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, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (vv.12-13)
Through Moses, God gave Israel 5 basic requirements that were expected of them as the people of God. They were: Fear the LORD your God: God requires from us a reverential honor towards Him; not a fear that would make us shrink back, but a heart that so honors God that we would be hesitant to offend Him. To walk in all His ways: He requires us to live our lives after the pattern He has set for us; to walk on His road not on our own. To love Him: This means the love He expects isn’t a love that just happens, but it is a love that comes from a decision to set our affection upon Him. To serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul: This requires us to serve Him, to see all that we do as service unto Him, and to do all that we do as if doing it unto Him. To keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes: He requires us to not only know His word, but to keep it – in the sense of possessing it in ourselves, and in the sense of protecting it.
Why? For your good: every command of God is given for our good. They are never given so He can exercise His power, or so He can feel important. Every command He makes is with our best interest in mind, even if we cannot sense it or understand it.
God required this conduct from His people because they were/are His special possession. Though heaven and earth belong to God, He set His focus and attention on Israel beginning with their fathers. Being chosen – having the special attention of God focused upon you – is a place of great privilege, but also a place of great responsibility. And Israel had a special responsibility to obey.
Therefore, because of God’s greatness and His choice of Israel, the people were to "circumcise their hearts" (10:16). Meaning, the work of taking their/our hearts (inclined after the flesh), and giving their hearts over to pursuing the spirit. Circumcision was a physical sign of the covenant; as a metaphor, it also signified submission and consecration in the cutting away of the flesh. But here it signifies a change of heart, from one of seeking after the flesh to one of seeking after the Spirit spirit.
The Truth: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
