God Provides What He Requires (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
- Candice Watters
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
[And now,] Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? —Deuteronomy 10:12-13
These verses are only a few chapters away from what we memorized last week. Knowing what transpired between them is essential for understanding them.
Moses is speaking here to the people of Israel on the far side of the Jordan as they prepare to go in and take possession of the promised land. He has just rehearsed God’s power in delivering them out of slavery in Egypt and their history in the wilderness. He reminds them that God chose them, not for their righteousness, but because of His love for them and His faithfulness to the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He chastises them for their stubbornness of heart and continual rebellion from the day they left Egypt (Deuteronomy 9:6-7). Moses says that twice God wanted to destroy them for their disobedience and idolatry. And twice God relented. All of this comprises the chapters between our memory verse last week (Deuteronomy 7:9) and our passage this week.
Now, on the verge of conquering people more numerous and more powerful than they, and knowing that soon God’s people will be rich in land, houses, food, and more, Moses explains the conditions of their prosperity. If they want to flourish, they must obey the Lord their God. Moses then says, “what does the Lord require of you, but [this]…” It’s as if he’s saying, all you have to do is this, but to succeed, you must do all of this. For Israel, it would prove no small lift.
They would have to strain against their nature, their habits, and their history in order to fear, love, obey, and serve the Lord. Thus far they had not been able to do it. Having read their history, we know how this will turn out. They will not do the very things that would lead to their flourishing. They will disobey and wind up like the nations that God is about to punish because of their wickedness.
What God required was good! It would lead to good! And yet, they would fail. Reading these chapters reminds me a little bit of “new syllabus feeling.” Every first day of college classes I would look at the list of readings and papers and think, “this is exciting, everything looks so interesting, all of these assignments will lead to more learning!” It felt challenging, yes, but doable–if only I would put in the work and follow the schedule.
But every semester I fell back into my habit of procrastinating. I knew I would run out of time and end up cramming for exams and rushing to finish papers that were mediocre. I knew I was undermining my ability to really learn the material, but it felt impossible to keep the schedule. Like my pattern of procrastination, the Israelites had a pattern of disobeying God.
I feel so hopeful for them when reading about God’s love for them and His plan for their flourishing. All they have to do is obey. But remembering my own failed attempts to improve myself (in college and all of life) helps me understand a little of what it might have felt like to be there on the banks of the Jordan. The promises of God are lavish, the power of God is unmatched, He loves us with an everlasting love! Let us go up and take the land in faithfulness! Surely their intentions were good. But the reality of sin and the curse proved too strong. The people would do exactly what God warned them against. They would disobey Him and embrace the idols He commanded them to destroy.
These verses, and Israel’s history, cause me to give thanks to God for His goodness, and to cry out to Him for help. They remind me that only a loving God would require His people to do the things that lead to their happiness, flourishing, and joy. God’s to-do list is the path to life. And they warn me that left to myself, I’m hopelessly prone to do the opposite, to choose what leads to death.
Like the Israelites, we cannot be good apart from God. His commands teach us that we are sinful (Romans 7:7). They show us the way to live, and remind us that we are destined to die. But God, being rich in mercy, has not left us to ourselves. Ephesians says, “…because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
As we embark on a new year with all of its hopes and aspirations, may these stories that were written for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11) move us to worship the God who has opened to us the way to life. Thanks be to God that He has made a way for us to be transformed by His Spirit. He has provided both the payment for our disobedience and the power to obey. In Jesus, He has provided what He requires.
For Reflection
Where do you see your sin nature pulling you to do what you do not want to do (Romans 7:19)?
Do you think of God's commands as good and loving?
Thank Jesus for His obedience and ask Him to help you love God's law and obey it.
