Deuteronomy 8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers.

2 You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.

6 Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills;

8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Let’s pray

I have tried my best to not be part of American politics, I do not “like” posts on facebook that are political in nature.  

Politics is not something that I am all that interested in, and I feel as a man who tries to serve God publicly, that it probably is for the better that I refrain from making a big splash in that realm.

However, I do appreciate men and women who feel called to the arenas of public life.  There must be Christian men and women who take up those offices, and represent the God fearing people of this land.

There is a need for more men and women to fill these public spaces to help resist the ever increasing tides of immoral and evil behavior that is constantly eroding the God fearing land this nation once was.

People who will openly fight for the good of all Americans by not un-tying all of the godly laws that protect us from our sinful ways, and likewise not passing laws that allow people to live in sin!

That was free… but the role of a father is so important!

It is important in the home - and it is important in our public squares!  We look with great pride on those founding fathers of our land who guided us into a more perfect Union.

Normally, when the President of the United States has fulfilled his terms in office he will deliver a farewell address.

“Undoubtedly the most famous of all [our] presidential farewells.. was also the first: George Washington’s address to the American people announcing his intention to step down from the presidency after two terms in office.  

[He delivers a] 32-page address, originally published in the American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796, opened by explaining his rationale for leaving the presidency, despite pressure from the public and others in government to seek a third term in office.

Washington went on to express some principles he believed should “guide” the growing nation in the future, including unity, patriotism and neutrality.

Washington’s shadow loomed so large that no succeeding chief executive dared to follow his example and deliver a formal farewell address to the nation—until Andrew Jackson.  At some 8,247 words, Jackson’s message stands as the longest presidential farewell in history.” -  http://www.history.com/news/a-history-of-the-presidential-farewell-address

Well, as long as Jackson’s farewell address is, it pales in comparison to Moses’s farewell address, for the book of Deuteronomy contains twenty-six thousand four hundred ninety-four words.

But in essence, Washington, and many other presidents alike, wanted to give one more heartfelt cry to the people of which they loved, to protect them, and “guide” them from harm.

And when we read this book of Deuteronomy, we must see it from “this” nation’s perspective, Israel’s perspective.  The people are looking fondly to a man they respect and fear for he is the leader of their people.

The man who speaks for God and gives them direction on how to proceed.  

So just like in America today, imagine if you will, every TV, or every radio tuned into the appropriate channel to hear the words of Moses’s farewell address as 40 years of wandering is finally completed.  

A trip that should have been an 11 day journey out of Egypt, but turned into 40 years of wandering, is now over, they are ready to leave one kind of life and move into a completely different kind of life.  

This long pause, his farewell address, happens in the territory of Moab, in the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea.

At 120 years old, Moses delivers messages in the book of Deuteronomy, to the “new” generation of God’s people who are about to cross the Jordan and take ahold of the land of promise.

So, now that we have the backdrop, let’s take a closer look at what Moses desires to remind the people of.

He writes in verse 1

“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers.”

The mood of the text is namely this-

Moses is saying, “there is nothing more that I would like to see you do, there is nothing that would give me more joy, than to see you enter into the land God has given you.”

“I want you to live, and not just survive, but live and multiply!  I want you to live abundantly and enjoy the land the Lord is giving you!”

This word possess, seen here in our text, is the Hebrew word Yarash [yaw-rash] which can mean - to take their inheritance.  

Moses is saying, take what is yours, you are the rightful heir of this land, so go on in and take it, because it belongs to you!

*”There is only one condition, as you go, be careful to follow all the commandments that I am giving you.”

What a loving thing to say.  And that is how we need to see it.  Moses is protecting his people from themselves.  Like a Father he is saying, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Therefore please always keep in mind, that providing good commands, providing just laws, or even rules for your children, is an act of Love.

My first point to you is just that -#1 Providing good commands, is an act of Love. [repeat]

Now the tendency of a child is to say, that wasn’t loving at all!  If he really loved me, if he really “trusted” me, he would not box me in with a bunch of rules to obey…  that is not loving, that is just being a mean Dad.

Have you ever heard the immaturity of a child say such a thing? Was that you?

The truth is, that IF you can imagine a hazardous roadway, and your lawn is connected to it, you are going to box that child in with some firm rules that they need to follow.  

Why?  Because you want what is best for them… right?  You cannot see them hurt, your motivation... is... love.

God’s commands should not be seen as fun killers, but as loving force fields, or fences that protect us from the onslaught of our sinful natures.

