The God who bestows great blessings (Nehemiah 9:22-26)

 The God who bestows great blessings

 

[Nehemiah 9:22-26]

 

It is said that in 1999, in the UK, a 72-year-old grandmother named Angie Clens, who lived alone, bought a lottery ticket.  However, she won a whopping £200,000.  Concerned about Clens' weak heart and the possibility of heart failure, the lottery company visited Reverend Ames, whom the grandmother attended at the Anglican church, and explained the situation.   Reverend Ames cautiously asked the grandmother, ‘How do you think you would feel if you won the lottery?’  The grandmother replied, ‘Oh, Reverend, whom am I …  It wouldn't happen.’ The Reverend said, ‘No...  but still.’  After a moment of thought, the grandmother said, ‘Well then, Reverend Ames, you take it all.’  As soon as Reverend Ames heard this, he died of heart failure.  In the end, the grandmother received all the money...  It is said that she gave half of it to the family of the deceased Reverend Ames (Internet).  I came across an internet article that says ‘Blessing or Sin - The heated debate over the lottery.’  As the first week of the New Year in the UK heated up with speculation, voices of criticism erupted from the religious community.  Archbishop Simon Barington-Ward of Coventry urged for the abolition of the lottery, claiming that it fosters people's greed.  He strongly criticized it as a sin that corrupts society as a whole in an interview with the BBC.  However, in an interview on the same program, Prime Minister John Major of the UK countered Archbishop Simon Barington-Ward's criticism of the lottery as completely wrong.  The Prime Minister argued that the profits earned from the lottery business, millions of pounds a year, are invaluable to support sports, arts, cultural heritage, and charity projects that the government simply cannot afford to cover with taxes (internet).

 

What do you think, is winning the lottery a blessing or a sin?  How do you feel about it? What is true blessing?  What does the Bible say about blessings?  I would like to focus on Nehemiah 9:22-26 and learn about the blessings that God gives us, and how we should enjoy the blessings that God gives us.

 

We can think about what kind of blessings God gives us in two ways:

 

(1)   The blessing that God gives us is material blessing.

 

What aspect of faith do Korean Christians misunderstand?  It is the prosperity gospel.  What is the prosperity gospel? The prosperity gospel is believing in faith as a means to achieve and acquire the happiness and values one sets for oneself.  It means that I have to go to church, seize Jesus in order to become happy and successful (Internet).  In other words, the prosperity gospel is 'Believe in Jesus and receive blessings.'  However, in the process of believing in Jesus, there is no concept of the cross that one must bear as part of the blessing.  Among us, there are far too many Christians who hold this prosperity gospel.  One of the main reasons they believe in Jesus is to obtain material blessings.  This deadly influence within the church has turned God from the object of worship to a tool for material blessings and personal happiness, and has placed the purpose of faith in believing in Jesus Christ on worldly things such as personal fortune and business prosperity (Internet).  It is also dangerous to unconditionally condemn material blessings as sinful just because the prosperity gospel is wrong.  The reason is because God clearly gives us material blessings as well.  If prosperity gospel is believing in Jesus as a means to obtain material blessings, then we can say that the material blessings God gives us are the result of believing in Jesus (not the means).

 

Then what were the material blessings that the Israelites received?

 

                   The material blessing that God gave to the Israelite people was the "land."

 

