God’s Desire For All His People All The Time

-May 25, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“Oh, that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”

(Deuteronomy 5:29).

Have you ever wished out loud that something might happen. It is called often called “wishful thinking.” Perhaps that all the violence will stop, peace will prevail, love, courtesy, and cooperation will replace division, hatred, prejudice, and war. Today’s verse is God’s wishful thinking for His people. The difference is we often don’t have power to change circumstances, but God does.

When God created mankind He gave us a free will. He will never force us to obey Him, His commandments, or to do His will. We must make the choice. This is also true of people getting saved. He could have made us all like robots, making us be be obedient to Him. But where would the glory for Him be in that? The IRS has a policy of making you comply with heavy collection tactics. The called it “forced compliance.” God doesn’t operate that way at all.

God tells in His Word what we should and shouldn’t do, but it is up to us to follow His instructions. We are blessed if we do and suffer the consequences if we don’t. In our text we see what we should do: fear God and always keep all His commandments; and there is a blessing for us and our families if we do. Doing God’s will and desires are always best for us in the short term and in the long run as well.

• That they would have such a heart in them to fear Me – We often read in Scripture of the fear of the Lord. It doesn’t mean to be afraid of the Lord as the Israelites were when they received the Law at Mount Sinai amidst strong earthquakes, loud thunderings, and darkness. Instead, it means to reverence Him, respect His power and authority, and have the desire to please Him.

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Solomon also wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). We must choose the fear of the Lord over the fear of man.

• And always keep all My commandments – We can’t obey God whenever we please or it suits us; God desires that we obey all His commandments always. Under the Law, there was a penalty for disobedience. Under grace, we obey the Lord out of love. Jesus said in John 14:15,”If you love Me, keep (or as it can be rendered “you will keep”) My commandments.” Love is always the best motivation for obedience.

The two key words in this verse are short, simple, and inclusive: “all and always.” Faithfulness and consistency are hallmarks of our faith in the Lord. When someone is genuinely saved, it results in a changed life. No one can be an imitation Christian, one must be the real thing. It isn’t enough to talk the talk, but we must walk the talk and walk the walk!

The results of fearing the Lord and always obeying Him are found in the words, “that it may be well with them and their children forever.” God tells that when we obey willingly we will be blessed and so will our children. There is a ripple affect in our lives that extends to our families. Parents who obey God show a great example to their kids. Even so, our kids will have to make their own choice to fear God and keep His commandments. At the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Have a blessed day fearing God and always obeying Him in all things. Let us remember it is for His glory and for our good. Stay safe and healthy.

In His eternal love,

Dean