so He altered His purpose toward them and let them be humbled and overcome, yet the obligation has not grown weak with age but still binds all blessed with life and temporal and spiritual advantages, in families, in possessions and firstfruits, and in every work whose success depends on God.
Conditional Blessing Everywhere
Blessing is promised in every place where people live and work, town life and work in the city and country life and livelihood in the field. That blessing in both city and countryside belongs to the favor promised for keeping the commandments, and to those who diligently listen to God and obey. It stands among the blessings pledged to Israel for obedience, including obedience to statutes and judgments.
The blessing is strictly upon condition of obedience. The condition is diligently hearkening to God's voice, submitting to His authority, and walking in His judgments, ordinances, commandments, statutes, and precepts, including those proclaimed at Sinai, kept in love and fear and obedience. Health is named as one reward of such obedience.
Disobedience brings the opposite outcome, with corresponding curses set against the promised blessings. Prosperity follows keeping the law and adversity, hardship, and judgment follow transgressing it, measured according to obedience or transgression. The chapter states this plainly, that obedience brings prosperity and disobedience brings a curse.
The promise belongs to a covenant, which is an agreement between parties based on conditions, to be verified only as the law is obeyed and the conditions fulfilled. To expect the blessing while violating the conditions upon which alone it can be bestowed is presumption. The ark of the covenant itself is not God, and its mere presence brings no blessing; its sacredness comes alone from the law of God connected with it and contained in the sacred chest, given by the living God who created heaven and earth upon Sinai, so it brings prosperity and deliverance from enemies only where that law is obeyed.
The specific directions around the blessing express the principles of God's law and of the law of the kingdom of God, so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. They show that obedience is for the people's present and future good. That law expresses the character of the infinite God, is filled with positive promises of blessing in every place to all who obey, remains binding and cannot be trampled or abolished, and must be made known so clearly that all can understand it, taught and kept in the heart.
Purpose, History and Application
The promised blessing covers a settled, prosperous, holy and happy life in the land, with prosperity in both town and country extending to livelihood, fields, flocks, herds, vineyards and everything undertaken. It includes temporal and spiritual prosperity together, with health as a reward of obedience, freedom from disease, and life in health and holiness under special divine direction and protection. Obedience was to bring skill and wisdom and vigor of intellect as well as prosperity and health.
The purpose of such blessing wherever the people lived and worked was to exalt them to represent divine goodness, mercy, love and glory. Their worship and conduct were to help restore the moral image in humanity and display that glory, making them a marvel before other nations. Had they continued obedient after leaving Egypt and kept the righteous law, they would have been prospered in city and field and made always a terror to the surrounding heathen nations.
God was faithful to His promises and was not chargeable for their misfortunes and delay in possessing the land. By distrust, unbelief, pride, rebellion, disobedience, idolatry, impurity and transgression of the holy requirements, falling short of the required high standard of purity and holiness, they broke their pledge, kindled wrath, made it impossible to manifest power for them, and dishonored Him before surrounding nations. For that disobedience He altered His purpose toward them and refused to bring the adult army that left Egypt into the promised land. He departed from them and suffered them to be overcome by other nations to humble and punish them, leaving them weak and a prey to their enemies, yet when in affliction they cried He heard them and raised up a ruler to deliver them, though they did not acknowledge that their sins had caused the loss of blessing.
The message has not grown weak because of age, and the claims remain just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as the gifts are fresh and continual, laying a never-ceasing obligation on all blessed with life and health and advantages in temporal and spiritual things. Obedience to that law can still bring comparable blessings to individuals and nations now, with temporal and spiritual prosperity extending to livelihood for those who hearken diligently. That obedience is required to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King, in contrast to the disobedience that opened the floodgates of woe, and the blessing of the law must be made known so clearly that all can understand it. It is to be taught diligently in families, by parents to children and children's children and kept in the heart, while mercy and restraint of judgment are extended for the sake of the righteous who love and fear Him. Honoring God with possessions and firstfruits brings plenty, while withholding tithes and offerings is robbing God and brings loss, with prosperity or hardship corresponding to obedience or disobedience. The blessing and success of a work depend on God rather than human approval or methods opposed to His law, so that seeing Him bless those who make Him supreme can lead others to consider the truth.
