And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house…
Deuteronomy 26:11a
Because thou servedst not the Lord the God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deuteronomy 28: 47-48
In Deuteronomy chapter 26, the Lord tells the Israelites that they are to be thankful and grateful. They are supposed to rejoice in all that the Lord has done for them and given to them. He has delivered them out of bondage in Egypt and He has given them a land flowing with milk and honey. He has given them numerous promises that He will be with them and bless them if they will obey Him. Literally everything they have they received directly from Him. They are told to rejoice in this. In chapter 28, they are told what will happen when they aren’t thankful and joyful and grateful: they are going to serve their enemies, they are going to be destitute- hungry, thirst, naked and in need of “all things”. They are going to have a yoke of iron put on their necks and they are going to be destroyed. What was going to bring about all of this severe punishment? Not serving the Lord with gladness and not being thankful and joyful for all He had done for them.
The Bible is full of dire warnings about the sin of unthankfulness. Sometimes we take for granted just how good the Lord has been to us and just how much He has blessed us. Not having a heart of gratitude toward the Lord is one sure way to get the blessings taken away. Let us serve Him with joy and gladness!
Justified Freely 