Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Blessed coming in and blessed going out means blessing in the ordinary movements of daily life, in entering and in leaving. It is part of a covenant of mercy given on condition of diligently listening to the voice of the Lord and keeping and doing what is right in His commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances. It belongs to a wider promised well-being for obedience, in city and field, in family and livelihood, in the work of the hands and on fields, flocks, herds and vineyards. Against it stands the curse for disobedience, with the disobedient cursed in coming in and going out and the prospering hand withdrawn. The principle has not grown weak with age but binds individuals and nations now, so those who keep the commandments and put His kingdom and righteousness first receive His benediction, including health and preservation from disease.
Meaning and Setting
Blessed movement in ordinary daily life is promised, covering both entering and leaving, coming in and going out. Obedience brings that blessing into every part of life, with divine favor resting on daily comings and goings.
The blessing belongs to a covenant of mercy given on condition of diligently listening to the voice of the Lord. Hearkening to Him and keeping His commandments brings blessing in daily life, and health is a reward of that obedience. The promise stands among the blessings pledged for keeping His commandments and living as His people, for heeding and keeping His statutes and judgments, and for doing what is right in His commandments, statutes, judgments, and ordinances. All the promises rest upon this condition of obedience and can be altered when His people disobey.
Blessing in coming and going is part of a wider promised well-being for obedience, including blessing in the city and in the field, in family and livelihood, and in the work of the hands. Keeping the commandments brings blessing on fields, flocks, herds, and vineyards, and on everything put to the hand in daily work and life.
Against this blessing stands the curse for disobedience. The disobedient are cursed when coming in and going out, the prospering hand is withdrawn, and obedience brings prosperity while disobedience results in a curse. Continued transgression brings increasing harm, with the curse growing heavier as transgression continues, including disease and degeneracy affecting human beings, animals, trees, and vegetation. The blessings that follow obedience to God's commands therefore stand in contrast to the fearful results of transgression.
The blessing was spoken by Christ from the enfolding pillar of cloud. It was read by Moses to all the assembled people from the book he had written, together with their past history and with the curses that would come upon disobedience. It is prosperity sent by the living God who created heaven and earth and gave His law upon Sinai.
Conditional Promise in History
The blessing of coming in and going out was part of promises made upon condition of obedience to judgments, statutes, and ordinances, and the promised blessing could be altered when the people disobeyed, which is why the adults who left Egypt were refused entrance into the promised land. God was faithful to His promises and was in no way chargeable for Israel's misfortunes and delay in possessing Canaan. Israel broke its solemn pledge and transgressed His holy requirements, forfeiting His favor by distrust, unbelief, pride, impatience, rebelliousness, disobedience, and idolatry, following rebellious hearts and departing into idolatry, kindling His wrath again and again. That forfeiture caused Him to let other nations overcome them to humble and punish them.
If as a nation Israel had been governed by His judgments and as individuals had walked in His ordinances, continuing to obey after leaving Egypt and keeping His righteous law, He would have gone before them and prospered them. Free from the sins of the Canaanite nations and maintaining a high standard of purity and holiness in all words and acts in love, fear, and obedience to the great Ruler of the universe, they would long ago have been settled in Canaan as a prosperous, holy, happy people. He would have made them always a terror to the heathen nations around them, with angels working with the armies of Israel to drive out the inhabitants because of their wickedness and with mighty power manifested to protect and deliver them, displaying His power and glory before all nations. Their perversity of spirit made that manifestation impossible and dishonored Him and detracted from His glory before surrounding nations, and imitating heathen iniquity after witnessing displays of His greatness and majesty made their guilt greater than that of idolatrous nations.
Yet when in affliction they cried to Him He heard them and raised up a ruler to deliver them from their enemies. He was more grieved than they by the delay, and He stands not as a stern, relentless judge but as a loving, compassionate father who pardons sin upon true repentance while retaining His people. He extends mercy and stays judgment because of the righteous who love and fear Him.
The blessing does not come from possessing the ark as if the ark itself were God. The sacredness of the ark comes from the law within it, from obedience to His law contained in the sacred chest, which was prosperity sent by the living God who created heaven and earth and gave His law upon Sinai. Its presence brings prosperity and blessing only with obedience to that law, while transgression of that law brings adversity. The covenant is an agreement between parties based upon conditions, and He verifies His promises when the conditions are fulfilled by obeying the divine law, so to expect blessing while violating the conditions on which alone it can be bestowed is presumption.
The principle has not grown weak with age and binds individuals and nations now as it would have bound the Hebrews, for obedience brings blessings now as it would have brought to them. Israel's history warns against the sins that brought wrath. The obedient are exalted to represent His goodness, mercy, and love, with Jesus as their hope and tree of life, and sickness promised not to prey upon their bodies. The law cannot be trampled as not binding, because every specification in it is the character of the infinite God, whose claims are just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual.
