He is thy praise and He is thy God

 Christ in all the scriptures

        "God of gods and Lord of lords"      Deuteronomy 10v17

A title similar to this is accorded to Christ in Revelation 19v16, "...a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  Our God is to be revered above everyone that is called god or king or lord.  He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega of all, and He is to be that in our lives.  Our great God is returning to earth to set up His everlasting kingdom, and He will be universally honoured from that day.  He is all in all-1st Corinthians 15v28; ("...above all, and through all, and in you all"-Eph.4v6; "...of Him, and through Him, and to Him. are all things: to whom be glory for ever.  Amen"-Romans 11v36.  The expression means that God is utterly supreme in all things, everywhere, and at all times.  It is as such we are to honour Him.

The verse in Deuteronomy 10v17 ends like this: "A GREAT GOD, A MIGHTY, AND A TERRIBLE (awesome) which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward".  The extent of His majesty is stated in v14, "Behold the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is!" I recall the mockery of the late M. P. Anthony Wedgewood Benn, who, when told that God had given the land to Israel, said, "I was not aware that God is an estate agent".   Now he knows that He is creator and sustainer of all lands.

The chapter continues the grand theme of remembrance in the book (refer the ninefold command to remember: Deuteronomy 5v15; 7v18; 8v2; 9v7; 15v15; 16v3; 24v9; 25v17; 32v7.  The apostle Peter mirrors the book in his 2nd epistle, calling the saints to remember chapter 1v12, 13, 14 and 3v1-2.

Remember the wonder of the unbroken law preserved in the ark   Deut. 10v1-5

Two tablets of stone, written by the finger of God, the first of them broken because of the rebellion of the people.  God calls Moses to prepare an ark, return to the mount, where a second pair of tablets were written, and preserved unbroken within the ark.  These tablets of stone, were engraved by God to declare His terms for human reconciliation to Himself.  The ten commandments (by consultation with the whole law were headings, listing an enormous number of commands for life with God in their midst).  This represented God's minimum requirement for fellowship to be restored to human kind.  In the event the law was broken, and successive years yielded the same failure.  This resulted in the universal condemnation of all mankind, as detailed in Romans 3v10-12, "None righteous, no not one..." etc.  Only God has the answer...

"Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.  And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark"-Deut. 10v1-2.

The ark of God symbolises Christ and only in Him is the law fulfilled and the divine demands met, giving all of us the offer of salvation and restoration to God.  The unbroken law, set in stone by divine miracle, was preserved in Christ.  On that ark was the mercy seat, upon which God sat with the cherubim (minus their flaming swords) looking down in satisfaction at a perfect work.  This is no less than awesome, and compels us to wonder and give thanks with everything we have.  How could we ever forget??

This requires more attention:  one man, one man only, kept the law of God in all its detail.  Whether we think of the moral law, or the ceremonial law, or the civil law, He fulfilled it to the letter.  He said, "Think not (for this was what they were thinking) that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil"-Matthew 5v17.  He continues, "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled"-Matthew 5v18.

Consider the meaning of this.  The jot is the Hebrew yod, or the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the alphabet.  The tittle is the inflection mark added for emphasis, such as the dot above i or j; or the circumflex or other marks above letters in foreign languages.  In both, we have the tiniest part of any writing.  What He is saying, is that the divine law of God is fulfilled in Him in the tiniest detail!  Not just the words but the fine detail.  This law which is the divine standard for all mankind was fully met in Him for all mankind.  Thus we can be reconciled to God, but only through Christ.  Not only so, but this wonderful reality transcends the existence of heaven and earth, and precludes the possibility of any change, indicated in the term "in no wise".  Nothing will alter it for time or eternity.

The hymn by Charitie Lees Bancroft of the late 1800's catches the theme; one stanza says

"Because the sinless Saviour died. my sinful soul is counted free                                              For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me!"

Thus God can be, and is, in the language of Romans 3v26-28, "...just and the justifier  of him which believeth in Jesus...Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without (apart from) the works of the law".

