Deuteronomy 7:11

Deuteronomy 7:11 says, Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.  Moses told the people of Israel, God's chosen people, that they were to keep God's commandments, statutes and judgments.  They were to keep them by doing them.  We todays as followers of Christ, God's people today, are to do the same.  Verse twelve adds, Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: Moses said that if they would listen to and keep God's judgments, or laws, that God would keep His covenant with them, but they didn't.   This is why it was necessary for Jesus Christ to come and fulfill it for  them, and us.  We are all guilty of sin at some point in our life, but by faith in Jesus Christ we can have the covenant relationship with God restored.  Verse thirteen continues, And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  Moses said that if they kept God's laws that He would bless and multiply them.  It was by their obeying God's laws that the people of Israel received His blessings and benefitted from His love, and it is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and living by the leadership of the Holy Spirit that we do today.  Verse fourteen states, Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.  Moses said the people of Israel were blessed above all people,  and so are we as Christians today.  Still, this is not manifested by any material thing, but simply by the fact that through faith in Jesus Christ we have everlasting life with God.  Verse fifteen adds, And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.  Moses said that if the people of Israel kept God's commandments that He they would not suffer from any of the evil diseases that He sent on the people of Egypt.  These were sent on the people of Egypt for their being unwilling to listen God.  We are not exempt from diseases as followers of Christ today, but if we suffer them, they will never be a punishment from God.  Verse sixteen continues, And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.  Though we are not to destroy all the people who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ, as the people of Israel were told to destroy all the people that did not obey God, we are not to follow after any of their gods.  As followers of Christ, we are to reach out to them with the gospel instead. 

Deuteronomy 7:1

Deuteronomy 7:1 says, When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;  Moses told the people of Israel that there were seven nations mightier than they were in the Promised Land.  Though we as followers of Christ are promised an everlasting home in heaven, we may encounter many people who are physically stronger than us who oppose us on our way there.  Verse two adds, And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:  Moses didn't say if, but when, God delivered their enemies before them that they were to utterly destroy them.  When God gives us victory over anything that stands between Him and us today, we should completely remove it from our life.  Verse three continues, Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  Moses warned the people of Israel to not marry any of these people that stood between God and them.  We as Christians are likewise warned to not marry nonbelievers.  Verse four concludes, For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.  Moses said if they allowed their sons, or daughters for that matter, to marry any of these people that the son or daughter would be turned away from Him and worship false gods.  Though if their faith is strong enough this will not happen when a Christian marries a non Christian, it happens very often.  Verse five states, But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.  Moses told the people of Israel that they were to destroy everything associated with the worship of false gods that they found in the Promised Land.  We as followers of Christ need to do likewise in our life, and if we are to be a Christian nation, we must also do this throughout the country.  Verse six adds, For thou art an 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 upon the face of the earth.  Moses told the people of Israel they were to be a holy nation, one set aside from the gods of this world, because God had chosen them above all other people to be His representatives in the world.  This was not based on their superiority to other people, but simply on God's choosing to work through them.  We as Christians today are to be a holy people, set aside to follow Christ in all things, not because of we are morally superior to anyone else, but because God has called us to come to Him through putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse seven continues, The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:  Moses said God did not choose the people of Israel because they were the biggest nation, but because they were the smallest.  Whenever they were victorious, it would not be attributed to them, but to God.  We may feel small and unimportant in the world today, but if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, then our victory is assured because of Who God is.  Verse eight declares, But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Moses told the people of Israel because of the promise God had made to their fathers that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt.  Because of the promise that God made to all who will put their faith in Jesus Christ, He still delivers us from any and all powers in the world today.  Verse nine adds, 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;   Moses called on them to know that God is the only God Who could deliver them, and not to just think maybe He might be able to.  We have to have absolute faith that Jesus Christ can deliver us from death into everlasting life spiritually and not just hope that He might be able to.  Verse ten continues, And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.  Moses also said that God would destroy those that hated Him, and this has not changed.

