Sunday 9 October 2005

Five parts of following the Lord

“Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.” - Deuteronomy 31v12-13

As Moses began the final preparations for handing the nation over to Jacob and sending the people across into Canaan He gave some simple instructions on how to stay on track on following God. He knew that once in the land there would be things that would distract them from following Him.

Here He gives five basic instructions:

  1. Gather the people together – fellowship
  2. Teach them to hear
  3. Teach them to fear the Lord
  4. Teach them to obey the Lord
  5. Teach them to do the word of the Lord

The principles that God gave Moses for Israel are just as valid for us today. All of these are important, but the most important is surely the last one. It is easy to teach all of the basic instructions; the challenge comes in carrying that instruction on the next generation. Let us be sure that the things we teach we teach our children to teach.

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