Obedience Brings Blessings; Disobedience Brings Curses

Deuteronomy 10-11; 13-14; 22-24; 26; 28-29. 

The Tablets containing the commandments: 

The Lord directed Moses to make an ark (chest) of wood to keep the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. This instruction teaches us that the commandments are precious and important to the Lord, so He wanted them protected and safe. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5)

Reading and comparing through Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-14, 22; 30:6, 16, 19-20 and Matthew 22:36-40, I noticed that the greatest commandment is to love. Through these verses I was able to see why to love is the most important commandment. If we love God, we will be more willing to obey Him and keep His commandments. We will cleave unto Him, and live righteously through His guidance. Because of this we will be blessed and live more happier lives. The opposite is also true. If we don’t love God, or choose not to believe in Him, or follow Him, they we are cursing ourselves with a life full of misfortunes and sorrow.  

Love is an emotion. We can command our emotions. We can decide and choose who we want to love regardless of how we feel. We can learn to love someone we don’t’ see by taking the time to getting to know them. The same is for God. We can learn to love God by getting to know Him.

Several verses in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 11:1, 8-9; 13:4; and 26:17-19) talk about keeping the commandments. The Lord places such a strong emphasis on obedience to the commandments because He loves us and wants us to return to live with Him. He has given us rules and guidelines to follow that will help us come closer to Him. As we follow and obey the commandments we will be happier and more prosperous not only in this life but in the next as well because the Lord will bless us for obeying His commandments. Mosiah 2:41 reads, “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.” Keeping the commandments is so important for our happines, and salvation.

Here are some results of obeying the commandments from Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

• Blessed in the city, and in the field. (verse 3)
• Blessed will be the fruit of our bodies. (verse 4)
• Blessed with fruit of the ground (crops/agriculture). (verse 4)
• Blessed with increase of cattle, and flocks of sheep. (verse 4)
• Blessed with plenty of things for our use, and for storage. (verse 5)
• Blessed in our travels (verse 6)
• Blessed with protection for our enemies. (verse 7)
• Blessed with success in everything we set our minds to. (verse 8)
• We will be called the Lords people, and others shall see us and be afraid. (verse 10)
• We will be prosperous in goods, cattle, and land. (verse 11)
• Blessed in abundance to be able to share with others and never have to borrow. (verse 12)
• We will be at the head of the Lords kingdom. (verse 13)

In Doctrine and Covenants 84:14-27 we learn that the children of Israel denied themselves through their disobedience in the wilderness the blessings of the Lords priesthood, and the right to see and live with the Lord in His kingdom.

Deuteronomy 28:15-65 tells us of some consequences that we too can face by disobeying the commandments:  

• Cursed in the city and in the field. (verse 16)
• Cursed be our basket and our store. (verse 17)
• Cursed will be the fruits of our bodies, our lands, and flocks. (verse 18)
• Cursed in our travels (verse 19)
• Cursed with trials and failure in things we set our minds to. (verse 20)
• Cursed with pestilence. (verse 21)
• Cursed with illnesses that will take over us, and all bad things. (verse 22)
• We will not have any protection against our enemies and they will destroy us. (Verse 25)
• So bad will our cursing be that we wont be able to healed and we will surely perish. (verse 27)

The Lord sometimes chastens his children with “many afflictions,” so they can remember Him. If he doesn’t chastise them and afflict them, then they will be slow to remember Him and seek Him. (Helaman 12:3) 

The Lord clearly stated consequences of disobedience, but He does not desire to curse His children. He wants us to remember Him, and keep His commandments. If we seek Him, and repent of our wrong doings, He will give us another chance to prove ourselves. God is willing to forgive us and bless us if we sincerely wish to be forgiven, and wish to walk in His way. We can all start in a clean slate if we ask for the Lords mercy. The Lord wants us to return to live with Him in His kingdom. He has prepared a way for us, and has instructed us on how to do so. He is always there to help us, forgive us, and bless us if we so desire. He has done and continues to do all of this for us because He loves us. We too can show Him how much we love Him by obeying the commandments, and walking in His way.

I am grateful for a king, loving, and merciful Heavenly Father, who despite all my imperfections He still wants me to return to Him. I am grateful for the atonement, and the opportunity I have to repent, and become pure again. The commandments grant me comfort because I know that if I obey them the Lord will bless me.