Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp. 504>506] Parents can and should interest their children in the varied knowledge found in the sacred pages. But if they would interest their sons and daughters in the word of God, they must be interested in it themselves. They must be familiar with its teachings, and, as God commanded Israel, speak of it, “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Those who desire their children to love and reverence God must talk of His goodness, His majesty, and His power, as revealed in His word and in the works of creation.
Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men. We should bind its precepts as signs upon our hands and as frontlets between our eyes. If studied and obeyed, it would lead God's people, as the Israelites were led, by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
Thus it is, that we are privileged in our day to study and reason soberly from cause to effect, the results of various courses of action, so that we may make straight paths for our feet. One of the problems we encounter today in modern Christendom, is the ideology which teaches its adherents that there are no adverse consequences for disregarding the principles, instructions, and laws of God. And it is because of this deceptive teaching why so many folks pray to God for deliverance in times of difficulty, and do not receive any answers. When God takes the time and effort to outline in detail His good and perfect will for us, with the accompanying results, it is then left up to each individual to choose to obey or to disobey.
If we obey, then the results will be exactly what God has said they will be, for He is not a man that He should lie. But if we choose to disobey His all-wise instructions, then all of the curses mentioned in Deuteronomy 28 will begin to pile up at our doorstep, and if we refuse to repent and confess our sins, then the ultimate adverse effect of death will be our lot. God forces the conscience of no man, and we are left as free moral agents to choose to do good or evil. However, if we endeavor to serve The Lord with a willing heart and mind, with the understanding that He tells us what is best for us, then His enabling power will be granted to all who choose to walk in His ways.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms and encourages each of us to live according to what is written in God's word. Let's read:
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served"... "and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve"... "but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!