We can turn back together to our reading in Deuteronomy chapter 10.
! We're going to look at the last part of the chapter, verse 12, down to the end.
Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 12, where it asks the question there,
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord which I am commanding you
today for your good, and so on.
What's your favorite book of the Bible?
I don't know, maybe you have one, maybe you have many different books of the Bible that you like turning to,
depending what kind of situation you're in in life or just what's on your mind.
There can be many different places that we turn.
It might be going into the Old Testament, you enjoy reading some of the narratives there about events that took place a long time ago.
It might be to the book of Psalms or Proverbs, where there's much wisdom given to us, much kind of direction.
It might be the prophets that you enjoy, where you see God speaking through them,
warning people and telling them of events that are to come.
Perhaps you go into the New Testament, you enjoy the Gospels and how they speak to us of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and how he came and what he did.
We read accounts, events that happened.
We read great depths of understanding of who God is and who Jesus is.
You see the book of Acts, and you enjoy that accounts of the Gospel spreading through many different people to many different places.
And then you read the letters of Paul and others writing to churches that have been established.
Or you come into the book of Revelation, and you begin to wonder about what is ahead.
What is the book of Revelation talking about?
There's so many different parts of Scripture.
There's such a variety to us.
There's such a wealth of learning in it.
And we can go to different parts, depending what's going on in our minds.
But where does Deuteronomy feature in that variety of what you read?
How often do you turn to the book of Deuteronomy and think, I want to go into Deuteronomy?
It's such an encouraging book.
It's maybe not one that comes to mind immediately.
And yet, when we go into it, as you read through it, there's so much to take from it.
When we maybe think to ourselves, as many people do,
I'm going to read the Bible from the beginning to the end.
I mentioned this before, how often people can start reading in Genesis.
And we were in Leviticus a few weeks ago now.
And very often, that's where people get bogged down,
where people kind of come to a shuddering halt.
It gets into us talking about things maybe we don't understand, we find difficult to read.
And sadly, many people can come to a conclusion of their reading from beginning to end in Leviticus.
And you don't get as far as Deuteronomy.
You miss out on what Deuteronomy speaks about because it's got a wealth of things to say to us.
Such an important book as we see it in the Old Testament.
But its importance is also seen in how often it's mentioned in the New Testament as well.
Gordon Wenham, a writer, a theologian, describes it in this way.
He says it's the linchpin of the Old Testament.
It's what holds everything else together.
So it's an important book.
And it's seen how important it is and how often it's quoted in the New Testament.
You might be surprised that along with Genesis, Psalms, and Isaiah,
it's the most quoted book in the New Testament.
So why is it so important?
What's its significance?
And has its significance waned, if you like?
Is it less important today?
It was written many thousands of years ago.
And yet the truths that we find in it for the there and then, as Moses is leading a people into the promised land,
are very much truths that we need for the here and now as well.
They speak very much into our day.
And it was written at the time when Moses had led the children of Israel out of their captivity in Egypt,
led them through the wilderness and leading them to the border of the promised land.
And here he is, if you like, renewing the covenant with his people.
God reminding them of the promises that he has given to them.
And here in chapter 10, if you just look back into chapter 9,
you see it's just after the incident with the golden calf,
where the people of God had got tired of Moses being away from them.
Where is he? Why isn't he coming back?
And then saying, he's not coming back.
And they said, let us make a golden calf to worship in place of God.
And this is what they did.
And Moses, when he came down, he smashed the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
That's why we read in chapter 10,
these new tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments were being given.
This was the incident around this time,
around these events that we're reading of in chapter 10.
And it kind of makes it even more remarkable just how God speaks to them in chapter 10,
the kind of mercy that he shows to them.
And Moses is preaching here about their need for an allegiance to God.
That as they go into the promised land,
a land filled with many different temptations,
and especially the choices of what God to worship,
because the place would be full of idols and false gods
that they could choose to worship.
Moses is saying, if you want to know blessing and favor from God,
you are to worship him alone.
You are to worship God alone.
And there is a relevance for ourselves today.
Because we read here about the temptations that these men, women, boys and girls
were going to face in all the variety,
all the choices that they would have going into the promised land.
So many things taking them away from God.
So many false gods that would be around saying,
this is who you need to worship.
This is what you need to do.
When Moses is saying, no, if you want to know blessing and favor,
you must worship God and him alone.
And so as we see here in chapter 10,
what we see is a God who shows real compassion,
real grace, real mercy towards these people,
despite their sin,
and calls them to worship him alone.
And that's the wonder of what it says to us as well today.
