Avoiding Pitfalls & Choosing Blessing | Sunday, February 20, 2022

"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26–28)

God delights to bless His people—but blessing comes by way of a choice we each must make.

A Song That Is a Prayer

This last Sunday an estimated 112 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. I was one of them. Just before the national anthem, a singer named Jhené Aiko got up and sang America the Beautiful, and she did a great job. As she began, I wondered if she would sing the part that mentions God, because in that song we have the line, "God shed His grace on thee." That is a prayer—and it's not the only one. The whole song, written in the 19th century, is actually a prayer.

Another section says, "America, America, God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law." What's interesting is that America the Beautiful was a candidate to become the national anthem at the beginning of the 20th century, the final runner-up to The Star-Spangled Banner. Those are good prayers—prayers we would do well to pray in 2022. We are a great nation, and I'm glad to call it home, but like any nation we are filled with flawed people, and so we are a flawed nation.

If God Would Bless Us

We would be blessed if God mended our every flaw, united us in brotherhood, and gave us self-control and true liberty for all people. I want to encourage you: all of those blessings are available to each of us individually and to us as a nation. If we all united together in prayer and said, "God, shed Your grace on us; unite us; mend our flaws; give us self-control and liberty"—if we sang God Bless America as a prayer—I wonder if God would not say back to us, "Why don't you go and read Deuteronomy chapter 11, starting at verse 26?"

There God speaks through Moses to the people just as they're preparing to enter the promised land: "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse." Each of us individually, and all of us as a nation, would want God's blessing if it is available. And I believe that if we asked God to bless us, He would say back to us, "Here is the way you can receive My blessing."

God Delights to Bless His People

I believe God desires to bless us. He wants you and me to experience His blessing. He does not take pleasure in judgment—the Scriptures say He does not delight even in the death of the wicked. Because these things are true, God tells us how to inherit His blessing, and then it comes down to our choosing.

Look at how Moses wraps up his message in Deuteronomy 30:

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off... But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." (Deuteronomy 30:11–14)

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil... therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19)

This isn't mysterious. God's blessing isn't so far off that you can't grasp it. But blessing is only ultimately found in one place—in and from God. In our fallen and sinful state we don't like to hear that, because it requires something of us.

What the Lord Requires

We considered this requirement last week:

"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 and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" (Deuteronomy 10:12)

You may not like this truth, but whether you like it or not, the blessings of God are oftentimes conditional. This is one of the most basic themes of Deuteronomy, the last major message of Moses before Israel entered the promised land and before he died. The largest section of this book, from chapter 5 through chapter 26, contains all the stipulations of God's covenant with Israel: here is what I require, here is what I will do if you obey, and here is what I will do if you don't.

Israel was engaged in a covenant relationship—He would be their God and they would be His people—and there were blessings inherent in that relationship, but only so far as the relationship continued and its stipulations were met.

Fear the Lord, Walk in His Ways, Love Him

What does that look like practically? First, Moses says to fear the Lord. It's not that God wants you to be afraid of Him, but that you have the right reverence, respect, and honor for Him—you worship Him and Him alone. The Scriptures tell us in Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is also connected to departing from evil.

Second, walk in all His ways. If you do a word study through the whole Bible on "the way of the Lord," you'll find it is the way of truth. So walk in truth—tell no lies, walk in what is right and true. The way of the Lord is also the way of righteousness, the way of purity, the way of kindness, the way of love. As I walk in righteousness, purity, truth, kindness, and love, I'm walking in the way of the Lord, and God enables me to do so by His Holy Spirit, for He works in me both to will and to do His good pleasure.

Third, love Him. And what does it look like to love Him? Verse 12 goes on: "to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD." Jesus said the same in John 14: "If you love Me, keep My commandments... He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me... and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." God's blessings flow to those who fear the Lord, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him, and keep His commandments. These are a requirement—but it is your choice.

Response, Not Precondition

Before we go further, I want to make this very clear: these requirements are not a precondition for redemption; they are a response to redemption. Whenever we Christians go back to the Old Testament, one danger is sliding into the thinking that we must keep God's commandments to receive His redemption—that salvation is based on good works. The Bible is very clear that this is not true, in either Testament. We are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, not of works, lest anyone should boast. The law shows me how much I need God's grace.

And this is also true in the Old Testament. Israel, who is being spoken to in Deuteronomy 11, was redeemed and rescued from Egypt according to God's grace, love, and mercy. Go back and read Deuteronomy 7, where God says, "Why did I choose you? Why did I rescue you? Because I love you." Israel was redeemed from Egypt because of God's love—and then, having been redeemed, God says through Moses:

"Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." (Deuteronomy 11:1)

Notice that word therefore. Because you have been saved, therefore love the Lord and keep His commandments.

