Listen Carefully


"And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving giving." Deuteronomy 4:1-2

We tend to chaff at instruction. Rules and regulations are not things we typically get excited about. As parents, we've given many instructions to our children over the years. For the most part they understood the "why" and were even willing to trust us, albeit begrudgingly, when they didn't. There were times, however, where minor things like "Wear a coat" or "Put on sunscreen" were ignored and they experienced the subsequent consequences. Other times, like all of us, they ignored some seriously significant instruction and tasted the bitterness of regret. 

In Moses' day as well as in ours, God was and is serious about his love for his people. One of the most powerful expressions of his love, yes you guessed it, is all of his commands, rules, and regulations. He went into great detail with Moses in providing all of those for the people. He was careful to include, "Don't add or subtract from these commands." Adding leads to a shrinking of the experience with him he wants us to have. Subtracting leads us into the dangerous waters of consequence and regret. "Just obey" Moses would say.

There are plenty of opinions out there in the world. Billions of them as a matter of fact with one of them being our own. Now what? Is there a point of view that supersedes all others? A point of view coming from One who has sight that no one else possesses? The Bible identifies God as that Person. As Creator of all, his commands are complete. Nothing has been left out. Nothing needs to be revised or edited. The only thing left for us to do is to enter into the blessing of obedience.

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