Call On God For Guidance
Deuteronomy 5:1-21;6:4-9
Introduction
The Bible tells us in many ways that we need God to make it in this life. So many people try to make it without God's guidance and help, but it usually ends up in a mess when we just try to do things our own way. There are several reasons why we need to call on God for Guidance - think about these:
Because we usually veer to the wrong path when left on our own.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.
Because my understanding is limited as a human being.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Because without God’s help, I’m walking in darkness.
Psalm 119:105 NLT Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Because God desires to lead us and guide us through the troubles of our lives.
Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not
forsake them.
Last week we started a series called CALL ON GOD and we talked about calling on God for help. We talked about how God heard the prayers of the children of Israel and some events leading up to the Exodus.
Israel walked out of Egypt and into the wilderness where due to unfaithfulness they wandered for 40 years.
Deuteronomy comes at the end of the Pentateuch - the five books of law, books of Moses. It includes some reviews of the history of Israel and God’s teachings about how they were called to live. Today we are going to visit Deuteronomy 5 and 6, where Moses reviews the ten commands, the greatest commands, and some ways to keep them before us. It's a message about calling on God for Guidance in this life!
1. God Has a Will: Ten Guiding Principles For Godly Living (5:1-21)
The Ten Commands in short form. Let’s say them out loud.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
A few observations about the ten commands:
-These are the bedrocks of civilization. The first four relate to our relationship with God, the last six to our relationship to humans.
-These give us insight into holiness - how God wants us to live. “All the demands of the Decalogue are a reflection of the nature of God.” - Brown
-These are not all intuitive - we need to learn/become aware of them.
Romans 7:7 … I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
-The Ten commands are valuable to our walk with the Lord today.
-The Ten Commands are not Capricious.
2. God Has a Reason (5:29, 32; 6:3)
Three times in this discourse on the law, Moses gives the same reason for God’s instructions.
Deut. 5:29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
Deut. 5:32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the
left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Deut. 6:3 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, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
Experience tells us that when we fail to follow God’s ways, it doesn’t go well with us at all.
God Has a Will for Our Lives and a Reason for His Laws…
3. God Has a Plan (6:4-9)
Listen (Hear, O Israel…” 6:4a) If God presents his will to us and we do not listen, it is of no avail! There are many Scriptures about listening. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).
Love (Deut. 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.) Jesus identified this as the greatest commandment. It encompasses our entire being: Emotion, Intellect, and Power. Nothing is left out of our love for God. We can’t love him with emotion, but forget him in our minds. We can’t say we love God on an intellectual level, but live like a heathen. We can’t say we love God, but never put any effort into the life to which He calls us. God is love - and He calls us to Love Him - which is a love that He demonstrated for us in the life of Jesus.
Live (Deut. 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.)
-Live and teach these principles at home. At every opportunity and occasion. Parents are passing along a spiritual legacy that begins in childhood.
-Live out these principles in your neighborhood.It was on their door posts and gates! Alter suggests this would be the gates of the city, since houses did not have gates. Is there any time or place when we are not to be attuned to the love of the Lord?
-Live out these principles wherever you go. A frightening verse is Judges 2:10 “that whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel.” This verse is a call to live it out for the generations with us and those who follow us.
Conclusion
God has a will, Reason for His will, and a Plan for living out His will.
We can easily forget God. When we are in a time of blessing. When we are too busy. When we are satisfied with our lives. When we are tempted.
Always take time to remember what god has done for us.
1 John 5:3-5 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
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Discussion Questions
1. What is the significance of Moses repeating the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5? Why do you think it was important for them to hear these commandments again?
2. Author Raymond Brown wrote, “All the demands of the Decalogue are a reflection of the nature of God.” What do the Ten Commands reveal to you about God?
3. The posting of the Ten Commands in public places like courthouses and schools is controversial. Why do you think many are opposed to this? Would you say that the decalogue is written for all humans to obey or for those who have given their life to God? To whom were the commands given?
4. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 contains the Shema, a central declaration of faith for the Israelites. What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength? How can we apply this commandment in our lives today?
5. What are some practical ways we can constantly remind ourselves of God's commands and keep them in our hearts and minds, as instructed in Deuteronomy 6:6-9?
6. How can we create an environment where God's commandments are constantly on our minds and hearts?
7. Discuss the concept of diligently teaching God's commandments to children. How can this be done effectively in today's fast-paced world?
8. What else did you want to discuss today?
Next: Call on God for Belonging - Ruth
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Resources
Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible, Volume 1: The Five Books of Moses. W W Norton & Company, 2019.
Brown, Raymond. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Deuteronomy. Intervarsity Press, 1993.
DeRouchie, Jason. Love God With Your Everything.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/love-god-with-your-everything
Jones, Mark. The Greatest Commandment.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/greatest-commandment