These sinful bodies are not given to desire what is righteous, but rather all of us are always programmed to desire what is contrary to God’s will for our lives.  It is in our DNA.

Romans 3:10-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

10 as it is written:  “None is righteous, no, not one;
11     no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Galatians 5:17 GOD'S WORD® Translation
“What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don't always do what you intend to do.”

Even Paul said.. Romans 5:17 ESV

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Therefore - The most loving thing a leader, a Father or Mother can do, is bring firm rules to their children.  

The fallen human race needs rules, needs boundaries, because we cannot control our fleshly desires.  God knows this... Moses knew this.  That is why Moses is saying, “be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you… they will protect your life!”

What also can be drawn from our text is that the rules and commands God gave them in the wilderness, were also the commands given to them for the promised land.  

In other words, God is not confusing his people about his commands.  He has designed specific commands that stand the test of time that are good for multiple generations of people.  

They were good in the wilderness, and they are good in the promised land.  God is consistent in both drawing the line, and using discipline at that line.

By contrast, we are not so consistent.  We tell our kids there are lines you cannot cross, and yet we never enforce them.  A child will not respect an adult who constantly changes the boundary lines of what they are allowed to do.

It is normal, not only for children, but also every human on the planet, to test that drawn line, to test those fences holding us in.  It’s what we do.  It is in our nature.  And if there are no fences, we will run directly to our own destruction.

Imagine yourself at work, and one day your boss says that if you are late you will be written up.  Sure enough, a month later, you are late, but you do not get written up.  

Do you still respect that manager?  I doubt it.  You will be more free to be late again because your manager is all bark and no bite.

He can threaten all day!  “I’ll write you up if you do that again,” but until he actually does it, we will not respect his authority.

The same is true in the home.  Good commands, for the right reasons, justly enforced, will drive a child to respect their authorities.

So here’s the thing to remember, God is not the bad manager.  He is a just Father who has given them a good land as their inheritance to use and enjoy… but... they must use it in a good and righteous way by following his commands.

You might say… You know Jesse, we are living in the age of grace now so... obeying all these commands, like the Israelites had to, no longer applies.  We should restrain ourselves from making rules…  

Don’t let his grace confuse you.  

Don’t let the enemy come in and say, “Well Christ will forgive your sins anyway right? So why aren’t you enjoying this pleasure?  Is God a God of grace or not?”

You see… God did not give us freedom from the penalty of sin, so that we could enjoy sin more.  

He is not raising a spoiled, self centered generation of disrespectful adolescents.  And yet that is exactly what we become if we fail to see the importance of obeying his commands.

Christ said in John 14:15 ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

It is a trick of the devil to believe that God will not discipline you, for not obeying him...  He has been playing that lie since the fall of man…  

“You will not surely perish!” Remember that one? Who bought that lie?

And yet, sometimes we feel as though if we give less rules to our kids, so that they will be happier for longer periods of time, then we are “giving” more grace to our kids.  

We make excuses for them saying, “Eh...he’s just a kid….”

That is faulty thinking that actually works against us.

If that is what we do, I wonder if it is more about our own laziness, because if we do not have rules, than we do not have to teach to their misbehavior.

The more leash we give them however, the less love they will feel.  I know it sounds backwards so let me say it this way...  

Romans 5:20 “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase;”

You could say it this way...[God designed rules and laws so that people would be more guilty of sin]

“but... where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The reason why we as spiritually mature adults cling to Christ, and are in love with him, and so thankful for his work on the cross, is because we “know” we have sinned and we have felt the consequences of our poor actions.  

We know his commands, we know that we have hit the end of our leash.  We know we are guilty of disobedience.  The law that God has provided has shown us our sin and that we deserve a just punishment.

Christ then offers us both mercy and grace, a gift that says, even though you did that horrible thing, yet I will forgive you and restore our relationship because… I love you!

You see… If we pull away from rules in the home…… than we cannot give or teach to grace.  How then will your child understand their need of a savior?  They must first know what makes us sinful to see that there is a need for his grace.  

***Now… there are those times that once a child feels that he has your attention by doing bad things, his natural mind will desire to keep your attention.  

“I like it when I am bad and getting the full attention of Mother.”

That is why Romans continues in chapter 6

1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

It is the immature mind, the spiritually young, that desire to make such statements.  How can I justify my actions?  How can I rationalize what I want to do because I like the way it feels?

It is an act of disobedience to know right from wrong, and choose wrong, for any purpose of the flesh.  Just because God will forgive, does not mean that we take advantage of Him.

