Keep His Commandments

     "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no."  In this post, we look at the last of the four reasons why the children of Israel wandered: "whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no."  
    
     I remember, as a kid, my mom would tell me to do something, and I was often slow to comply, or even do it at all.  Yes, I was rebellious.  But the reality was, I didn't love her enough.  Jesus said "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).  Doing something you're asked to do is an expression of love.  I remember when my grandpa would ask me if I wanted to walk fields with him, which meant carrying a hoe, and taking out weeds.  I hated it; but I loved him, so I always obliged.  His body language, while I accompanied him, was always something that made me feel thankful, because I knew he loved me, and wanted to be with me, and I wanted to return that expression.  

     Scripture is replete with references on keeping the commandments; we know this.  It's the inner desire; a lack of love (to be brutally honest) for God, that keeps us from effectually being obedient.  When I was young, there were lots of reasons for not obeying my mom, because, I thought, I'm just a kid.  Paul addresses this notion in I Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Reality is such that we must take responsibility for ourselves.  The promises of keeping God's commandments are sure.  Genesis 9:21 states "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself."

     The gospel, at root, is about relationships.  In order to build relationships, there must be trust, love, and sacrifice.  Our Heavenly Father demonstrated this desired relationship for us in the giving of His only begotten Son.  In any relationship, communication and cooperation, are the building blocks.   Being "of one heart, and one mind" is the fruit of said relationship.  This is what John was referencing in I John 2:3-4 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."  Knowing Him is the product of keeping His commandments. John adds later "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."  As any good parent, the Lord desires us to keep his commandments because He desires the best for us, and embedded in his commandments are the means by which we receive the best from him.  It doesn't always have to make sense; we just need to believe and obey.  

     Perhaps our greatest stumbling block in keeping His commandments is because we don't always understand them.  What would be our response to being told to walk around Jericho, once a day for six days, and then on the seventh day, you'll walk around Jericho seven times, after which the priests will blow their horns, and the walls will crumble down.  Imagine the looks on the children of Israel while Joshua explained this plan.  Truth is, the Lord doesn't need us to approve of His plans, He just wants us to obey.  Consider this lesson: in the fourth chapter of Genesis, we read about how the Lord commanded Adam to make sacrifice.  Adam obeyed.  Many days after, an angel of the Lord appeared to Adam and asked him why he made sacrifice.  Adams response was "I know not, except I was commanded of the Lord". It was then that the angel explained that the sacrifice was in similitude of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Son of the Almighty.  The lesson here is: understanding always follows obedience.  Keeping the commandments opens the Heavenly windows for the revelation of God.  There is no other path to this intimate relationship with Him.

     Four reasons for the forty years of wandering.  How long shall we wander?   How long will it take us to embrace The Truth and look upward?  Does it matter?  It sure does.  So much so that God sent His Son to die for us.  What are we willing to sacrifice to dwell in the Kingdom of God?  How about our will.  Trust Him.  Make his will your desire.  Know Him.  Make His word your bread.  He waits. He longs for us.  Jesus didn't die so we could go to church; Jesus died so that we could become the church.  To His honor and glory may we serve.  God bless.