Deuteronomy 10:12, commentary and pictures

The Lord requires His people to fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him with all the heart and with all the soul by keeping His commandments and statutes for their own good. The fear required is trembling awe and humble subjection of soul, body and spirit in all worship, and the service required is wholehearted devotion that turns from earthly things and idols, which is practical godliness and not merely outward religious forms. This requirement rests on who He is and what He owns, for heaven and earth with all in them are His, and He is God of gods and Lord of lords, great, mighty and terrible, who regards not persons, executes judgment for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger in giving food and raiment, so His people must love the stranger, cleave to Him, and make Him their praise. It is the whole duty of the human family and the unchanging standard of obedience given in love to elevate humanity to perfection of character in love to God and love to neighbor, which sin has left man unable to meet of himself, yet God cannot lower to meet human deficiency. In great love God gave His only-begotten Son to live the law in humanity and bring power to overcome sin, so that by receiving Christ, being born of God, and partaking of His divine nature, fallen people are enabled to keep the commandments perfectly through grace for grace from His fullness.

Words and Historical Setting

What the Lord asks is to revere him, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve him with all the heart and with all the soul, keeping his commandments and his statutes because it is for their own good. This is the instruction for parents and children preparing to be admitted into the heavenly family, and the education to be voiced to students as the kind God wants for them. It calls those entrusted with sacred duties to seek the Lord and let reverence shape speech and conduct, since careless or frivolous words hinder spirituality, and election to serve is a great privilege calling for thoughtful, consecrated service. Prosperity is hidden with him and depends on humility and meekness and wholehearted obedience and devotion, submitting to be worked by the Holy Spirit with hearts softened and subdued under his control.

The requirement is practical godliness, not merely outward religious forms. It guards against formal worship that forgets mercy, expressing reverence and love and wholehearted service and obedience as for their good.

It was given in Moses' rehearsal to Israel before entering the land of Canaan, after their leading and testing in the wilderness to reveal whether they would obey. It was Christ speaking through Moses, giving special rules to live by in obedience. These Old Testament requirements agree with Christ's New Testament teaching, being the same principles he repeated when he came among the people and the same instruction about inheriting eternal life by fully loving God and doing his law and living. For this reason it means much especially to God's distinct people while few outside understand it, calling for bearing the words in mind and acting on them rather than making too little of what God says, refusing to go after worldly ambitious display or be converted by the world and nominal churches to their ideas.

It is grounded in who God is and what he owns: heaven and the heaven of heavens and the earth with all in it are his. He is God of gods and Lord of lords, great, mighty and terrible, regarding not persons nor taking reward or bribe. He executes judgment for the fatherless and widow and loves the stranger by giving food and raiment, so his people must love the stranger, remembering the sojourn of their ancestors in Egypt. Therefore they must fear him, serve him, cleave to him, swear by his name, and make him their praise as the God who did great and terrible things before their eyes. Wholehearted devotion is the response to his rule and character, joined to the command to go in and possess the land sworn to their fathers.

It was given to a holy people chosen to be special to himself above all peoples, not because they were more in number, for they were the fewest of all peoples, but because he delighted in the fathers and chose their seed above all people. He is the faithful God keeping covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, while repaying those who hate him to destroy them. Obedience brings the promised blessings and life, while disobedience turns privilege into condemnation and death, with life and death set before them and the strongest motives to choose life. The thousand generations reach to the coming of the Lord in the clouds, when his faithful people will be in his kingdom still keeping his commandments faithfully and standing loyal to his government.

The fear required means trembling at his presence and standing in awe of him, with humility of soul, body and spirit in subjection in public and private worship, and service done with this reverence is well-pleasing. Serving with all the heart and soul means being wholly devoted to him, looking away from earthly things and earthly idols to worship him and doing one's best with his help, strength and blessing.

Righteous Standard and Grace

What the Lord asks is the whole duty of the human family, the standard of obedience given in love to elevate and ennoble humanity to perfection of character. That duty to God and duty to people is summed in love to God and love to neighbor, met by fearing Him, walking in all His ways, loving Him, and serving Him with all heart and soul through remembering and meditating upon His commandments and statutes and rendering unswerving obedience to them. Sin degraded man, destroyed clear moral discernment, and weakened power to obey, so that of himself he cannot meet this righteous standard. God cannot lower or alter the requirement to meet human deficiency.

In great love He gave His only-begotten Son, who laid aside His royal position to live the law in humanity and bring power sufficient to overcome sin. By partaking of His divine nature fallen people can be elevated and enabled to live that law and meet what is required. Power to keep the commandments perfectly comes only by receiving Christ and believing on His name, being born of God as sons of God, and receiving grace for grace from His fullness, from the Word made flesh full of grace and truth. Prosperity is hid with Him in Christ and depends on humility and meekness and wholehearted obedience and devotion, submitting to be worked by the Holy Spirit instead of thinking to work the Spirit, with hearts softened and subdued placing themselves under God's control. His commandments express His will and reveal man's duty.