Remember His Great Acts

"...your eyes have seen every great act of the LORD which He did." (Deuteronomy 11:7)

God sent Moses down to Egypt to tell Pharaoh, "Let My people go." He did wonderful acts—ten plagues, the Red Sea on dry ground, miraculous food every day, water from rocks, protection against their enemies. The same God has done these things for you, if you are a Christian. He has saved you out of a metaphorical Egypt—out of your slavery and bondage to sin—provided for you, and protected you. After all of this, Moses says:

"Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land... a land flowing with milk and honey." (Deuteronomy 11:8–9)

Possession of the promises and blessings of God is the result of walking in His ways. We're not redeemed because we keep His commandments; but having been redeemed, God wants us to take possession of the promised land of blessing.

Wandering in the Wilderness

It is entirely possible to be redeemed and saved out of the bondage of sin by God's grace and yet come short of tasting God's blessing—to just keep wandering in the wilderness. The book of Hebrews says exactly this: that generation wandered and died in the wilderness because they did not walk in God's ways or trust in Him. So it's possible for us to be saved from sin and spend our entire lives as Christians wandering in the wilderness—parched, dry, not living in the promises of God in any significant way. Sadly, I think there are many believers who do just that.

"For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you... The blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God... and the curse, if you do not obey." (Deuteronomy 11:22–28)

If you take notes in your Bible, circle the word if in verses 27 and 28. God's blessing is for God's people, and God's people are those who honor Him, love Him, serve Him, keep His commandments, and walk in His ways.

Two Great Pitfalls

Since that is true, Moses gives two exhortations: take heed to yourselves, and teach these things to yourselves and your children. These are aimed at two great pitfalls for the followers of God—unfaithfulness (infidelity) and forgetfulness.

The first is unfaithfulness:

"Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the LORD's anger be aroused against you..." (Deuteronomy 11:16–17)

One of the greatest snares Israel faced once in the promised land—and one we stumble at too—is idolatry. In the postmodern Western world of 2022, we often think idolatry is something only uncivilized ancient people struggled with. That is entirely wrong. The gods of this world are things like pleasure, power, prosperity, possessions, and politics—and politics is a big one in America today. Christians are continually deceived and seduced by these idols. Idolatry will always rob you of God's blessing and remove you from the place of His promises. We may not have names, images, and temples for these gods, but at the core they are the same things to which we give our time, talents, energy, and devotion.

The Pitfall of Forgetfulness

The second exhortation guards against forgetfulness:

"Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul... You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deuteronomy 11:18–19)

God's people forfeit His promised blessing by their forgetfulness and unfaithfulness. So Moses says: hide God's word in your heart so that you don't become forgetful about who your God is and get turned aside toward idols. Bind God's word on your mind, teach it to your children, write it on the doorposts of your house.

A Word for Our Nation

It sure seems as though we as a nation in 2022 are not experiencing God's blessing—at least not the way we could, and not the way we once did. We sing prayers asking for God's grace and unity, like that song at the Super Bowl, but we are living in many ways as a forgetful people, unfaithful to the Lord, turned aside from the right path to a path that ends only in disaster, chaos, and confusion.

This is not a unique experience. It was almost the normative experience for Israel in the Old Testament. They would walk with the Lord, then do what was right in their own eyes, drift from God's word into idolatry, and find themselves in cursing and exile. This is where the prophets came in, calling the people back. Jeremiah stood before an idolatrous, forgetful people 2,500 years ago and said:

"Thus says the LORD: 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.' But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" (Jeremiah 6:16)

We have great patriotic spiritual songs—America the Beautiful, God Bless America—but we cannot expect God to shed His grace on us so long as we walk after idols and refuse to walk in His way.

God Waits with Open Arms

I want to encourage you: God is patient. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God waits with open arms for us to turn back to Him, ready to be gracious and forgiving, ready to pour out His blessing. But He cannot bless those who are walking toward idols and who have forgotten Him. If we want God's blessing—individually and as a nation—it will require that we turn back to the Lord and walk in His ways.

"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse." (Deuteronomy 11:26)

It comes down to a choice—for you, for me, and for Israel. Much later, in the book of Joshua, Joshua will stand before the people after they've taken possession of the land and say, "Choose this day whom you will serve... as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." We have that verse by our doorstep at our house.

As we all want God's blessing, it will require that we choose to walk in the way of the Lord—the way of love, truth, righteousness, kindness, and goodness. God will enable us by His Spirit, for He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure. But He will not bless those who refuse to walk in His ways. If we see the confusion, chaos, and insanity of our culture, it's an indication that we have either forgotten the ways of the Lord or turned to other gods. Would to God that we would turn back to the Lord and repent.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray that You would move in our hearts and draw us to that place of laying down our idols and putting You back in the proper place of our lives—on the throne of our lives—that You would have authority over us and rule over us. Lord, I thank You that we are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves; it is a gift You give us because of Your great love and mercy. But after we have been redeemed by You, for us to experience Your rest and Your blessing and all the goodness of Your word, it requires that we walk in ways that are honoring to You. So, God, would You work in us to will and to do Your good pleasure today, and help us to work out this salvation with fear and trembling. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.