Tag: walk in my statutes

190. “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them”

2 Kings 21:1  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

Leviticus 26:3-13    “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them,  then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.  I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.  You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you.  You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.  I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.  And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

Jeremiah 17:20-27     Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.

Hezekiah reigned 25 years as King and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He destroyed all of the idols and put God first.  He brought the people back to God.  He was a leader who led the people in worship of God by what he said and the actions he took against anything that was a substitute/replacement for God.  He did what was right in the eyes of God by humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, relying upon, and obeying God.

However, his son did not.  He replaced everything that Hezekiah removed that was an abomination to God.  He led the people for 55 years down paths away from God and to the place where it says they were “doing more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed”  Can you imagine it?  In one generation Hezekiah brought the people back to God and in one generation his son led them astray.    

We can not assume the people too are not to blame as well.  They willingly followed.  “Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.”  We need to be mindful of how we view things in and around us and have God’s word richly dwelling deep within our heart, mind, and soul so that we can discern what is right and acceptable according to it rather than what is acceptable to the world.

I will give you a new heart

Psalms 119:33   Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Isaiah 54:13     All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.

John 6:45     It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

Job 28:28     And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 2:5-6     then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

John 7:17    If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

James 1:5    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 3:13-18    Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Ezekiel 36:26-27     And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God’s word profits the heart, mind, and soul of those who desire and seek to fully and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.  To others who reject it, it is nothing but a fairytale and those who desire and seek it are weak and powerless.

What is it that we want our children to know about life?  Do we want them to see the power of God through our lives? Or, do we want them to see?  A watered down version of luke warm service to Him.  A life that is neither hot nor cold for God?  A life without substance for Him?  A life that only comes to God when trouble or untimely circumstances arise?

Note the depth of the heart of this Palmist – “Teach me”   It is very hard to learn if you do not want to be taught.  It is even harder when you choose to believe the worldly understanding of what it means to follow God.

It seems as though the meaning of what a christian life should be continues to erode away.  When is the last time you heard “SIN” being talked about?  When is the last time  God was proclaimed as the LORD of your life?  When was the last time His word was hungered for knowledge and understanding of Him and not just for a quick refresher of His promises?  When was the last time He was spoken about freely, unhindered, unashamed?  When was the last time He was spoken about outside of the circle of church friends?

I was recently at a field trial and hunting dog training through the weekend with others from across the country.  12 of us and on Sunday morning the trainer calls us altogether out in front of the barn and begins to speak about His faith and what God has been doing in his life that morning.  His faith was not something that went back to some point in time and done, but rather was active and very real.  He spoke about how is heart and mind were in a very grouchy mood when he got an email from a friend who nearly died at his place a year ago.  He told us how God spoke to his heart about keeping things in perspective and to be thankful rather than grumpy or grouchy.

I tell you this because God was real in His life.  He wanted to be taught and he was listening for and to God.

Seek to be taught and choose to obey.