The requirement spoken to backsliding Israel is spoken just as verily now to Christian churches, and it is their privilege to receive every spiritual advantage in accordance with His promises when they meet it. It means much especially to God's distinct denominational people, while few outside that faith understand these things. The ten commandments are an expression of the character of God and reveal His will, so the most important work is to become acquainted with His Word in order to obey. Seeking Him gives grace to stand on vantage ground, walk in the light, labor in His vineyard with the heart's best service, refuse Satan's lures into false paths, and stand firmly on the platform of eternal truth. These most important things from Deuteronomy are to be grouped together in a small book and circulated everywhere, especially among His people, and borne in mind and acted upon rather than made too little of.

The verse is to be traced out and read for its special influence upon work for God, and presented to people unacquainted with His holy law, where it has great weight to influence many in the right way. Joined with the last chapter of Revelation it shows that those faithful in keeping the commandments as written by God will have right to the tree of life and abundant entrance into the New Jerusalem. The faithful God keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments, and those thousand generations reach to the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven, when His faithful people will be in His kingdom keeping His commandments faithfully.

Obedient Life and Mission

What the Lord requires calls those entrusted with sacred duties to seek Him and let reverence shape speech and conduct. Carelessness in speech and deportment, cheapness of speech, frivolity in words and works hinder spirituality and must be laid aside, with conversations watched. Those so entrusted are to become intelligent workers and wise counselors who honor sacred truth as those who must give account for entrusted talents. Election to serve God is a great privilege calling for thoughtful, consecrated service, and though heaven and the heaven of heavens with earth and all in it belong to Him, He delighted in the fathers and chose their seed above all people, showing how great that privilege is.

The verse is instruction for parents preparing children to be admitted into the heavenly family, to be faithfully followed in the home. Parents are to heed God's word rather than men's word and teach children to obey and reverence His law rather than walk contrary to it, for obedience means life and disobedience means death, with life and death set before them and the strongest motives given to choose life. Failure to follow this instruction displeases God, removes His blessing from parents and children, and allows the irreverence common in the world. Serving God and seeking Him each day out of love, even in small tasks unseen by others, plants truth in the soul, reveals Christ in character, and builds a precious experience of service to Christ. A child who fears God and loves Him brings happiness to parents and holds to truthfulness and honesty even when tempted, tried, or afraid of punishment, with the Lord's help to do right and please parents.

It defines the education God requires for students, which teachers are to voice as the kind of education He wants, including lessons from Jesus as Maker about physical well-being. Teachers are to attend to their appointed work and stand together under Christ rather than engage in political activity. Diligently keeping His commandments includes keeping the laws of health, and transgression of the laws of health brings His displeasure. Walking circumspectly, denying self, and practicing the virtues of Christ's character brings much of the Holy Spirit day by day. Serving Him wholeheartedly is joined to keeping His commandments and statutes for good, and to fearing, serving, and remaining faithful to Him as supreme and mighty, impartial and not open to bribery, exercising justice for the fatherless and widow and providing for the stranger, so that His people love the stranger remembering the sojourn in Egypt.

The verse calls God's people to stand now and ever as separate from all worldly policy, unembarrassed by confederating with those who do not discern His claims. They are not to go after worldly ambitious display nor be converted by the world and nominal churches to their ideas, but to act consistently with refusal to be so converted, openly identifying with truth. They are to represent the various features of gospel missionary work to call attention to truth amid the perils of the last days and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. Its requirements contain His expressed will and were to be framed into song and sung in the congregations so the people would not forget them.

In medical institutions wholehearted service means making saving souls the work and devising every means to bring it about. The sick are to be approached with the comfort of hope gained through faith in Christ and acceptance of His promises, and the awakened conscience crying for mercy and sonship is to be told there is hope and refuge in Jesus. Gospel hope is to be presented in meekness and love as the mouthpiece of the One who gave Himself to become a tender, sympathetic, compassionate Healer. If the spiritual work is left undone there is no necessity to build these institutions, and those with no burning desire to save souls should not connect with them. The fear required means trembling at His presence and standing in awe of Him, with humility of soul, body, and spirit in subjection in public and private worship, and service done with this reverence is well-pleasing to God. Those who so fear live under His watchful eye and hope in His mercy, receiving healing, riches, honor, and life, for fearing and loving God lead to willing, wholehearted obedience that honors Him, brings harmony with heaven, and serves the highest good. That fear is taught by God in answer to earnest prayer needed by both youth and those of mature years, keeping them from the fearful loss of missing eternal life in the city of God, and doing what is required means looking away from earthly things and idols to worship and serve Him with whole heart and soul, wholly devoted with His help, strength, and blessing to do one's best.