If only…
In some form or fashion, these words have rattled inside my head many times throughout the course of my life. They’re a statement of longing, and sometimes, regret. In today’s reading—after Moses once again shares God’s law with His covenant people, and they, once again, promise to keep it—God Himself utters these words: “If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that they and their children would prosper forever” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
Now, I don’t believe God is expressing regret over entering into covenant relationship with Israel. On the contrary, this is one blissful moment when Israel is as “all in” as they know how to be. But I wonder if God is expressing a desire or longing of His own, of what could be possible, if only Israel could truly remain faithful to Him. God acknowledges that “everything they have said is right” (v.28); Israel cannot stand in the presence of His holiness without keeping the law perfectly, which they simply cannot do on their own. Blood and sacrifice will serve to cover them, and Moses will stand and intercede for them (v.31).
But at that moment, Israel is right where they need to be: humble and committed to their God and His ways. If only things could always be this way! Imagine the blessing of never forgetting who God is and what He’s rescued us from, how He led Israel out of Egypt (v.6) and leads us out of slavery to our sin (Romans 6:18). Imagine if we learned to really live out the full gospel and dynamic relationship offered to us through Jesus Christ, who came not to do away with the Law we could never keep, but to fulfill it completely on our behalf (Matthew 5:17).
Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh who was there at the beginning of time and creation (John 1:1–5,14) and more than familiar with the Law given to the Israelites through Moses. So when the scribe in Mark 12 asks Jesus which is the most important command, it’s no wonder He echoes the charge once given to Israel, saying:
“The most important [command] is Listen, Israel!
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength”
(Mark 12:29–30; Deuteronomy 6:4–5).
Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Law-fulfiller. He’s the beginning, the end, and everything in between. And the heart of God longs for us to give ours over to Him completely. If only we lived out of a moment-to-moment awareness of this truth. This is why we’re called to remember and obey: so we never forget to fear and love and worship the God we so desperately need (Deuteronomy 6:6–8). Yes, we are prone to wander (Deuteronomy 5:32). God, help us not to forget.
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82 thoughts on "The Greatest Command"
Lord may I surround myself with your word as you surround me with shouts of deliverance. I am no longer a slave to sin but a slave of righteousness- a follower of God. I am your child and God, you own me. I am thankful for that. I am thankful you are my Father and you won’t let me go. You have given your own Son for me. You have sent your Spirit to dwell in me. I get to be a dearly beloved child of God, a set free, holy, citizen of the kingdom of heaven, a slave of righteousness, a royal priest, a chosen race, and the righteousness of God. You have truly given me your whole heart and loved me wholly. May I love you and serve you and your people-and even my enemies- by the strength that you supply. May I not wander to serve other things, but only serve you- my Lord and my God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
So beautiful how God gives us these guardrails so that we can LIVE and flourish in our relationship with Him and with others. Lord help me not turn to the right or the left but walk with you daily. Amen
I am no different from the Israelites in my disobedience and wandering. Yet Jesus you give me the hope each day that I may follow your commandments especially to love you with my whole heart and my neighbor as myself ❤️
Lord I praise you lord for who you are and you are worthy!
Lord you are good and I thank you
Obey and prosper
❤️
So many mentions to be careful and take care to remember love and follow only God. Those moments in this scripture are what stood out to me the most. It is my prayer today that I be more intentional and careful with where my attention and love lies and that I’m careful to keep it focused on the One who is always true and faithful.
❤️
So good. Let us not forget.
We must not forget the Lord’s love for us and to keep his commands
♥️
Thank you CeeGee! Thank you for praying for me and the little one !
Brooke Parker thank you. I literally cried happy tears that this is encouraging to you. I am so sorry that you have experienced a loss, I am praying for you and will be praying for you.
Thank you ERB!!
Thank you Kristina!
Adrienne I will be praying for the surgery that it goes well!
This all helped a lot! Definitely put the message into perspective. Thank you:)
I’m posting now because I am behind and will have to take full advantage of grace day this week. But I wanted to ask you to pLease keep our son, Jon, in your prayers Friday (at 7:45, CST), when he has his back surgery (microdiskectomy). And I will post tomorrow early as well, so that as many she’s as possible will be storming heaven on his behalf. Thanks, sisters.
