God Calls for Obedience
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Key Verses: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” Selected Scripture: |
TODAY’S LESSON RELATES to a reminder by Moses to the children of Israel to follow the commandments of God given years before to the fathers of the present generation. By obeying these laws, God’s blessings would be realized in the form of long life, happiness, prosperity, and numerous descendants.—Deut. 6:1-3
Our Key Verses underscore the principle that God was to be the sole object of Israel’s worship, affection, and allegiance. These words implied a sincere love for him, not merely in word, but inwardly in truth. This theme of love, obedience, and reverence towards God was of such great importance that it was to be a subject of meditation, instruction to children, and frequent discussion with others. “Thou shalt … talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way.”—vss. 7-9
In keeping with the earlier exhortation to give all of their worship and love to God alone, mindful that the Israelites had been in contact with idolatry in Egypt and would again be in contact with it after entering Canaan, the matter of false worship, or seeking after other gods, was such a serious offense that God’s anger would be kindled against his people if they violated this command.—vss. 14,15
Despite these warnings, Israel later on repeatedly worshipped other gods. “The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.”—Judg. 2:11-14
Christian believers are not in danger of worshipping idols of wood or stone. Nevertheless, the appreciation of our great calling should cause us to give our worship and praise to God as the priority in our hearts. Under no circumstances should we erect idols in our lives, including our families, the pursuit of wealth, the desire for recognition by others, nor even faithful servants who minister unto us.
This principle is also given as an admonition for us in the final chapter of the Bible, where it is written, “I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”—Rev. 22:8,9