He foresaw the failure of every man to keep His law, and supplied the remedy in Christ.  Well may we take upon us the words of v21, "He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen".

Go in and possess the land

 Christ in all the scriptures

Go in and possess the land   Deuteronomy 9

As we continue our studies in Deuteronomy, I am reminded of the comments of Dr Henrietta Mears in her book "What the bible is all about".  She wrote:

"You will come to appreciate the full force and magnetic beauty of Deuteronomy only as you read its pages....Nothing in literature matches the majesty of its eloquence.  Nothing in the O/T has any more powerful appeal for the spiritual life.  No book in all the word of God pictures better the life that is lived according to God's will, and the blessings showered upon the soul who comes into the richness and fulness of spiritual living along the rugged pathway of simple obedience...If you want a taste of heaven on earth, become familiar with Deuteronomy".

It was from Deuteronomy Jesus cited three times to ward off the temptation of the devil.  In the extremity of His weakness, He triumphed, and dismissed the tempter, who had brought down the entire race,   He went by the Spirit into the wilderness, and He returned unscathed in the power of the Spirit to destroy the works of the devil.  His victory can be our victory as we resist the devil in our day.  It is from Deuteronomy there are more quotations in the N/T than from any other book (60 references and 44 direct quotations).  The importance of this book cannot be over emphasised.

"Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven"-Deut. 9v1

The day had come; Israel must occupy the good land the Lord had given them.  Faith in God is not for the fainthearted.  They faced an enemy much stronger and more powerful than themselves.

"...a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims (giants)  whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!"

All this finds its counterpart in Paul's letter to Ephesians.  We could consider chapters1-3 as "the land is before you"; chapters 4-6, "go in and possess it".  In chapter 6v12 the enemy, far greater than us, is declared, "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly) places".  We cannot of ourselves overcome, only in the strength of the Lord.  In chapter 1v21 of the same epistle we find that Christ is ascended to the highest place in the heavens, "far above all principality, and power, and might, and every name that is named, not only in this world but in that which is to come!"  It is in His strength alone we overcome, and so Paul writes, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"-Ephesians 6v10.  Believers are facing many enemies in their journey of faith in this world.  Israel's enemies were human and visible, our enemies are spiritual and invisible.

Consider the language of the chapter:

"The Lord thy God...He shall bring them down before thy face...Deut. 9v3

"Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart...the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee..." Deut. 9v5

"Remember and forget not...ye have been rebellious against the Lord..." Deut. 9v7

"I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand"-Deut. 9v26

The message is clear:  Only in the Lord shall we progress and prevail: we will overcome not for any good in us, but for the grace of our God: we must ever remember our frailty and tendency to succumb to our fallen nature, and develop humility before our God (triumphalism, which is a perversion of true faith, and is ever present today, is not of God): we are dependent on One interceding for us on high just as Moses did for Israel.

Crossing Jordan does not symbolise death, as hymnology would often suggest; it is death to self, self-interest, and self reliance.  The land is not heaven, for in it there are conflicts, (there are none in heaven).  Rather the land speaks of heaven upon earth, the believer entering into the many blessings God has provided for spiritual life in the here and now.

Sooner, rather than later in our Christian life, we shall encounter conflicts which we never knew in natural life.  There is the enemy within, the old nature conflicting with the things of God (Galatians 5); there is the delusive world system, all around us, calling us to succumb to ungodly ways (1st John 2); there is the vast demonic spirit world above us, attempting to rob us of spiritual blessings (Ephesians 6 and 1st Peter 5v8).  These are very real and powerful forces against us.  Of ourselves we are incapable of resisting them.  They are the formidable enemies of the faithful.  In Christ alone we overcome, in spiritual terms we "possess the land".  We do this by humbly submitting to God, and allowing Him to strengthen us.   As the apostle James put it, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you"-James 4v6/7. 

Israel wandered 40 years outside of the blessings of the land.  How long have we been wandering rather than possessing and overcoming?  It is a very pertinent question for spiritual life today.

