Today, I am reading and commenting on  Deuteronomy 8-10.

Moses tells the Israelites several things in this passage which we would do well to keep in mind ourselves. I want to start my blog today from something he says towards the end of today’s passage: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”  God asks these things of us for our own good.  God’s commands are not arbitrary.  He lays down a set of rules for us to follow that are for our own good. If we follow God’s commands we will be healthier and happier than if we do not.  This was truly brought home to me when I observed two different fathers raise their children.  One of them enforced the rules when it was convenient for himself, or when the behavior bothered him.  The other enforced the rules all of the time.  The children of the first man quickly learned that their father’s rules served their father’s interests and only served the interest of his children as a happy accident.  The children of the second man learned that their father’s rules were those he believed were in their best interests, and that when they thought his rules were not in their interests, they were usually wrong.  Well, I have learned that God has laid down His rules for me because they serve my best interests, and when I think I know a better way, I am always wrong.

Earlier in the passage Moses told the Israelites that God did not give the land of Canaan to them because of their righteousness.  Rather He gave them that land because those living there were so wicked.  The lesson here being that if we allow ourselves to become as wicked as those God displaced to make room for the Israelites, He will do the same thing to us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.