God Who named the stars has also assigned names to us.

It is pleasant to learn.

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.’”

There is a third reason to obey: God commands it.

Beginning in fear of the Lord, as we have seen, obedience leads to blessing (“for your good”). Obedience to God is the fruit of a proper fear of and love for Him, and it brings forth goodness and righteousness in us, to the praise of the glory of His grace. Thus, not only are we blessed for obeying the Law of God, but He is glorified in us as His righteousness comes to fruition through our obedience.

Deliverance, promises, and God’s command: These are three powerful reasons to obey the Law of God, so that the goodness and righteousness of God might be seen in us.

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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.’”

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.

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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.’”

In responding to their children, parents must be careful to keep their understanding of the Law within the framework of grace. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt; we were slaves to sin. God came to us in our need and, through a powerful deliverance, lifted us out of sin and death into newness of life through Jesus Christ. He redeemed us, as He did Israel, freely, by His grace. But He redeemed us unto good works (Eph. 2.8-10), even the good works of the Law (Matt. 5.17-19).

We would still be helpless and lost were it not for the Lord’s mighty deliverance. In gratitude for His saving mercy, we receive His Word and declare, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Gratitude to God is the first reason we obey His Law: We love Him in gratitude because He first loved us in redemption (1 Jn. 4.9).

Sign up to receive Crosfigell, our thrice-weekly email devotional, featuring T. M. Moore’s insights to Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition.

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

The Law of God was to be such a prominent part of Israel’s life that children would be provoked to curiosity about it. What would they have seen? A good deal of teaching and talking about the Law, as we have seen, plus a way of life characterized by love for God and neighbor. Peter anticipated that unbelievers, seeing the hope of glory lived out in a believer’s life, would ask a reason for it (1 Pet. 3.15), and this is similar, I think, to what’s in view here.

Children pay attention. They observe what parents do and hear what they say. Here is a call for parents and all adults to remember that their conduct and conversation impact the generation to come. Let us make sure that what our children are provoked to inquire about, based on what they see in us, is the holy and righteous and good Law of God, expressed in love for God and neighbors.

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Deuteronomy 6.4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

We must endeavor to give the Law of God a defining role in shaping the culture of our homes and communities. This is the sense of “writing” the Law on the doorposts of the homes and the gates of the communities.

Everything about our homes should declare our love for God and devotion to His holiness and righteousness and goodness. The manner of our relating to one another (Eph. 5.22-6.4), all our décor and furnishings, the way we use our homes in hospitality, how we care for our own property and possessions – everything about where we live should reflect love for God and neighbors according to the teaching of the Law.

And to the extent that we can shape the culture of our communities – churches and the communities in which they exist – we should seek to do so, letting our own lights shine and acting as salt (to block decay and corruption)and leaven (to transform even what is most unpalatable) according to the teaching of God’s Law and Word.

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Deuteronomy 6.4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Our teaching of God’s Law is primarily to be informal, “as you are going”, so to speak (Matt. 28.18-20). Throughout the day, at opportune moments, in ways related to what we are doing or thinking, in our normal, everyday conversation, we must endeavor to encourage and instruct one another in the things of God’s Law. The Law of God should inform our conversations and feature in our discussions about everyday issues and events.

This does not preclude more formal and structured teaching situations; however, those – what we most frequently associate with “Christian education” – are not the primary teaching venue. Everyday teaching and bearing witness to the Law and Word of God is the calling of every believer. As we take the Word of God into our souls, letting it dwell there richly and bear good fruit, we must then speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and teach and admonish one another throughout the day, as the opportunities present themselves in the life-based classroom of the Lord.

Sign up to receive Crosfigell, our thrice-weekly email devotional, featuring T. M. Moore’s insights to Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition.

Deuteronomy 6.4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Those who are not yet sufficiently mature or wise to take up reading and study in God’s Law we must teach. “Children” here can stand for any who have not yet begun to internalize God’s Law on their own. Since we are all also children of our heavenly Father, we should seek out teachers who can help us to understand the beauty and blessedness of living within the Law of God.

 We are to teach the Law of God diligently. The word conveys intentionality, consistency, earnestness, urgency, and clarity, with a view to practical outcomes in the lives of those we teach. Heads of households, pastors, teachers, friends – all must make the teaching of God’s Law as high a priority as that of learning the Law, for only in obedience to the Law of liberty do we find the blessedness God intends for us (Jms. 1.22-25).

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We need to reconsider the best ways of using our time.

Happy Freedom Day.