“Why?”

That was a question I heard often when I had preschoolers at home. They wanted to know the why about everything. And they certainly didn’t accept answers like, “Because I said so” or “That’s just the way it is.” Their small, but inquiring, minds really did want to know.

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses presented the people with the Ten Commandments for a second time. As Deuteronomy 6 begins, the people are reminded of the source of the commandments (v. 1) as well as what they are to do with them (v. 3).

If anyone has the right to demand obedience simply “because I said so,” it is God. But he doesn’t do that. He wants his people to know the real answers to their questions. In our text, God gives the Israelites far better reasons to obey.

He Answers the Question, “Who?”
God tells Moses to teach the decrees and laws to the people. Several times throughout the text, Moses reminds people where his direction came from. He uses the phrase “Lord your God” twice, “Lord our God” three times, and “the Lord, the God of your Fathers” one time. The command to obey and the command to teach others to obey come from the Lord. But you will notice that there is no “because I said so” reasoning.

He Answers the Question, “Why?”
Verse 2 reminds the people that, if they are willing to observe the Lord’s decrees and laws and fear the Lord, “you, your children and their children after them . . . may enjoy long life.”

That makes sense to most people. They want to enjoy a long life. Today, this might prove to be a greater motivation to people than the “because I said so” motivation. Sometimes we forget that people we are trying to reach with the gospel aren’t so sure God is real. At least he is not real to them. So for us to say they should accept the gospel “because God said so” doesn’t motivate them. However, there are many promises in Scripture that might provide greater motivatation than simply fearing God.

For the Israelites, obeying out of fear wasn’t a problem. They had been eyewitnesses or were just one generation removed from seeing God’s power displayed in many ways: the plagues, the Red Sea, the manna, and many others.

The people of our generation seem to need strong and moral reasons to obey before they will do it. The fiery sermons of 50 years ago had their place because most people back then had a healthy fear of God. But today, fear is all but gone.

These lessons today must be presented as being beneficial to those who are obedient. It is not hard to do. God usually has a corresponding promise that goes along with our obedience.

He Answers the Question, “How?”
The origin of Jesus’ “greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40) comes from this text. God’s plan for us is that we first honor him with our love. There is no room for halfhearted love. It must be love “with all your heart . . . soul . . . and strength.” Verse 2 reminds Israel to fear God, but verse 5 gives us the greatest motivation: love. And because of that love, we choose obedience and we will pass these lessons on. Moses is encouraging the people to love God so much that they are constantly thinking about, obeying, and teaching the laws and decrees he has given.

Skipping ahead to verse 20, we learn how to love: by simply telling the true story of God’s love and deliverance. As I read verses 20-25, I realize my story closely parallels the Israelites’ story. So when someone asks me, “What is the meaning of all of this?” I won’t tell them about my delivery from Egypt. I will tell them that I choose to obey and follow the Lord because at one time, I was a slave to sin but the Lord brought me out of that “land” with the mighty blood of Jesus. Before my eyes, he sent the miraculous mercy and grace and conquered sin and death.

Just as our bondage parallels Israel’s bondage in Egypt, our promised land parallels their promised land. Impressing these things on our children remains our task today. While the bondage and the promise have changed, the one who keeps the promise remains the same. And so does the result. The Lord repeatedly said, “If you will be my people, I will be your God.” That, to me, is one great benefit of obedience. We choose today to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and that love leads to our obedience, and together they “will be our righteousness” (Deuteronomy 6:25).

“Long life” is a good thing. “Eternal life” is even better!

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*All Scriptures are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.