Blessing and Response

UV 2764/10000 Blessing and Response
There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Exodus 23 v 26
Just as every right has a corresponding duty, every blessing has a corresponding responsibility. This promise of the Lord to Israel in this uni-verse has three benefits or blessings that we need on earth: none shall miscarry, none shall be barren and He will grant us a full span of life. The other side of this coin of blessing is responsibility. We are responsible and accountable to the Lord for our lives, our children, our resources and the use of our time. Children are a heritage from the Lord and great shall be the blessing upon the children of believers of Jesus. Due to the influence of the contemporary culture and values, in many countries, children are being considered a burden and couples try to avoid having children. They do not want to be responsible adults. This runs counter to the will of God that we multiply and replenish the earth. We should trust the Lord that He will provide all that we need in bringing up children including wisdom, protection, provision and guidance.
The promise of a full life, that we would live to a ripe old age is another blessing that only the Lord can guarantee. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were “gathered” or they died after living a full span of life. David and Job also died when they were quite old and had done all that the Lord had intended that they do in their lifetime. It is not as if we should have longevity but there should be a quality about each day of our lives. We need to diligently seek the Lord every living day. Like the psalmist in David, we need to number each day, appropriate the grace of the Lord, repent and change in the areas of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, make wise choices and decisions and do the very best we can for the Lord in all that we attempt. The promise that none shall miscarry implies that the Lord’s hand is upon us from the womb. He is intimately involved in our shaping and the circumstances of our birth.
The concept of “ barrenness” is not just physical but it is also spiritual. No believer should be like the fig tree that did not bear any fruit. It could not therefore satisfy the hunger of Jesus and his disciples. It was accursed and it withered. The Lord is hungry for the spiritual fruit of our lives. We cannot partake of all the blessings, teachings and experiences of the Lord’s love and grace and yet be barren. Our words are the fruit of our lips and we need to be careful regarding our speech. We should use it to praise God and not to curse men. Our words have the power of life and death and we should be wise in the use of words so that we are seen as agents if not angels of life and not of death, hurt and harm. Our children are entrusted to us by the Lord. We need to bring them up with godly character and reverence for the Lord.
Prateep V Philip