That if we want to know blessing and favor from God,
we must put our trust in him as Lord and God of all.
That we can only love him because he first loved us.
And that's what he shows in this passage.
Many of God's people have spoken about how God has blessed them
as they have been faithful to him
in many difficult and different situations.
Take, for example, a man called George Muller.
He lived in the 1800s, 1805 to 1898.
And you may have heard many accounts of George Muller.
He built orphanages down in England.
And many, many children passed through these orphanages.
Many were helped, given food,
given a place to sleep, a place to rest,
but also given and shown the love of Jesus Christ.
And he did this without a personal salary.
It wasn't like he was being paid directly for doing this.
And he relied on God to supply money
and to supply food.
And there's remarkable accounts of how they prayed
when there was nothing and God provided.
And he was a man of faith.
And God rewarded that faith.
And he had a motto on his desk.
He had a motto that he looked at for many, many years,
over many years of wondering where things would come from,
wondering how they were going to go on.
This motto brought comfort and strength in times of need.
And the motto was this.
It matters to him about you.
Just a few words.
And it was based on 1 Peter 5, verse 7,
where it says that,
Cast your cares upon the Lord,
for he cares for you.
So he had this motto,
it matters to him, to God, about you.
That he knew that God was with him.
And he saw this in many different ways.
And he testified of this over many, many years.
Over all his life,
he testified to the goodness of God.
And that's the kind of testimony that Moses is wanting,
the people of God then to have,
and for ourselves to have.
That here is a God that we can rely upon.
A God who we matter to.
It matters to him about you.
That is a wonderful way of looking at life.
It matters to him about you.
But that love of God then leads us to ask,
well, how do we give back to him?
What do we show to him?
And as we take up our reading here in verse 12 of chapter 10,
Moses is really showing,
this is just how much you matter to him.
And there's three things we want to take from this passage.
The first thing is that there's a requirement
put before the people.
Then there's a reminder given to them about who God is.
And then there's a response called for.
There's a requirement, there's a reminder,
and there's a response called for.
And so the reminder that we see is in verse 12.
And now, Israel, what does the Lord require of you?
There's a question.
And this question comes just after they've been reminded about
how God has been almost kept from pouring out his wrath upon them.
In verse 10 and 11, it says,
I myself stayed in the mountain that first time for 40 days and 40 nights.
And the Lord listened to me that time also.
The Lord was unwilling to destroy you.
He could have.
That's the reality of what sin brings.
It can bring devastation.
It can bring destruction upon us.
The wages of sin is death.
And so it's in light of this,
the Lord was unwilling to destroy you.
And then it goes on in verse 11.
And the Lord said to me,
Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people
so that they may go in and possess the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them.
So you see, this comes in the midst of mercy.
It comes in the midst of God's grace.
God did not destroy them as he could have.
And then it comes into verse 12.
And now, Israel,
what does the Lord your God require of you?
So there's a challenge.
God loves you,
but what does that mean in terms of how you view God?
And then it gives us an answer
as to what the Lord requires of you.
But to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all his ways,
to love him,
to serve him,
to keep his word.
There's a summary of these things there.
What does the Lord require?
To fear the Lord,
walk in his ways,
love him,
serve him,
and keep his word.
And that's not just for their day.
There's a great reminder to us
of what the Lord requires of ourselves today.
Fear the Lord.
That means a right reverence
towards God.
Walk in his ways.
Love him.
Serve him.
Keep his word.
Moses was the leader assigned to the people.
Then God had chosen him
to lead the people out of Egypt
into the promised land.
And so Moses is one who is,
he is almost speaking to himself there,
first and foremost.
He's part of this.
He was to lead them.
Well,
he was to live like this as well,
to fear the Lord,
to walk in his ways,
to love him,
serve him,
and keep his word.
It wasn't just applying to the people.
It was applying to himself.
And that is the way that we are to live.
That is the way that God is asking of ourselves today as well.
From every one of us,
this is how we are to live.
We are to see the reality of the situation that we are in,
where the Lord could destroy us in our sin,
but where the Lord is merciful,
but the Lord makes demands of us.
And that's to come from the top right down to the bottom.
Tomorrow it may be that we have a new prime minister
over us as a nation.
And you would love it
if this is what was being spoken of
as a new leader is appointed.
What does the Lord require of you
as you become prime minister?
To fear the Lord,
to walk in his ways,
to love him,
and serve him,
and keep his word,
it would be wonderful.
And we pray that a day would come
when that would be so.
But it's required of all leaders,
of all with responsibility.
There's a man called Max Dupree.
