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Love and Obedience in Deuteronomy
Love and Obedience in Deuteronomy
God LOVED them
Deut. 4:36–37 - "“Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,"
Deut. 4:37 - "“Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,"
THEY were to LOVE HIM …
Deut. 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Their Love Was To be expressed in obedience
Deut. 5:10 - "but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
Deut. 7:9 - "“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;"
Other similar words / ideas:
Obey - 25 times; ‘keep’ - 32 times; ‘do’ - 100 times; fear - 26 times; hold fast - 2 times
Serve - 33 times, (Note that part of these warn to NOT serve Baal or other gods.. ONLY SERVE the LORD)
Emphasis is upon not just ‘love’ of God, but upon the character of such love. Knowing what HE has done - and HIS love was shown in action; THEY respond in the same expression of love. Such is NOT ‘earning salvation’ - but the covenant response to God.
New Covenant – Notice the parallel ideas
God Loves
John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.".
1 John 4:10 — In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.".
1 John 4:19 — We love, because He first loved us.".
Romans 5:8 — But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.".
WE to love HIM -
Still the greatest commandment, and yet all laws and commandments hang upon it (Matt. 22:37).
1 John 5:2 - "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments."
NT speaks of Christians as ones who love God: 1 Cor. 2:9; James 1:12; 2:5; 1 John 4:10, 19
SUCH shown in covenant obedience -
John 14:15 - "“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
1 John 5:2–5 - "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
1 John 2:1–3 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."
2 John 6 - "And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it."
God loves and acts, God's people love Him in obeying Him, walking in His way, keeping His commandments.
How deep is your love for God?
Hugh DeLong