It is written

 Christ in all the scriptures

"Not by bread alone"  Deuteronomy 8v3

This chapter searches our innermost souls regarding our attitude to God and His word.  Jesus cited 8v3 in His own extremity of soul, during the temptation in the wilderness-Matthew 4v4; Luke 4v4.  

"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"-Matthew 4v4.

Confronting the arch enemy of humanity, it was after 40 days of fasting, when His body was crying out for food, that He cited this principle, that He would not even satisfy His hunger if there was no word from God to do so.  Even Satan admitted He could have turned the stones of the desert into life-preserving bread, but He refused for it was the temptation of the devil.  His devotion to the word of the Lord was more important than His necessary food.  Like Job of old, who, when faced with life extremities, declared this to his critics, "I have esteemed His word more than my necessary food"-Job23v12.  In John 4v31-34, the disciples were worried Jesus hadn't eaten because He was so involved in the preaching.  His reply was, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of...my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work".  God's work was more important than His bodily food.  

This is not to minimise our need for food, and a healthy body requires regular feeding.  Think about it, we eat on average three meals a day; we work to earn money to buy it; we spend time and effort to prepare it; we sit down to eat it; we wash up afterwards, all this more than once every day!  So this is a major part of life, and we are here comparing that to our daily devotion to God and His word.  I think that brings it into focus.

The chapter begins with, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do...".  At the very least we should say that God's word is to become a major part of our lives, not only to know it, but to put it into practice.  When we do, we find that it is most satisfying to the soul, and develops character within us.  Remember what is written?  "Man shall live...by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God".  He says "all the commandments"..."every word of the Lord"; not just the ones that suit us, but also the ones that make character building demands.  

The word and the words of the Lord are revelations of Himself.  Our attitude to His word is our attitude to Him.  By the word of the Lord the entire creation exists ("...by the word of the Lord the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water"-2nd Peter 3v5).  By the word of the Lord the universe subsists, (holds together)"...upholding all things by the word of His power"-Hebrews 1v3).   By His word the universe will pass away ("...heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away"-Matthew 24v35).  His word is powerful, His word is eternal, His word is dependable: why would we not give heed to all of it for our good.  This text goes to the very foundation of our beings, our true devotion to God, and Christ is the supreme example.  What He means to us can be measured by our loyalty to His word.  

Devotion is one thing, but the bible also declares the desirability of the word of God.  Devotion is a duty, but desire kindled enriches lives.

"Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path"-Psalm 119v105.

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb"-Psalm 19v10.  What is more valuable than silver or gold; what is sweeter than honey??

"The word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"-Hebrews 4v12.  His word has the ability, like nothing else, the power to transform lives from within, the power to change even me!

"Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces"-Jeremiah 23v29.  His word can reach the hardest heart.

"To this man will I look, saith the Lord, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word"-Isaiah 66v2.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple"-Psalm 19v7.

There is a balance to be found between our nourishment for the body, and feeding of the soul.  Material considerations are for the few years of life; soul transformation is for eternity Jesus put it beautifully in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6v33) "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things (material things) shall be added unto you".  Our priority must be for the things of God, rather than the things of self.  If we put Him and His word at the forefront of our lives, He will make sure that all material needs are supplied.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme example, He said in John 10v17-18, He described His life as a sacrifice of obedience to the Father, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power (authority) to lay it down, and I have power (authority) to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father".   Jesus was commanded by the Father to lay down His life, to yield to men who could have no power against Him.  He made the ultimate sacrifice in obedience to the Father; will we obey His word even if it means temporary loss?

Visiting iniquity and shewing mercy

 Christ in all the scriptures

Unmitigated wrath and unconditional love  Deuteronomy 7

There can be no greater contrast in the revelation of God, in one chapter, than the subject matter of Deuteronomy 7.  We have His condemnation of human sin, with its terminal judgment, and we have His boundless love toward the people of His possession.  This is the God of the bible, not the one created by human imagination, but the true God who exists, who will judge sin, but who will also forgive repentant sinners.  He created us, not the other way round, as many would seem to wish.  He stated His way in Exodus 20 to the nation He raised up to reveal Himself to the world..."visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" (20v5-6).  Idolatry is an abomination to God, and the seven nations occupying the land given to Israel were steeped in idolatrous practices.  Centuries before, the God who knows the end from the beginning, decreed the judgment of the trespassing nations in His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15v18-21.  Following many years of sinful practice, during which God had suffered their ways, the time of retribution has arrived, and God will purge the promised land from rank evil.