Deuteronomy 6:20

Deuteronomy 6:20 says, 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?  Moses said that the next generation would ask them what the testimonies, statutes, and judgments of God meant.  Even if they don't ask us, we need to make sure that the next generation always knows Who God is and what His laws are and we need to especially teach them about Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one adds, 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:  Moses said they were to tell their children, the next generation, about being in bondage in Egypt until God delivered them out of Egypt.  This was to be done in each coming generation.  We are to tell our children about how we were in bondage to sin until Jesus Christ delivered us from this bondage and set us free from its power.  We are to tell each coming generation the Gospel or it will not be known.  Verse twenty-two continues, And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:  Moses said they were to tell the coming generations about what God did to Pharaoh in Egypt, and we are to tell the coming generations about what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  This is an even mightier work than what God did for the people of Israel in Egypt.  Verse twenty-three states, And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.  Moses said that they were also to tell the coming generations how God had not only brought them out of bondage in Egypt, but He had brought them into the Promised Land, just as He will one day bring us into the Promised Land called Heaven if we are followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-four adds, 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.. Moses said that they were to tell them that God commanded them to follow His statutes for their own good.  When we follow God's laws, we are not being kept from anything good, but are being guided to the best life possible.  Verse twenty-five continues, And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.  Moses said that if they obeyed all God's laws it would be counted for their righteousness, but they never could keep them all.  This is why Jesus Christ had to come and die for our sins, because He is the only One Who is righteous.  Now, we need to tell the coming generation that putting our faith in Him is the only way to be made righteous before God.  As Christians, we must never fail in this responsibility.  

Deuteronomy 6:10

Deuteronomy 6:10 says, And it shall be, when the LORD 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 great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,  Moses told them this was the fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give them a land full of cities not built by their hands.  As followers of Christ today, we will one day be home in Heaven, which has not been built by our hands, and we must live secure in that promise, no matter what is happening in this world.  Verse eleven adds, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full.  Moses said God had promised that the land would have enough to provide for all their needs without any work on their part, just as heaven will be filled with all we need without any effort on our part.  Of course, even though they did not work to build these cities and orchards, they would be expected to work to maintain them.  Verse twelve continues, Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from m the house of bondage.  Moses then warned them against forgetting God, Who had brought them out of Egypt and had given them all these good things.  As long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are forever saved, but we still cannot afford to forget Him when he richly blesses in this world.  Verse thirteen declares, Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.  Like the people of Israel with God, we as Christians must serve our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ and swear by His name.  Verse fourteen adds, Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;  Just as Moses told the people of Israel, we cannot chase after false gods and effectively serve God at the same time.  Verse fifteen continues, (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.  Moses warned them that if they went after false gods that they would be destroyed off the face of the earth because God is a jealous God.  We cannot profess to follow Christ and still worship other gods, because God still demands complete acknowledgment of Himself as the only God.  Verse sixteen states, Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.  Moses warned the people of Israel against tempting God, and that warning still stands today.  If we begin to make demands on God to prove Who He is instead of simply accepting by faith that He is Who He says He is, we are tempting God.  Verse seventeen adds, Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.  As Moses told the people of Israel then, as followers of Christ today we must diligently keep all of God's laws.  Verse eighteen continues, And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,  Verse nineteen concludes, To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.  Moses told them if they kept all of God's laws that everything would go well with them them and God would cast out all their enemies.  If we put our faith in Jesus Christ today as our Savior and Lord, we are saved forever, and because of that we need to obey the law of God.

Deuteronomy 6:1

Deuteronomy 6:1 says, Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:  Before they went into the Promised Land, Moses again told the people of Israel what God's commandments, statutes and judgments were, so that they would know to keep them.  Moses wasn't going in with them, but God was.  Though other Christians may die, God is always with those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, and we need to remember all His laws and commandments and keep them.  Verse two adds, That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.  Moses said that if the people and their dependents obeyed God that their days, I believe as a nation and even as individuals ,would be prolonged.  If we obey God today by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our days will be prolonged to last forever.  Verse three continues, Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.  Moses called on them to not only hear, but to do, what God called on them to do that their days would be long in the land God gave them, a land flowing with milk and honey.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are promised an everlasting home flowing with everything we will ever need.  Verse four states, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:  Moses called on the people of Israel to acknowledge that there was but one God, and there still is today.  If we are to spend eternity in Heaven, we must first acknowledge Who God is.  Verse five adds, And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  Just as Moses told the people of Israel then, we must love God with all that we are.  Verse six declares, And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  Moses said that the words that he taught them, God's words, needed to be written in their hearts to guide them in all that they did.  In order to serve God, His words must guide us in all that we do.  Verse seven adds, 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.  Just like the people of Israel, we need to teach our children God's laws diligently and at all times.  We cannot expect them to learn all about God in just a few hours one or two days a week.  Verse eight continues, And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  Moses told them that they needed to keep God's laws continually before them, and so must we.  Verse nine concludes, And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.  God's laws were to be written where they could be easily seen.

