Deuteronomy 28:9
“The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.”
The Lord wants to make us “a holy people to Himself”. On the surface, this feels controlled. Like Repunzal trapped in the tower. What does it mean?
Part of the answer is in the first commandment, “I am The Lord, thy God. You will have no gods before me.” Our allegiance is to be to Him. This means we are to live by His commands.
He gave His commands in the negative, to indicate that all the rest is open to us. There is much freedom, it’s just not total. Jesus said His commands are not burdensome (Matthew 11:30).
To be His people also means we yield to His direction. In Luke 6:46, Jesus implies that if He is our lord, we are to do what He says. Part of that means we follow His guidance. Psalm 27:11 tells us that God will direct us. As we seek Him and pray for guidance, He gives it. Other times He prompts us to follow particular paths. Part of this is through opened and closed doors. Other times we are to obey and follow the path that He prompts us to take.
How does He lead us? It’s primarily through scripture. anything that contradicts the bible isn’t from God. There is also subjective leading. It could be through hunches, desires, opened/closed doors, the advise of others, our consciences, and more. We can’t conclusively say, “God is guiding me”. We can personally be confident, but to share it that way has an arrogant feel.
The last few paragraphs have described part of the life of a christian. Obedience and guidance are key. I posed the question, is it constraining to be “a holy people unto Himself?” Being guided and obedient might sound that way. It all depends on the commands, how and where we’re guided. David gives us some insight in Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
To be his child is a blessing. Our hearts will never be more full than when we’re following Him.
Lord, thanks for the privilege of being part of “Your people”. Thanks for Your life saving commands and Your good guidance.