Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? (Psalm 34:11-12)
In yesterday’s devotion, I briefly mentioned Yeshua’s exchange with the rich, young ruler — a man who possessed great wealth and yet lacked what was most important. According to Matthew’s Gospel, this encounter began with a question posed by the young man to the Messiah: “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Yeshua’s response was to encourage the man to keep the commandments given to Israel by Moses, commandments this young man claimed to have kept “from my youth. What do I still lack?” That is when Messiah encouraged him to sell his belongings and follow Him; an instruction that was rejected indicating that, while he may have loved God to a certain extent, it was not with his whole heart. His wealth obviously had a grip on his heart as well.
It is interesting that, not only did this young man refer to the Messiah as “good” but wanted to learn of all that was “good” in order to enter into eternal life. And yet, after receiving instruction in what is good, he walked away, choosing instead to embrace his material wealth. The point is that, though he presented himself as someone who desired life and wanted to see good, his heart betrayed him. On the other hand, there are many who truly desire life as God defines it and who wish to live according to what is good. It is to these people, those referred to as children, that David says, “Come, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
As we see with the rich, young ruler, it is not enough to claim a desire to learn all that is good; it requires a heart ready to listen and receive. It requires a heart that is ready to change what is necessary in our lives that we are willing and able to follow God’s direction to “come, follow Me.” He had asked Yeshua, “What do I still lack?” It seems to me that Messiah answered that question; he lacked the ability to give God all of his heart. His fear of the Lord, which is to say, his respect and honor for God failed to eclipse the honor he bestowed upon his riches. We can only guess as to what the rest of his life looked like but that is not the most important matter. What matters today is that we decide not to repeat his mistake. Let us be quick to listen and heed all that the Lord has to say; let us learn to truly fear the Lord that our lives will be filled with all that is good and that our days on this earth are spent in service to His Will.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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