WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE?

Trevor S. Ferguson

December 7, 2011

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NKJV)
¹² "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,
¹³ and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

Micah 6:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶ With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

INTRODUCTION

As Christians today we are sometimes uncertain as to what God expects of us in our daily walk. Most of us understand and accept the requirements for salvation (i.e. baptism in Jesus name and  baptism of the Holy Ghost), but what we should do next is often unclear. In some churches there is undue emphasis on legalistic concepts, requiring members to follow a strict set of rules or standards, and suggesting that such adherence will guarantee future salvation and rewards in heaven, without considering that person's attitude towards God or his fellowman. Others take a very loose approach suggesting the Christians may do as the like once they maintain their church attendance and continue to profess Christ as their Saviour. Neither of these is sufficiently accurate. We therefore need to turn to the word of God for guidance.

The texts today provide us with two scriptural references outlining God’s requirements. While both are Old Testament texts the principles outlined are clearly applicable to the New Testament church and is supported by New Testament scriptures.

EXPOSITION

The text in Deuteronomy 10 forms part of Moses’ last words to the children of Israel. In Deuteronomy, often called the Second Law, Moses recounted the law before Israel to ensure that they had a good understanding of God’s expectation of them before they entered into the Promised Land. This chapter begins with the recounting of how the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments and how he had placed them in the Ark of the Covenant as God had commanded. It also speaks about the death of Aaron and the calling of the Levites to divine service. Verse 12 however, makes a sudden transition from the historical narrative to a question “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee?” Moses then went on to give five things God required of Israel. These were: 1) to fear the LORD, 2) to walk in all His ways, 3) to love Him, 4) to serve the LORD with all their heart and with all their soul, 5) to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes. Let’s look briefly on each of these.

The Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord is a poorly understood concept. People often think of this as being afraid of God. The word fear in this text comes from the Hebrew yare (yaw-ray) – which has as its primary meaning ‘to revere’, i.e. to have reverence for (God). To fear the Lord means to (1) Recognize his holiness, justice and righteousness (2) to regard Him with holy awe and reverence (3) to place our trust in him alone (4) to recognize that he is a God who is angry about sin and has the power to punish those who transgress his righteous laws. 

Walking in God’s Way

God has appointed a way that leads to life. This is described in the New Testament as the straight and narrow way. We must know Gods words and walk according to his instructions.

Loving God

Love in this text is derived from a Hebrew word meaning ‘to have affection for’. It is not enough to fear God. We must love Him – we must have a great affection for him – in a similar way to how we love our mothers or fathers. We must feel close to Him. He is a part of us, we belong to Him. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus described the commandment to love the Lord as the great commandment in the Law, thus illustrating how important it is for us to love the Lord.

Serving God

The word used in this context is from a Hebrew word meaning to ‘work’, often in the context of a slave / bond-servant. In serving God we have a responsibility to see that His will is accomplished in the earth. We serve God by being His witnesses and ambassadors in the earth.

Keeping Gods Commandments

This highlights the principle of obedience to the revealed word of God. Therefore whatever he says, that we should do. Remember Jesus’ instruction: ‘If ye love me keep my commandments’

Micah’s rendition of God’s Requirements

The prophet Micah adds another dimension to the question of what God requires, this time emphasizing our duty towards our fellowmen and before God. His instruction were: Do Justly; Love Mercy; Walk Humbly. This highlights concepts which are often ignored by the present day church. We must remember that not only do we have a duty to God, but we also have a responsibility to our neighbours and fellowmen. Remember we are commanded to love or neighbour as we love ourselves! We must deal justly in all our doings – e.g. a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. We must show mercy to people in positions of disadvantage. We must forgive those who wrong us! We must have compassion for people in need. We must walk in humility – the Christian should never be puffed up. We must walk humbly before God and before man.

CONCLUSIONS

Are we fulfilling God’s requirements today? Let us endeavour to live by these requirements so that God will be pleased with us; that He gets the glory from our life and work so that when He comes we will be ready waiting to meet Him.

Have you obeyed the command of God? If not, will you make a decision today? Remember: The wise hears the word of the Lord and obeys them! Make a wise decision to follow Him today!