I’m loving this theme of remembrance. “Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders (Deut. 6:22). It’s beautiful to me how God has confirmed Himself and His ways to me time and time again- through people, conversations, events, dreams. These are things my eyes have seen and things my ears have heard, all given by God so that my wandering and doubting heart would be encouraged. I pray that when my faith wavers and I’m prone to forgetting, that these signs and wonders would be imprinted upon my memory.
VICTORIA E, so glad to hear your news!! I can’t even imagine your elatedness!!! Thank You Jesus!!!
CEEGEE, my dear friend you and I noticed ALL the same things this morning!!! I definitely think it could be a foreshadowing!! And it was my first time reading that God came down in dark clouds as well!! I had the same thoughts you did on this!!! SO Amazing how God reveals and enlightens!!! LOVE it!!!
KELLY, thank you SO much!!! I am copying your words down now!!
Be Blessed today dear sisters!!! Xoxo
@ERB – yes you may; glad they rang true for you
What a blessing Victoria E!!! Thank you for sharing! Continued prayers through your pregnancy <3
Of only this sad world could keep Gods commands, he would bless abundantly. This world has gone so far from our Father, it is so important that we teach our children to love Jesus, and cling to him ourselves.
Hi sisters- I wanted to thank you all SO much for praying for me throughout my IVF and now pregnancy! Our first OB appointment yesterday went well, the baby is now 10 weeks old by God’s grace and mercy and is growing! We got to see little landmarks where the eyes, hands, and feet will eventually grow and it was amazing and so humbling to see. Every single one of your prayers means so much to me and has been heard by God to lift me up and helped to carry me through the pain of our previous loss and the anxiety of IVF and now the joy of seeing this precious gift take form. Thank you with all my heart.
Victoria E. : Wow praise God!!! This is so beautiful. I will continue to be praying for you and your baby! I know what it is to go through loss with this, still in the season myself. So this is just such BEAUTIFUL encouragement! Praise God for your baby growing! Thank you for sharing.
Thank You Lord for Mercy and Grace!
“10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
Even when we don’t deserve it He still, give it!
It’s not even the end of the first week and I have learned a lot about the laws that Christianity are based on. I have learned also that God forgives and that I need to forgive also. God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are there for me all I need to do is call out to them. All I need to do is ask for their help.
Lord help me through these trying times. Remind me you are by my side always and that I can turn to you no matter what happens. Amen.
Sisters be bless. Loved today’s devotional.
It saddens me to realize that we are prone to wander and leave the God we love. I want to look to Him daily. To remember what He has rescued me from. To love Him with all my heart.
“Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”(Deuteronomy 5:6)
God loves us. He desires to bless us. But somehow, we think if we do things our own way, in our own timing – everything will be much better! God makes it so simple, “fear Me and always keep my commandments”, yet we make it more complicated. My desire is to love Him with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength, but I so often fail. I am so thankful and praising God that He is so merciful, loving, kind, forgiving and patient with me! To Him be the glory! This devotional was a nice reminder for me to keep seeking God first, and His righteousness. A blessed Thankful Thursday to my SRT sisters!
Love this @Christina
Pence Span- the apprehension you describe I used to feel when reading the OT. Then I came to realize that God wants us to devote ourselves to having a relationship with Him, more than checking off the many boxes He gave the Israelites. Many of those things (not the Ten Commandments, but the other myriad of laws) were for nation building purposes and health reasons. But God desires our hearts and God sees the heart. See the reading from mark 12- even though it is the same as the commandments given to me it feels less burdensome. Can I love the Lord God with all my heart? Can I love others as myself?
Thank you SarahJoy!! Your prayers are so much appreciated
Thank you Jane K. It is a blessing and an honor to have this news lift your heart.
VICTORIA E. What a blessed and ENCOURAGING report. My heart is dancing with joy for you!!!
Kathy A I am not a scholar but I believe “the LORD is one” is a reference to the trinity.
It is called the Shema. Something that the Israelites needed to remember that He is the only God and as you say three in one
Christina thank you for this excellent reference to Jeremiah!
