Isa. 65:16

16 That he who blesseth [barak] himself in the earth ['erets] shall bless [barak] himself in the God ['elohiym] of truth ['amen]; and he that sweareth [shaba] in the earth ['erets] shall swear [shaba] by the God ['elohiym] of truth ['amen]; because the former [ri'shown] troubles [tsarah] are forgotten [shakach], and because they are hid [cathar] from mine eyes [`ayin]. KJV-Interlinear

16 Because he who is blessed in the earth Shall be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight! NASB

This verse sets up the environment of the rest of the chapter.

There are three categories of life. Do you recall them?

The first, is the life we live as unbelievers. That life begins at the moment of our birth, and continues until we either believe in Christ, or we die.

The second category of life is that which we live as believers. This life begins the moment we believe in Christ and continues for as long as we live in this world.

Both of these first two life categories, are of this physical world. Here in our current verse it is called the earth.

The first life cannot be undone, that is to say, once you have been born, you cannot reverse your birth and un-birth yourself. Your life is permanent once it begins.

Likewise, when you believe in Christ, you are said to be born-again. Once re-born you cannot be un-born. You cannot reverse your belief. You cannot un-think something that you have already thought, like believing in Christ.

The third category of life is that which we will live in eternity. For unbelievers, that life will be in the Lake of Fire. For believers, that life will be in heaven.

In each and every case of life, we have the opportunity of making a choice, either for or against Christ. In this life on this earth, we bless ourselves in effect by finding blessing through the person of Christ. This blessing is for those who pursue their spiritual lives.

Life on this earth qualifies you for either blessing or cursing. Both come from God. A believer advancing in their spiritual life will be the recipient of blessing. Negative believers as well as unbelievers are the recipients of cursing.

Note that what you might think is blessing in this world, things such as success in education, business, in a talent, in finding wealth, in accomplishing something, in having friends and such things, these are not correctly categorized as blessings. When God is excluded, you might think of these kinds of things as positive curses.

Things of this world, which are obtained through the efforts of man, to Gods exclusion, are not blessings. They are merely the details of life.

True blessing comes as a result of spiritual growth. Spiritual growth resides within your soul. Therefore, true blessings become a component of your soul. You may receive various details of life as described above, but those things are temporary, and will not travel with you into the next life. What will travel with you is the content of your soul.

Therefore, those who are blessed of this earth, those who are blessed in this earthly life, those who pursue their spiritual life and thus become recipients for blessings, do so by means of the God of truth.

Blessings do not come from this earth, but from God, and through doctrine.

He who swears, by means of accepting the testimony of the scriptures, by means of learning, understanding, and adopting Gods principles, standards, and mandates into their daily life, in this life, do so by means of truth.

No blessings, no testimony, or legitimately functioning life, comes from the source of the worldly beliefs, religions, philosophies and such of this world.

The world at its very best, is the source of lies.

There is only one source of truth and that comes from the Bible. The written Word is so tremendously important, that God has even magnified it above His own reputation. God has placed His Word before Himself.

Psa. 138:2

2 I will bow down toward Thy holy temple, And give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; For Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name. NASB

Ours is an age in which our only means of learning of God, is through His written word. We have no other means of learning, or coming to a knowledge of God. We have no other means of gaining blessing, meaning or purpose for our lives.

Planet earth is but a speck of dust in this vast universe. Nations, political parties, social clubs and such, battle over the details of life, which they deem important above and beyond all other things in life. But, those things will pass away one day, and all of the competitors for things, will come up losers.

Who will be the ultimate winners in life? Those who advance in their spiritual life to the point of maturity.

Lazarus died in poverty at the rich mans gate. Lazarus was recognized and honored in Paradise while the rich man eventually went on to great suffering in Torments, Luke 16:20-26.

Between the two men, there exists a great gulf deep. That gulf, was faith in Christ, and doctrine in the soul. Lazarus was a mature believer in Christ.

Lazarus was destitute, but still Lazarus received blessing in this life through doctrine, paving the way to great blessing in the next life. Job was wealthy in this life, but received his true blessing through doctrine, paving the way for great blessing in the next life.

God places us all in various situations where some might have great wealth, and some might live in extreme poverty. Your situation in life is of no consequence. Your spiritual status is what is important, not the balance in your bankbook.

If God so happens to choose to give you great wealth, that is not to your credit. If God so chooses to draw you down to poverty, that is not to your discredit. This superficial world makes those judgments based on what you have or don t have. But what the world thinks is irrelevant.

Your objective in life is not to gain by worldly standards to the exclusion of God, but to gain by spiritual standards, which gain will last you forever.

All things, which are of this human history, which are now going to be called the former things, will become forgotten as they vanish away into the past. Their being forgotten, will be as though they never existed. Do you remember what you had to eat as a snack, on a certain day, several years ago? No. You have forgotten it, because today it carries no value in your life. So it will be with all of the details of life, in this life. They are destined for extinction.

The next verse will make all of the worldly values obsolete, and all of the spiritual values infinite.

Now is the time to post a prayer.