We must pause here, a moment to reflect.  We live in a modern world which rejects or ignores the concept of Divine retribution, yet it is a reality.  The history of the world has proved it.  God will judge the world in righteousness; He brought the global flood on the world of the ungodly; He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving no one untouched in its borders; He brought down a world power in Egypt by a mighty arm.  Divine retribution on evil is a reality, and the present world will know it in this generation or the next.  God is slow to wrath, but His judgment is certain, and rather than mock portions of the bible like this we should heed the warning.

The judgment was severe; they were to destroy the seven nations without mercy, 7v2 "thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them".  This is repeated in 7v16 and 7v24.  There was to be no communication with them, nor communion.  They were not to join in marriage to them, which would ultimately result in idolatry.  They were to deface all their idols, and remove all traces of idolatry ("destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire"(7v5).  These altars, on which they sacrificed their children to their imaginary gods, were an abomination to the Lord and all trace of them must be removed.   As far back as the grandson of Noah in Genesis 9, God had declared a curse on Canaan, and their immoral and idolatrous practices had not altered with the passage of time.  

In contrast, God set His love on Israel (7v6-11), just as He promised the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God;  the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself above all people that are on the face of the earth".

He does this, because, as He says in v5, "for all the earth is mine".  In God's earth, God does as He pleases (refer Psalm 115v3 and Psalm 135v5-6).  It is utterly futile to oppose Him! 

Israel are an holy people, set apart for God, to walk in His ways.  A chosen people to be His special possession.  An exalted people above all other nations upon the face of the earth.  This promise that was repeated to the founding fathers, was applied to the nation in Exodus 19v4/5, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, than ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people".  It is because of their disobedience, they are not seen as such now, but all that will change when Christ returns and Israel will be the head of nations.  Nothing, and no one will prevent it, and all who oppose this, in any way, whether it be in protest, or in hostile action, are out of touch with what will be the eternal reality.

The chapter goes on to explain divine favour to this one nation, and this reveals to us the nature of God.  As much as He is belligerent against rebellion, He is benign towards the repentant, and enshrouds them in His love.  His love for any of us is inexplicable, and the reason for it is only found in Himself.

"The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people ; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers..."-7v7-8.

There was nothing about them that caused Him to chose them; the answer is found only in His beneficent self.  He loved them because He loved them, and this is always the truth.  This amazing fact is discussed by John the apostle in 1st John chapter 4.

God's love is an integral part of His essential being, twice over he declares that "God is love"-4v8, v16.

God is the source of all love-4v7, "...love is of God".  Any reciprocal love we have for Him is "because He first loved us"-4v19.

God's love was manifested in sending His only begotten into the world that we might live through Him"-4v9.  He demonstrated His love at infinite cost to Himself.

"I have loved you because I have loved you" resonates through the ages of time and reaches beyond Israel to the repentant people of all nations.  There is nothing loveable about us, He loves us because of who He is, a gracious, loving and merciful God.  The reality of this is awesome.  He is at all times the sin hating God who will banish rebels forever without mercy: at all times He is the loving, and merciful God, as the chapter before us records,

 "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face"-Deut.7v9-10.

Before this awesome God, terrible in His judgment, but beautiful in His love, we must bow for our well being, and that of our children.  This is the God of Israel, this is the true God, the only God, to whom be glory forever!

Loving God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Loving God   Deuteronomy 6

What does "loving God" mean in practice?

1)  His word shall be in your heart  "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart"-Deut. 6v6.  