What a great analogy! Thanks for sharing!
KATHY A – notes in my NLT Study Bible just says that”the oneness of God is foundational in Jewish and Christian monotheism and is the basis for the command to love God with all one’s heart…..” Hope that helps or gives you some research ideas.
ERB – I too pondered those verses reminding the people that the land was already prepared for them! Reminded me of Jesus saying He was going to prepare a place for us. Foreshadowing?!
I also noticed for the first time that God spoke out of darkness. NLT only mentions fire. That stood out to me because of all of the darkness in this world right now. As then, all we have to do is trust God enough to get close enough to hear Him.
If only … Oh how we must break our God’s heart. If only Eve hadn’t fallen into temptation…..
Gotta run…guys are here working on ductwork for the AC and it is noisy!
VICTORIA E – I look forward to going back to read your report!
Love this write up
@PENCE SPAN: I also wanted to add that it can be a very good thing when we read scripture and feel convicted or recognize our own brokenness. It can be so easy to read the Bible just looking for assurances of God’s faithfulness, and I think we forget that scripture is also meant to rebuke, correct, teach, and refine us. Even when it is uncomfortable, I think it’s good to sit in the difficulty and allow it to lead us to the feet of Jesus, our ultimate source of hope and strength :)
@PENCE SPAN: I think it is only natural that we, as fallen humans, would read this list of commands and begin to think of them legalistically as ways we earn grace and reward…and to fear that if/when we break them we will somehow disqualify ourselves from God’s promises or favor. Earlier in Deuteronomy Moses reminds the people that the LORD still fights for them in spite of their continued failures (Deut.3:22). That is key, and it is important that before Moses reminds them of the laws to keep, he reminds them time and time again of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises.
When I read today’s scripture reading, there was a metaphor that really jumped out at me that helped me to understand the heart of the laws/commands and the purpose of this text. In Deut.5: 16 we see the command to “Honor your father and your mother”. In Deut.5:33 we see the command to “Follow the whole instruction the LORD your God has given you”. In BOTH cases, those commands are immediately followed by the phrase “so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the LORD your God is giving you (v.16)/ so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess” (v.33). Just as good earthly parents will give rules and structure to their children in order to protect them, guide them, and set them up for success, God our Father does the same for us through His commands. While the commands won’t earn us our salvation (Jesus did that!), they are intended to keep our hearts close to God’s and to keep us from falling into the snares that lie around us in a broken world.
I think that is the purpose of this text today–to remind Israel (and us) that while it is ultimately God who saves through Jesus, His commands are meant to help us, shelter us, guide us, and strengthen us. When we inevitably fail, He is still there to catch us and fight for us…but it is our choice whether or not to step into the safety net that He has given us in the commands and the law.
I hope this helps!!
Today, and every day there are so many things that want to pull me away from God. Technology, Youtube, social media. I pray that as the more time I spend with my precious friend, that I would never turn to these other outlets first. I want to always turn to God first. Have an amazing day sisters!
Oh I hadn’t heard the song, Everything by Joshua Aaron before. Thank you ERB, it is so good. So much of today’s reading stood out to me. I wrote many notes in the margins along with so many of all of your comments. Thank you! I echo the advice to listen to the podcast this week especially for today’s reading of the commandments. Praising God for your healthy baby Victoria! It has been a week of deep heaviness for me and this precious news brought joy to my heart. I am keeping you and your family in my prayers Martha. May God surround you with His peace that surpasses all understanding.
HE is the beginning and the end and everything in between – thank you Kara for this. God help me never to forget.
Posted before I was done… we can abide in Him in order to walk in obedience. I can’t do it on my own and I don’t have to. Praise God!
