Why? For Our Good!

Read Deuteronomy 6

Read Luke 4

Jesus battles the Devil and avoids falling into sin by quoting Scripture and by keeping the commands of God. He tells the Devil that He is to worship the Lord His God and serve Him only.

Another version of that first commandment appears in our Deut. 6 reading today. The Jews refer to it as the "SHEMA" which is the first Hebrew word in the sentence, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (v. 4-5).

God comes first. And in response to his love and salvation, we seek to live according to his commands. And in the Old Testament, I'm sure it took a lot of work to keep not just the moral commands, but also all the civil and ceremonial laws as well. But that's good. It gave occasion to teach the children.

Because children are children and they will no doubt ask, "Why?" Deuteronomy tells us to expect the questions from children. Moses says, "When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?' then you shall say to your son..." (v. 20-21), and Moses then teaches Israel to recount for their children the exodus and the salvation that God provided from the Red Sea to entering the Promised Land. You see, there is a connection between their salvation and the activities they do, the lives that they live. Verse 24 is HUGELY important. (Is hugely a word? It needs to be just for this verse). Verse 24 says, "And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day." Why? For our good. For our protection, preservation, well being.

Too many people think the church has rules because we are a bunch of prudes. Some people think God gives laws because he is mean and doesn't want people to have fun. Some people think that this is just a man made religion so who cares about the commands and the pointless regulations.

But we know that God has rules, commands, instructions for worship and life because they are for our good. Through them God protects us from sin, from falling into the temptation of the Devil. Through them God helps us to overcome the adversary. Through them God helps us to live a decent life and not wallow with the pigs.

Know someone who says, "Damn the commandments! I'm going to live how I want! Who cares about God." Well, that is a person who is hard to reach. We can only hope that they realize in time that they are hurting themselves. Maybe they'll finally listen to our loving warnings, maybe they'll be tired of wallowing with the pigs (Luke 15 - we'll get to it in our readings soon!), or maybe they'll be touched by the love and compassion of a Christian. But we can hope, wait, and seize opportunities.

In the meantime, let us rejoice that God gives commands for our good. Let us continue to worship and live for the One True God who has rescued us from the slavery and death of sin through the cross. Let us seek to help others as well.

Thanks be to God!

Pray:

Pray from your heart today concerning those who are in trouble because they either do not recognize the One True God, or they are continually falling into destructive sin (or both). Ask God to work in their lives. As Him to send Christian people to say the right thing at the right time. Ask God to use you as that well-placed Christian to speak his Word to someone who needs to hear it. Then say "Amen!" with conviction.

Study with me tomorrow,

Pastor Jon

Soli Deo Gloria!