Obeying The Lord And Being Blessed
The Lord God said if we delight in loving and obeying him; he will bless us with the desires of our heart (John 14:15; Psalm 37:4)–And with more than we can imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 3:20).
GOD BLESSES US AS HE BLESSED MOSES FOR OBEYING HIM
The Lord opened the Red Sea and made Moses a great leader of God’s people by Moses obeying him (Exodus 14:13-31). And after Moses departed from this world, God blessed him to appear in a transfiguration with the Lord Jesus Christ and the prophet Elijah on a mountain top, in front of some of Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 17:1-3). The Lord will bless us beyond our imagination for obeying him, as he blessed Moses, in this world, and in even more in the coming world (1 John 3:2).
BLESSED FOR CHOOSING TO BE ONE OF GOD’S PEOPLE
>>> MOSES was a descendant of Abraham, who was blessed to be a forefather of many nation and of of our Savior Jesus Christ for obeying God (Genesis22:18; Matthew 1:1; John 3:16).
A famine caused the descendants of Abraham to go to Egypt where there was food. The Egyptians eventually made them slaves; and called Hebrews. Moses was born of Hebrews slaves in Egypt. However, God put Moses in a position where he could choose between the enslaved people of God and the royalties of Egypt.
The Pharaoh of Egypt ordered all Hebrew male babies to be slain, because he felt the Hebrews were becoming too numerous and posed a threat to the power of Pharaoh. To keep Moses from being killed, his mother hid him in a basket among reeds of the Nile River. The daughter of Pharaoh found Moses in the basket and took him to live with her in her royal quarters. (Exodus 2:1-10).
When Moses was grown, he had a conflict of identity. In an instance when he saw an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew slave, he killed the Egyptian, then ran away to save his own life (Exodus 2:11-15). He settled in a distant land where he felt secure.
>>> SOME OF US have chosen to identify with the Lord and his people rather than with the world. Although we live in the world, we have repented of our worldly lifestyles and decided to be conformed to the likeness of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ (John 17:14-16; Romans 8:29). We will have troubles for identifying with the Lord; but he has promised to never leave nor forsake us (John 16:33; Hebrews 13:5).
BLESS IN OBEYING THE LORD INSTRUCTIONS TO RESCUE HIS PEOPLE
>>> MOSES: God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and asked him to return to Egypt to lead God’s Hebrew people out of bondage. Moses thought he was inadequate for the task. But God demonstrated his miraculous powers to Moses. God turned a staff, which Moses was holding, into a snake, and caused it to become a staff again. Then God caused the hand of Moses to have leprosy, and be cured. After these demonstrations, Moses obeyed God and returned to Egypt, with the staff which symbolized God’s power.
>>> BELIEVERS: God has demonstrated his almighty power to us through his Son Jesus Christ. In the gospels we have seen Jesus doing many miracles which no other person did, including his death and resurrection (John 15:24; Luke 24;46-48). After being persuaded to become disciples of Jesus, some of us have decided to obey the Lord’s instruction to go in into all the world to proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ so others may believe and be freed from sin (Mark 16:15-16).
OVERCOMING OUR ENEMIES BY OBEYING GOD
>>> MOSES went before Pharaoh with the staff of God. Demonstrating the power of God with miracles and plagues, Moses demanded that Pharaoh let God’s people go. However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Following God’s instructions, Moses announced a plague that was sure to soften Pharaoh’s heart. Moses said that the first born of every family would die. (Exodus 11). The families of the Hebrews were told to cover the doorposts and lintels of their dwellings with lamb’s blood and God would pass over them. After the plague killed all the firstborns of the Egyptians, Pharaoh relented and released the Hebrew people. (Exodus 12).
Not long after freeing the Hebrews, Pharaoh had a change of heart. He pursued them to the Red sea. God told Moses, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water.” Moses did, and the sea divided letting the Hebrews’ go safely through. When the Egyptians tried to follow, Moses stretched out his hand as God told him, and the water flowed over and drowned the pursuing Egyptians army. God was honored, while Moses was elevated in the eyes of God’s people. (Exodus 14).
>>> FOLLOWERS: we believe and obey his words. His holy Word tells us we fight not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness of the devil in high places (Ephesians 6:12). When the enemy pursues us who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb of God, we trust that “the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard [God’s Word ] against him” (Isaiah 59:19; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As obedient believers , we have received the Holy Spirit whom the Lord sent to live in us. He empowers us to overcome our enemy. For greater is the Spirit who is in us than the spirit of the devil that is in the world. (John 14:16-17; John 4:4). We are more than conquerors through believing and following our Savior and Lord Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37-39).
IF WE FAIL IN FOLLOWING THE LORD HE LOVINGLY CORRECTS AND BLESSES US
>>> MOSES: God corrected Moses for his failing to follow God’s specific instructions; and yet blessed him. When the people of God murmured about being thirsty in the desert, God told Moses to strike a rock and water would flow. Moses had a tendency to obey God, but because he was upset with the people’s constant complaints, he stuck the rock twice. The Lord disciplined Moses for his failure by not allowing him to enter the promised land. (Numbers 20:2-12; Exodus 17:5-6).
Moses apparently did not know that the rock foreshadowed Jesus Christ, who was to appear once at the end of the ages to wash away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (1 Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 9:26). Although Moses was not allowed enter the promised land with people of God; later, God allowed Moses to appear in a transfiguration with Jesus on a mountain in the promised land, in front of his disciples (Matthew 17:1-5).
The Lord also blessed Moses to be recognized as one of the greatest Old Testament leaders, and as one of the foremost prophets of the Old Testament. God also privileged him to prophesize about the coming of Jesus in proclaiming: “The Lord will raise up a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15 NIV).
>>> GOD’S CHILDREN: God is faithful to all who endeavor to follow him. He does not abandon us as his children. He corrects us in love, and goes on to glorify himself through us. (Hebrews 12:6-7). If we recognize and confess our sins and failures, he is faithful and just to forgive us; and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, because of the atonement of his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7-9).
Our Savior and Lord has gone to prepare a place for all who love and obey him (John 14:2-3). He has a crown of righteousness for all who long for his appearing. And we know that when he appears we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (2 Timothy 4:8; 1 John 3:2-3).
