I like these verses because they
have a nice answer to the question “Why do we do these commandments?” Actually, there are several answers,
only implied and three stated.
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.
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.
(Deut. 6:20-25)
The first one is implied. Because the Lord brought us out of
Egypt miraculously and to a promised land [we owe Him allegiance and fealty.]
The next are stated.
2) “for our good always” – The commandments
are for our good.
3) “that he might preserve us alive” – The commandments
continue the Lord’s work of salvation in our lives, both temporally and
spiritually. They restrict us from harmful acts and require us to do things
that help us grow.
4) “it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all
these commandments” – Obedience leads to a change for the better when coupled with
faith in Christ’s atonement.
It is always interesting to see how different people explain
the necessity of keeping the commandments of God. There are so many ways the commandments bless us that
keeping them always seems like an adventure. It's a cheerful thing to live obediently in hope of seeing how the Lord will bless
us even if we’re not sure how.
2 comments:
Perfect for Seminary this coming fall.
Glad you found this helpful.
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