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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord, your God, that I give you.
“You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord, your God, destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.”
“See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord, my God, commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord, our God, is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”
Deuteronomy 4:1-8
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we start Chapter 4, Moses has just been rebuffed by God after asking if the punishment God had placed on him could be rescinded so he would be able to cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, the land God had promised to give His people. You’ll remember from yesterday’s message how the Lord denied Moses’ request, instead commanding him to commission Joshua to be Israel’s new leader.
Now, given what had happened, we might expect that Moses would feel sad and forlorn, despaired and depressed given that he knew his life was soon to end without getting to enter the land he had invested so much time guiding his fellow Israelites to but that didn’t happen. Instead, Moses addresses God’s people and provides strong counsel so to prepare them for the blessing that awaited them. Let’s look again at what he had to say in today’s passage from the opening verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 4:
“Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord, your God, that I give you.
“You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord, your God, destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.”
“See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord, my God, commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord, our God, is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”
Within this discourse from Moses, the scriptures provide the following five good reasons why we should heed and obey God’s will and expectations for our lives, not adding or subtracting from it:
First, we will experience the blessings God intends for us.
When Israel decided to comply with God’s commands and simply trust Him, they then received the land He promised them. And if we wish to fully experience the blessings He has in store for us, we too need to live daily in obedience to Him.
Second, when we are obedient to what God calls us to do, we will escape judgment.
Those who chose to disobey the Lord. Following the false god “Baal of Peor” were destroyed while all “who held fast to the Lord” lived and were able to gain their inheritance in the Promised Land.
Today, we should never forget that while we do serve a loving God, we also serve a God who hates sin and will hold sinners accountable. No one should be so spiritually arrogant to think they are safe from judgment because God still hates disobedience today as much as He did back in the days of the Bible. Obedience leads us to the righteousness and holiness that God wants our lives to be defined by and it also guides us away from His judgment.
Third, following God’s will and commands helps us gain special wisdom and understanding.
This is no ordinary wisdom and understanding but a divine discernment and knowledge that comes from God Himself and that means it is far greater and superior to any wisdom and understanding gained from the world.
In our scripture passage for today, we learn how Israel’s wisdom and understanding was so incredibly noticeable that other nations proclaimed, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." And when we follow God’s word, way, and will for our own lives, we too will stand out as being different and unique, leaving others to wonder what we have gained that separates us from what the world can provide. In those instances, we, as believers, have a window of opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel, speaking absolute truth in and through His power.
Finally, living in obedience to our Lord allows us to fully experience His goodness in everything we do.
Israel’s obedience led to special wisdom and understanding which led to all other nations proclaiming their greatness. Moses summed all this up by reminding Israel about the source of their prominence, saying:
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord, our God, is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”
Indeed, Israel had a God like no other and so do we today, a God who blesses His people and protects them whenever they stay loyal and faithful to Him. Like the Israelites of old, we don’t have to wonder what we need to do in life. Our Lord will tell us what He desires and then all we need to do is comply with what He wants, reaping the abundant rewards that come with obedience.
Thanks be to God for all He has been, all He is, and all He is yet to be.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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