Deuteronomy 10.12, 13

“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, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?”

Moses reminds us that God intends all that He requires of us for our “good.” That word is deliberately chosen to invoke God’s original plan for the world by recalling the many repetitions of “good” in Genesis 1. God’s plan for His people – to bless them and to bring forth His glory in and through them – has not changed. His Law is the blueprint and roadmap to restore that lost condition.

The Lord made all things good and upright, but men, by their many sinful schemes and devices, have brought ugliness, pain, hurt, sorrow, waste, destruction, and ruin to the world (Eccl. 7.29). Israel was guided onto the path of restoration in the promises of God; however, the people of the Old Covenant did not have the heart necessary to realize God’s purposes for their good (Deut. 5.29). A New Covenant, with better promises, was required before the people of God would be able to know and do His Law for their good (Jer. 31.31-34; Ezek. 36.26, 27).

In Jesus Christ reconciliation has been achieved and renewal of all things has begun; now those who trust in Him for their redemption are charged with joining in that work, as Israel of old had been charged, through the fear of God, obedience to His Law, love for Him, serving Him in all things, and guarding His Law, so that all the “good” that God intends for His people may increasingly be theirs.

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