Deuteronomy 5:22

Deuteronomy 5:22 says, These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.  Verse twenty-three adds, And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;  Moses said that when the people of Israel heard the Voice out of the fire, all the heads of the tribes and the elders came to him.  When we hear the Voice of God calling us today, we don't have to go to someone else but can go directly to Him.  Of course, we need to pray that our leaders hear and respond to Him as well.  Verse twenty-four continues, And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.  The leaders of Israel said that they now had seen the glory of God and heard His voice, and realized that God could talk to people and they could still live.  God is not some all powerful being that we cannot approach, but He is a God of love Who desires a personal relationship with us.  Verse twenty-five asks, Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die.  Though professing that they could hear the Voice of God and not die, they now questioned if they would not die if they heard God’s voice too much.  God does not call us to a personal relationship with Him and then destroy us if we call on Him too much.  He wants to hear from us and for us to hear Him at all times as followers of Christ, which is why the Holy Spirit lives within us.  Verse twenty-six adds, For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?  They then asked Moses who had heard the Voice of God out of the fire and lived.  The fact that they had heard God’s Voice and were still alive should have answered their question.  I believe they still did not truly understand the nature of God, and if we see Him as a God looking to destroy us today, neither do we.  Verse twenty-seven continues, Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.  Thay then asked Moses to go near to God, and for him to hear and speak to them what God said.  We today as Christians, or simply as someone looking to enter into a relationship with God as their personal Savior and Lord through faith in Jesus Christ, do not need anyone to stand between God and us.  We can go directly to God.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.  Moses said he heard the Voice of God telling him that He had heard the voice of the people and that they had spoken well.  God chose to speak to the people of Isreal through Moses at that time and continued to speak to people through through prophets and religious leaders until Jesus Christ came, and since then we do not need anyone to go to God for us.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have direct access to God.  Verse twenty-nine declares, O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!   God said that it would be good for the people of Israel and their descendants if they would fear, or respect Him and had a heart to keep His commandments.  I believe that we as followers of Christ should always have a great respect for God and understand how awesome He is, but I don't believe that we should ever be afraid of God.  Verse thirty adds, Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.  God told Mose to tell the people to go to their tents again.  Verse thirty-one continues, But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.  God then told Moses to stay there and He would give him all His commandments, statutes and judgments to give to the people of Israel.  Once more, we today have direct access to God, and do not need anyone else to go to God for us since Jesus Christ removed all barriers between God and us.  Verse thirty-two states, Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.  God told Moses that once He had given him His laws, that the people of Israel nor Moses himself were to deviate from them at all.  We cannot follow God and at the same time attempt to change His laws and commandments.  Verse thirty-three adds, Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.   God told Moses that if the people of Israel obeyed His laws that it would go well with them, and it still will for Christians today. 

Deuteronomy 5:7

Deuteronomy 5:7 says, Thou shalt have none other gods before me.  Moses then started listing the ten commandments, beginning once more with the fact that the people of Israel were to have no gods before God, their God and the only real God there is.  This always has and always will be true for God's people.  Verse eight adds, Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:  Moses then repeated the second commandment, warning the people not to create any graven images, or idols to worship.  We need to be careful that we don't allow idols into our lives today, and they don't have to be graven images.  Verse nine continues, Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,  Moses said that God had said this was true because God was a jealous God.  Our sins may only affect us individually spiritually, but they can have effects on the next generation as well.  Still, we alone bear the punishment for our sins, unless we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse ten concludes, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.  Just as God punishes those who do not believe in or put their faith in Him, He shows mercy to any and all who do.  God does not limit the number of people who can be saved.  Verse eleven states, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  This does not refer to profanity, but to using God's name without any real faith in Him or any real calling out to Him by faith.  Verse twelve adds, Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.  We now as followers of Christ set Sunday, the Lord’s Day, aside to worship God, but we too often let other things get in the way.  Verse thirteen continues, Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:  We have really reduced this to five days laboring, but still often do not have time to set aside the one day to worship God.  Verse fourteen continues, But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.  Moses reminded them that no one was to work on the Sabbath, the day set aside to worship Him, which for us is the Lord’s Day.  We may pride ourselves on not working on the Lord’s Day, but at the same time expect others to do so.  Verse fifteen concludes, And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.  Moses reminded them of the fact that God by His power had brought them out of bondage in Egypt and if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, God has brought us out of spiritual slavery today.  For this reason, we are to set one day aside to worship Him.  Verse sixteen says, Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  The people of Israel were reminded to honor their father and mother, so that their days might be prolonged.  This does not say we are to do so if we think they are worth honoring.  Verse  seventeen adds, Thou shalt not kill.  This really means that we should not commit murder.  Verse eighteen continues, Neither shalt thou commit adultery.  Right after not killing we have the command to not commit adultery.  Verse nineteen continues, Neither shalt thou steal.  Anytime we attempt to take what belongs to others without their approval, we are guilty of stealing from them, and I believe that anytime we do not use our time under God's guidance we are guilty of stealing from Him.  Verse twenty states, Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.  There is a lot of this going on in the world today, but we as Christians should never be guilty of doing so.  Verse twenty-one adds, Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.  We have God's commandment to not covet anything that belongs to another.  As long as we are content with what God provides for us, we should never have a problem with coveting what belongs to someone else.