WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF YOU?

PART 2

by: Bill Bratt

What does God require of you? This phrase occurs both in the Book of Micah and the Book of Deuteronomy.

Let's look at Deut. 10:12-13 (NKJV): "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, {13} "and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"

Let's look at another translation for comparison; the Complete Jewish Bible by: David H. Stern translates these verses as: "So now, Israel, all that Adonai your God asks from you is to fear Adonai your God, follow all his ways, love him and serve Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being; {13} to obey, for your own good, the mitzvot and regulations of Adonai which I am giving you today."

Let's look at each phrase of this verse.

The first phrase is: "but to FEAR the Lord your God".

Notice that this is a command to fear God. fear

FEAR has to be LEARNED!

We all have had to learn the proper fear and respect for SNAKES and wild animals.
You probably have heard of cases where people have been feeding animals at a zoo and the animal grabbed them and mangled their arm.
Your children have to be taught and must learn about the dangers around the home.

Stove burners are hot.
They can't play with electrical outlets

WE HAVE TO LEARN TO FEAR GOD!

What is FEAR?

Webster's dictionary defines Fear:

A feeling of alarm or disquiet caused by the expectation of danger, pain, disaster, or the like; terror; dread; apprehension. To be afraid or frightened of or terrified.
Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.

When we first learn about God we may fear Him like the first definition of fear. We are afraid of losing our salvation and burning in hell. But as we grow in grace and knowledge we then take on the second definition of fear, that of extreme reverence or awe of God. fear fear fear

Proverbs 1:7 says: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. " fear
The theme of Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom runs through the book of Proverbs. In order to have the right kind of Biblical knowledge we must have the proper fear of God. fear

The FEAR of the Lord is: To Hate Evil.
Proverbs 8:13 says: "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."

Strong's Concordance gives a definition of FEAR as: Fear or Revere.
Webster's dictionary defines REVERE: to regard with awe, great respect or devotion. Synonyms are: worship, venerate, adore, sanctify and idolize.

To FEAR GOD properly we need to have an attitude of REVERENCE, and RESPECT toward God.

Psa 15:1 (NKJV) "LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? {2} He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; {3} He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; {4} In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; {5} He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved."

FEARING GOD has GOOD RESULTS!

Psalms 128:1-6 says: "Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. {2} You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. {3} Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. {4} Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. {5} May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, {6} And may you live to see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel."

Psalms 145:19 "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them."

How could we love God, if we feared him to the point of being afraid and terrorized by him like Adolf Hitler?
The proper kind of FEAR of God is to REVERENCE Him and to stand in AWE of Him.
I John 4:18 says: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

We don't have to be afraid of God because God loves us.
(John 3:16 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The next phrase of this verse says: "To walk in all His ways".

One of Webster's dictionary definitions of "walk" is: "To conduct oneself or behave in a particular manner; to live."walk
The Complete Jewish Bible by: David H. Stern translates this phrase as: "follow all his ways".

Let's notice a few benefits of walking in His ways: walking

Deu 5:33 (NKJV) "You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." walk prolong your days
Deu 28:9 (NKJV) "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways." holy people to Himself walk
Psa 84:11 (NKJV) "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly." grace and glory walk
John 8:12 (NKJV) "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." walk light of life
2 Cor 5:7 (NKJV) "For we walk by faith, not by sight." walk faith
Rom 6:4 (NKJV) "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." walk newness of life
Rom 8:1 (NKJV) "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." no condemnation walk
Eph 5:2 (NKJV) "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." walk love
2 John 1:6 (NKJV) "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it." walk His commandments walk
There are many benefits if we walk in His ways. walk

The next phrase of this verse says: "To love Him".

Rom. 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." all things work together for good love
1 John 4:20-21 (NKJV) "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? {21} And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." love hates his brother love love loves love
1 John 5:1-3 (NKJV) "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. {2} By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. {3} For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." loves loves love love God and keep His commandments the love of God, that we keep His commandments
To love God is to love our brother and keep God's commandments. How can we show our love to Jesus? love love love
Notice what Jesus said in: John 14:15 (NKJV) "Jesus said: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." love keep My commandments.

John 14:24 (NKJV) "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." not love does not keep My words
Did you notice that the requirement to love Jesus is the same as loving God. We must keep God's commandments. love loving
Let's look at Jesus and Peter's discussion of Do you Love Me: Do you Love Me
John 21:15-17 (NKJV) "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." {16} He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." {17} He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." do you love Me Feed My lambs do you love MeTend My sheep do you love MeFeed My sheep

We find from this discussion an extra requirement to love Jesus. Notice the phrases: Feed my lambs, tend my sheep and feed my sheep. Sheep refers to God's people. Jesus is our shepherd (Psa. 23). We in the Church are to feed God's people with God's truth and good spiritual food. We are to tend or care for the brethren. A lamb is a young sheep or by analogy a new convert in Christ. We are to preach the gospel and make disciples (Mat. 28:19-20) and feed these young lambs with God's truth. We could interpret these verses as evangelism or preaching the gospel. love Sheep feed tend lamb

The next phrase of this verse says: "To serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul".

God wants us to serve Him and not any idol. The second commandment forbids the use of visual portrayals of God in worship, or the use of aspects of God's creation as symbols of God in worship. Exo 20:4-5 (NKJV) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; {5} you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me," serve serve
Notice that you Cannot Serve God and Riches. Serve
Mat 6:24 (NKJV) "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." serve serve
There is nothing wrong with being rich or wealthy. Abraham was wealthy, he had many sheep, cattle and servants. We must keep the right perspective and put God first. Don't let money rule your life. We must seek God first .
Mat 6:33 (NKJV) says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
We must serve God in a right way with godly fear. serve
Heb 12:28 (NKJV) "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." serve

Those who will go through the Great Tribulation and do not take of the mark of the beast will serve day and night in God's temple. serve
Rev 7:13-14 (NKJV) "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" {14} And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. {15} "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them." serve Him

The last phrase of these verses says: "To keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" ".

We have already read many scriptures pertaining to keeping the commandments. keeping the commandments
Keeping the commandments is a theme that runs from the beginning to the end of the Bible . Keeping the commandments
Gen 26:5 (NKJV) "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." My commandments
Rev 14:12 (NKJV) "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." keep the commandments
Let's notice in Rom 5:12-14 that all sinned and that death reigned from Adam to Moses. all sinned
Rom 5:12 (NKJV) "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;" {13}"(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law." {14} "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come."
The commandments are part of God's character, and He wants them to be a part of our character. commandments
God wants us to keep his commandments. keep his commandments
God's commandments gives us a framework of how to live righteously, lawfully and fair.
By keeping God's commandments we can have a right relationship with God and our fellowman. The first four commandments tells us how to have a right relationship with God and the last six commandments instructs us as to how to have a right relationship with our neighbors, friends, family and coworkers. keeping God's commandments
God wants His commandments and statutes to be written in our hearts and minds. His commandments

Ezek 36:26-32 (NKJV) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. {27} "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. {28} "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. {29} "I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. {30} "And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. {31} "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. {32} "Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you walk in My statutes keep My judgments

We reap what we sow. If we keep God's commandments then we will reap many blessings. When we break God's commandments then we reap the consequences of sin.
The law is for our good. The law can convert us. David called the law PERFECT.
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
Paul said the law was HOLY, JUST and GOOD.
Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
The apostle John in the book of Revelation leaves us with a positive thought.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
God will see that we have the strength to overcome if we love the law of God.

IN CONCLUSION:

Let's remember what God requires of us.
We must:

Fear God.
Walk in God's ways.
Love God.
Serve God.
Keep God's commandments.