Christina, nicely put! I am so thankful that we have been made new and can abide in
It’s true that the law is something we could never keep by our own power, but with the power of the Holy Spirit we are able “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:27.” And when we do fall short we have the assurance that “if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” God wrote the 10 commandments on stone, which not only indicates it’s permanence, but symbolizes the stony condition of our hearts without Jesus. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26” So the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant isn’t the law itself, but the way in which we keep it. The laws (10 commandments) are the same written on stone are the same laws he writes on our hearts in the new covenant. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. Jeremiah 31:31-32”
When Jesus spoke of the two greatest commandments in Matthew 12:30-31, to love God and love people, he summarized the 10 commandments the Father had already given us. The 1st 4 commandments tell us how to love God, the remaining 6 tell us how to love each other. Keeping God’s commandments is how we love. ““By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2-3”
By dying for us and rising again, Jesus saved us from the bondage of sin, and “sin is lawlessness 1 John 3:4.” So when we trust in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, we are endowed with the power to love as Jesus loved and walk as He walked.
It is my understanding the law of Moses is intended to show us that we can never fulfill the laws. We are simply not going to be able to, though we should attempt to but we are human and flawed. This shows us that we desperately need a savior. Jesus fulfilled the law, his sacrifice allows us access to God even though we can’t keep His laws. The law certainly gives us good healthy boundaries and it’s a flashlight continuously pointing the way to Jesus. Hope that helps!
It is my understanding the law of Moses is intended to be
What stood out to me was part of verses 6:11-12. …”and when you eat and are satisfied be careful not to forget me.” The generation before relied on God for the manna, their “daily bread” but this next generation (continuing up to me!) must remember and must not forget God. Convicting for sure.
A question I had is what does it mean “the Lord is one?” Is that a reference to the trinity? Thanks ERB for the song, I will listen as I get ready for work this morning.
Pam White, I listened to it through Spotify. You should be able to find it wherever you listen to podcasts or on the SheReadsTruth website.
I like how very simply it was put,
“The heart of God longs for us to give ours over to Him completely.” I didn’t realize how this massive God could simply want our hearts. A daily, intimate dedication of that thing in our chest is his deepest longing. I will meditate on that little truth today. Thank you, SRT.
Moses told the Israelites: “He did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive here today.”
It brought another verse to mind for me…..It’s neat to think of this in the light all of the things that the disciples (and, centuries later, WE as believers) have gotten to see of this great God of ours!
“For assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:17)
(Thanks @ KELLY for pointing out reference yesterday)
Love this ♥️
I use Apple podcasts, but you can also get it right from the SRT website!
https://shereadstruth.com/podcast/
I use Apple podcasts, but you can also get it right from the SRT website!
I personally use the Apple podcast app on my phone, but it looks like you can also access it from the website! https://shereadstruth.com/podcast/
Good morning, Pam White. Just do an internet search for She Reads Truth Podcast and you’ll find it. Or on their website. Enjoy! It’s so helpful and a great way to start each week.
As I’m reading I have many mixed emotions. When I first read I feel nervous reading that we must fear the Lord and obey him strictly. I began to get a better understanding when reading that if we obey the rules we are rewarded. Reading this doesn’t give me the usual comfort or reassurance I’ve felt in the past. Is this the purpose of this text? I want to gain a better understanding :)
As I’m reading I have many mixed emotions. When I first read I feel nervous reading that we must fear the Lord and obey him strictly. I began to get a better understanding when reading that if we obey the rules we are rewarded. Reading this doesn’t give me the usual comfort or reassurance I’ve felt in the past. Is this the purpose of this text? I want to gain a better understanding :) Besidesby
Lord help me to always “remember and obey: so I never forget to fear and love and worship the God I so desperately need” Keep my mind on you that my thoughts would be captive and give you alone the glory you deserve Lord. In your holy name Jesus I pray. Amen. Thank you for these Sisters here Lord and the songs, music you give us, help us to sing them in love all the days you give us.
VICTORIA E – just got a minute to look back at yesterday’s comments. Fantastic! So thankful for health for your sweet nugget. May God continue to pour out His peace as you trust Him with your family’s future. ❤️
Amen!
Amen!!
KELLY, I LOVED your post this morning!!! What an awesome way to put things!! It adjusts and keeps our perspective where it should be, aligned with God!! If it’s okay with you? I would like to copy it down in my journal!! Many Blessings dear sister!!
The scripture that stood out to me today was Deuteronomy 6:4-19
My focus was drawn specifically to verses 10-12 “10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
…this spoke to me of a “PREPARED PLACE” …God goes BEFORE US…He does ALL the work, and all He requires is that we don’t forget Him and His ways!!! WOW!!!
