Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 6

• Deuteronomy 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 
• 2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 

Long life is promised to those that obey the commandments of the Lord. We know that living for God causes cleanliness to prevail so in that alone, it would prolong the natural life. Exceptions to this would be in the case of suffering for the cause of Christ like being put to death for preaching the gospel for instance. In eternity though the reward would be higher for those that suffer for the cause of Christ.

As a general rule though, those that obey the commandments are promised a long life as opposed to those that take lightly or ignore the commandments of God. This also could mean that the nation will exist longer if they do God's commandments and not depart from them. Another thing to consider here is the in eternity those that obey God and receive Jesus into their lives are promised eternal life. To those that were born before the time Jesus became a man to die for our sins, that could look forward by faith by keeping these commandments in the Old Testament. The sacrifices were pointing to the one that would become the final sacrifice for sins.

In the New Testament, we are still commanded to keep the commandments of God unless it is the ones that Christ fulfilled, like the Sabbaths, feasts and sacrifices. The difference is that we obey because we have believed and the commandments are written within our hearts. We don't obey the commandments to obtain salvation but we obey the commandments because we have been saved. 

• Deuteronomy 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 

Israel though was still under the law of ordinances. They had to obey the commandments or lose out on obtaining entrance to the promise land. That is why so many died in the wilderness and they lost out. Unbelief caused them to sin against God and rebel, forgetting all the good that God showed to them from the deliverance out of Egypt to victory over battles fought along the way with enemies that came out against them. 

This is similar to God delivering us from sin by are faith in the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. As Israel was delivered from bondage in Egypt, we who trust in Christ are delivered from the bondage of sin. Israel was to be thankful for their deliverance, not want to go back to Egypt as we are not to look back and desire the things Jesus saved us from. The feast days for Israel was a reminder of what God did for them just as our corporate worship, observing the Lord's supper is a reminder for what Jesus did to save us from sin. To forsake the assembling together in worship may cause us to forget and be moved away from the truth of God's word.

When we are saved from sin through faith in Jesus, we then can be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent us a helper, a comforter so that we are not alone. As long as Israel was obedient, the presence of God was with them in a cloud by day and a fire by night for protection. Now we as individuals who have come to Christ for salvation can have God's presence within us when we receive the Holy Spirit.

• Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 

He is not divided into several gods as the heathen taught. One Lord, one faith, one baptism as described in the book of Ephesians by the apostle Paul. 

• Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 
• 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 
• 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 
• 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 
• 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 
• 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Our God, our Lord, our creator, our savior, our comforter. He is everything to those that trust in Him.

• Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 

Think about this commandment for one minute. If we loved the Lord in deed and not just in word alone, we would automatically obey all commandments. We can't really love God with all our hearts and disobey Him. The two would not go together. This commandment alone would cause us to obey all the commandments if we could keep that one. 

• Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 

The commandments were not to be ritualistic religious commandments but were to enter into the spirit and become one's way of life. This is why Christ came to make a way for us to be filled with God's spirit and allow the word to enter within us. We become new creatures in Christ and are not trying to live for God from will power but from the power of the spirit placed within us when we receive Christ and forgiveness of sins. 

• Deuteronomy 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 

The church of today should do this as well as Israel. Let speaking of the Lord's word be our daily conversation in front of and to our children. We would be surprised what a difference it would make in our family life. 

• Deuteronomy 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 
• 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 

I love to walk into someone's home and see bible verses embroidered or placed in a picture frame upon the wall of the home. 

When court houses began to take the ten commandments off its walls, they were actually turning their backs on God and closing the door to His protection. God really doesn't have to pronounce judgment on a nation. All He has to do is withdraw His hand of protection and we either destroy ourselves or another nation can destroy us. We need the fear of God and His protection. I believe the 9/11 attack could not have been pulled off if this nation had not have turned it's back on God and became ashamed of the name of Jesus Christ. 

• Deuteronomy 6:10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
• 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 

Remember God allowed Israel to take that which belonged to other nations because the other nations had sinned to the point where their iniquity was full and they could not recover. I hope the United States never gets to that state but we are getting close. Starting back in 1962 and 63 when prayer and bible reading were removed from schools, we see how this nation started turning away from God. In fact I would say that we started in the 50s. They would not have been able to remove God from the schools if we would have been a nation that had been serving God. I believe many teachers stopped praying and reading the bible in schools many years before they law forbid the practice. 

• Deuteronomy 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 

This happens when a nation gets big and prosperous. They feel like they no longer need God when the economy is good and they have great armies, navies and air forces. Little do we realize that at one word from God or one day of withdrawing His protection, our nation could be history. 

• Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 
• 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 

Israel was surrounded by nations that served numerous idols and false gods. The evil spirit that accompanied these false religious systems led people into the innocent sacrifice of children or babies, temple prostitution, slavery and other such evils. People were oppressed and put in severe bondage. Evil prevailed. God forbade Israel to intermarry with idolatrous people. It wasn't their race or color but their idolatry that caused God to forbid intermarriage. 

• Deuteronomy 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 

It wasn't that the Lord wanted all the attention but He knew that Satan is behind idolatry. Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy the souls of all that he can. His time is getting shorter and he is out to make sure when he enters the bottomless pit, that he takes all of us with him. 

• Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. 

Not to provoke God or cause God to become angry at our obstinacy, rebellion and doubting God's power to watch over us and bring us salvation. 

• Deuteronomy 6:17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 
• 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, 

Here is another promise that if they obeyed the commandments, they would be able to possess the land. The land of Israel was only taken away when people turned their back on God and rebelled against His commandments. 

• Deuteronomy 6:19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 
• 20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 
• 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 
• 22 And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: 
• 23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. 

They were not allowed to enter that land until the iniquity of the occupants had come to point that they could not change and repent. He allowed the obedient in Israel to take the land. If Israel turned away from God, God would remove them from the land like He did many times. 

Their rejection of Christ actually opened the door to them losing that land for nearly 2000 years until 1948. 

• Deuteronomy 6:24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 
• 25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. 

Keeping the commandments brings righteousness. Since all have sinned and have broken at least one of the commandments in one way or another unless they are under aged toddlers or something, all are unrighteous and bound for eternity in hell. When Jesus Christ came, He obeyed all the law in every point. When He was put to death for breaking laws that He did not break, His death became a substitution for those that believe in Him. The just suffered for the unjust. This pure lamb of God made the final sacrifice for sins. In order for His sacrifice to count on our behalf, we have to turn away (repent) or sins and believe fully in Him to forgive and deliver us from sin. 

Jesus had to be raised from the dead. If He did not raise, He would not be the Son of God. By being raised from the dead, He ushered in eternal life to all who would receive Him. As He was raised so also will all who believe in Him be raised and given a new body that cannot suffer death or pain again. 

Those that do not believe will be raised at the last judgment only to be lost forever and enter eternity in the lake of fire where Satan and his followers will go. 

Jesus gives us victory and power over sin if we let Him.  It is our choice.  DC

Deuteronomy 7