As we all know, communication is very important in any relationship, whether it is between a husband and wife, a boss and his employees, a teacher and her students, or two friends. Both parties need to know what each other wants or needs. If they don’t, then problems can arise. Mankind has a relationship with God, and it is important in that relationship to know what He wants and expects of us. Sometimes people don’t make it clear what they want or expect from others. How about with God? Does He make it clear to us? Can we easily find out what He wants? Our Scripture today from the Book of Deuteronomy will give us an answer. Let’s take a look.
The Book of Deuteronomy was written by Moses shortly before the people of Israel were going to go in and take possession of the land that the Lord had promised them and their fathers, going back to the time of Abraham. The book was mainly a recap of a lot of the laws given by the Lord during their forty years of wandering through the wilderness. Our passage is one from towards the end of the book. Moses had called upon the people to repent of their sins and return to the Lord. Now he emphasizes that God desires to bless the people, but His blessings are contingent on their obedience to His commandments. They will only receive these blessings if they follow and obey what He says (vs. 9-10).
Now that they were going to enter the Promised Land, some of the people might have been a bit concerned about their daily provisions. They knew that the daily supply of manna was not going to continue there, nor the pillar of cloud and of fire to lead them. They also knew that Moses would not be with them, as he was well over a hundred years old. Would God really bless them there? The Lord promised the people here that He would bless them, both materially and spiritually, but only if they returned to a close and obedient relationship with Him. God delights in blessing His people, but they must be obedient to His commands. Obedience brings blessings. This is not in any way a preaching of the prosperity gospel, which is a false gospel. This is showing covenantal faithfulness.
As we read verse 10, the first word in that verse is the word “if”. That word “if” here is very important. These blessings that the Lord promises to give are conditional. He will give them if we listen to what He says, and then obey Him. We obey, and then God blesses us. The Lord also desires that we turn to Him with all of our heart and soul. God wants our obedience to Him, our love for Him, to be wholehearted, not just ritualistic and going through the motions. The Lord wants our hearts and lives to be transformed because of our relationship with Him. He doesn’t want just outward compliance and a robotic following of His commands.
As Moses continued, he told the people that these commandments, that God’s Word, was not something so mysterious or difficult to find and read (vs. 11-14). The Lord has revealed to us very plainly in His Word, the Bible, exactly what He wants from us, along with all of His blessings, especially salvation. It is not some mystical enigma that only a few people might understand if they go into some sort of a trance, like a lot of the pagan religions. Everything that God wants and needs for us to know for salvation and His blessings are revealed and written down in the Bible, and is accessible for anyone to read. It is available to all who seek it.
When we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior, and are in a saving relationship with Him, God has promised that He will write His Word in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). The Apostle Paul quotes verse 14 in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 10:8). God’s Word is right there for anyone, anywhere to access. It has been translated into hundreds of languages. It is easily accessed on computers online. It is recorded for those who cannot see, to listen to its words. One does not need some magical formula to read God’s own Words in the Bible, nor do they need to climb on top of some sacred mountain, or perform some special feats like in pagan religions.
If we repent, the Lord will accept us, and make us His children. He will show us what He wants through His Word, which is near to us and knowable. We need to study God’s Word, the Bible every day, and then obey, not just outwardly, but with our whole heart. We can trust God’s promises in the Bible, as He delights to bless us when we obey. Finally, verse 14 says that God’s Word is in our mouth and in our heart. It is in our mouth for a reason, and that is that we should share it with others. God’s Word is something we should be sharing with others, as it is the Good News of salvation!
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