The religious leaders tried to stump Jesus, asking what God’s greatest commandment was. Were they seeking to discover God’s priorities; what He valued most?
Jesus quoted two references from the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
They couldn’t refute Him, for He revealed the basic essence of the Ten Commandments: love God and love your neighbor. All God’s promises converge around these two tenets. If we think out of a framework that expresses our love for God, our actions will express the love of God. That’s what touches God’s heart and invokes the blessings of God.
RELEVANCE
When Moses expounded on the law, he expressed how one would be blessed and realize God’s promises in a simple, straightforward way. If you follow God’s order, you will be blessed by God; if you don’t, you are placing yourself on unprotected ground, susceptible to harmful and detrimental consequences. The prophet, Isaiah, affirmed this basic principle. He revealed it is a simple matter of the will.
“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19).
REFLECT AND RELATE
How can you position yourself to experience God’s promises?
How have other people represented what you have to do to experience God’s promises?
Can you see that it’s not really a matter of what to do, but a mindset and heart condition that responds to God’s basic truths?
REFERENCES
Deuteronomy 30:11-14; 1 Corinthians 6:22