Bible Study: Harken to The Lord, Thy God 03.10.10

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Today is Wednesday March 10, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-10

Title: Bible Study: Harken to The Lord, Thy God
As Christians we can rejoice in the fact that it is by God's mercy and grace that He sent Jesus to save us all from a fiery hell and all who call on Him are saved. Praise God! While it is the greatest blessing to receive the gift of eternal life and know that no matter how many times we mess up we are still saved, that does not change the fact that we will not suffer if we do not harken to The Lord, thy God. The Israelites had the best thing going for them, they were God's chosen people and that was the best gift they could have ever received. God assured the Israelites that as long as they listened to Him and obeyed His laws that they would be blessed and avoid needless suffering. “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out............But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: ” - Deuteronomy 28:1-6,15. The Israelites had a choice, if they listened to God and followed His commands then they would be blessed, and blessed abundantly, but if they did not listen to God and follow His commands, they would be cursed. This is a choice that we all need to make, when we listen and obey we are rewarded, when we do not listen and obey we are chastised until we either listen or God says, that's it, I'm done trying to get you to listen to me.

Harkening to the Lord means that we are to listen to every Word that God has written and every command that God has given us. This is where people of the world and even Christians want to ignore the fact that God was then and is now always in control. Something caught my attention this morning when reading this chapter, “If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.” - Deuteronomy 28:58-62. God is warning the Israelites that if they do not follow His commands they would face all sorts of diseases and destruction not even mentioned in the Bible. Now, this is a great prophecy of what happens to future generations who ignored God as we read through the Old Testament and also of what we are facing today. Think about it. Look at all the diseases and natural disasters that are going on around the world, especially over the past decade. This is not going on because of global warming or any other claims scientists are trying to come up with, this is God sending a warning to us all, you better harken to my voice, now. God does truly want to bless us while we are here on earth, He just wants us to listen to Him, He knows what is best for us.

We may not be bound to the laws that were given to the Israelites, but that does not mean that we are not to obey His commands, His commandments are for all, Old and New Testament times. A testament is a written document that proves as tangible proof of the covenant that God gave His people, the Old Testament was to record the covenant that God made with His people before Jesus came, the New Testament is to record the covenant that God made with His people when Jesus arrived. Regardless of Old or New Testament, there was one important thing that unifies both testaments and that was the blood that was shed to reconcile the people with God and get God to harken to them. The Old Testament is just as important because it foreshadowed Christ, proving that the entire Bible was focused on one person who would tale the place of countless of animal sacrifices and that was Jesus. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.” - Hebrews 9:12-20. Today, God's first command is to know Jesus, Jesus is the intercessor between God and us, if we do not know Jesus, we do not know God. No matter how many times we pray, or go to church, or volunteer to help the needy, God will not harken to those who do not harken to Him and come to know His Son. “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” - Galatians 2:16. We are not saved because of the things we do for God, we are saved because Jesus Christ died for us and it is only when we believe in Him that we will receive eternal life. “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” - John 3:34-36.

We heard God say earlier, “ye shall be left few in number” God is weeding out all the devil worshiper's, and false god worshipers, and so called Christians, and false prophets, and false men of God, and only those who have truly know we see life beyond this earth. Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” - Matthew 7:13,14. Many will try to enter the gate, but only a few will make it through because they have not harkened to the Lord and followed His commands. Praise God, that all who come to Jesus will enter that gate, but if we truly want to see God's blessings here on earth we need to hearken to the Lord, our God. As long as we harken to God He will in turn harken to us and bless us.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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