He was an American businessman
and a Christian as well.
He died in 2017, I think it was,
but he wrote many books,
and especially about what it meant to be.
He said,
a good leader.
And he said this,
the first responsibility of a leader
is to define reality.
Leaders need to have a good picture
of what is really going on around them.
And they need to help others
take an honest look at this reality.
That is what's required of a leader,
he was saying,
to know the reality of what's going on around
and to look at this reality.
Well,
Moses was aware of the reality of the situation.
He was aware of what was going on around
and what was going on ahead of them
as they were going into the promised land.
He was aware that they could be so easily led astray.
The reality of idols,
the reality of temptations,
the reality of people being led away from God.
He was aware of the reality of all of these things.
But he was also aware of the reality of what God could do.
He was aware of the reality of who God is.
And you just have to turn back another,
to chapter 8,
verse 11.
And there you see,
as he was speaking
to the people before they go into the promised land,
what does it say?
In chapter 8,
verse 11,
take care lest you forget the Lord your God
by not keeping his commandments
and his rules and his statutes
which I command you today.
This is the word of God through Moses.
Take care lest you forget
the Lord your God.
Because that's how easily it happens.
That's how quickly it happens.
And you see it does
as you go on.
But God is giving a requirement to them here.
And what is required is not to follow Moses.
Good, I lead it as Moses was.
But it's to follow God.
To follow him.
To fear God.
To love God.
To walk in his ways.
To serve him.
And to keep his word.
And what does he require of us today?
Exactly the same thing.
To be aware of the reality in which we live.
A fallen world.
A sinful world.
But to be aware too of the reality of a great
and an awesome God.
A God who is far more powerful than we are.
And so there's a requirement first.
The second thing we see here is a reminder.
And what a powerful reminder it is for us as well.
In verse 14 and 15.
Behold to the Lord your God belong heaven
and heaven of heavens.
The earth and all that is in it.
Yet the Lord set his heart and love
on your fathers and chose their offspring
after them.
You above all peoples
as you are this day.
Moses here reminds the people
of who God is.
And he does it in two ways.
The first thing is you see
the enormity of God.
The awesomeness of God.
Behold the Lord your God.
To the Lord your God belong heaven
and heaven of heavens.
The earth and all that is in it.
Everything.
The world.
And all of the creation
that we see around us
belongs to God.
Just like Psalm 96.
For great is the Lord
and greatly to be praised
because he made
the heavens
and earth.
This is the reality of God.
This is the reality of God
to Moses
that he is showing to the people
then that he is showing
to us today.
To God belong all
of these things.
The heavens declare
the glory of God.
We see it
all around us.
His creation
and the wonder of it.
So God is
an awesome
a powerful
God
a creator God
as we see in verse 14.
But then you go into
verse 15.
Yet the Lord
set his heart
in love
on your fathers
and chose their offspring
after them.
You above all peoples
as you are
this day.
It's amazing that you think
as you are
this day.
How were they
in that day?
They had just come
from a place
where they had made
the golden calf.
They just come
from a place
where they had been
disobedient
to God
where they had turned
their back
on God
and made their own
God
to worship.
Yet God says
yet
the Lord
has set his love
on your fathers
and upon you
despite how you are.
It's amazing.
It's a powerful
it's a wonderful
reminder
with such care
and attention
God has given
to us
to you
and to me.