The challenge in parenting is developing solid family rules that build unity and respect in the home, while at the same time providing consequences that teach a child why the rule exists, and why they would want to obey it.

If the child cannot grasp the idea that their behavior is wrong, and why it is wrong, and that there are consequences every time he does it, than the consequence we are using is not appropriate for the action.

My sister would say that all my Dad had to do was look at her with disapproving eyes and she would start crying… I on the other hand, would get spanked by mother and just laugh!

My mother said it was because she knew, that I knew, that it was an act of love.  The consequence showed me, how much she loved me…  Therefore it made me happy.

That is the right perspective… but I don’t remember laughing when dad gave me a consequence… There is a right application for the behavior as well.

The goal of God in telling them to obey his commands, was to bring them up into maturity and prosperity.  

Moses writes verse one saying, I want you to live abundantly…. Therefore… keep my commands, value them.  Do these things and you will have the good life.

We need to be so moved to remind our children that I am “mean Dad”, I am hard, I am rotten, for your good.  I want you to live abundantly!  I do this because I love you…

Let’s move on to verse 2

2 “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, “testing you, to know” what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

#2 Build appropriate times into your children’s life when you can assess if they understand your commands. [repeat]

Interesting thought here…

If you have read the story of this people before, than you will remember that they were given the opportunity to go into their promised land once before right?

So then how can God say that he led them in the wilderness, to humble and test them?  Was not the reason why they were in the wilderness was because they disobeyed?

Yes… but God did not abandon them while they served their time.

For even in the wilderness, God continued to lead them with a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night.  

And that is a very important thing for us to remember, that is, that even though they were serving a 40 year consequence, God maintained his presence and his love towards his children.

In other words, we should not abandon our child with a consequence.  If you choose to ground your teenage daughter for a month, that does not mean that you stop leading her.

Just because she has a consequence attached to her life, it does not mean that she should no longer feel your love.  

There must always be the balance of the perfect consequence that teaches boundaries... while at the same time maintaining proof that you love them as a person, regardless of their behavior.

God did not abandon Israel when they did not have the faith to enter into the promised land the first time.  Instead he took the time to raise that people, like a child, into knowing and then obeying his commands.

He found small ways of testing them to see whether or not they understood him.

Often, this is the step Margo and I stress the most to our kids.  When we are in public places for example.  We allow our kids some space to make some choices.

It is not a reactionary step.  In other words, we do our best to not wait to teach to them until they misbehave.  Rather we teach our expectations going into the public place.  

“Here is my expectations, and here is why it is important.”

I do not need to threaten them by saying, “If you don’t behave today you will suffer the wrath of Dad.”  We can simply say, “listen, here is the behavior I expect, and here is why I expect it.”

If the child is out of control, we can simply pull them aside and say, “do you remember my expectation of you today?  No?  Let me tell you this just one more time.”  

Now we have set the expectation that there might be a consequence without actually threatening them.

Finally, if they failed the test, we need to humble them.  We need to take them aside, reteach the lesson and apply only the necessary consequence that will help them learn without breaking their spirit.

I love the fact that God does this while they are in the wilderness.  While God has them in an area that is contained, that is when he allows the testing.  

In other words, He does not wait till they are 18 and free to build their life in the land of promise.  No he takes every opportunity he can... to teach them while he is in extremely close proximity to them.

Therefore, the best time to parent, is when they are in the home.  

Proverbs 22:6  “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Let me conclude with one more thought, if God was “leading” them through the wilderness for 40 years, leading them into tough times to test them, then how does your perspective change in regards to the trials you are experiencing right now?

He led them where ever he wanted, and therefore led them into their trials for one purpose… to humble them and test them.

This is an interesting point.  God wanted to see what was in their heart, and he did this by testing them.

Now God already knew what was in their heart, and he already knew the outcome of the test, but he continued to do it… why then does he do this?

Because that is when we learn best... is it not?  We learn best when we are given the opportunity to remember, and when we make our choice ourselves.

By giving our little one's power to choose right versus wrong over the little things, they will be more ready to make good choices over the big things in life because they have learned by experience the natural consequences of their choice.

Hopefully, if we taught well, they will look back to our direction and fondly remember how Dad was right, I should have listened to Dad.

But the more important side of the test is this:  That it is an opportunity for praise!  

We should be saying: “I am proud of you for listening and making good choices.”  

When a parent reinforces their child with affirmations, they are building the child’s self confidence, their self worth, and their belief that they are capable of more good choices.

Today, Moses is calling out to his people, the people he loves so very much, to remember the commands of their Father.

Let’s pray