Daily Devotional for Friday, July 14

Consequences of Disobedience

“And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it,” Deuteronomy 28:63.

The Lord God is a loving Father to His children, full of grace and plenteous in mercy. He proclaimed this Himself to Moses upon Mount Sinai. “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). We are comforted to learn and know such wonderful truths about our great God. However, it is important to understand that He is also a holy and just God that will not overlook blatant sin. When we read on in Exodus 34:7, God proclaims to Moses that He “will by no means clear the guilty”. This too is part of the character of Almighty God.

God had given His law to the children of Israel through Moses. His commandments were clear and the great blessings that were promised for keeping His word were beyond measure. On the other hand, there would be consequences for disobedience, and these were given in great detail to the nation of Israel. They were not ignorant of their fate if they turned from the Lord to idolatry and immorality, yet they hardened their hearts against Him. They were scattered and went into captivity just as they were warned.

It is true that our God is a God of love, but He also has standards of truth that He expects us to uphold in word and in practice. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (I John 5:3). As His ambassadors, may we represent our Lord well and obey Him in truth and with love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15)

Darla Goodrum