Does obedience always bring prosperity?

In Leviticus 26, God provided the children of Israel with this kind of logic. If you follow God, then He will richly reward you. If you fail to obey, then you will not be rewarded. In verse 3, we see that God provided the “if” component. He plainly laid out what the conditions were. Look at the payback they received for following these criteria! The “then” blessings and benefits were extensive.

If negative consequences occurred, it was because Israel chose not to obey. The consequences were the loss of the blessings that God would provide if they stayed with Him. It was not God’s plan for the Israelites to suffer in this way, but it was their choice whether or not to follow Him.

If the Israelites confessed their sins, then God would again illustrate His faithfulness and willingness to freely forgive and restore blessings withdrawn while they were disobedient.

The prosperity teachings of today run along these lines: God wants His children to live like they are the King’s kids, and so Christians should all be healthy and wealthy; we are to be prosperous in every way imaginable. If we are not, then it is alleged that we either lack faith or we are guilty of unconfessed sin.

The Bible, however, does not teach that a Christian should expect to be wealthy and/or healthy. If prosperity comes, it is an added blessing for which the believer should be thankful. It is not a birthright to be presumed upon.

But having acknowledged this, neither should we dismiss as erroneous any and all teaching that speaks of God’s blessings that accompany obedience. If we did, we would find ourselves terribly critical of Leviticus 26.

Throughout the New Testament, what you discover is that the ideal for the Christian life is not necessarily great wealth or opulence. These external blessings in Israel were a sign of God's blessing. But we aren't called to be a people who necessarily flourish or prosper in that kind of way. God will take care of us. He will provide for us. But even the greatest heroes of the New Testament, the apostles and of course our Lord himself, suffered immensely, and they did not prosper in the physical material sense. But God provided for all of their needs. So, there's an element of this in our New Testament era, but it's quite dissimilar to the way it was in the Old Testament era.

There has been a subtle shift within Christianity toward a prosperity gospel that the apostles would not recognize. People are becoming biblically illiterate and are thus easily swayed by preachers who appear to know Scripture, but are perverting it to make it sound more appealing.

We don’t suffer the blessings and curses that God promised the Israelites, but our Christian walk is still important, and the things we do or don’t do still have consequences.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7-8, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

Application Questions:

1. A willing giver or a reluctant giver — which better describes you?

2.What happens when we value people or things more than the Lord? What is something you’re hanging on to that you need to dedicate to the Lord today?

Quote:

“A cheque book is a theological document; it will tell you who and what you worship.” - Billy Graham.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for showing me that sin has its consequences. Help me not to take it lightly. Help me to worship you in my giving, knowing that you have given your all for me. Amen.