the people
are called
there to follow
and worship
God
not just because
he rescued them
out of Egypt
not just because
of the wonders
that they were
seeing around them
not out of a sense
of guilt
although
many would say
that
that is how
Christians come
to worship
the Lord Jesus
it's out of a sense
of guilt
that's not how
we come
to worship
God
it isn't either
because God
commands
as if we've got
no choice
in the matter
God doesn't just
dictate
to us
no
instead
the Lord
is powerful
the Lord
is loving
the Lord
is gracious
towards us
and when we see
the love
of God
when we realize
the grace
of God
as the people
here have seen
it
making the golden
calf
and yet in
verse 10
it says
the Lord
was unwilling
to destroy
you
they see
the love
of God
and it is
that love
of God
that surely
moves them
to see
their need
of him
and surely
it is that love
of God
that moves
us to see
how much
we need
God as well
that despite
our sin
that despite
all that we
do that is
wrong
that despite
our turning
our back
on him
almost again
and again
that yet
he has shown
great love
towards us
because he is
a covenant
God
a covenant
is a promise
a promise
from God
and it is that
covenant love
that God
shows again
and again
throughout his word
the steadfast love
of God
as the psalmist
so often
says
that unchanging
love of God
despite
our changeableness
in this world
so that as it
says there
in verse
15
you above all
peoples
even as you are
this day
even as you are
this day
even as you are
even as I am
this day
sinners
falling short
of the glory
of God
again and again
and yet
we have this
powerful reminder
of his great
love
and where do we
see this love
where do we
see this grace
shown to us
well it says
there the Lord
was unwilling
to destroy
them
well where do we
see it is when we
go forward
into the New Testament
when we go
forward and see it
in the person
of Jesus Christ
that God
desired that
none be lost
and how would
this be
how could
this be
but that God
sent his own
son
to die
for our sin
why
because he
loved us
for God
so loved
the world
that he gave
his son
a remarkable
truth
and
although he's
speaking here
to the children
of Israel
as we go
forward into
the New Testament
we are reminded
that through
faith we are
part of these
people too
1st Peter
chapter 2
speaks about it
but you are
a chosen
people
a royal
priesthood
a holy
nation
a people
belonging
to God
that you may
declare the
praises of
him who
called you
out of
darkness
into his
wonderful
light
once
you were
not a
people
but now
you are the
people of
God
once
you had
not
received
mercy
but now
you have
received
mercy
who is
that for
it is
for all
who will
believe
in the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
he has
shown
his
love
to us
through
Jesus
Christ
Stuart
Townend
in his
great hymn
said
how deep
the
father's
love
for us
how vast
beyond
all measure
that he
should give
his only
son
to make
a wretch
his treasure
why should
I gain
from his
reward
I cannot
give an
answer
but this
I know
with all
my heart
his wounds
have paid
my ransom
we are
reminded
so often
about the
love
of God
a wonderful
love
a love
like no
other
we don't
deserve it
but in
mercy
he shows
it
he is
the maker
of the
heaven
of heavens
the heaven
and heaven
of heavens
the earth
and all
that is in
it
he is a
powerful
he is an
awesome
God
yet the
Lord
has set
his heart
on love
on his
people
it's a
wonderful
reminder
we are
reminded
of God
and his
love
but the
third thing
that we
see here
is that
this
calls
for a
response
this
calls
for a
response
and we
see this
in verse
16
through to
verse
22
it
demands
a
response
we think
again of
covenant
here
covenant
this
bond
between
God
and his
people
we are
reminded
of how
God
always
keeps
his
side
and how
we so
often
fail
and yet
it's an
unchanging
love
despite
our
disobedience
but it
calls
for a
response
and that
response
is seen
in verse
16
circumcise
therefore
the foreskin
of your
heart
and be
no longer
stubborn
for the
Lord your
God
is God
of God
and Lord
of Lords
the great
the mighty
and awesome
God
that is
who
he is
circumcised
therefore
the foreskin
of your
heart
what kind
of response
is this
he's
talking to
them here
and saying
do not
be so
stubborn
do not
be so
stiff
necked
any
longer
instead
circumcise
the foreskin
of your
heart
now
when you're
reading
through the
Old Testament
you see
that
circumcision
was to
be
administered
to
young
boys
it was
their
sign
of
belonging
to
God
it was
an
outward
sign
to
circumcise
the foreskin
was an
outward
sign
but here
God
is saying
circumcise
the heart
and so
how could
they possibly
do this
it wasn't
to be done
in a
physical
way
but it's
saying
it's not
just to be
outwardly
that they
shall
change
the
change
is to
be
inward
the
change
is to
be
within
your
heart
because
we can
so often
be
stubborn
what does
it mean
to be
stubborn
I'm sure
I don't
have to
explain it
to you
I'm
stubborn
for many
of you
are stubborn
we have
it
by nature
in our
stubbornness
there's an
unwillingness
to do
things
any way
but the
way
that we
want
thinking
that we
know
better
and that
