The message isn’t difficult to understand. But what comes after that?
By Dean Collins
Moses said it wouldn’t be too hard. He also said that a life of flourishing was not far off. The history of people of faith over the centuries has demonstrated that the instructions we’ve received are not that hard to understand. Today’s reading gives us a perfect example. Our trouble is with implementation!
The message of Moses
The setting was the Jordan River. Moses began a long speech to the Israelites ahead of their entry to the Promised Land. Four hundred years of bondage in Egypt followed by 40 years of wilderness wandering was about to come to an end. Moses would be allowed to see the Promised Land on Mount Nebo just before he died, but he would not be allowed to enter because of his failure to follow God’s instructions about providing water from the rock at Meribah.
Moses was clear that the Israelites didn’t need any special access to receive God’s laws. God had already delivered them. There was also no special education necessary to understand God’s commands. There are some difficult passages of Scripture that even scholars struggle to understand. The laws of God on the other hand are pretty straightforward. As Moses did his summary his instructions were simple:
1) Love the Lord your God
2) Walk in his ways
3) Keep his commandments
Both preschoolers and senior saints can memorize these three instructions. The benefits of following God’s Word are also easy to understand.
1) You will live and multiply
2) God will bless you and provide a dwelling place for you
The message of Jesus
The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are also not that hard to understand. Jesus spoke of humility over arrogance, treating others the way we want to be treated, and forgiveness over revenge. Then he promised that if we would seek God first, he would provide for our needs. But I suspect that, like me, you have days where pride peeks through and forgiveness is easier said than done.
In Mark 12:29-31, the words of Jesus are even simpler to understand. He was asked which commandment was the greatest. His answer was to love God with all of our soul, heart, mind, and strength. He followed up with instructions to love our neighbor the way we love ourselves.
Imagine what our homes, our churches, our cities, and even the world might look like if we could figure out how to follow the simple instructions of God. There would be more kindness, less violence, more sharing, less arguing, and a lot more flourishing for everyone.
Our response to ‘Amen’
We who have faith know that when Jesus returns, all will be renewed and restored. In the meantime, we can take daily, deliberate steps to further the kingdom of God here. It begins with daily prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is a good place to start:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The next step is “Amen,” which means “So be it.” As we say our amen, maybe our next step is to find someone in our path today where we might show them the kindness and love of God through our words and our actions.
Your time with God’s Word
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 ESV
Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash
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