Daily Devotions

Today, staying with our theme, we delve into the Old Testament and its Hebrew understanding of treasure. Specifically we start with the Living Bible rendering this verse, “He will open to you his wonderful treasury of rain in the heavens, to give you fine crops every season. He will bless everything you do; and you shall lend to many nations, but shall not borrow from them.” Deuteronomy 28:12 

In many senses, this verse almost sounds like an ecological policy, one where we work as God's co-workers sharing the efforts of our labour with others. But notice, this is a one way transaction where the benefits are for others. The message paraphrases this as “You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan.”

To me, this sounds like, what God supplies to me is sufficient to meet my life’s needs. Or as C. S. Lewis puts it! “He who has God and many other things has no more than he who has God alone.”

The girl was in tears when she said to her father, "Dad, you gave me some terrible advice!"

"What did I tell you?" asked dad.

"You told me to put my money in that big bank, and now the bank is in trouble."

"What are you talking about? That’s one of the largest banks in the world," he said. "Surely there must be some mistake."

"I don’t think so," she sniffed. "They just returned one of my checks with a note saying, ‘Insufficient Funds.’"

The good news is that when we come before God with our needs, there is never a question of insufficient funds.

The promise of lending to other nations without borrowing also carries symbolic significance. It speaks to the idea of the Israelites being a blessed and favoured people, set apart by God for a specific purpose. This theme of being a light to the nations and a channel of blessing to others is echoed throughout the Old Testament and finds its fulfilment in the ultimate blessing of salvation through the coming of Jesus Christ.

In a spiritual sense, this verse can also be interpreted as a metaphor for God's abundant provision in the lives of believers. Just as the Lord promised to open his good treasure to the Israelites, so too does he promise to meet the needs of those who trust in him. The imagery of rain symbolises God's outpouring of blessings, both tangible and spiritual, upon those who are faithful and obedient to him.

Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
God alone sufficeth.
                    

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)—H. W. Longfellow (translator).