What Does the Lord Ask of You?

What Does the Lord Ask of You?

Date: Sep. 15, 2022

Passage

Deuteronomy 10:1-22 (ESV)

1 “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the LORD commanded me.”

6 (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place. 7 From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water. 8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day. 9 Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God said to him.)

10 “I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the LORD listened to me that time also. The LORD was unwilling to destroy you. 11 And the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 10:12-13

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

God restored his covenant with his people as a result of Moses’ intercession and God’s will (10). This was symbolized by the creation of two new stone tablets, upon which the Ten Commandments were written. In addition, God established the Levites to supplement the priests of Aaron’s line (6-9), and gave them a clear direction: “Go... that they may enter and possess the land” (11). In short, God provided everything they needed to receive the land and live a blessed and happy life there.

What did God ask in return? Fear the LORD (12a), which meant to honor and revere God as Almighty Creator (14). To walk in obedience to God, loving and serving God with all their heart and soul (12b). This is in response to God’s grace of choosing them and redeeming them (15-16). Lastly, they are to observe all the LORD’s commandments and decrees (13). Doing so creates a just society, filled with mercy and compassion, and reflecting God’s good character (17-20). We see that doing what God asks was for their own good and is the secret to maintaining fellowship with God. Through Jesus, God has provided all we need to dwell in his grace, be molded into his image, and carry out his will today, too. It starts by responding to God’s grace each day by fearing, loving, and obeying God in our self-reflection and practical decision making.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, thank you for providing all I need through Jesus. Help me do all you ask today.

One Word: One Word: Fear, love, and obey our God

The End of Northern Israel

2 Kings 17:1-23

Key Verse: 17:15

They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

Today's Question

What does the tenth commandment require?

See answer and references

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT