Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 10:13 “And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.”

When I was little, when I heard, “I’m doing this for your own good,” well, that was usually accompanied by some type of painful experience that involved leather and my back side.

And that’s the lens I read this scripture through - and there is a hint of that in here.

Jesus says, “Revelation 3:19 “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”

But this scripture in Deuteronomy is more of a carrot than a stick.

I know we have trouble with the word “obey” - no one likes being told what to do.

So, just to make it easier to swallow, use the word “keep” instead of “obey” - they mean the same thing.

“And you must always keep the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today...

As I walk the path of life, keeping the commands sounds somewhat doable.

But then we hear a very interesting phrase - “for your own good.”

Like I said, when I was a kid, for your own good had a threat involved.

Do this or something bad is going to happen to you.

But that’s not what’s going on here.

It’s not a threat - if you don’t, you’re going to get it.

It’s a promise - if you do this, you’re going to get something really good.

“Good" is the best we can do to translate this word - but “good” means more than “good.”

It has a range of meanings - like we use love to mean anything from our spouses and kids to ice cream - good is kind of that way.

These are all the nuances of the word good - get ready.

Deuteronomy 10:13 “And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.”

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for your own pleasure - good means that.

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for your own beauty - good means that too.

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for your own delight - good means that as well.

For your own gladness.

For your own joy.

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for you to know you are precious - good means that.

For you to know you are correct

For you to know you are right with God

For your own wealth

For your own victory

For your own food

For your own hospitality

For your own friendship

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for your ability to give good counsel

For your ability to receive good counsel

For your ability to enjoy the feeling you get when you do a hard day’s work

For you to have a good name

For you to be known as loyal

For you to be known as truthful

For you to be known as wise

Keep the Lord’s commands and decrees for you to have physical beauty - good means that.

For you to be sensually alluring

For you to be happy

For you to be of noble character

For you to have moral goodness

For you to live your best life.

That’s what good means.

And listen to me - that’s what the Father is trying to give to us.

Psalm 85:12 “Yes, the Lord will give what is good...”

That means Psalm 144:15 is absolutely our cry!

English Standard Version Psalm 144

Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

We are truly blessed - so let us give thanks to the Lord for His generosity, His kindness and His mercy.

For the Lord our God is good.