Our Helper to Do and to Observe

And you shall remember that you were a bondman in Egypt: and you shall observe and do these statutes. (Deuteronomy 16:12)

 

Three points:

 

1. Moses was reviewing the entire history and laws from the past 40 years. He reminded them that they were slaves in Egypt. When things go well we sometimes forget what the past was. We need to remember the past sometimes, as the life of Jesus of Nazareth, his birth, death, resurrection, and ascension. We also need to remember what we were before we repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus for our salvation. We were slaves of sin. "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed." (Romans 6:16-17, ESV)

 

2. Observe means to guard, protect, attend to, so has the idea of knowing, pay attention to, as in observing the speed limit, that is, we look at the speedometer to know our speed, then we can obey the speed limit. So we must read the Bible to know the rules, compare our lives to the standard, and obey. Today the Christian observes the rules in the New Testament.

 

3. Do. This means obey. If the Scriptures tell us not to lie, then we do not lie. We do not tell white lies, black lies, and half-truths, whatever. A lie is a type of deceiving.

 

But he answered and said,

It is written,

Man shall not live by bread alone,

But by every word

That proceedeth

Out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

We need God's help and indeed, we have it.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalms 46:1)

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may abide with you forever, (John 14:16)