Set your hearts on all words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days. (Deuteronomy 32:46-47)

From the very beginning, God’s Word was meant to be received with our heart, and to be so ingrained within our being that we would be genuinely motivated to follow His ways. If it was received in our minds only, without touching our heart, then it would be very easy for someone or something else to come along and change our minds. Furthermore, by placing these things in hearts of our children, God’s people as a nation are sustained, not to mention that the Word will continue to be propagated into the future. This is what is hinted at by the statement, “by this word you shall prolong your days.”

This point is stressed with the reminder that receiving God’s Word is not “a futile (vain) thing.” The Hebrew word translated as “futile/vain” means “empty,” and so, we should not think that the Bible is a book of empty words without meaning or substance. To the contrary, His Word is our very life. His instructions teach us the way we are to walk, and in so doing, we teach others the way of righteousness. Obedience to His Word, He says, leads to a longer life — how? Compliance to His Word restrains the evil inclination within us; it is the evil inclination that seduces us to sin, which, in turn, hastens death. Thus we can safely conclude that His Law does not impede life but enhances and ensures life; it restricts our carnal ways.

From the beginning, this message has been clear, and in my view, simple: Love God, fear God, and obey God; if you do you will live. If you choose the opposite path, that is to do what is right in your own eyes, you will perish. I don’t want to perish prematurely; I want to live out all the years God has ordained for me and so, to all who feel the same way, let us consider the words of Solomon: “The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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