Always Love and Obey God

Moses: ¹² “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you (reverentially) fear the LORD your God and live (walk) in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul. ¹³ And you must always obey (keep) the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

¹⁴ Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God.¹⁵ Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of His love (affection). And He chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. ¹⁶ Therefore, change (circumcise) your hearts and stop being stubborn (rebellious, stiff-necked). ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. ¹⁸ He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners (aliens) living among you and gives them food and clothing. ¹⁹ So you, too, must show love to foreigners (aliens), for you yourselves were once foreigners (aliens) in the land of Egypt.

²⁰ You must (reverentially) fear the LORD your God and worship (serve) Him and cling to Him. Your oaths must be in His Name alone. ²¹ He alone is your God, the only One who is worthy of your praise, the One who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. ²² When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!” Deuteronomy 10:12-22 (NLT)

What does God want? Many people have asked that very question of what does the living God require of humanity. In Deuteronomy chapters 10 and 11, Moses gives not only Israel but also the church the central answer of what the living God needs of all humankind (see Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32).

The living God created humankind in His image (e.g., see Genesis 1:1, 26-28; Genesis 5:1; Psalm 100:3). As our Creator, the living God requires all humankind to reverentially fear Him as our LORD God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the LORD our God with all your heart and with all our soul, and to obey and keep His moral commandments (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 20; Deuteronomy 11:1, 22). How often we complicate faith with our man-made rules, regulations, and requirements. The living God wants more than external rituals and going through the motions such as baptism, confirmation, and church membership, although such ceremonies are important (e.g., see Ephesians 6:6). The living God wants our wholehearted love for Him first (see Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 22:37). Moses encouraged Israel (and now the church) to submit to the LORD God inside, in their hearts, as well as outside, in their bodies. Here, Moses gives everyone a simple summary to remember: (1) fear God and have reverence and respect for Him; (2) walk in all God’s ways (e.g., see Exodus 34:6-7); (3) to love God (e.g., see Deuteronomy 6:4-6); (4) serve and worship Him with all our heart and soul (see Exodus 20:3-7); and (5) keep His commands (see 1 John 5:3).

The central elements in Deuteronomy chapters 10 and 11 is the command to love, fear, serve, obey, respect, follow, and worship the LORD God with all your heart and soul  and His moral commandments (Deuteronomy 10:12, 15-16, 19; Deuteronomy 11:1, 13, 16, 18, 22; see also Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, love for God and obeying His commands are inseparably linked (e.g., see Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 11:1, 13, 22). In fact, this theme flows throughout the entire Old Testament (e.g., see Joshua 22:5; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Daniel 9:4) and on into the New Testament (e.g., see Matthew 22:37-40; John 14:15-16, 20-21, 23; John 15:9-10; 1 John 2:3-5; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6). The chief and highest end for all humankind are to love, serve, and glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever (e.g., see Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Psalm 100:1-2; Matthew 22:37; see also Westminster Larger and Smaller Catechisms). The earth and highest heaven belong to the living LORD God, who created the heavens and the earth, and He is from everlasting to everlasting (Deuteronomy 10:15; see also Exodus 19:5; 1 Kings 18:27; Nehemiah 9:5-6; Psalm 24:1; Acts 17:22-29). Moses reminded Israel (and the church) that obedience to the living God and His moral commandments is for their good, reveal their wisdom, and leads to life (Deuteronomy 10:13; see also Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Deuteronomy 6:24-25; Deuteronomy 12:28; 1 Kings 2:2-4). Obedience to the Lord is the key to every blessing!

Therefore, Moses encouraged Israel to circumcise (or change) their hearts by turning and surrendering their whole hearts and minds away from sin and wickedness, and turning to the living God with all love, obedience, and service to Him and His moral commandments (Deuteronomy 10:16; see also Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Matthew 3:2-3; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 20:21; Romans 2:28-29). The living God of Israel is the God of gods and Lord of lords, and He is awesome, mighty, and faithful (Deuteronomy 10:17; see also Deuteronomy 7:9, 21; Joshua 22:22; Psalm 135:5; Psalm 136:2-3; Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15-16). The LORD God is the great and mighty God who so loves the world He created (Deuteronomy 10:17; see also Psalm 145:17-20; Psalm 146:6; John 3:16). Therefore, Moses encouraged Israel (and now the church) to give God alone our first allegiance and worship.

Moreover, Moses proclaimed that the LORD God defends the cause of the fatherless and widows, and He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:18-19; see also Exodus 22:21-24; Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 27:19; Isaiah 10:1-3). The LORD God is a Father to the fatherless and a Defender of widows (see Psalm 68:5). Even more, the living God graciously helps the aliens and oppressed, sets the prisoner free, and gives food to the poor (see Psalm 146:7-9). For that reason, the living God requires His people to also give fairness and justice, show mercy, and compassion to one another, and not oppress but love the widows, the fatherless, the aliens and the poor (Deuteronomy 10:18-19; see also Deuteronomy 24:17-18; Isaiah 1:11-15; Jeremiah 7:22-23; Micah 6:6-8; Hoses 6:6; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:9-10). Amazingly during His public ministry, Jesus also taught His disciple not to neglect the more important matters of the Law – justice, mercy and faithfulness – and commanded His disciples to love one another (see Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7; Matthew 22:39; Matthew 23:23; Mark 12:33; Luke 11:42; John 13:34-35).

