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In today’s reading—Deuteronomy 5–7—Moses called the children of Israel to come close and listen carefully to what He had to say—the statutes and rules of God. The scene reminded me of a father who is about to die, calling his child close to his bedside to impart one last word of wisdom. And, in essence, that is what Moses was doing. He was giving final words so that the Israelites might live long and flourish in the Promised Land. He began with the Ten Commandments that the Lord gave at Mount Horeb:

The first four are focused on our relationship with God:

  1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
  2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth.
  3. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.
  4. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

The following six guide our relationships with others:

  1. Honor your father and your mother.
    6. You shall not murder.
    7. You shall not commit adultery.
    8. You shall not steal.
    9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

When the people heard these commands and responded favorably, God’s heart was moved and He said,

“Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29)

God longs for our obedience—not out of duty, but because He because we realize His love for us and He wants us to experience His blessing for our well-being.

In chapter 6, Moses shares the prayer that would empower the people and their descendants to sustain their placement in the land and their relationship with God; and it is considered the most famous passage in the Old Testament: the Shema. The word Shema means "to hear" in Hebrew, and it begins this well-known prayer of devotion:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 4:6–9).

Sound familiar? Jesus quoted verse 5 when asked about the greatest commandment. He said the greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself (v. 39). Jesus wasn’t doing away with the Law or the Prophets—He was fulfilling them (Matthew 5:17).

Jesus’s response didn’t introduce something new—it brought clarity to what had always been God’s heart—love Him and love others. Deuteronomy reminds us that obedience isn’t just about rule-following; it’s about relationship—being the chosen children of God (chapter 7). When we love God, obedience follows naturally, and that love overflows into how we treat the people around us. And this pleases our Father in heaven. 

Takeaway: Obedience flows from love. When we love God with all that we are, His commands don’t feel like burdens—they become our joy. Let your love for God lead you to obey Him fully, teach His truth faithfully, and live it out daily in front of others—especially the next generation. The greatest way to honor God is to love Him well and let that love shape every part of you. This brings glory to God and is what is best for us.