“And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them” (Deut 28:13).
I especially like that word “make.” The word “make” implies that God is saying, “If it isn’t so, I’m going to cause it to be, anyway!”
God will make you the head and not the tail. You don’t have to make yourself. God will make you be above and not beneath. You don’t have to try to be above.
In Deuteronomy 28:15, the Word says that if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God the curses will come upon you and overtake you. This means that the curses will be running after you. They might not have you right now, but they will catch you and overtake you.
The curses break down into three areas: poverty, sickness, and death. Poverty is a curse. It always has been, and it always will be. Sickness is a curse—always has been, and it always will be. Death (and this definition refers to spiritual death) is a curse—always has been, and always will be. The curse is the result of disobeying the Word of God.
Obedience gives us entrance into God’s blessings. It gives us the ability to walk in the fullness of Abraham’s blessings. God’s first blessing to Abraham was to make him rich. Someone asked, “Is the Bible saying we’re all going to be millionaires?” No, the word “rich” means a full supply; abundantly provided for.
After God told Abraham He would make him rich, He went on to tell him, “And I’ll make you a blessing.” So we know a little something about blessings of God that will overtake us if we diligently obey the Lord our God.
To obey God means that you do all that God tells you to do, by His Spirit and by His Word. Then, as you obey His written Word, and heed to the Spirit of God, the end result is that God will make you the head and not the tail. Let God make you what He created you to be—a blessing in this life.
Scripture References: Matt. 26:39; Phil. 2:5-9
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).