“Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the Lord your God. Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the country.}” (Deuteronomy 28:1-3 NASB)
“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to be careful to follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the country.” (Deuteronomy 28:15-16)
Here is a fact that was included in a June 20, 2024 article in the Wall Street Journal, “On June 26, 1974, Sharon Buchanan, a supermarket cashier in Troy, Ohio, made retailing history when she became the first person to ring up a sale by scanning Universal Product Codes, rather than punching keys on a cash register. Fifty years later, we take bar-code scanning for granted. It is the normal way to check out in most stores.”
Now, since we are all familiar with “scanning” our purchases at the grocery store, often because we have no other option, especially if you shop early in the morning as your truly often does and there is not a lane occupied with a cashier and you do their job, free, and with no tip option; yes, since we are familiar with “scanning,” and we take the time to do it, I am going to take the liberty to challenge you to scan through your bible or at the least meditate on happenings you are aware of in the bible that substantiate the principles revealed in the verses above about blessings and curses, principles that are still applicable. It’s true! In this life there are consequences for obedience and consequences for disobedience. Take my word for it, based on my personal experience, I can testify to the applicability of these truths. I suspect you can too.
By the way, I used “Scan” to get your attention, but if you would rather employ the word “skim,” that’s okay. It is another familiar term, based on our experiences. We will admit our familiarity with the word “skim,” that is if we are honest about how we “skimmed” through our heavy reading assignments, at times, in our school days; so many pages that we would nod off and end up in a nap if we didn’t “skim.” Well, if you don’t like “scan,” then “skim” through the bible superficially, and rapidly, and you will be able to validate and verify that the same conclusion can be made about the applicability of the verses you just read. My friend, the verses above still apply as we journey through this land on our way to the Promised Land in the Father’s house. Have fun! Don’t feel bossed by the challenge but feel blessed. “Be blessed!”
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King