For us it all began at conversion; we "believed in our heart" that God raised Him from the dead to secure our salvation-Romans 10v9.  Then we learned that God's law was no longer written on tablets of stone but on the fleshy tables of the heart-Jeremiah 31v33; 2nd Corinthians 3v3; Hebrews 10v16.  Next, we are challenged by Peter to "sanctify the Lord God in our hearts"-1st Peter 3v15, that is to set Him apart from all else, including self, as the prime love in our lives.  His word is to "dwell in us richly", and this will be manifest in sharing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with one another, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord-Colossians 3v16.  We are to serve God with our whole heart-- (Psalm119v2v10v34v58v69v145).

2) He shall be in our homes  "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"-Deut 6v7.

Teaching children, topic of conversation, when out and about, late at night, early morning, at all times, God's word is the grand subject.  In essence God moves in with us in our homes and in our journeys.  Jesus said as much to His disciples in the upper room when He prepared them for His ascension.  Essentially, He said, I am going away, but I will be with you always in spirit, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you"-John 14v20. Again in 14v23 He says, "If a man love me he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him".  What an amazing privilege that divine beings wish to dwell with us!  We will go to live in the Father's house- John 14v2-3; until then, He comes to live with us, if we will have Him!

3) He is with our hands  "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand..."-Deut. 6v8a

God has engraved us on the palms of His hands-Isaiah 49v16, and in all the work of our hands we should honour Him.  Exodus 13v9, "And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand the Lord brought thee out of Egypt".  With the work of our hands, whatever that might be (it could be physical, it could be mental. it could be spiritual) it is to do it as unto the Lord.

4) He is before our eyes  "And they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes"-Deut. 6v8b.

 Our horizon is unlimited, when the Almighty enhances our vision.  Paul records, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal"-2nd Cor. 4v18.  He also writes, "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth"-Colossians 3v1-2.  Frontlets between the eyes refers to God's teachings and principles being kept at the forefront of our thoughts and actions.

5) Giving thanks for all His gracious provision   "When 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 goodly cities, which thou buildest not, and houses full of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not; when thou shall have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage"-Deut 6v10-12.

Material blessings for Israel, spiritual blessings for us today, (as well as material things)-"blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"-Ephesians 1v3, such blessings as only He could give.  Loving Him will will mean daily gratitude from us for all His benefits. 

The New Testament presents wider issues

6) Loving God means loving you neighbour as yourself  That is you treat your neighbour as you would wish to be treated by them in any given situation.  Jesus said in Matthew 22v39 that this second commandment is like unto the first.  Both should be observed in tandem.  He defined our neighbour as anyone in our community who required our help.  James called it the "Royal law"-James 2v8.  Paul said in Romans 13v8, "Owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law".  This is an obligation for all the people of God, to the people in their community.

7) Loving God is incompatible with love for the world in opposition to God

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world"-1st John 2v15/16.

 Obviously this is speaking of the world system with its anti-God philosophies and practices. We can love the people of the world as fellow human beings, but we do not love their ways.  As John continues, he says the world is passing away, but he that does the will of God abides forever.

8) Loving God will mean demonstrating our love for our brethren in Christ   

John, the apostle emphasise that love for God's people is fundamental to Christianity.  He questions the validity of faith when this is absent in our lives-1st John 2v9; 2v11; 3v10; 3v15; 4v7-8; 4v20-21; 5v1.  Why does John labour this point repeatedly in his epistle?  Because he was aware of the competitive spirit that can arise which destroys unity.  This goes beyond denominational disunity and party spirit in a global church that God has made one in Christ.  At a time when the church of Jesus Christ is splintered in so many ways, the clarion call is "Love the brotherhood", and let it be seen in whatever way we can.  John challenges every one of us with the unanswerable question, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?-1st John 3v17.

That famous dialogue between the risen Christ and Simon Peter in the wake of his curse filled denial of Him outside the judgment hall, says it all.  Addressing him three times as "Simon, son of Jonas" (reminding him of who he was before Christ saved him), He said, three times over "Lovest thou me?".  The first time He said, "Lovest thou me more than these?"  Peter had gone fishing back to his old trade, perhaps Jesus was referring to this.  Maybe He was referring to Peter's oft times boast that he loved the Lord more than the other disciples, "though all forsake thee yet will not I".  Jesus probed his inward soul, do you really love me?  The answer was unmistakeable, "Tend to my lambs", the young believers; "Feed my sheep", give food to all my people; "Shepherd my sheep", succour all my people in their need.

