Deuteronomy 29:18
“so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.”
We don’t always do what’s good for us. This sounds odd. We think that if anyone has their best interest, it would be us. Obviously not true. Those struggling with addictions & compulsions are easy evidence. Those are the extremes. This is still true when we closer to the middle or average person. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
The only one who truly knows what’s best for us is The Lord. Godly people can give good advice, but they stem from God. That’s why Jesus wants to be our lord. It was built into our being to submit to Him. That’s part of what it means to fear The Lord.
We aren’t to live and do only as we want. We are to follow His general and personal commands. The initial general ones are the Ten Commandments. The other general ones were introduced by Jesus and His apostles. They were to accept Christ, go to church, pray, read the bible and share His message and serve.
The personal commands are to follow the the promptings and personal leading of the Holy Spirit. This is awkward at first. A dance is a good metaphor. New partners aren’t graceful. But in time they sense the other’s movement by the slightest of gesture (Romans 8:14,15).
Today’s verse speaks of the one whose heart turns away from God. The past paragraphs have explained those whose hearts turn to The Lord. Next time we will address the fearing away from God.
Lord, help us to follow You with a full heart