"The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous"
curse
This is the Hebrew word meerah which means curse. These can generally be seen as the punishments or natural consequences of actions outside of God's moral boundaries. It has been Solomon's observation that those who live outside the Ten Commandments have a lot of bad stuff happen to them. They may think that they are getting ahead in one area, but other areas keep falling apart. They have sacrificed their life for prosperity in one area.
What is interesting about our day is that we have failed to recognize the curse of the Lord for what it is; we accept it as normal parts of living. We don't know why children rebel; they just do. We don't know why marriages break up; some just do. We don't know why some people constantly have financial troubles; they just do. We don't know why some people have a hard time getting or keeping a job; they just do. These are the kinds of reasonings that go on in our day. But each of these is completely understandable by the actions the individual takes. They were off doing something else when they should have been focused on those positive relationships.
The wicked are selfish and no longer respect any moral boundaries on their behavior. They want what they want, and they will do whatever they have to do to get what they want. If it requires stealing, then they will steal. If it requires adultery, then they will commit adultery. If it requires lying, then they will lie. If it requires worshipping another god or practicing another religion, then they will do that. If it requires that they intimidate or hurt another person, then they will do that. There is little or no remorse and even if there is guilt or remorse, there is no change in behavior.
It is for these reasons that God says He has designed the universe to curse those who live this way. You may get what you want but lose your soul. Many of us have watched too many Mafia movies where the killer kills during the day and then enjoys a loving family life in the evening like everybody else. This does not happen. The curse of the Lord resides on that house. It is not normal.
house of the wicked
Notice that the curse resides on the whole of the family or house of the wicked. It is not just the wicked person, and it does affect the other people in the house.
blesses
This is the Hebrew word barak which means to bless. To profit in some manner is the idea. The Lord has promised to profit those who follow Him and live a righteous life.
The righteous life is the life of blessing God and blessing others while you stay inside the boundaries of the Ten Commandments. It is not just staying inside the Ten Commandments. One must glorify God and meet the needs of those around you in order to be a righteous person. Jesus states this clearly when He says that the two greatest commandments are Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself. Each of these is positive. It requires that we seek to please God with our life, words, thoughts, and attitudes and to be open to the needs of the people that we are in a relationship with.
God says that He will add blessings and good things to the whole family of those who follow the righteous path instead of the selfish path. The children, spouse, and grandchildren of those who are righteous benefit from the righteousness that this one individual exhibits. Many times we are being blessed because of the righteousness of another person in our family.
I have watched sometimes as the righteous family is blessed and yet raised up within that family enjoying the blessings is a child that keeps choosing selfish and then eventually wicked choices. They are surrounded by the blessings of their parents and are not feeling the full impact of their selfishness. They do not see the direct correlation between foolishness, wickedness, and harmful effects. They are protected by the blessing of God as they lead the foolish life. Then they are forced out or grow up or even rebel and leave and then the full force of their foolish and wicked ways slams them in the face. They did not realize that the good life that they enjoyed is not normal; it is the blessing of God.
This prodigal then establishes a foolish or even a wicked house and begins a different experience in their relationships.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz