Reading: Romans 10 & Deuteronomy 30
End of the Law
Today’s readings go well with each other, bringing harmony and understanding of New and Old Testament. Romans 10 starts out with a prayer for Israel to be saved. Although Israel had zeal for God, there zeal was not through knowledge or understanding. It goes on to state, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (vs.4) Christ came to fulfill the law once and for all. All of those sacrifices that had to be done previously are no longer required because Jesus became the sacrifice for all of us. The laws that Moses wrote, were so that the Israelites could receive the blessing spoken of in Deuteronomy 30. Listen to some of these promises.
“The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 30:9-10
God wants to bless our work, our families, our homes, and our bodies. He wants us to abound, which means to have great numbers or be in great quantity. It reminds me of John 10:10 which states ‘The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’ I love, love this verse because we serve a God that wants to provide more abundantly for us. More abundantly gives me an image of something full to overflowing; such as a cup full but yet you continue to pour in even though there is no room. We serve the God of surplus. When we have a surplus, we are able to give to others and be a blessing. When we barely are getting by; how can we give to others?
Choose life
‘I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”’ Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Do you realize you have a choice to make? Choose life! This in my mind is a command. You choose life! Yes, you have a decision to make. We have a choice between life or death; blessings or curses. What we choose and believe can make these decisions. What are we choosing to believe?
Remember in Romans it stated, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. God had established law with Israel so that they would have righteousness and receive the blessings that He wanted to give His children. However, to keep the law was impossible and that is why we needed a savior. That is why we needed Jesus.
Hearing the Word of God
Now flipping back to Romans 10:17 it declares, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The scripture does not say: faith comes by listening to what others say about God. We have to hear the word of God for ourselves! That doesn’t mean we read through the bible once and check a box and think we are done. We need to continually be in the word. God’s word is alive and the more we read it, the more understanding we will have. We may read something twenty or thirty times before we finally have a revelation of its truths.
Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” God’s children, his beloved, are destroyed for lack of knowledge! God is able to do all things why would His people perish for lack of knowledge? Proverbs 2:6 states, “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Yes, from God’s mouth comes knowledge and understanding, not the mouth of men. When we seek man’s words instead of God’s word, we will always have a lack of knowledge and understanding.
I know for me it has been through the continual hearing of His word that my faith has been increased. His word is full of promises and truth such as the ones I’m writing about today. I journal so that I can write out my understanding of the word in hopes to encourage others to not only hear what I’ve got from the word, but to help others to seek the word for themselves. My hope is that from reading my pondering thoughts; you will have questions you seek out for yourself and listen for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you with understanding and knowledge, that can only come from God.