Obedience in Daily Life
The blessing falls on those who keep the commandments and put the kingdom and righteousness first in service, for keeping them brings favor on fields, flocks, herds, vineyards, and everything set to the hand in daily work and life. Those who keep them stand as a peculiar people, since every specification in the law is the character of the infinite God and cannot be trampled as not binding. The blessing on going out and coming in, with rising up and sitting down, is given to those who keep the law and diligently teach its commandments to their children, meaning a right relation to God and working in harmony with His mind and purposes, with prosperity depending on that obedience. It includes preservation from sickness, sure bread and water, and enemies not prevailing, while careless disobedience forfeits blessing and power and brings deterioration of character as in the transgression of Adam and Eve.
Health itself is a reward of obedience and part of the blessings promised for keeping the commandments and living as His people. When there is diligent listening to the voice of the Lord and doing what is right in His sight with keeping of commandments and statutes under the covenant of mercy, He preserves from disease and keeps in health and holiness. He heals as God, Deliverer, and Protector while teaching obedience in the journey, and sickness is promised not to prey upon the body. The promised blessings also exalt to represent His goodness, mercy, and love, with Jesus as hope and tree of life for His people.
The blessing in coming and going expresses favor in ordinary affairs as part of the promised prosperity and well-being that would distinguish the people among the nations. It belongs to those who heed the law diligently and teach it faithfully in their families, and such obedience is a source of life and happiness. Mercy is extended and judgment stayed because of the righteous who love and fear Him.
The blessings correspond to obedience and generosity toward God, applied to honoring Him with tithes, offerings, and the first fruits of increase, where obedience brought prosperity and withholding what was due brought loss. The blessing is a plainly stated principle of the law of the kingdom, made specific so minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty, and its claims have not grown weak with age but remain as binding and fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual. It lays a never-ceasing obligation on all blessed with life and health and temporal and spiritual advantages to bring gifts and offerings and faithful tithe to sustain messengers who carry light to those in darkness, and to live in consecration and self-denial.
That same promise that God blesses His people when they obey applies to success in the work at Loma Linda, which depends on God rather than on the ideas of people who oppose His law. His blessing on that work can lead others to consider the truths it teaches and to recognize the value of its methods.
Blessed coming in and blessed going out means blessing in the ordinary movements of daily life, in entering and in leaving. It is part of a covenant of mercy given on condition of diligently listening to the voice of the Lord and keeping and doing what is right in His commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances. It belongs to a wider promised well-being for obedience, in city and field, in family and livelihood, in the work of the hands and on fields, flocks, herds and vineyards. Against it stands the curse for disobedience, with the disobedient cursed in coming in and going out and the prospering hand withdrawn. The principle has not grown weak with age but binds individuals and nations now, so those who keep the commandments and put His kingdom and righteousness first receive His benediction, including health and preservation from disease.
Meaning and Setting
Blessed movement in ordinary daily life is promised, covering both entering and leaving, coming in and going out. Obedience brings that blessing into every part of life, with divine favor resting on daily comings and goings.
The blessing belongs to a covenant of mercy given on condition of diligently listening to the voice of the Lord. Hearkening to Him and keeping His commandments brings blessing in daily life, and health is a reward of that obedience. The promise stands among the blessings pledged for keeping His commandments and living as His people, for heeding and keeping His statutes and judgments, and for doing what is right in His commandments, statutes, judgments, and ordinances. All the promises rest upon this condition of obedience and can be altered when His people disobey.
Blessing in coming and going is part of a wider promised well-being for obedience, including blessing in the city and in the field, in family and livelihood, and in the work of the hands. Keeping the commandments brings blessing on fields, flocks, herds, and vineyards, and on everything put to the hand in daily work and life.
Against this blessing stands the curse for disobedience. The disobedient are cursed when coming in and going out, the prospering hand is withdrawn, and obedience brings prosperity while disobedience results in a curse. Continued transgression brings increasing harm, with the curse growing heavier as transgression continues, including disease and degeneracy affecting human beings, animals, trees, and vegetation. The blessings that follow obedience to God's commands therefore stand in contrast to the fearful results of transgression.
The blessing was spoken by Christ from the enfolding pillar of cloud. It was read by Moses to all the assembled people from the book he had written, together with their past history and with the curses that would come upon disobedience. It is prosperity sent by the living God who created heaven and earth and gave His law upon Sinai.
