And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
God shows mercy to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments, in contrast to visiting as a jealous God the iniquity of those who hate Him upon the children to the third and fourth generation. It stands in the Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai and restated by Moses at the Jordan to the generation grown up in the wilderness to learn, keep, and do before entering Canaan. The promise joins His mercy and blessing to wholehearted love shown by careful observance of all His directions. That loving obedience calls for full surrender at the start and continuing daily sanctification in mind, soul, and body, neglecting none of the important things specified in His Word. Those who so keep His law receive His covenant mercy, love, blessing, and working with them, while no disobedient person can expect His cooperation and blessing.
Setting and Promise
Moses called all Israel to hear the statutes and judgments that they might learn them and keep and do them before taking possession of Canaan, and the promise of mercy to thousands belongs to that instruction. It belongs to the covenant the Lord made at Horeb not with the fathers but with those then alive. That covenant followed His bringing them out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, when the Lord talked with them face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.
The promise is a restatement of the Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai, repeated by Moses at the river Jordan when the appointed time to possess Canaan was at hand. The repetition was needed because the generation that had grown up in the wilderness needed to understand the need to obey. Few of the present generation were old enough to have comprehended the solemnity when the law was first given.
The repetition renewed the covenant to obey God's law after Israel failed to keep their agreement. God showed mercy by sparing them and giving them another opportunity to obey. He set the claims of His law before them as they were about to pass over Jordan and take the promised land, enjoining obedience as the condition of prosperity, together with a rehearsal of their deliverance from Egypt and their journeyings in the wilderness.
In the promise God declares Himself a jealous God who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him, and in contrast shows mercy unto thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments. The commandments in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 express God's will, and departing from them brings the sure results of transgression upon people, animals, and the earth. They are God's law in the Ten Commandments, where breaking one commandment is sin, and the first four commandments point out obligations to God.
Within that commandment setting is the Sabbath command requiring keeping the seventh day holy and resting from work. God's stated choice of the seventh day is not for human rulers or personal preference to change. Keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is a sign of obedience, and those who keep it will keep the other commandments as well.
The promise shows that God's cooperation and blessing depend on obedience. Those who keep His law receive His blessing and His working with them, while disobedience forfeits it, so no one who is disobedient can expect Him to cooperate and bless. Those who profess to serve the Lord yet refuse to obey the precepts of His law are clouded by unbelief, lack reverence for God, and need their minds cleared so they will reverence Him and obey.
Loving Obedience and Blessing
Mercy to thousands is joined to loving God and keeping His commandments, making wholehearted love and service with careful observance of His directions part of the covenant faithfulness required of His people. The directions given are to be carefully observed, and loving God is inseparable from obedience to His commands within the commandments He requires Israel to obey. This promise stands as part of the Ten Commandments and as one of the reasons God's people are identified as His people.
That loving obedience calls for full surrender at the beginning and continuing simplicity of obedience to all His commandments according to His special directions, neglecting none of the important things specified in His Word. Each person is to search the Scriptures and make God's Word the study book lest he be found in rebellion, and every soul is to sanctify himself daily according to the Word so God is glorified. This is sanctification of mind, soul, and body in perfect obedience to His will and to His holy commandments without excuse.
Love is required to be shown by keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments in order for His people to be a holy people unto Himself, and this gives one of the reasons why they are His denominated people. It is Bible present truth to be repeated and repeated in short, pointed, carefully written articles so that light shines forth as a lamp that burneth. That requirement given to ancient Israel stands now, when the world is nearing God's great final review and is living in the time of investigation when every character will be investigated and every case decided for eternity. It belongs to the Ten Commandments whose true significance Ezra sought to understand.
Keeping the commandments brings the keeping of God's covenant and mercy, His love, blessing and multiplication, the taking away of all sickness, life and multiplication and possession of the promised land. It involves remembering God's forty-year leading in the wilderness to humble and prove the heart whether it would keep His commandments. Through hunger and manna was learned that man lives by every word proceeding from the mouth of the Lord, and in clothing that did not wear out was seen God's preservation. God's chastening is to be accepted as a father chastens a son in order to walk in His ways and fear Him.
The commandments are to be kept and kept continually before the people so they and their children will follow them and be guarded from false ways. Parents are urged to read and follow this instruction as they teach their children to love God and keep His words. In this way mercy to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments is set before each household and generation.
