Deuteronomy 7:13
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
He will keep the covenant and mercy He swore to their fathers with those who hearken to His judgments and keep and do His commandments, loving them, blessing them and multiplying them with children, corn, wine and oil, and with increase of cattle and flocks of sheep in the promised land. He blesses them above all people not because they are numerous but because He loves them and keeps His oath to a thousand generations after redeeming them from Egypt, removing sickness and the diseases of Egypt so that not one is feeble among them as Physician of soul and body. That obedience and prosperity were to make them a holy people and marvels of prosperity before the nations, revealing His glory, majesty and power and the advantages of heaven's principles as a kingdom of priests to support the spread of His kingdom. The instruction still stands as a charge to be read carefully, especially by those in sacred work and by parents training children from infancy, calling for full surrender, daily searching of the Scriptures and strict obedience on which prosperity depends in preparation for the final review when every character is investigated for eternity. His love, compassion and long-suffering do not excuse continued rebellion, which brings sickness and plagues when His conditions are disregarded, and the blessing reaches to the final gathering when the living are translated, the dead are raised, and only tried commandment-keepers who love Him supremely enter the holy city to see the King in His beauty.
Conditional Covenant Blessing
The promise is given to Israel if they hearken to the judgments and keep and do the commandments, statutes, and judgments. On that willing obedience the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments will keep to them the covenant and mercy sworn to their fathers. Their prosperity therefore depends on strict obedience to every principle of His commandments.
What He will then do is love them, bless them, and multiply them. He will bless the fruit of the womb and the fruit of the land in the land sworn to their fathers to give them. That blessing means children, and corn and wine and oil from the ground, with increase of cattle and flocks of sheep.
They are so blessed not because they are numerous, but because He loves them and keeps the oath He swore, having redeemed them from Egypt. He will bless them above all people. He keeps His covenant to a thousand generations with those who keep His commandments.
The blessing also includes taking away sickness and withholding the evil diseases of Egypt known to other nations. In that obedience there would be not one feeble person among their tribes. He cares for them as Physician of soul and body, giving health, vigor of intellect, and continued divine teaching with wisdom and skill.
Purpose and Present Application
Obedience that brings this prosperity was meant to make Israel a holy people unto God and marvels of prosperity before the nations. Their increase in people, fields, and flocks in the land sworn to their fathers, with continued teaching, wisdom and skill, vigor of intellect, preservation from disease, and abundance of children, corn, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, was to reveal divine glory, majesty and power in their prosperity. By modeling true righteousness and demonstrating the advantages of living by heaven's principles, they were honored above other nations and furnished with every facility to become the greatest nation on earth as a kingdom of priests and princes to support the spread of His kingdom. In this the conditions of all true prosperity are set forth, with which all His institutions must comply to fulfill the purpose of their establishment.
The instruction given to Israel as His chosen people still matters, especially to everyone carrying responsibility in sacred work, who are called to serve Him with whole-hearted love and carefully observe His directions. It is not to be neglected but to be read to the people, read carefully and regarded as a charge, read with its surrounding context and with the whole of the early chapters of Deuteronomy as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come. Its special lesson is beginning with full surrender and continuing in simplicity of obedience to all His commandments according to His special directions, with personal interest in doing them, with every soul daily searching the Scriptures and sanctifying self according to the Word so that the Lord is glorified through His people. Their prosperity depends on strict obedience to every principle of His commandments. The promise applies now to those preparing for the great final review, when all must stand before the Judge of all the earth in this present time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity.
In family life the instruction belongs to what parents must read and obey in training children from very infancy to form characters that meet God's approval, a work for their children that nothing else must be allowed to displace. God promised to bless fields and flocks if they taught their children His commandments, to help them serve and glorify Him. God's love, compassion, and long-suffering do not excuse continued rebellion, for disregarding His conditions and following their own ways dishonors Him and brings sickness, disease, and plagues. When people persist in obstinate disobedience past the boundary, punishment follows. Faith in Christ as healer does not remove the need to restrict the animal appetites, because health and blessing depend on obedience to His conditions.
His blessing rests upon obedient people now and reaches to the gathering of all faithful generations at the end, for He keeps His covenant to a thousand generations with those who keep His commandments. Then the living who served God are translated and the dead are raised, Christ comes for them, the gates of the holy city are opened, and they enter in to see the King in His beauty. Only tried commandment-keepers who love God supremely are welcomed into the golden city, since no one who would not keep His commandments in this world will be brought in to spoil heaven with a second rebellion.