Blessed in city and field means blessed in every place of living and working, the city covering town life and work and the field covering country life and livelihood. That blessing is strictly conditional on obedience, on diligently listening to God's voice and keeping His commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances in love and fear, including the precepts proclaimed at Sinai. Disobedience brings the opposite, for blessings and curses are measured by obedience or transgression, so prosperity follows keeping the law while adversity, hardship and judgment follow breaking it. Its purpose was to give a settled, prosperous, holy and happy life in livelihood, health, wisdom and all undertakings, in order to exalt God's people to represent His goodness, mercy, love and glory and restore His moral image before the nations. Israel broke that covenant pledge by distrust, unbelief, rebellion and idolatry, making it impossible for God to manifest His power for them, so He altered His purpose toward them and let them be humbled and overcome, yet the obligation has not grown weak with age but still binds all blessed with life and temporal and spiritual advantages, in families, in possessions and firstfruits, and in every work whose success depends on God.
Conditional Blessing Everywhere
Blessing is promised in every place where people live and work, town life and work in the city and country life and livelihood in the field. That blessing in both city and countryside belongs to the favor promised for keeping the commandments, and to those who diligently listen to God and obey. It stands among the blessings pledged to Israel for obedience, including obedience to statutes and judgments.
The blessing is strictly upon condition of obedience. The condition is diligently hearkening to God's voice, submitting to His authority, and walking in His judgments, ordinances, commandments, statutes, and precepts, including those proclaimed at Sinai, kept in love and fear and obedience. Health is named as one reward of such obedience.
Disobedience brings the opposite outcome, with corresponding curses set against the promised blessings. Prosperity follows keeping the law and adversity, hardship, and judgment follow transgressing it, measured according to obedience or transgression. The chapter states this plainly, that obedience brings prosperity and disobedience brings a curse.
The promise belongs to a covenant, which is an agreement between parties based on conditions, to be verified only as the law is obeyed and the conditions fulfilled. To expect the blessing while violating the conditions upon which alone it can be bestowed is presumption. The ark of the covenant itself is not God, and its mere presence brings no blessing; its sacredness comes alone from the law of God connected with it and contained in the sacred chest, given by the living God who created heaven and earth upon Sinai, so it brings prosperity and deliverance from enemies only where that law is obeyed.
The specific directions around the blessing express the principles of God's law and of the law of the kingdom of God, so that minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty. They show that obedience is for the people's present and future good. That law expresses the character of the infinite God, is filled with positive promises of blessing in every place to all who obey, remains binding and cannot be trampled or abolished, and must be made known so clearly that all can understand it, taught and kept in the heart.
Purpose, History and Application
The promised blessing covers a settled, prosperous, holy and happy life in the land, with prosperity in both town and country extending to livelihood, fields, flocks, herds, vineyards and everything undertaken. It includes temporal and spiritual prosperity together, with health as a reward of obedience, freedom from disease, and life in health and holiness under special divine direction and protection. Obedience was to bring skill and wisdom and vigor of intellect as well as prosperity and health.
The purpose of such blessing wherever the people lived and worked was to exalt them to represent divine goodness, mercy, love and glory. Their worship and conduct were to help restore the moral image in humanity and display that glory, making them a marvel before other nations. Had they continued obedient after leaving Egypt and kept the righteous law, they would have been prospered in city and field and made always a terror to the surrounding heathen nations.
God was faithful to His promises and was not chargeable for their misfortunes and delay in possessing the land. By distrust, unbelief, pride, rebellion, disobedience, idolatry, impurity and transgression of the holy requirements, falling short of the required high standard of purity and holiness, they broke their pledge, kindled wrath, made it impossible to manifest power for them, and dishonored Him before surrounding nations. For that disobedience He altered His purpose toward them and refused to bring the adult army that left Egypt into the promised land. He departed from them and suffered them to be overcome by other nations to humble and punish them, leaving them weak and a prey to their enemies, yet when in affliction they cried He heard them and raised up a ruler to deliver them, though they did not acknowledge that their sins had caused the loss of blessing.
The message has not grown weak because of age, and the claims remain just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as the gifts are fresh and continual, laying a never-ceasing obligation on all blessed with life and health and advantages in temporal and spiritual things. Obedience to that law can still bring comparable blessings to individuals and nations now, with temporal and spiritual prosperity extending to livelihood for those who hearken diligently. That obedience is required to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King, in contrast to the disobedience that opened the floodgates of woe, and the blessing of the law must be made known so clearly that all can understand it. It is to be taught diligently in families, by parents to children and children's children and kept in the heart, while mercy and restraint of judgment are extended for the sake of the righteous who love and fear Him. Honoring God with possessions and firstfruits brings plenty, while withholding tithes and offerings is robbing God and brings loss, with prosperity or hardship corresponding to obedience or disobedience. The blessing and success of a work depend on God rather than human approval or methods opposed to His law, so that seeing Him bless those who make Him supreme can lead others to consider the truth.