And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? — Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Do you remember when you first tried to hit a baseball? In order for the bat to make solid contact with the ball, there were a multitude of things to consider: your stance at the plate, your grip on the bat, the speed and trajectory of the baseball speeding your way, and the mechanics of swinging the bat properly. Perhaps someone gave you the same remarkably helpful advice I was given when I was a young boy standing at home plate: Keep your eye on the ball! That one simple suggestion has helped countless youngsters and uncoordinated adults to successfully hit a baseball. Good baseball players realize that there is no way they can hit the baseball if they can’t see it. All the other steps are important, but it is crucial to keep your eye on the ball.

In chapters 10 and 11 of Deuteronomy, Moses gave the Children of Israel many important instructions, and good reasons why they should follow these instructions. In our focus verses, Moses reveals to the Israelites the crucial element in their service to God: they were to love God with all their hearts and souls. In essence, he was saying, “Keep your eye on the ball!” This was the key element.

This principle spans the generations of time. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus taught that the greatest Old Testament commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. As we strive to live according to God’s holy Word, there are many important doctrines to understand, promises to claim, and admonitions to follow. However, we must remember to keep our eyes upon that crucial “ball” — our love for God. If all of our actions are motivated by our love for Him, then every other element in our Christian walks will fall into place.

BACKGROUND

In verses 12-22 of chapter 10, Moses continued his discourse encouraging the Israelites to love and obey God. Verse 12, his summary of what the Lord required of them, is considered by many Bible scholars to be the climax of his exhortation. They were to fear (reverence) God, walk in His ways, and wholeheartedly love and serve Him.

In chapter 11, Moses compared what would happen in the Promised Land with what had happened in the wilderness: the waters of the Red Sea overwhelmed Pharaoh’s army and brought death. In contrast, the Promised Land would be a land flowing with milk and honey that would give provision and life to God’s people. In the wilderness, the earth swallowed Dathan and Abiram, but in the Promised Land the land would drink rain from Heaven. Moses reminded the Israelites that their eyes had seen the trials in the wilderness, and then comforted them with the promise that God’s eyes would be on them in their new land. 

In verses 7-32 of chapter 11, Moses challenged the people to choose between the blessings and cursings of God. They had seen many miracles that demonstrated God’s care for them, and they had many promises of God for how He would bless them in the future. However, in order to receive those blessings they had to “observe to do all the statutes and judgments” that God set before them (verse 32).

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)

II.   The second discourse: exposition of the Law
     B.   The exposition of the Decalogue
           2.   The explanation and application of the Decalogue
                 h.   The warning against disobedience (10:12 — 11:32)
                      (1)   The admonition to fear and love God (10:12 — 11:7)
                      (2)   The reason to fear and love God (11:8-17)
                      (3)   The necessity of the instruction of children (11:18-25)
                      (4)   The provision of a blessing and a curse (11:26-32)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. What four things did Moses tell the Children of Israel to do in Deuteronomy 10:20?
   
   
2. Why do you think emphasis was placed on the instructions given in Deuteronomy 11:18-20?
   
   
3. What blessings have you received from God that were dependent upon obedience to Him?

CONCLUSION

Just as God offered the Children of Israel a fundamental choice between blessing and cursing, He offers us a choice. To choose to honor, love, and obey God wholeheartedly will bring us His blessings!