In Numbers 5, we read about a jealous husband. He’s not allowed to just assume the worst about his wife. God defends her by allowing her to prove her innocence and then rewards her with children for her faithfulness to her husband. God is good. God is just.

We learn from Job that God’s ways aren’t always what we assume. While we know it’s an eternal truth that obedience to God brings blessing and disobedience to God brings a curse, we must understand that we can’t judge by outward appearance on whether someone is in sin or obedience.

Even in the Old Testament, we see that you can’t always tell. Were the rulers of places like Babylon rich? Yes! Were they rich because they were blessed for their obedience to God? No!

Manasseh was the worst of the kings of Judah, downright evil, and yet he had the longest reign. While in general the good kings had the longest reigns and the bad ones the shortest, there are exceptions. God has plans and purposes that He is carrying out.

He’s always being faithful, true, and just. He’s always righteous in what He does.

The disciples were amazed that it was “impossible” for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because Moses had pronounced God’s abundant blessing on the righteous and poverty onto the disobedient. They would think a rich man surely must be blessed by God.

We have to view the blessing and the curse from a different perspective. We want to be filled with all the fullness of God, and we can be if we know Christ’s love. Does that sound like abundant life? Does that sound like blessing?

The blessing is God Himself. The curse is separation from Him. The blessing is in knowing Christ and living in the constant indwelling Presence, which will carry us into His eternal presence. The curse is separation which leaves us in sin and leads us to death.

When we read about cursing and blessing and punishment and reward in the Old Testament, let’s keep our eyes on the greatest reward, knowing Christ, knowing God.