The Storehouses

There are a number of references in the Old Testament of God’s storehouses, a place where all the provisions for His creation are found. In Deuteronomy 28:12, it identifies “His good storehouse, the heavens” as the place where He keeps rain for the land as well as the blessings of “all the work of your hand”. It’s also the place He will make those who obey Him the head and not the tail (verse 13). When I think of a storehouse, I think about the end of the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the massive government warehouse where the Ark was finally stored. It is the place where God fulfills the disciples’ prayer to “give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). 

Some of these storehouses contain snow and hail “which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war or battle” (Job 38:22-23). In Psalm 33:6-8, the psalmist writes, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” The storehouses are a demonstration of God’s omnipotence, His ability to provide for any need, to answer any prayer.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy 

One of the ways that the Lord would remind the Israelites of His faithfulness to provide for them in the wilderness was the Sabbath celebration. In Exodus 16, God commanded them to do no work on the day of rest, that He would provide “bread for two days on the sixth day” (verse 29). He was teaching them how to trust Him for everything. While traveling through the wilderness God provided manna (meaning “what is it?”) each morning with double the amount on the sixth day. The Law of Moses also instituted the Sabbath year in Leviticus 25, intended to provide rest and refreshment for the land. God promised that He would provide for them for an entire year, every sixth year if they would trust Him. 

It is interesting to note that the Babylonian captivity of Judah was directly related to their failure to honor the Sabbath year for 490 years (70 x 7). In 2Chronicles 36:20-21, “Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete”. The Jews spent 70 years in captivity to allow its lands to rest for 70 years. 

Living in God’s security

For the Old Testament Jew, only by listening to obey the Lord’s commands would they receive the blessings intended for them from His storehouses. In Deuteronomy 11:13-16, “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [winter - former] and late [spring - latter] rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.” It was always to remind them of the deception of serving and worshipping other gods.

In Leviticus 26:5-6, “You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land. 6 ‘I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.” God’s security and one’s own satisfaction are for those who can trust Him fully.

Seeking the Kingdom 

God’s provisions, His storehouses are available to New Testament believers as well. In Matthew 6:31-34, Jesus taught, “Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” He was emphasizing that our attention should be on spiritual matters, promoting his kingdom and His righteousness and He will open His storehouses on our behalf. He further speaks about our attitude toward tomorrow. He says tomorrow is not worthy of your worry or anxiety because tomorrow has its own storehouses.

Giving

Just as God has storehouses, the temple also has a storehouse, representing the overflow of God’s provisions to man to support the spiritual work on the earth. In Malachi 3:8, the Lord speaks to the people about their attitude toward financing His work by asking them if they understood that by not contributing a tithe (10%) to this work was like robbing God. In the same way, bringing “the whole tithe” to the storehouse will assuredly result in an overflow of blessings. This principle also applies to the church in 2Corinthians 9:6-8, where God employs His grace as the means of providing abundance to all who give with a cheerful heart. 

In Psalm 5:12, “For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield”.