True love for God also means love for others – you cannot have one without the other (e.g., see Matthew 7:12; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 10:8-10; Galatians 5:14). A covenant relationship with the living God will always cause one to express love in both a vertical and horizontal dimension. To love God is to love one’s neighbor (see Deuteronomy 10:12, 20). Good news is that if our hearts are surrendered to God with all love and obedience, then we will naturally want to do good and love others too (see Ephesians 2:10). Truly, a Spirit of love runs throughout Deuteronomy – love for God and love for others (see also Mark 12:28-31). In the Holy Scriptures, love is more than a feeling; true love is a decision to serve another person’s best interest (e.g., see Romans 13:8-10). Only through God’s help can one genuinely love another with all our heart!

Furthermore, Moses reminded the Israelites they too were refugees and foreigners in the land of Egypt, and the living God graciously cared for Israel (Deuteronomy 10:19; see also Exodus 22:21; Exodus 23:9; Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 24:18). Israel’s ancestors – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – were immigrants. When Israel (Jacob) and his twelve sons went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them (Deuteronomy 10:22; see also Genesis 46:26-27; Exodus 1:5; Acts 7:14). However, the living God graciously multiplied and increased Israel and his descendants to as many as the stars in the sky as He promised His servant Abraham (Deuteronomy 10:22; see also Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:14-16; Genesis 15:4-6; Genesis 22:17-18; Genesis 26:4; Deuteronomy 1:10).

Once more, Moses instructed Israel (and the church) to honor, love, and respect the living God, obey and keep every one of His righteous commandments, and worship and serve Him only (Deuteronomy 10:20; Deuteronomy 11:1, 8, 13, 22; see also Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 13:4; Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Matthew 4:4). The LORD God is our praise and our living God (Deuteronomy 10:21; see also Exodus 15:22; Jeremiah 17:14). The living God is great, awesome, all-powerful, good, and forever faithful (Deuteronomy 11:2-4; see also Deuteronomy 7:9, 21; Deuteronomy 10:17; Joshua 22:22; Psalm 136:1-3; Daniel 2:47; Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:3). Besides, Moses reminded Israel they had strong reasons to believe in God and obey God’s commands because they personally eye witnessed a parade of God’s mighty miracles against the Egyptians (see Deuteronomy 11:7). The LORD God will care for you, protect you, and provide for your every need (Deuteronomy 11:5; see also Deuteronomy 8:4; Deuteronomy 29:5-6; Psalm 37:4-5; Psalm 55:22; Nehemiah 9:21; Matthew 6:9-13, 25-34; Luke 11:1-4; Hebrews 13:5-6; 1 Peter 5:7). God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (see Matthew 28:20; John 14:1, 15-18, 27; John 16:33; Romans 8:37-39).

Moses once again warned Israel not to rebel against the living and His righteous ways by worshipping and serving other gods (e.g., money, material possession, status, job promotion, etc.) because such evil and disobedience will lead to their death, disease, and destruction (Deuteronomy 11:16, 28; see also Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 6:13-15; Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Such disobedience and unfaithfulness against the living God brings God’s wrath, punishment, and anger (Deuteronomy 11:17; see also Leviticus 26:18-22; Deuteronomy 30:18; Joshua 23:14-16; 1 Kings 8:35-36). Often in Jewish history, the living God closed the windows of heavens and disciplined His people until they confessed their sins and returned wholeheartedly to Him (e.g., see Deuteronomy 28:23-24; 2 Chronicles 7:13-14). The LORD God’s anger against Israel would cause Him to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce (e.g., see Deuteronomy 28:23-24; 1 Kings 17:1). All-important seasonal rains are controlled by the living God (see Deuteronomy 11:14).

However, faithfully loving and obeying the living God and His righteous commandments with all our hearts, souls, and minds lead to life, contentment, and blessings for not only you and your family but for their nation (Deuteronomy 11:8-15, 21, 27; see also Deuteronomy 28:1-14; 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; Matthew 6:33; John 5:24). Once again, Moses encouraged the people to seek forever and love God and keep His commands on their hearts, souls, and minds and teach God’s righteous ways to their children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 11:18-20; see also Deuteronomy 6:4-9). God will be our Divine Protector and Warrior, and He will increase our lands and defeat all our enemies if we will always love, serve, and obey Him (Deuteronomy 11:12, 22-25; see also Deuteronomy 1:30-31; Deuteronomy 6:21-23; Deuteronomy 7:1-2, 20-24; Deuteronomy 8:14-16; Deuteronomy 9:3; Deuteronomy 26:6-9; Deuteronomy 31:4). Moses promised that if the people loved, feared, and obeyed God; He would graciously bless their land and the people.

God does not “buy” our obedience, but He does reward our faith and obedience to Him (see Romans 8:1). On the other hand, God’s people cannot blame suffering on God because our sin deserves God’s punishment. Thus, Deuteronomy chapters 10 and 11 teach a forceful statement of a universal principle: those who are faithful to God will receive God’s blessings, and those who are unfaithful to God can expect to receive His judgment. God is faithful to His people and expects us to be faithful to Him in return. LOVE AND OBEY THE LIVING GOD!

References

Disciple's Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1988).

ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).

Life Application Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

Life Essentials Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2011).

The Living Bible Paraphrase (Tyndale House, 1971).

Merrill, Eugene H. New American Commentary: Deuteronomy (Nashville, TN: B and H Publishing Group, 1994).

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary – Old Testament (Victor Books, 1989).