One thing I like about Deuteronomy is how it encapsulates the entire 40 year wilderness experience into 34 readable chapters. When reading Exodus through Numbers (especially Leviticus), it's easy to think God is all about rules and regulations, but Deuteronomy boils it down to what's really important: What does the Lord ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? (Deuteronomy 10:12,13)
And
did you catch that last part? For
your own good? That's important for us to remember.
Israel’s
neighbors were envious of its laws. The Law was seen as a sign of favor by
Israel’s God, that he loved his people enough to give them boundaries in which
to walk – a path leading to his blessing and kindness.
God
created us to live in loving relationship with him and with people. When left
to our own devices, we often abuse our freedoms and end up hurting other
people, sometimes to the point of damaging those relationships – even
unintentionally. But obeying God's laws preserves and even restores them.
Have
you ever damaged a relationship by neglecting God’s laws? Was it worth it?
Amen!
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question - yep & nope!
Although in hindsight everything does really work out for God's glory, even when we aren't perfect.
If we submit our failures/mistakes/sins to God, he will make something beautiful out of them.
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