What Is the Significance of God’s Storehouses in the Bible?

　　Businesses and individuals will often store their goods and provisions in storehouses. This enables them to keep all their items together conveniently and safely in one place. In Old Testament times, the Israelites had a storehouse in the Temple where they kept the tithes of food for the priests and Levites (Malachi 3:10).

　　Having the storehouse was part of God’s provision for the priests who served in the Temple and the Levites who had no land of their own (Deuteronomy 10:9).

　　Not only did the Israelites have a storehouse, but God also has His own “storehouses” as mentioned in the Bible.

　　However, unlike man’s earthly storehouses, which keep food, goods, or riches, God’s storehouses refer to His power over the natural world and His goodness which He pours out on those who follow Him.

　　In the Old Testament, God’s storehouses were tied to Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord but also serve to point forward to the spiritual treasures found in Christ.

God’s Power Over the Natural World

　　For instance, Deuteronomy 28:12 mentions God opening the storehouses of heaven to give rain to the Israelites if they obeyed His commandments.

　　However, if they disobeyed His commands and turned away from Him to chase after other gods, the Lord would “shut” His storehouses and drought would come upon the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 28:15, 23-24).

　　There is no surprise, then, that God would often send drought upon the land of Israel when they disobeyed Him and chased after idols. A three-year drought impacted the land during Elijah’s ministry under the reign of the wicked King Ahab and his pagan wife, Jezebel (1 Kings 17:1, 18:1; James 5:17).

　　Because God was withholding rain, Israel also suffered from famine since their crops could not grow (1 Kings 18:2). Many of the Israelites worshiped Baal during this time, who supposedly had control over storms and rain (1 Kings 18:18-19).

　　Ironically, the followers of Baal sought what only Yahweh, the One true God could give. God alone is Ruler over the natural world. Only when Elijah was told to confront Ahab and pray for rain did the Lord bring down a torrent of rain for the parched land (1 Kings 18:1, 18:41-45).

　　Another aspect of the natural world that God has in His “storehouses” are the depths of the oceans. Psalm 33:7 specifically mentions this in the psalmist’s description of creation: “He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.”

　　Keeping in mind the genre of a psalm or song, the psalmist is using poetic imagery of a “storehouse” to indicate God’s power and control of the deep ocean. He created everything, including the oceans, and has control over His creation (Psalm 33:6-9).

　　Other elements of nature that Scripture mentions in God’s storehouses are snow, hail, and wind (Job 38:22; Psalm 135:7; Jeremiah 10:13; 51:16). Since He is the Creator of all things, God can control the weather and nature for His divine purposes (Genesis 7).

　　He is Sovereign, powerful, and worthy of worship. Multiple passages in the Old Testament include God’s storehouses of the “heavens” because Israel needed to obey the Lord according to their covenant with Him to receive His provisions from His “storehouses,” such as rain.

　　Although the nation of Israel divinely received the blessings and curses of weather detailed in the Mosaic Law, modern droughts or other natural phenomena are not necessarily a sign of punishment from God. Opening and shutting His “storehouses” when the people obeyed or disobeyed the Lord was specific to the nation of Israel.

　　As Scripture states, God “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” providing provision to all people through His natural world (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17). Thus, Christians should be careful in claiming that seasons of drought, snow, or wind are specific signs of God’s wrath.

Goodness Stored Up

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　　Unlike storehouses of gold or grain, the storehouse of God’s goodness is never-ending. To all who believe in and reverence Him, the Lord pours out His goodness in the form of spiritual blessings.

　　He is a refuge and shelter to those who trust in Him (Psalm 31:20). Those who call out to Him receive His help (Psalm 31:22). Everything works together for good, for those who trust in God (Romans 8:28).

　　The preeminent example of God’s goodness is His loving act of grace through sending His Son to die for the sins of all mankind (Romans 2:4; 9:22-24).

　　In Jesus’ death and resurrection, He provides freedom from sin and death through an everlasting relationship with Himself (John 17:3; Romans 8:3). Such mercy from God is undeserved by sinful humankind, which highlights the Lord’s goodness in His actions toward man.

　　Paul speaks of these immeasurable spiritual riches of grace when he wrote, “God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7, NLT). God’s goodness is offered freely to all people if they will trust in Him for salvation.

　　Even so, pain and hardship are inevitable in a fallen world, a believer’s entire life will be filled with the Lord’s goodness and mercy (Psalm 23:6).

　　Spanning one’s earthly life into eternity, followers of Christ will continue to declare that God is good because of who He is and what He has done. His stores of goodness will never run out.

The King of All

　　While He has set natural laws into place, God does and can act in His creation by opening and closing His “storehouses” of rain, snow, hail, wind, and waters of the deep. This has been done in the past and will be done in the future (Revelation 6:12-17; 11:3-6; 16:21).

　　However, all people can be thankful for God’s continual provision in supplying natural resources for the good of mankind.

　　In addition to His natural provision, as the ultimate King who rules the universe, God has been merciful in storing up goodness for those who have faith in Him. He did not have to offer such grace and kindness, but He did by sending His Son.

　　Christ took the punishment for sins, died, and rose to life to bring salvation to all who believe. The treasures of the Lord’s storehouses are not gold or costly goods, but provision, care, and spiritual blessings. In Him, Christians are rich in spiritual abundance and the goodness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 8:9).

　　For further reading:

　　How Has Jesus Come to Give Abundant Life?

　　Why Does the Lord Both Give and Take Away?

　　What Does it Mean to Consider the Lilies?

　　What Does it Mean ‘May the Lord Bless You and Keep You'?