Lesson 8 — Third Week
WHEN A MAN OBEYS GOD, HE WILL PROSPER
Background Reading
Deuteronomy 29:9; Joshua 1:8-9; Proverbs 28:13; Daniel 8:23-27; Luke 11:28; 3 John 1:2; Revelation 1:3
Devotional Reading
Psalm 1:1-3
Central Verse
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land."
Isaiah 1:19, KJV
"If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat."
Isaiah 1:19, NLT
Key Terms
Convenant – A usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement.
Prosperity – The condition of being successful or thriving: the state of being prosperous or successful.
Guidelines – Lines by which one is guided: an outline of standards for future policy or action.
Introduction
Obedience is one of God's first requirements for the believers if they want to please Him and receive His blessings. Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes, that the Conclusion of everything godly is to fear God and obey His commandments. For when a believer has done that, he has done his duty as a believer. The era that we now live in has had much to say about prosperity. Many ministries have preached a Gospel of Prosperity, which has caused many believers to leave the church, because they are not measuring up to that Gospel.
It is important that all believers know that the Church is obligated to God to preach the Gospel, but it is not a gospel of prosperity, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ does include prosperity. First John one and two tells the believer that above all things it is the will of God for the believer to prosper, be healthy and to be save. So obeying God must be at the top of our "to do list."
If a believer is willing to obey, and sometimes he may not always get it right, but if he is willing, that means that he wants to do right. It means, he is trying to do right, it means that he has "a want to", in his spirit. Know that God honors his willingness, and this will position him to eat the good of the land. This positions him to receive prosperity while he lives here on this earth.
Discussion
God is not willing that any of His children perish, it is His will that all men be saved, but He leaves it up to each individual to make that choice. Time after time God shared with His people His desires for them to separate themselves from the gods of this world and live a holy life unto Him. He told them over and over that if they would do as He asked them to do, keep His covenant that they would enjoy the prosperity of the land in all that they did.
He let them know that He wanted to honor the covenant that He had made with their father Abraham. He told them in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-nine that He wanted them to enter into a covenant with Him like Abraham. He told them that the same blessing that went to Abraham would come to them, because He wanted to establish them for a people unto Himself. And that they would prosper in all that they would do.
God had a conversation with Joshua after the death of Moses. Moses had led them across the Jordan River, and they needed to return to the other side. Sometimes the River Jordan could become rough and stormy. But God told Joshua, that just as He was with Moses for over forty years, He promised to stand with him, if Joshua stood with Him.
God told Joshua that if he allowed the word of the Lord to be with him, meditate on the Word, day, and night. Observe the Word and be a doer of the Word instead of just reading it, then he would make his way prosperous, and he would have good success. God wants the believer to obey Him so that He can prosper each one. God has enough blessing for every believer.
Israel was such a disloyal, disobedient, and rebellious people. They would constantly go into the worshipping of other gods, marring of heathens around them. God had to constantly remind them, that they could not act like the other nations, that He had made choice of them and wanted to bless them. He wanted the other nations to see His love and devotion to them. But every time they got in trouble with the other nations, then they cried unto God for His help. God had told them that His blessings would come upon them if they would hear His word and keep it.
Conclusion
David was a man after God's heart. He knew how to receive the blessings of the Lord. He found out that even when he made mistakes and made wrong or bad choices, he was able to go to God, repent and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful to His children, for if they come to Him in repentance and ask for forgiveness, He will certainly forgive them and love them up.
He said in the first Psalm that if a man wants to be blessed and if he wants to prosper there are certain guidelines he must follow. He must be careful who he takes advice from, he cannot receive counsel from ungodly people. Next, he must be careful where he walks and where he sits. He can't go to the places where the sinners go for their amusement nor take a seat amid people saying and doing ungodly things. He must get pleasure in reading and doing God's words and being in the company of other believers. He takes delight in studying and thinking on God's word.
He takes care of things for his family, but he stays connected to God's word to receive the life that comes from the Word. He's able to produce the fruit of righteousness because he's hooked into God's word. He has no fear of spiritual death because his soul is being nurtured through the Word. He is like a tree with deep roots, so when the storms come into his life, he has no worries. Therefore, because of his obedience, whatever he does shall prosper.
Questions
1. Why do you think God told the believer that if he was willing and obedient that he would eat the good of the land?
2. What are the other two things that God desires for the believer, besides to prosper?
3. What are some of the things that David said a believer must do to be assured of being able to prosper?
4. Why did God constantly have to remind Israel that he had made a covenant with their father Abraham?
Essential Thought
Trusting, loving and obeying God's Word
brings the prosperity of God
into the life of the believer.
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