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Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you (Deuteronomy 4:1).

Moses continues talking. I hope there was some shade for his listeners. He has many words left before he will finish. His passion and purpose are becoming quite clear: he wants Israel to live. He is not sure they are up to it, so he will keep talking, hammering home the same points. Of course, he has good reason for his scepticism, having little confidence that Israel will remember his words. In his 40 years as leader of this flock, he has noticed that their capacity to listen to and follow the law of God is limited.

His main point is this: obedience is life, disobedience is death. Life here is not eternal life as Christians understand it, but the full enjoyment of God\u2019s blessings in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The land will be given to them. That promise will not be taken away. But for Israel to dwell, to possess, to enjoy the land, each generation must commit itself to following the law of God. Moses is not sure they will.

This positive view of God\u2019s law is celebrated with unrestrained delight in Psalms 19:7-11 and 119. Here is a taste of Psalm 19, \u201cThe precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb\u201d (8,10).

It's worth our time to wonder how different we are from Israel. Recently, I listened to a podcast on which theologian John Stackhouse warned that some Canadian evangelical Christians do not take the Bible very seriously. We are reluctant to conform our lifestyle and thinking to what the Bible says. The way we function suggests that do not have a high view of scripture. So, its worth asking, does it taste like honey or like vinegar to us?

John asserts that in Jesus, someone better than Moses\u2019 has arrived. Many are familiar with his words, \u201cThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth\u201d (1:14). And he adds, \u201cFrom the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth happened through Jesus Christ\u201d (John 1:16-17). The contrast is not between law and grace, but two ways of expressing grace, the latter better than the former: Moses only spoke it, Jesus embodied, lived it. Moses spoke the law; Jesus spoke it and lived it.

And Jesus agrees with Moses\u2019 emphasis that obedience is life. He said, \u201cIf you love me, keep my commands\u2026If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love\u2026 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete\u201d (John 14:15, 15:10-11).

Israel was gifted the land, but only through obedience would they enjoy the life God offered them. Likewise, for Christians, we cannot receive the gift of God\u2019s grace in Christ and ignore what he says. We are saved by faith in Christ. But faith goes to work. Paul wrote, \u201cThe only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love\u201d (Galatians 5:8).

Peter used more words, \u201cmake every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Peter 1:5-7). I think Moses would agree.

We cannot embrace eternal life without producing its fruit. Take some time to make a plan, a goal. How will you live your faith today? How will you embrace the life God gives by sharing it in some way?