What God expects from people

Deuteronomy Chapter 10

Moses told of the time the Lord said to him “prepare two stone tablets like the first ones, and make a sacred chest of wood to keep them in. Return to me on the mountain and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the sacred chest – the Ark of the Covenant.”

So Moses did as the Lord directed and placed the new tablets in the Ark of the Covenant. And the people set out and traveled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar became the high priest in his place. Then the people journeyed to Gudgodah and to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water, and the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant, to minister before the Lord and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are still their duties. That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance reserved for them among the other tribes. The Lord himself is their inheritance.

And now, Israel, Moses said, do what the Lord requires of you. He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul and to obey his commands and laws that I am giving you. Everything belongs to the Lord, yet he chose you, above all other nations. Therefore cleanse your sinful hearts and stop being stubborn.

The Lord, says Moses, is a God of gods and Lord of lords. He is mighty and awesome and shows no partiality and takes no bribes. He gives justice to orphans and widows, he shows love to the foreigners who live among you and gives them food and clothing. You too, must show love to foreigners, for you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord and worship and cling to him and your oaths must be in his name alone. He is your God the one who is worthy of your praise, who has done miracles that you have seen. When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them, but now the Lord has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW the tablets of stone were still in the Ark about 500 years later when Solomon put it in his temple. The Ark last appears in the Israelite history during the reign of Josiah, about 300 years after Solomon.

In this chapter we have an outline of what God expects from us: 1. Fear God (have reverence) 2. Live according to his will 3. Love him 4. Worship him with all our hearts and souls 5. Obey his commandments.

How does this chapter relate to us in today’s world? When we reconcile ourselves to God with a clean heart, we can begin to see a difference in the way we treat others. Our hearts become right with God. God’s mercy towards us is what love is all about and he will show love and mercy to all who seek him.

I wish we could tape the five items in the outline to our refrigerators or our computers to remind us of what God expects from us on a daily basis. The requirements are seemingly simple. And if we feel frustrated and burned out, we could concentrate of them and find peace.

Yours in Christ,
Mary