On Guard – Foundations of a Worldview

On Guard
Foundations of a Worldview

“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….” Deuteronomy 10:12

Here is yet another action verb designed to teach us how to think about the Law of God and its role in our lives.

The word in Hebrew is shamar and means “to guard.” We must guard the Law of God—His commandments and statutes—as we serve Him each day in all our doings and all our walk. It’s the same word used in Deuteronomy 12:32, translates “be careful.”

Why do we need to guard the Law of God?

When we guard something we keep our eye on it continuously, to ensure that nothing happens which is contrary to God’s purposes. We guard the Law as we meditate on it daily, since we are prone to forget God’s will and to serve our own interests instead. We guard the Law when we dispute with those who suggest—by their lives or words—that keeping the Law is not part of God’s plan for us. We guard the Law when we learn to interpret and apply it properly, and when we teach it to others (Matt. 5:17-19).

Guarding the Law means always being “on guard” against anything that might distract us from it, divert us to other laws, or undermine our confidence in the Law as the way of love and life.

As we pursue our daily walk and do whatever is required of us each day, we can become easily distracted from our calling to serve the Lord, and thus lose sight of His Law and Word. But if we are actively guarding the Law—studying, meditating, reading and reviewing, pondering, teaching and defending, and applying God’s commands, planning and reviewing our steps—we will be more likely to realize the benefits that come from obedience.

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click here to see the weekly studies available thus far.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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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).