Conditional Promise in History
The blessing of coming in and going out was part of promises made upon condition of obedience to judgments, statutes, and ordinances, and the promised blessing could be altered when the people disobeyed, which is why the adults who left Egypt were refused entrance into the promised land. God was faithful to His promises and was in no way chargeable for Israel's misfortunes and delay in possessing Canaan. Israel broke its solemn pledge and transgressed His holy requirements, forfeiting His favor by distrust, unbelief, pride, impatience, rebelliousness, disobedience, and idolatry, following rebellious hearts and departing into idolatry, kindling His wrath again and again. That forfeiture caused Him to let other nations overcome them to humble and punish them.
If as a nation Israel had been governed by His judgments and as individuals had walked in His ordinances, continuing to obey after leaving Egypt and keeping His righteous law, He would have gone before them and prospered them. Free from the sins of the Canaanite nations and maintaining a high standard of purity and holiness in all words and acts in love, fear, and obedience to the great Ruler of the universe, they would long ago have been settled in Canaan as a prosperous, holy, happy people. He would have made them always a terror to the heathen nations around them, with angels working with the armies of Israel to drive out the inhabitants because of their wickedness and with mighty power manifested to protect and deliver them, displaying His power and glory before all nations. Their perversity of spirit made that manifestation impossible and dishonored Him and detracted from His glory before surrounding nations, and imitating heathen iniquity after witnessing displays of His greatness and majesty made their guilt greater than that of idolatrous nations.
Yet when in affliction they cried to Him He heard them and raised up a ruler to deliver them from their enemies. He was more grieved than they by the delay, and He stands not as a stern, relentless judge but as a loving, compassionate father who pardons sin upon true repentance while retaining His people. He extends mercy and stays judgment because of the righteous who love and fear Him.
The blessing does not come from possessing the ark as if the ark itself were God. The sacredness of the ark comes from the law within it, from obedience to His law contained in the sacred chest, which was prosperity sent by the living God who created heaven and earth and gave His law upon Sinai. Its presence brings prosperity and blessing only with obedience to that law, while transgression of that law brings adversity. The covenant is an agreement between parties based upon conditions, and He verifies His promises when the conditions are fulfilled by obeying the divine law, so to expect blessing while violating the conditions on which alone it can be bestowed is presumption.
The principle has not grown weak with age and binds individuals and nations now as it would have bound the Hebrews, for obedience brings blessings now as it would have brought to them. Israel's history warns against the sins that brought wrath. The obedient are exalted to represent His goodness, mercy, and love, with Jesus as their hope and tree of life, and sickness promised not to prey upon their bodies. The law cannot be trampled as not binding, because every specification in it is the character of the infinite God, whose claims are just as binding now and just as fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual.
Obedience in Daily Life
The blessing falls on those who keep the commandments and put the kingdom and righteousness first in service, for keeping them brings favor on fields, flocks, herds, vineyards, and everything set to the hand in daily work and life. Those who keep them stand as a peculiar people, since every specification in the law is the character of the infinite God and cannot be trampled as not binding. The blessing on going out and coming in, with rising up and sitting down, is given to those who keep the law and diligently teach its commandments to their children, meaning a right relation to God and working in harmony with His mind and purposes, with prosperity depending on that obedience. It includes preservation from sickness, sure bread and water, and enemies not prevailing, while careless disobedience forfeits blessing and power and brings deterioration of character as in the transgression of Adam and Eve.
Health itself is a reward of obedience and part of the blessings promised for keeping the commandments and living as His people. When there is diligent listening to the voice of the Lord and doing what is right in His sight with keeping of commandments and statutes under the covenant of mercy, He preserves from disease and keeps in health and holiness. He heals as God, Deliverer, and Protector while teaching obedience in the journey, and sickness is promised not to prey upon the body. The promised blessings also exalt to represent His goodness, mercy, and love, with Jesus as hope and tree of life for His people.
The blessing in coming and going expresses favor in ordinary affairs as part of the promised prosperity and well-being that would distinguish the people among the nations. It belongs to those who heed the law diligently and teach it faithfully in their families, and such obedience is a source of life and happiness. Mercy is extended and judgment stayed because of the righteous who love and fear Him.
The blessings correspond to obedience and generosity toward God, applied to honoring Him with tithes, offerings, and the first fruits of increase, where obedience brought prosperity and withholding what was due brought loss. The blessing is a plainly stated principle of the law of the kingdom, made specific so minds are not left in ignorance and uncertainty, and its claims have not grown weak with age but remain as binding and fresh in importance as His gifts are fresh and continual. It lays a never-ceasing obligation on all blessed with life and health and temporal and spiritual advantages to bring gifts and offerings and faithful tithe to sustain messengers who carry light to those in darkness, and to live in consecration and self-denial.
That same promise that God blesses His people when they obey applies to success in the work at Loma Linda, which depends on God rather than on the ideas of people who oppose His law. His blessing on that work can lead others to consider the truths it teaches and to recognize the value of its methods.