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, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13
As the book of Deuteronomy begins, Moses and the people of Israel are standing at the edge of the promised land on the other side of the Jordan River. Joshua will lead them across the Jordan and into the land after God commands Moses to die and hands authority over to him. But, before that happens, the people take a long pause for Moses to explain the law, “Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law.” In fact, the word Deuteronomy means “second law” or “repetition of the law.”
Our Fighter Verse for this week comes from chapter 10 of Deuteronomy just after Moses reminded the people of their parents’ failure when they fashioned and worshiped the Golden Calf. In response to their idol worship, God was ready to wipe them out, but Moses plead with the Lord and appealed to the glory of his name. God graciously relented. And, in Deut. 10:10 Moses says, “The Lord was unwilling to destroy you.”
In other words, the mercy of God is on full display as we come to Deut. 10:12-13. That’s really important to remember when memorizing this passage. These words accurately describe what God deserves from his people and demonstrates our inability to ever live up to it, all at the same time. God demands and deserves our obedience and every affection of our heart. And, by God’s grace, we should daily strive to give Him what is rightly His.
As we strive to live this out and labor toward obedience and fight for the godly affections of our hearts, we can also rest in the gospel truth that Christ has already achieved this obedience in our place. Jesus has feared the Lord our God. He walked in all his ways without wavering. He loved him with a perfect love. He served his Father with every beat of his heart and every portion of his soul. He kept every commandment and statute of the Lord.
So, as you hide this portion of the word in your heart this week, let it be a call to obedience and an occasion for thanksgiving for the gospel, all at the same time!