Untitled Sermon

King James Version (Chapter 10)

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. 15 Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. 21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. 22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

Whats the context? Who is this written too? Why did he write it? Who said it? Where was he at when he said it? Is this under the old or new covenant? Why does that matter? How does this text relate to Christians now?

Whats the context? Moses had just came back from the communing with God for a second time. Moses plead for Israel and God listened to him and spared Israel. God mercifully gave again the ten commandments on new stones. Also, this event took place after God delivered them from Egypt, and commanded the Israelites to walk in the wilderness until that first generation died out because of their unbelief and wickedness.

Who is this written too? This book was written to the Israelites. Its called the Second Law, or the second giving of the law. Interestingly, the Hebrew name of the book is “These are the words” because this book is the explanation of Moses’ words.

When was it written? This book was written almost 40 years after the Exodus of egypt. Its approximated at 1405 bc!

Who wrote it? Moses wrote this book, and is credited as the author of the book. Although its believed that Joshua finished the book in the end after Moses’ death.

Where was he at when he said it? Moses and the Israelites were dwelling on the other side of the Jordan, close to Jericho, in what the bible addresses as the plains of Moab.

What does the LORD desire from us?

What did require from his people during the exodus, during the Mosaic Covenant?

To fear Him

To walk in all of His ways

To love Him

To serve Him

To keep his commands

To fear him. What does it mean to fear him? The Hebrew word used hear is the word Yay-Ree, and it means to experience an emotional reaction of fear, terror, or apprehension. The LORD had done many things that are fearsome and powerful since that time. To name a few, The Flood which destroyed everyone and thing that was outside of the ark. The confusion at the Tower of Babel, in which God confounded the languages and dispersed every single people group to the appointed place of their dwelling. The Exodus, in which God demostrated his supreme power over Egypt which no doubt would have been the superpower of the time. He sent plagues that destroyed the country, caused great pain on its citizens, slayed the firstborn of every person including Phararoh, and utterly destroyed the Hundreds if not thousands of chariots that pursued his people. God is a powerful powerful fearsome being, who is not to be taken lightly or disrespected. The Israelites were to Fear him. They were to show him the due honor he deserves. When you fear something you avoid conflict at all costs. The Israelites were to obey God, and by doing so would avoid conflict and his displeasure.

To walk in all of his ways. What does it mean to walk in his ways? As Image bearers of God, made in the image of God, we, as do the Israelites, share some qualities of God. Although our qualities are infitinetly less than Gods and are tainted by sin, we do share some qualities. For example, Justice. God is a Just God, its one of his attributes. And Man has a sense of justice in him, an intuitive yet fallen understanding of justice and righteousness Rom 2:15. Generally speaking, no matter where you are in the world, its wrong to murder or lie or steal or rape. It doesnt matter what society says, it doesnt matter what the law is, everyone knows these things are wrong, we just supress the truth in unrighteousness. The israelites were to walk in the ways of God, that means they were to behave themselves after the conduct of God. They were to be like him. Look at V18-19. Be kind because kindness was shown to you Moses is saying.

To Love him. What does it mean to love God? The Israelites in our passage were commanded to love Him. How were they supposed to Love God? Firstly by obeying him. What good is love that doesnt act? If I say honey I love you, but I keep looking at other women, my love is vain and I need to repent. If they say LORD God we love you, but we are going to continue to serve Baal, their love is vain and useless. Godly love stems out of gratitude. Consider all that God had done for the Israelites, and consider all the promises made to this particular people. Look at V15. Look also at Deuteronomy 7:6-8. The Israelites had much to love God for, and it was out of this Love that they shouldve obeyed his commands.

To serve him. What does it mean to serve him? Does God need serving? God already owns all things. He owns every atom, and he could just make us worship him, but he allows us to choose to serve him and worship him. God wants us to desire to worship him. Thats what it means to serve, its to honor and to worship. In some passages, the same word is used to mean to work or to toil. So you could say its to worship God, or work for him, to toil for him to honor him. To be pleasing to him. Thats what God wanted from his people, was for them to work and worship him.

To Keep his commandments. What does it mean to keep his commandments? Do you want to know how we can know that God wanted his people to obey his commandments? He wrote it down. If you want to ensure that a message is understood properly and communicated, you write it down, you email it. We know that God expected and demanded that his chosen people keep his law nbecause he commanded Moses to write it down. Now, there were different types of laws he gave. you had ceremonial, Moral, civic. Some of these laws were meant to serve as a divided from the rest of the inhabitants. Some were to serve as a way to deal disputes and accidents, and others were they to serve as the measure of justice and righteousness when someone commited a sin.

God asked that his people fear him and show him the due honor as the King of Kings and God of Gods. He asked that they walk in all of his ways and be imitaters of him. Being forgiving, being kind, being just and holy. He asked his people to love him, because he had done so much for them. He soverignly set his affection on them over the other nations of the world, he was always faithful to them and kept his promises to them, and delivered them out of hundreds of years of slavery. He asked them to serve him. With a clean heart and attitude to worship him and praise him. And finally he asked his people to keep his commands that he commanded them. To do all that was written in the book and to keep it and not forsake it.

This was what the LORD required from His people. Un der the Mosaic covenant, the people were to follow the new commands from God. Obedience to these commands did not grant salvation. The keeping of the law never granted forgiveness. But instead would show the inadequency of man to keep the law and thus expose his need for the grace of God and his forgiveness. Here God was telling his people to obey him, but more than just obediance he was telling them as he has always been, to obey from the heart. Look at V16. Circumcission was a sign of the covenant made with Abraham. But it was a sign of something greater. It was a sign of putting off the old self and an embracement of a new nature and identity. In V16 he says to circumsie your heart and stiffen your neck no longer. He was telling the people to put away the sin in their lives and come clean to God.

Now here’s the qeustion of the day. Does God ask anything of us? If he had requirements then, does he have requirements now?

Lets read Acts 17:30-31 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” The words winked at can also be translated overlooked or tolerated. God tolerated the idolatrous rebellion of the nations of the world in not just destroying them. God is a merciful God and gives sinners much opportunity to repent and believe, but now he has revealed his salvation to all the world, because he has sent his son.

turn to 2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

and also now John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”