For the Promises – The First Commandment

For the Promises

The First Commandment

No other gods

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’”

Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 1:9-11

Yet there is more to our obedience than gratitude alone. As God brought the people of Israel into the land of promise, there to enjoy all that He had prepared for them, so He has given us exceeding great and precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4) so that, by them, we might actually participate in Him. These promises–summarized in the idea that God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing (Gen. 12:1-3)–are ours to the extent that we walk within God’s ways, according to His Laws.

We must teach the promises of God to our children (Ps. 78:1-8) so that they might grow up desiring these above all else. Gratitude for redemption and the hope of the promises are powerful motivators for obedience to God’s Law. But if we fail to live by this Law, and to teach it to our children, we will never know the promises that God has for us in Jesus.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.