- Rain, Increase, Fruit
Leviticus 26:4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are the classical chapters on Blessings and Curses as conditional promises. A happy or a hard life is a direct cause of keeping or not keeping the Law as given in the Ten Commandments. Sin causes death and hardship; Upright moral living causes life and prosperity. The effects of the Law apply to this temporal life, as well as to the meriting of eternal life. Of course, everyone fails the test for eternal life and reaps only eternal death, but there are degrees of living and dying during this life. The degree of happiness does depend on the degree of obedience. We cannot make all the connections that lead to blessings or curses, but the Lord keeps track. The difficulties of life, the suffering, the shortening, the embittering, etc., are all the consequences of sin and disobedience. It is not a punishment. God punishes sin either on Jesus or in eternity, not in this life. However, He allows the consequences to take effect as a means of discipline.
The IF is in verse 3: “if you keep my commandments and do them…” The THEN follows in verse 4: “then I will give rain and a good yield…” In particular, the first 3 commandments are specified: having no other gods, no idols, and keeping Sabbath and worship. This is not a cause and effect relationship that anyone can see readily, but in some sense, down deep, everyone knows it to be true. So sometimes people make a “foxhole repentance and promise” seeking God’s help, favor, and blessing. The problem with recognizing the fact that ‘bad things happen” is that instead of turning to Christ in repentance and faith, we blame God and others, make excuses, rationalize, or make a vow to do better. But nothing works when we turn to self instead of God.
The only solution is the one provided by God: He sent His Son. Jesus is the answer: Jesus keeps the Commandments for us; His life, obedience, and consequent blessing is shared with us. In Christ, by faith, we have met the condition. Repentance and faith receives the merits of Christ through the gospel.
Now the rain comes at the right time to increase the yield of crops and fruit trees. We prosper and live well. But earthly prosperity is not the point; it is a sign that we can see; it points to the spiritual prosperity of the soul that believes. This spiritual rain (Spirit pouring out), increase (spiritual growth and yield) and fruit (the fruit of the Spirit) is promised by God, merited by the Son, and produced by the Word and the Spirit. We enjoy spiritual blessing, abundance and blessing.