If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence. (Is 48:18-19)
Isaiah seemed to proclaim a “big if” when he told his people that God had said, “If you would hearken to my commandments…” We all know the history of the Lord’s people. At the time of Isaiah, the people had found themselves in deep trouble because they had not been following the Lord’s commandments. As a matter of fact, they were often far from the commands of God.
We all know what happens when we break the commandments. We call it sin. However, it is much more complex than that.
Sin ruptures our relationship with God. Because of that, it leaves our souls relatively unsettled. With unsettled souls, our relationship with ourselves and with others goes sour as well. Sin permeates every aspect of our lives.
If we would only hearken to God’s commandments, we would not have to worry about the ramifications of sin. Instead, we would be living in a truly wonderful world. People would care about one another. True love would abound. We would be happy and at peace.
One quick look at the news will tell us that we have fallen far from that kind of world. Our world is a place of hatred and mistrust. It is a place that has gotten away from the commandments of God and placed a priority on self.
If we want to change the world, we must change ourselves. The best way to do that is to return to the Lord with all of our hearts. Heed the commandments and know what it means to live as children of God.
FAITH ACTION: Reflect upon the Ten Commandments today. Ask the Lord to show you which ones you need to follow more closely.
- I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- You shall not covet you neighbor’s goods.