All the Words of This Law

Words are important and selecting the right words to convey a message is vital to the message itself. God’s Word is a great example of this and my study today is no exception. I am still in the study of the word “law” and that law is God’s Word. Today I am focused on the words in the scripture I was led to.

“¹²Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, ¹³and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 31:12-13 (ESV)

Both of the verses above are part of my learning this morning. First, I see in verse 12 to “all the words of this law”. When I read it this morning I was struck by “this law” and specifically the word “this”. I had not really read it in the pas when I have been in this passage. I even went to two other versions of the Bible and found the same words “this law” in each of them. God’s Word is indicating here in the passage related to the reading of the law is the law that is to be followed. Not the law of man, but the law of God. It is “this” law that we are to live a life in that will guide us to righteousness.

Now before we get off track here, two things. 1) No, reading and doing God’s Law does not make us righteous. It is a guide to righteousness. Righteousness is in our heart and deemed by God, not the acts we perform. 2) “This law” is all of God’s Word and not just the “laws” found in the old testament. Those before the New Covenant are to some degree still valid, yet we look to the New Covenant to see how the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus led to His example to us as to the application of God’s Law in our lives.

Now, the second thing I found this morning as I was studying the verses above was the phrase “be careful to do all the words” found in verse 12. I know, this is part of the first phrase/words with addition of the words “be careful to do”. I went again to two other versions of the Bible and found that in this case, there are different words used. The New International Version (NIV) has the phrase as “follow carefully all the words”. And that helped me to understand it more intensely. You see, we are to read, know, and understand God’s Word and we are to follow it carefully in our actions and use them as our guide to righteousness.

Again, performing the actions and following God’s Word does not make us righteous, it is His Word on our hearts and deemed by God. But, here’s the thing. God provides us with His Law and we are to read it and know it and understand it. When we do, we will follow it and that will lead us closer to Him and subsequently can/will lead us to righteousness. This is where the first part of verse 12 and verse 13 come together. Notice those who are to read, know, and understand “this law”. It is ALL. Not just those in the church or those we like or those who are far from God, but all of us even the children.

I found the following in my NIV commentary on verse 12 as relates to the reading, knowing and understanding of God’s Word. “There were not books, Bibles, Newstands to spread God’s word, so the people had to rely on word of mouth and an accurate memory. Memorization was an important part of worship because if everyone knew the law, ignorance would be no excuse for breaking it. To fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, we need the content and substance of His Word in our heard and minds.” This commentary reiterates both of the things I mentioned above. First, “this law”, everyone was responsible to read, know, and understand God’s Law. And second, we “follow carefully” all of the law and ignorance is not an excuse.

We start learning God’s Law as children and as we grow older, we continue to learn, know, and understand God’s Law and the application it has in our lives. We are to read His Word regularly, commit it to memory and “be careful to do all the words of this law” daily.

What is your take on God’s Law? Are you pleading ignorance as an excuse to not upholding “this law”? What if your were to regularly read, know, and understand God’s Law and are “careful to do all the words of this law”?

With All Your Heart

I have been studying the word “heart” for the past couple of months and through my process, have a few weeks to go. In that time I have written a good amount on the subject of “with all your heart” and this morning is another installment, and really more focused on it.

I am currently reading in Jeremiah and have been led to the passage in chapter 29 titled “Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles” in my ESV Bible. Here Jeremiah is relaying the message of the LORD to the people that He will not abandon them and that he will raise them up again. But, as noted above, I am more focused on the one verse, 13, this morning.

“¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

I was really struck this morning by this verse, and the phrase “with all your heart”. I was reminded that in all that we do with the LORD we are to do so with all our heart, and not just flippantly or ceremonially. I think the word seek and how it is deeper than just looking. Merriam-Webster Online says: “to go in search of”, and where the second part of that definition is: “look for”, the third part is: “to try to discover”. There is work involved, by more than the eyes.

“³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place call Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray.’” – Matthew 26: 36 (ESV)

When Jesus was facing His crucifixion, He did not pray to the Father where He was at the time. Jesus “went” to “go over there and pray”. He sought the Father, and did not just expect the LORD to come to Him. He went with all of Himself to the Father.

