Keep and Do

This post is by Shari Gabourel.

The thing about reading or studying the Bible—with any consistency, is eventually the reader will either regard its contents as credible and reliable or unbelievable and unreliable.

Should you or I agree the Scripture is trustworthy, it stands to reason we must make it our practice to keep and do what the Word of God says.

In Deuteronomy 4, we listen to one of the Bible’s most notable leaders, Moses, address the nation of Israel about the importance of keeping and doing the Word of God. In verses 5a-6, Moses says:

See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them...

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people (English Standard Version, emphasis added).

As I began mulling over these passages, my imagination began to wonder who was in the audience when Moses was speaking. I suspect the crowd included individuals from every walk of life and those who were struggling with day-to-day issues.

Whoever was in the crowd that day, irrespective of their plight, heard the same message—the gist of which was to keep and do the statutes and rules as directed by God.

If the terms statues and rules seem restrictive and binding, well, they’re supposed to be. When a patient visits a medical doctor for a condition, and medication is necessary to help resolve the ailment, the physician will write a prescription. The order is written by someone of authority, qualified to prescribe a course of action, a set of limits, or a boundary. That’s exactly what a statute is.

Rules are similar. Simply stated, rules are an established standard or process. Just as sports rules, house rules, and rules of the road define what is allowed and not allowed, so too do the rules that are established by the Lord.

Moses was directing the men and women of God to do two commonly used verbs: Keep and do.

Keep.

Do.

And centuries later, Jesus Christ would state similar words to His respective followers as recorded in the book of John, chapter 14:

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

You and I have been entrusted to keep and do the prescribed established standards of the Lord. Like a good security guard, we are to keep God’s Word securely in our hearts and guard it from injury or loss (John 10:10).

Likewise, we are to do what His Word states. To do means to act with effect, to accomplish or to bring it about. Doing so will be our wisdom and understanding—not only experienced by us but seen by others. And what an inspiring witness that would be!

God would not have directed us to do His Word if we were not fully able to.

Your commitment to keep and do God’s word is not contingent on anyone else keeping or doing God’s will. My commitment is just that—it’s mine. As is yours.

To be sure, I regard the contents of the Bible, God’s holy Word as credible and reliable. And because I do, I strive to keep and do the will of God as prescribed in His Word. It is not easy and sometimes my efforts fail. Notwithstanding, I try it again and I hope to encourage you to do the same.

So, whatever your circumstances may be, you were indeed made in the image of God, and thus quite capable to do what He has prescribed for you. In so doing, you will experience and exhibit to others the gift of God’s wisdom and understanding.

Shari Gabourel is a public safety retiree, who now spends her time as an inexperienced homeschooler to her two adolescent daughters all while consuming inordinate amounts of coffee and chocolate. She enjoys foraging through the Word of God, composing blogs and articles, binging on old episodes of Downton Abbey with her husband and beating her daughters at Uno.

To connect with Shari, you can message her at the following platforms:

https://www.sharigabourel.com/

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash