In today’s devotion we will explore several more wonderful insights from this special book of Deuteronomy.
It’s for Your Own Good
No book in the Bible has more injunctions for us to obey the Lord than Deuteronomy. But what is really exciting is that no book gives more verses telling us that this obedience is for our good!
Consider the following:
“So, you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, so that it may go well for you and for your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:40).
“If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it would go well with them and with their sons forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
“So, the Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our own good always and for our survival, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 6:24).
“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land into which you are about to cross to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 11:8).
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
And there is more. God wants us to obey Him because He wants to shower us with His manifold blessings which He constantly has in store for us. We have always been taught that obedience can be a drag, a chore, and no fun. However, when we obey the Creator of the universe it becomes an exciting challenge, and a great joy to know obedience brings blessings, and it’s most of all pleasing to God.
The Nearness of God
Did you know that God still makes house calls? When you get sick you often have to travel to the doctor’s office. And when you get very sick, sometimes an ambulance is necessary. In both cases by the time, we get help valuable time has elapsed.
Well praise the Lord, for one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture is found in (Deuteronomy 4:7): “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?” We literally have instant access to our Father in heaven and His line is never busy. What a wonderful feeling to know that God is never too busy to hear us. He even encourages us to call: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Near verses Fear?
While God is all loving and always very near to His children when they call to Him, it is also true that God means business when it comes to how we treat Him. The book of Deuteronomy sets the tone on how God wants us to relate to Him. We are told in the most graphic way in all of Scripture just what God thinks of false gods and idols. He also tells us what He expects our reaction to them to be.
(Deuteronomy 12:2-3) puts it this way: “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.”
Over the years we have lowered the standards of just how we should fear (reverence) the Lord. God’s standards, however, like every other attribute He possesses never change. If you are still holding on to some pet idols then you just might want to re-read Deuteronomy 12 to see why your deeper walk is not what you want it to be.
In tomorrow’s conclusion to our study on Deuteronomy we will explore one more powerful insight into the deeper things of the Lord.
I stumbled across “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth“ a week ago. I’m thankful that I did. It’s now a gold nugget in my bag of daily readings. I can keep it in my in my hip pocket to possibly share throughout the day that has an intellectual edge, since I’m usually not too quick on my feet. God bless
Hi Curt,
You have beautifully elucidated some of the great discoveries in Deuteronomy! I especially liked this point:
“We have always been taught that obedience can be a drag, a chore, and no fun. However, when we obey the Creator of the universe it becomes an exciting challenge, and a great joy to know obedience brings blessings, and it’s most of all pleasing to God.”
This is so true and such a good point. There seems to be an undercurrent in America, a peer pressure almost, to lean toward a rebellious nature. I have a hunch this is a legacy of the moral revolution of the 1960s, in which an entire generation of young people appeared to wholly reject the moral value system of their parents, the World War 2 generation. Question authority, and indeed, reject authority.
Yet when we yield to the authority of God, and submit humbly to Him—cast our lot with Him, you might say—what joy results. I find that when I submit myself in obedience to one who truly cares for me, then a deep inner desire is satisfied. The God shaped hole that I am convinced is within all of us, is filled.
There’s no better way to live, than to live right with God.
Thank you for your devotions!