In this chapter Moses reads the Ten Commandments to the people as a reminder. We are also reminded of God’s heart behind the commandments.
“You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” (v32-33)
Why did God give us the Ten Commandments? Did He simply want to minimize our sinning? Not entirely. He also desires “that we may live, and that it may go well with us, and that we may live long in the land that you shall possess”. So what does that mean?
Similar to what we said yesterday, God wants us to prosper – not just for our own benefit, but also so gentiles may see God glorified through us. God longs to lavishly bless His children, and when others come to know Him through our walk with God, He can bless them too. God’s blessings are endless, limitless, and infinite, so there are plenty to share.
Now God knew it was impossible for us to keep His commands (Israel couldn’t do it either) so He made provisions for the forgiveness of sin (first animal sacrifices, then Jesus’ final sacrifice on the cross).
With God’s abundant mercy and grace, and our desire to follow Jesus, God can be glorified as He blesses us. What was Jesus’ primary purpose on earth? To deal with sin and bring glory to God. Like Jesus, we are to bring glory to God, and we do that through obedience to Him.
Now, I’m not suggesting a prosperity gospel here where we obey and everything will go well in our circumstances – I’m suggesting that if we obey there will be some circumstantial blessings, yes, but our primary prosperity will be in our souls and relationship with God (and of course there will be eternal rewards as well). We will also see God glorified in our lives, and the lives of those around us whose faith will be strengthened because of our obedience (“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” [Pr 27:17]).
My challenge for today is to examine our motives for obeying God. Are we obeying just because God asks us to, or do we believe God deserves to be glorified through us so others may come to know Him? Let’s obey out of love and a heart to glorify God, and whatever comes from that is in God’s hands.
Father God, O Holy One of Israel, great and mighty is Your name. You have redeemed us from our sin, and called us to a higher purpose. Father may we learn to fully submit to You, obey Your voice, and bring You the glory You deserve. May we also learn to leave everything else in Your hands, that we simply obey and then watch You change the hearts of those around us. Thank you for the strength, wisdom and discernment that You provide in order to help us do this. In Jesus’ name we praise You, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training