PURPOSE OF COMMANDMENT
Deuteronomy 6

The fear of God is the reason and the purpose of God’s commandment. Deuteronomy 6:1-3, “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God…” God wants to be feared. Fearing God is to love Him. Inhabited in loving Him is obeying all His commands. Failure to obey God is a failure to fear Him and not to love Him. God expects us to love Him just as it is recorded in His word, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) God is not a slave master, He is Almighty Saving Creator and He does not demand what cannot be done in all of His word. Root of sin simply came from His command not to eat of one tree out of numerous varieties of trees. Again, man continues to eat from the “do not eat” tree so sin continues to prevail since the time of Adam to present day. God simply demands for us to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. Abraham loved the Lord God as it was commanded by God. It takes loving God with all to rise and depart to a strange land without holding you back. At age seventy five, in a comfort environment, with no child, packing and moving to a strange land by virtue of God’s command, requires a true loving of Him in all as commanded. God testified about Abraham in Genesis 22:12 when he fully complied with God’s command for using Isaac as a burnt offering. At the time Abraham was about to slaughter Isaac for the offering, it was evident that Abraham complied with the command of God. As a result of his obedience, the Angel of the Lord called on Abraham stating, “And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:12) God declared and decorated Abraham when He pointed it out that Abraham feared Him by not withholding his only son from Him. The ability of not withholding from God is in the grace of full obedience and compliance unto God’s command. Abraham demonstrated it by the grace of God and we are also expected to be able to demonstrate such love by His grace. Seriously, how are you serving Him with all your love? True love for God is to truthfully fear Him by knowing that nothing; absolutely nothing should ever be held back from Him. 

Prayer for today: O Lord my God, let my heart retain Your words; that I may keep Your commands and live. (Proverbs 4:4)