“³⁸The Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.” – John 11:37 (ESV)

Jesus did not just say for Lazarus to rise, as He had every capability to do, he went and sought out the tomb of His friend and was fully there from His heart and mind and body to bring him back to the living. Jesus did all things from His heart and not just to do them because He could. Jesus was all in with all his heart and we should be as well.

I will admit that I am not a very outwardly emotional person. But that does not mean that I am not committed and deeply moved at things. When I commit to something, I commit to it fully to ensure that it is completed and it is done well. I have to remember that commitment is one that should be coming from my heart and not just from my dedication to completing a task. I have to be there with all my heart as the greatest example to me, Jesus, was. We have to be all in “with all your heart”.

How do you approach things? Are you there to complete a task or are you part of the ceremony? What if you approached all things “with all your heart” as Jesus did and we are instructed?

The LORD Chooses Based on the Heart

I have a coach friend who confided in me that he does indeed have favorite players. He told me one time that his favorite players are those who give every thing they have at all times. Now, he admits that these players may not be the most talented and may not get a lot of playing time, because their heart may not translate into talent, but they are indeed his favorites.

“⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” – 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (ESV)

Samuel had gone to Bethlehem to find and anoint the new king. Jesse was the father of the men God sent Samuel to and of course he paraded his sons one by one before Samuel. Where Samuel was impressed by the first and then the second all through the line of sons, the LORD made it clear that they were not His choice. Until David was brought forward. He was a good looking very young man (or boy actually). This is the choice of God.

Who would choose a boy to be the next king, God would. David was chosen not because he had a beautiful appearance, but because he had a beautiful heart. David was exactly what God wanted the world to see. He was a hard worker, and gave everything he had in whatever the task. We learn in just the next chapter of 1 Samuel that David was willing to go to war against giants (and he won). Not because he was a skilled warrior, but because he knew to give everything for the LORD and the LORD would give him victory.

I have to remember that my appearance is not what the LORD is looking for. He chose me to receive his gift of salvation, not because I am powerful and striking, but because I have a heart that receives him. I am no David, but I do love the LORD. He knows my heart and will lead me where He knows I will battle for Him. I may not be the visible figure that people will see as a leader in His Church, but I am here to do the work for the LORD and will give Him all. The LORD does have favorites and those are the ones that give it all for Him.

What is your view of who God chooses? Do you believe that God’s choice is those who are seen as lovely by the world? What if you saw the real choice of God to be those who will devote themselves to Him and give Him all from the heart?

Worth in All

There is worth in all. Yes, all. As a follower of Christ, it is up to me to find the worth and bring that out.

I know, how can I say that there is worth in all when there is clearly evil in the world? I am not going to argue only explain what I mean, provide evidence in God’s Word to back it up.

“³I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.”

— Psalm 101:3 (ESV)

First, let’s take a look here at what David says. He says that he will not look upon thing that are worthless and that he hates the “work”. Notice that he is not speaking of the person, only the things. So as we consider the worthless, it is derived from the things, not the people. Man is precious. He is the greatest creation of God.

“²⁶Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” “³¹And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:26&31 (ESV)

Man was created by God, not just to be in existence, but to be the top of the chain, to “have dominion” over all else on the earth. And not only was man created, but he was created in the image of God and upon completion, God recognized him as “very good” not just good as with all else.

David saw that things may be worthless and that they can and should be put away as when identified. I see this as the looking on as there is value there. Worth is there somewhere as we look. At minimum, there is worth in the person from the perspective that man is precious in the eyes of the LORD and there is worth in the person.

I know what you are thinking, what about those who are evil, even just a couple verses down in Psalm, there is reference to destruction of slanderers and others. Well, to that I will say, there should always be the first response to save the person through the power of the LORD and His Word. And it is realized that they will not come around, then adverse action is taken. But, that does not mean there I not worth there. Doing away with the evil is not doing away with the person. We give it all we have and then, and only then, we move on to remove from our eyes and allow the LORD to deal with them in His way.

“¹⁴And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” – Matthew 10:14-15 (ESV)

It is not up to me to judge. I am to look and work to find the worth in all. Know that there is worth in all. I should separate the man from the action and at look closely to find the worth as it is there. Remembering that the LORD created man as His pinnacle creation and therefore there is always worth to be found.

What is you view of worth in all? Are you lumping all things together and taking action as though they are all together? What if you were to look for the worth in all and recognized that it is there and that the LORD will take action otherwise?