was certainly
the case
with the
Lord's
people
in
Moses'
day
it was
with
Moses
himself
you see
it
in his
own
experiences
in life
but God
is calling
them here
no longer
to be
stubborn
like this
but instead
to open
your hearts
not just
to have
an outward
sign
that people
might say
you belong
to God
but so
that that
is seen
from the
very core
of your
being
which is
what the
heart
is
that the
transformation
comes
from the
inside
out
so it was
to be a
complete
transformation
and this
transformation
is what
would lead
them then
to walk
in the ways
of God
to fear
the Lord
to walk
in his ways
to love
him
to serve
him
and to keep
his commands
because
an outward
sign only
doesn't do
that
and we
see that
ourselves
today
when we
think of
our own
signs
of
what it
means to
be a
believer
in the
New
Testament
baptism
and the
Lord's
supper
these are
things that
we can be
partakers
of
we can be
baptized
in the
church
we can even
come and
sit at the
Lord's
table
it can be
seen by
others
but it's
no guarantee
that we
are transformed
and especially
transformed
inwardly
because if it's
just an outward
sign it almost
doesn't mean
anything
and so God
is here
saying this
transformation
must come
from within
and you must
allow God
to be the one
who changes
you from
within because
you cannot
we cannot
change
ourselves
and so
what God
is saying
here is
in order
to live
right with
me
in order
to serve
me right
in order
to love
me
in order
to keep
my commands
circumcise
the foreskin
of your heart
be no longer
stubborn
don't feel
you know
best yourself
don't feel
you can find
your own way
in this
you need
God
we need
God
every one
of us
we are
stubborn
in so many
different ways
we show it
so often
but if we
want to know
the love
of God
if we want
to love
God
as we
should
then our
hearts
need to
change
our hearts
need to
be open
to him
a stubborn
heart
here and as
we see it
throughout
scripture
is often
described as
the horse
with a bit
in its
mouth
and when
the horse
refuses
to turn
but you
have to
let God
take the
reins
let God
take
command
and only
then
are we
guided
in the
right
direction
and so
we see
here
the wonder
of who
God is
we see
the requirements
that he
gives
in light
of his
mercy
unwilling
to destroy
you
even
though
he
could
but then
that
demands
a
requirement
to love
the Lord
to walk
in his
ways
to serve
him
to obey
his word
it
brings us
to a
reminder
that he
is a
great
God
and yet
he
still
loves
us
but then
it asks
well what
is to be
our
response
our
response
is
not to
be
stubborn
of
ourselves
but to
open our
hearts
to him
that he
might come
in and
dwell
in our
hearts
and as
he does
he directs
us
in every
step
that we
take
the people
of God
here in
Deuteronomy
were going
into the
promised
land
to know
God's
blessing
they had
to be
obedient
to him
the same
is true
for ourselves
today
we may not
go into
the promised
land
as it's
seen here
but to go
into eternity
to know
his blessings
in life
we are to
be obedient
to him
so what
does the
Lord require
of you
does he
require you
to fear
him more
to walk
more closely
with him
to love
him
to serve
him
to obey
his word
to realise
the awesome
power he
has to see
the love
that he has
shown
and to open
your heart
to receive
by his
grace
that love
and love
him
with all
your heart
let us
pray
Lord our
gracious
God
we thank
you for
the great
concern
you have
for us
the mercy
that you
show to
us
we are
a people
who just
like the
people we've
been reading
off could
so easily
have been
destroyed
by you
but we
thank you
that you
spared us
by your
grace
and by
your
mercy
and teach
us Lord
your ways
teach us
to love
you
teach us
to serve
you
teach us
to obey
your commands
and to see
the wonder
of all
that you
do for
us
and to
have our
hearts
opened
by your
spirit
to receive
all of
these
things
for we
ask it
in your
mercy
and grace
to us
we ask it
in Jesus
name
amen
we're
going to
sing in
conclusion
to God's
praise
in
Psalm
119
and
sing
Psalms
version
Psalm
119
page
165
and sing
the
section
verse
129
to
136
a
Psalm
that
throughout
the
Psalm
it
shows
us
how
the
word
of
God
directs
us
we sing
here in
verse
129
to
136
your
statutes
Lord
are
wonderful
so I
obey
them
from
my
heart
your
words
as
they
uphold
give
light
and
truth
to
simple
minds
impart
we'll
sing
this
section
these
four
verses
the
tune
as
Walton
we
stand
to
sing
to
God's
praise
song
to
hear
such
its
Lord
a
wonderful
so
I
obey
them
from
my
heart
give
words
as
they
unfold
give
light
and
truth
to
sing
lives
in
heart
with
open
light
like
pant
and
year
to
know
the
lost
that
you
proclaim
show
me
!
the
to
those
who
love
and
praise
your name
I
read
my
footsteps
in
the
word
let
sing
not
glory
this
way
the
man's
oppression
said
they
pray
that
here
commands
I
may
obey
!
upon
your
seven
shine
your
face
teach
me
the
statutes
you
have
made
my
eyes
shed
strings
of
bitter
tears
because
your
love
is
not
obey
after the
benediction
I'll go to the
door to my
right we'll
close with
the benediction
now may
grace
mercy
and peace
from God
father
son and
holy
spirit
rest
upon
and abide
with you
all
now and
forever
more
amen