What can I do for Him as evidence that I love Him?  Loving God will mean loving His people.

Love the Lord your God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Love the Lord your God   Deuteronomy 6

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"-Deut. 6v5.

They are encouraged to fear Him, now they are commanded to love Him.  Jesus said that this is the first and great commandment-Matthew 22v37-38.  The One who has come from the realms of heaven, who is equal in all respects to the Godhead, underlines this as the priority for all people, love toward God.  The God who gives us everything, what does He want from us?  "And now Israel what doth the Lord require of thee, but to fear the Lord, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul"-Deut. 10v12.  This is more important than any other command.  This is to put Him at the very centre of our affections.  What this means to us individually, can only be determined between Him and the individual.  All other legitimate loves are to come secondary to Him; all loves which are offensive to Him must be put away. 

Love the Lord with everything you have and are

Matthew 22v37 "Jesus said unto him thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind".

Mark 12v30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment".

Luke 10v27 "And He, answering said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. and thy neighbour as thyself".

Our relationship to God is more than that of servant to master, it is a love relationship such as a wife to a husband, or husband to wife, or children to parents or vice versa.  We know that any love we have for God, is because He first loved us-1st John 4v19.  And how did God love us?  It was not in any half hearted way, it was not with any form of reserve or limitation.  This incomparable thought is summed up by Jesus Himself in John 3v16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...".  God's love for us is measured by whom He gave (His only begotten...in Spanish, su unigenito), the dearest of His heart as is stated throughout the sacred writings.  He gave Him, (more dear than the angels of heaven, or the entire created universe), the darling of His bosom (read Proverbs 8), for us without reserve.  To create the universe He only had to speak!  To save humanity, He gave His all!

No wonder we are compelled to love Him, above everything else.  Putting all the relevant scriptures together, He speaks of our heart, of our soul, of our mind, of our strength.  Before we consider what all that means, we must focus on the word all.  All our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength.  The hymn puts it, "How can we give a lesser sacrifice, when Jesus gave His all?  At this point we could ask ourselves, How much do I love Him, really?  Any love I have for Him is small in comparison to His love for me.

Love Him with all your heart    Affections   Hearts which are the seat of our emotions/affections, (Proverbs 4v23, "...out of it are the issues of life"); hearts that were filled with all kinds of evil and selfish behaviour (Mark 7v21 and Matthew 15v19-30); hearts that were "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked"-Jeremiah 17v9).  Perverse hearts have become purified hearts (1st Peter 1v22) through the new birth.  Our hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10v22), enabling us to worship freely.  Sanctified hearts are to "Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts" (1st Peter 3v15), that is our renewed hearts are set apart for Him.  Our emotions/affections are toward Him.

Love Him with all your soul   Motivation/Driving force   The soul is what makes you, you. It is the deep seated person within, which dictates thoughts/actions.  Scripture refers to "the reins of the heart", that which motivates the inner thoughts and intentions.  Others, beholding us are incapable of discerning this, even we, ourselves betimes don't know, only God truly knows our souls.  "Jeremiah 17v10, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings".  The Psalmist asks the Lord to try (put to the test) his reins and his heart"-Psalm 26v2.  Jesus, in Revelation 3v23, "All the churches will know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts and I will give to each one according to his works".  The reins are deep within, the driving force that causes us to be what we are.  Just like the reins that control the movement and direction of an animal, so the inward soul directs our emotions and affections and pursuits. From the depth of our beings we are to love Him.  Self gratification is replaced by pleasing the Lord, self glorification gives way to glorifying God.