Look at Nehemiah 9:22-25: “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.  You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess.  Their sons went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased.  They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.”  The word "land" appears a total of seven times in these four verses.  This blessing is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, as stated in Genesis 17:7-8: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God” (Ref.: 13:14-18).  Ultimately, God blessed the Israelite people with the promised land of Canaan during the Exodus era because, in addition to fulfilling the covenant with Abraham, He desired to be the God of His descendants, the Israelite people.  The material blessing that God gave to the Israelite people included "all kinds of beautiful things." Look at Nehemiah 9:25: "...They took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. …."  During the Exodus era, the Israelite people obeyed God's command to enter and take possession of the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua.  Therefore, in addition to the land, they also took possession of all the produce, as well as the property of the previous inhabitants, including houses, wells, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees.  However, one important fact we must acknowledge here is that we bear responsibility as recipients of material blessings.  When God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the Israelite people had a responsibility (Covenant: God's Promise & Human Responsibility).  That responsibility was none other than to enter and take possession of the land of Canaan (v. 23).  It was their responsibility to obey God's command.  The fact that we receive material blessings from God teaches us that we have a responsibility.  Thinking that we deserve material blessings for disobedience to God's command is a misconception and arrogance.

 

There are Ten Commandments for material blessings:

 

(a)    The first commandment is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Then God will supply the necessary material blessings (Mt. 6:33).

 

(b)   The second commandment is not to put your hope in uncertain riches, but to hope in God who richly provides everything for us.  We cannot serve both God and material wealth; where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (1 Tim. 6:17; Mt. 6:21, 24).

 

(c)    The third commandment is not to love material possessions more than God.  If we love only material things, it can lead to all sorts of evil, even causing us to lose what we already have (1 Tim. 6:10).

 

(d)   The fourth commandment is that if we forsake all our possessions and family for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, we will receive a hundredfold blessing in this present age and in the age to come, eternal life (Mk. 10:29-30).

 

(e)    The fifth commandment is to not store up treasures on earth for ourselves, but to store up treasures in heaven. Treasures stored in heaven cannot be taken away by anyone (Mt. 6:19-20).

 

(f)    The sixth commandment is not to steal from God, but to give a full tithe.  Test God by giving a full tithe and see if He will not pour out blessings (Mal. 3:8-10).

 

(g)   The seventh commandment is that you reap what you sow.  The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6).

 

(h)   The eighth commandment is not to give out of compulsion or with reluctance, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

 

(i)     The ninth commandment is to invest more than your ability in God's work (2 Cor. 8:3).

 

(j)     The tenth commandment is that all material possessions belong to God, and His children are merely stewards. Therefore, always be prepared, as there will be a day of accountability (Mt. 25:14-30) (internet).

 

(2)   The blessing that God gives us is blessing of people.

 

I remember the sermon of the officiating pastor during my wedding ceremony.  The pastor mentioned three blessings, and one of them was specifically ‘Blessing of people’ (the other two were God's blessing and material blessing).  What is blessing of people?  In the words of the elders, ‘blessing of people’ means meeting good people in life, which is considered one of the blessings (Internet).  Parents should meet their children well, students should meet their teachers well, and teachers should meet their students well.  Leaders should meet their followers well, and followers should meet their leaders well.  It goes both ways.  What was the blessing of people that the Israelite people received?

 

(a)   It was the blessing of descendants.

 

Look at Nehemiah 9:23a - "You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky  ...."  This blessing is the fulfillment of the promise spoken to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 - "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies."  After passing the test of offering his son Isaac, whom God granted to Abraham when he had no children, God promised him the blessing of descendants (Gen. 22).  And in a span of about 400 years, during their sojourn in Egypt, God multiplied them as numerous as the stars in the sky.  The children of promise are a blessing from God!  Why is that?  It's because God's covenantal intent will continue to be fulfilled not only through our lives but also through our children.

 

(b)   It was the blessing of the Canaanites.

 

Look at Nehemiah 9:24: "...  You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased.”  God not only gave the Israelite people the land of Canaan, but He also made the inhabitants of that land, the Canaanites, subject to them.  In other words, the Israelite people were now able to deal with the Canaanites as they pleased.  Isn't that fascinating?  After serving the Egyptians in a foreign land for about 400 years, the Israelite people, now in the promised land of Canaan, were no longer slaves, but were in a position to rule over the Canaanite inhabitants as they saw fit.  Meeting a good supervisor at work, encountering capable employees in business, all of these are blessings.  But are material prosperity and worldly success truly the blessings that the Bible speaks of?  The answer is "no."  The true blessing, the ultimate blessing in the Bible, is receiving the blessing of God, namely, Jesus Christ. The Bible emphasizes the suffering of Christians in this present world rather than material blessings, and paradoxically underscores that receiving the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the most blessed state (Internet).  The ultimate blessing is Jesus Christ.  Living a blessed life means living with our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all blessings, as our Savior and our Lord.