John 14:3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
…SUCH an Awesome and active promise!!! God has prepared a place for us: beside Him (think banquet table and perfect communion) He is waiting for us… let us ACKNOWLEDGE Him and ALL His ways…for He has done ALL the work!!! All we have to do is FOLLOW and OBEY… WOW!!! (if you can’t tell already God is absolutely blowing my mind this morning) Thank You God for this revelation. My life is Yours, do with it as You will. ALL Glory to YOU!!!! Amen!
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
If you haven’t listened to this week’s podcast with Jen Wilkin I highly recommend it! So many good things were pointed out to me in relation to today’s reading.
Where do we find the podcast?
Love this song! It popped into my head as well while reading this. Especially the line, Prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love.
Amen!
Lord let me always know You are in control and with me. Amen
I sooooooo get the emotion in that heart of “if only…”. And it’s tender that God would feel that way about me. Because it’s not a statement of annoyance, but of true love and concern and hope for me. I feel it for my own kids. When I see them making a choice that is going to negatively impact their future -perhaps result in the loss of something that brings them joy- my heart deeply feels that “if only” for them. Not because I’m angry or annoyed. But because i love them more than I love ME and I want such good for them…. what a privilege we have THAT type of God.
I haven’t read the devotional yet, but I woke up singing the chorus (in caps) to this song and wanted to share it with you.
EVERYTHING Lyrics – Joshua Aaron
Beyond all these, clothe yourselves with love
Which binds all things perfectly together
Let the shalom which comes from Messiah
Be the one, ruler of your heart
LET EVERYTHING YOU DO OR SAY…DO IT IN YESHUA’S NAME…GIVING THANKS THROUGH HIM TO GOD THE FATHER
This is the reason, the reason you were called
To be a part of one chosen body
So let’s sing psalms, hymns, and songs together
With gratefulness to God in our hearts
Let Messiah and all His richness live in you
May you teach, may you counsel each other in wisdom
Imagine if we learned to really live out the full gospel and dynamic relationship offered to us through Jesus Christ, who came not to do away with the Law we could never keep, but to fulfill it completely on our behalf (Matthew 5:17). This is my desire to live out the gospel. Sadly I don’t always obey or follow with a whole heart. My heart is divided even though I try for it not to be. I want to love the Lord with all my heart and all my mind. I want to follow hard after Him and not wallow when I make mistakes. I want to get up and keep moving forward instead of behind. I always think I’m better than Eve or the Israelites however I find I’m just like them. Complaining when I have all
Of Gods goodness accessible and I don’t use it
Three weeks into the school year, I expect my students to know the classroom rules, or at least be able to recognize when they are making a poor choice. I get exasperated having to reiterate things like- we don’t throw pencils, no we can’t all talk at the same time. And yet God never seems to run out of patience with the Israelites. Jesus never ran out of patience with his disciples. And praise be He doesn’t get exasperated with me, despite the fact that 40 years in, I still need to be reminded that no, we don’t gossip or covet, etc.
“21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. – Deuteronomy 6:21-22” God continues to call the Israelites to remember. It stood out to me that any time He spoke about the commandments, he reiterated what He had done for them in the past. Why? To show them His Power? To remember how much He had done? Maybe.. But I wonder this morning if it is Him reminding the Israelites of His Love. He loves them so much, God brought them out of Egypt, freeing them from slavery. What a loving God! Remembering that He is a loving God, these Commandments are again, His Love. Loving advice, loving warnings to us sinners. Obey, and you will prosper. You will live! Disobey, and life gets really hard. Today, I remember God’s sovereignty over the Israelites, and me! Not only did He free them from slavery in Egypt, He frees us from slavery to sin, through Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus. When I break a commandment, when I fall short, You’re grace and work on the cross lifts me up.
“Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Law-fulfiller. He’s the beginning, the end, and everything in between.” Holy, Righteous, Just, Loving, Gracious, and Merciful Father. Help me to love and live today out of a “moment-to-moment awareness of this truth.”
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Remember…re-member…to join again? to align again? to to become a part of the whole again?
Yes, Lord, help me remember all You have done.