Love Him with all your mind  Intellect    That amazing function, the human brain!  Storing and processing billions of data in a lifetime.  (They say the brain transmits around 1500 commands to the rest of the body every minute!)  All we hear about are moans concerning the loss of memory, and perceived lack of intellect, when we should be praising God for the wonder of our minds.  It is what we choose with which to fill our minds that is the problem.  The bible speaks of different things that occupy us, and the best use of this wonderful function.  Paul speaks in Philippians 3v19, of those who "mind earthly things", whose horizon is this life and the things of it only, when God has given us an unlimited universe, and an unsearchable God to enthral us forever.  In salvation God has transformed us by "the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12v2; 2nd Corinthians 5v17).  Metaphorically speaking, why remain a caterpillar when we can butterflies flying around in limitless space?  We are called to occupy our minds with the eternal, not only the temporal.  Our minds are enlarged which seek the immortal and eternal God.  How can we love Him with our minds?  The Psalmist has the answer.  Many of us read and study God's word out of habit, with a sense of duty (and we have all been there).  How about approaching it with passion, with fervour, as the Psalms suggest.  How about making God's word our lifetime delight, the occupation of the blessed man?

Psalm 1v2 "And his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night".

Psalm 119v14 "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches".

Psalm 119v18 "Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law"

Psalm 119v35 "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight"

Psalm 119v47 "And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved"

Psalm 119v162 "I rejoice in thy word, as one that findeth great spoil".

Love the Lord with all your strength   No half measures, no part timers; a full commitment with everything we have.  Paul wrote, "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service"-Romans 12v1.  Holy just means your body is set apart for His use.  The Laodiceans were said to be insipid, lukewarm, unacceptable to Christ.  The Old Testament adage is relevant today in this connection, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might"-Ecclesiastes 9v10.

Hear the words of wisdom, ""My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; and find the knowledge of God"-Proverbs 2v1-5.

Next we shall consider what this may mean in practice.

Fear the Lord your God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Reverend is His name  Deuteronomy 6

The God of Israel

"Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippetrh thee"  Nehemiah 9v6.

The God of all nations

"Is He the God of the Jews only? is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith"  Romans 3v29-30.

God of Abraham, God of all Israel, God of all nations, God most high, God alone without a likeness; this is the fundamental teaching of the bible, and is the main teaching of Deuteronomy 6.  High above the creation in its entirety, preserving it, bestriding it, He is worshipped by the host of heaven.  How are we on earth to respond to such a majestic One?  This is the theme of the chapter..

We are to FEAR HIM   Deuteronomy 6v2, "That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God..."; 6v13, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God..."; 6v24, "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God...". 

Fear is yare, and means reverential fear.  It can also mean dread, as it is translated terrible (29 times) and afraid (78 times) and dreadful (5 times).  Out of 314 occurrences in the Hebrew scriptures, it appears in Deuteronomy 24 times, so it is a major topic. 

We know that so far as the unregenerate world is concerned, (described as the wicked), "there is no fear of God before his eyes"-Psalm 36v1; Romans 3v18.  We also know that nominal; Israel had substituted the fear of God for the fear of man. Jehovah noted, "...their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men"-Isaiah 29v13.  It is an insult to the majestic God to feign loyalty to Him.  Mere lip service toward Him, when hearts are far from Him dishonours Him and He is not deceived.  How many church services today are ritual instead of reverence?

The apostle Peter says, "pass the time of your sojourning here in fear", because God is holy-1st Peter 1v17; "Fear God, honour the king"-2v17; "Be subject to your masters with all fear"-2v18;  "your chaste conversation (manner of life) coupled with fear"-3v2; "be always ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear"-3v15.  We are to be a God-fearing people in all aspects of life.  I always think of it like this: we will all one day stand alone before Christ on His judgment throne to give account of our lives.  There will be just me and Him; the One before whom throngs of angels bow, and do His bidding without reserve or hesitation; the One who knows everything about me from beginning to end; the One who gave His all for me to save me from eternal punishment.  In the unforgettable words of the late Mr. William Trew of Cardiff, "We should live now as we will wish we had lived when we stand before Him".

"The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding"-Job 28v28

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."-Psalm111v10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."-Proverbs 1v7

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God"-Proverbs 2v1-5.

"Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.  For He spake and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast"-Psalm 33v8