 

Second, how should we enjoy the blessings that God gives us? We can consider two things:

 

(1)   We must not squander the great blessings from the Lord.

 

Look at Nehemiah 9:25b - "... they reveled in your great goodness."  The word "reveled" here means to enjoy to the fullest, indulge; (in drink or gambling) become absorbed; spend (time or money) extravagantly, waste.  The Hebrew word carries the meaning of "to luxuriate," which implies "living in luxury, enjoying (something)."  The Israelite people abused the blessings bestowed by God. They went from being a people who enjoyed the fullness of God's blessings to becoming people who were full of themselves (v. 25), and this was the cause of their downfall (Wiersbe).  They became like the prodigal son in Luke 15, desiring the father's wealth but not his will.  The Israelite people allowed material wealth to dominate them.  Furthermore, they did not manage the blessings given by God wisely.  They lacked the right faith and mature character to handle the blessings that God had granted them.

 

When we enjoy the blessings God gives us, we may inadvertently forget to take delight in the One who bestowed those blessings.  In other words, delighting in the gift while neglecting the Giver is akin to finding joy in the gift but not in the Giver.  The Israelite people reveled in the great goodness of God, but the Lord was not pleased.  Therefore, we must be cautious. Instead of squandering the great blessings that God gives, we should joyfully embrace them while also finding our greatest joy in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate source of all blessings.

 

(2)   We must prioritize God's Word over God's blessings.

Look at Nehemiah 9:26: "But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.  They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you.  They committed awful blasphemies."  Here, we can see evidence that the Israelite people, amidst enjoying the great blessings God had given them, did not find joy in the Lord who bestowed those blessings.  Instead, they prioritized the blessings over God's Word.  The Israelite people, who were filled to the full and lived in great luxury from the great blessings God provided, became prideful, leading them to disobey and rebel against God, committing the sin of blasphemy.  They disregarded the admonitions of the prophets who urged them to turn back to the Lord and, instead, killed them, committing awful blasphemies.  By not giving precedence to God's Word over His blessings, they bore the fruit of sin, which amounted to great blasphemies against the Lord.

 

We have the responsibility to give great glory to the Lord through the great blessings He provides.  To do this, we should use the great blessings God gives not to simply satisfy ourselves and indulge, but rather to follow God's great commandments of loving Him and loving our neighbors.

 

I would like to share an essay from an ordinary believer titled ‘Distorted Perspective: When Material Wealth Measures Faith.’  It discusses various issues within the church community, such as the pressure from church leaders to contribute financially, the practice of making special offerings for positions of leadership, and the emphasis on fundraising rather than focusing on spiritual maturity in events like revivals and guest speaker invitations.  In particular, it highlights the observation of a pastor who pointed out that one's financial status is given undue importance in the selection process for positions of leadership, and even mentioned instances where pastors offered blessings and prayers specifically for those who donated over a certain amount for special church projects, often exceeding one million won (around $900).  These examples serve as clear evidence that materialism within the Korean church has reached concerning levels.  Beneath these prevailing trends in the Korean church lies a flawed perception that associates material wealth with God's blessings.  This misguided belief suggests that those who possess great wealth are considered to have deep faith and are recipients of God's favor, while those who are financially less fortunate are viewed as lacking in faith.  It is essential to recognize that viewing material wealth as a measure of God's blessing is a misconception.  Material possessions are gifts given by God for His purposes alone.