BIBLE BITS: Deuteronomy 11

The old covenant, in its briefest form, is spelled out in Deuteronomy 11.  The Lord promises to bless the people with safety, prosperity, and other blessings if they remain faithful to him.

The Lord, then, tells the people what it will take to remain faithful to him: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11:18-21).

We notice that the Lord is not speaking about just going to church, although they would have been expected to be faithful regarding the tabernacle and its sacrifices.  The word of God was not limited to the "professionals," the priests.  It was to be observed by each family, with the head of the house taking on the role as leader and pastor of his own family.  Notice how pervasive the word of the Lord was to be in their lives--at home and on the road, in their eyes, minds, and at their hands, in the morning and in the evening, with attention given to it whenever they enter or leave their homes or their towns.  The children were to know and learn these things from the earliest age.  In other words, the lessons would be taught and repeated until they were committed to memory.  After all, books were not available to them, so they had to memorize the lessons.

The Lord desires us to be just as faithful to him.  The word of God directs every moment of our lives.  The word of Christ guides our eyes and ears, minds and hands so that we avoid evil and do good, even if we are not aware of it.  It does so when the word of Christ is planted in you.  And if faith has been planted in you, it will need to be nurtured to grow and remain strong.

God may not grant us the same peace, prosperity, and blessings he did for Israel.  They lived under the old covenant.  But he does promise grace and every blessing to those who are devoted to his word.  The blessing which we all finally seek is life everlasting in the heavenly kingdom.  Therefore, we listen to our Savior, knowing and believing his promise which stands in peace and strife, in prosperity and poverty, in blessing and hardship: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).