God shows mercy to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments, in contrast to visiting as a jealous God the iniquity of those who hate Him upon the children to the third and fourth generation. It stands in the Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai and restated by Moses at the Jordan to the generation grown up in the wilderness to learn, keep, and do before entering Canaan. The promise joins His mercy and blessing to wholehearted love shown by careful observance of all His directions. That loving obedience calls for full surrender at the start and continuing daily sanctification in mind, soul, and body, neglecting none of the important things specified in His Word. Those who so keep His law receive His covenant mercy, love, blessing, and working with them, while no disobedient person can expect His cooperation and blessing.
Setting and Promise
Moses called all Israel to hear the statutes and judgments that they might learn them and keep and do them before taking possession of Canaan, and the promise of mercy to thousands belongs to that instruction. It belongs to the covenant the Lord made at Horeb not with the fathers but with those then alive. That covenant followed His bringing them out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, when the Lord talked with them face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.
The promise is a restatement of the Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai, repeated by Moses at the river Jordan when the appointed time to possess Canaan was at hand. The repetition was needed because the generation that had grown up in the wilderness needed to understand the need to obey. Few of the present generation were old enough to have comprehended the solemnity when the law was first given.
The repetition renewed the covenant to obey God's law after Israel failed to keep their agreement. God showed mercy by sparing them and giving them another opportunity to obey. He set the claims of His law before them as they were about to pass over Jordan and take the promised land, enjoining obedience as the condition of prosperity, together with a rehearsal of their deliverance from Egypt and their journeyings in the wilderness.
In the promise God declares Himself a jealous God who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him, and in contrast shows mercy unto thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments. The commandments in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 express God's will, and departing from them brings the sure results of transgression upon people, animals, and the earth. They are God's law in the Ten Commandments, where breaking one commandment is sin, and the first four commandments point out obligations to God.
Within that commandment setting is the Sabbath command requiring keeping the seventh day holy and resting from work. God's stated choice of the seventh day is not for human rulers or personal preference to change. Keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is a sign of obedience, and those who keep it will keep the other commandments as well.
The promise shows that God's cooperation and blessing depend on obedience. Those who keep His law receive His blessing and His working with them, while disobedience forfeits it, so no one who is disobedient can expect Him to cooperate and bless. Those who profess to serve the Lord yet refuse to obey the precepts of His law are clouded by unbelief, lack reverence for God, and need their minds cleared so they will reverence Him and obey.
Loving Obedience and Blessing
Mercy to thousands is joined to loving God and keeping His commandments, making wholehearted love and service with careful observance of His directions part of the covenant faithfulness required of His people. The directions given are to be carefully observed, and loving God is inseparable from obedience to His commands within the commandments He requires Israel to obey. This promise stands as part of the Ten Commandments and as one of the reasons God's people are identified as His people.
That loving obedience calls for full surrender at the beginning and continuing simplicity of obedience to all His commandments according to His special directions, neglecting none of the important things specified in His Word. Each person is to search the Scriptures and make God's Word the study book lest he be found in rebellion, and every soul is to sanctify himself daily according to the Word so God is glorified. This is sanctification of mind, soul, and body in perfect obedience to His will and to His holy commandments without excuse.
Love is required to be shown by keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments in order for His people to be a holy people unto Himself, and this gives one of the reasons why they are His denominated people. It is Bible present truth to be repeated and repeated in short, pointed, carefully written articles so that light shines forth as a lamp that burneth. That requirement given to ancient Israel stands now, when the world is nearing God's great final review and is living in the time of investigation when every character will be investigated and every case decided for eternity. It belongs to the Ten Commandments whose true significance Ezra sought to understand.
Keeping the commandments brings the keeping of God's covenant and mercy, His love, blessing and multiplication, the taking away of all sickness, life and multiplication and possession of the promised land. It involves remembering God's forty-year leading in the wilderness to humble and prove the heart whether it would keep His commandments. Through hunger and manna was learned that man lives by every word proceeding from the mouth of the Lord, and in clothing that did not wear out was seen God's preservation. God's chastening is to be accepted as a father chastens a son in order to walk in His ways and fear Him.
The commandments are to be kept and kept continually before the people so they and their children will follow them and be guarded from false ways. Parents are urged to read and follow this instruction as they teach their children to love God and keep His words. In this way mercy to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments is set before each household and generation.