Law, Made With Love

In the Old Testament, God laid out hundreds of laws for the Israelite's, His chosen ones. 613 commands were thrown on them. An endless list of do's and don'ts. This was a group of believers that God so dearly loved. And He chose to set clear boundaries around them and their lives. Not to destroy their freedoms and strip them of their rights, but to bless them. So that life would be good for them. So God could look upon them with favor instead of disgrace. So that they would live in the light, rather than the darkness. 

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God 

directed me to teach you to observe...

so that you, your children and their children after them: 

may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, 

and so that you may enjoy long life. 

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you 

and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey

Deuteronomy 6:1-3

We as Americans have been blessed to live in a land flowing with milk and honey; the land of the free and the home of the brave. We live in a country of opportunities and freedoms. We could stand on a sidewalk and proclaim Jesus, without the fear of imprisonment or death. Our streets are lined with churches and our children can attend Christian schools. We have been a blessed nation. But just as the nation of Israel rebelled against the Lord, so we as a nation rebel. And just as consequences were thrust upon the Israelite's as a whole because of their rebellion, so we very well may see the same. But God doesn't just address us as one, He also addresses us individually. And God calls us as believers, and as families to honor this commandment above all: 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul 

and with all your strength. 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home 

and when you walk along the road, 

when you lie down 

and when you get up. 

Tie them as symbols on your hands 

and bind them on your foreheads. 

Write them on the door frames of your houses 

and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

No matter where we go as a nation, or what challenges lie ahead, God is calling us as His followers to first and foremost, love Him. With everything in us. And next, to instill His truths into our children and the generations to come. What a privilege and responsibility. May we never take it lightly, or else the milk will turn sour and the honey will soon harden.