The Lord our God is the Supreme Being and is the authority over the heavens, earth and everything thereon. Where there is authority, there are always rules and regulations to follow. Likewise, God gave mankind a set of rules and regulations otherwise known as laws and commandments.
sundayword BY PROSPER TINGINI
They are sometimes referred to as statutes and ordinances. Just as most parents would reward children for good deeds and punish children for misconduct, God also blesses those who obey His commands and punishes those who disobey.
If a child commits an offence and confesses it, and asks for forgiveness, the parents are most likely to show leniency by refraining from punishing the child. In the same vein, if one disobeys or neglects to follow the laws and commandments of the Lord our God, and realises and quickly accepts the transgressions, and prays to God for forgiveness, he is also most likely to be forgiven. The Lord our God is a God of mercy. In order to prosper in all you do, you need to fear and obey the Lord, and to follow His commands. In addition, you need to surrender your life to Him and have total faith in God, to love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. Those who obey and follow His laws and commandments will be showered with blessings, while those who disobey will be punished severely.
Rewards
In Leviticus 26 verse 3-12, He spoke to the people via Moses, saying “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last to the time of sowing; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will remove evil beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
“And I will have regard for you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and will confirm my covenant with you. And you shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. And I will make my abode among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you shall not be their slaves; and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect”.
There are numerous examples in the scriptures in which the Lord blessed and rewarded people who were in obedience of His commandments. Moses, for his loyalty, was made the leader of the children of Israel. Moses was elevated to the highest level in which he could speak face to face with God. Deuteronomy 33 verse 10-12 says of Moses, “To date, no other prophet has arisen, like Moses, who the Lord God knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders which God sent him to do in the land of Egypt”.
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Aaron, Moses’s companion, was also elevated by God to lead the house of Levi into the priesthood. He became the chief priest of the people of Israel and the house of Levi was excused from taking part in any war.
There is also the story of Elijah the Prophet. Mass killings were perpetrated on prophets at that time and Elijah was the sole survivor. Despite that, Elijah persisted on speaking in God’s name without fear. God blessed him with abundant spiritual powers, so much that he was able to slay 450 prophets of the Baal god. In addition, he was given the powers to, among other things, multiply a woman’s food and oil, to heal, to save lives. Like Moses, he was given powers to separate the waters of the river Jordan upon crossing it (read 1 Kings chapters 18-19). Elijah’s most outstanding reward was that God took him to heaven by a whirlwind in a chariot of fire, driven by horses of fire, alive (2 Kings 2).
If you are loyal followers of God and you need something in your life, all you have to do is to ask Him and He will provide. However, if you ask for small things, He will give you the small things. If you also ask for big things, He is most likely to give those big things. Your level of faith in God can be reflected or be measured by the value of the things you ask from the Lord.
Forgiveness of sin is also a reward. If you sin, God will punish you. If you show remorse, repent and ask for forgiveness, God will spare the punishment due to you. Being forgiven and being saved from a punishment is a reward, it is a gain.
God punished His first human creations, Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. He gave them individual and collective punishment (Genesis 3). To Eve, God pronounced; “I will greatly multiply your pain in child-bearing. In pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband. He shall rule over you”. To Adam, He proclaimed; “Cursed is the ground because of you. You shall in it toil, eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, out of which were taken. You are dust and to dust you shall return”.
On repentance
However, above all, the Lord our God is a very merciful God. All He needs us to do is to admit our sins, repent and ask for forgiveness. It is a prerequisite. For those who follow that channel, they will be forgiven and saved. In Leviticus 26 verse 40-45 He spoke, “But if they confess their sins and the sins of their fathers in their treachery which they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the hand of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquities; then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham and I will remember the land. But the land shall be left by them and enjoy its Sabbath while it is desolate without them. They shall make amends for their iniquity, because they disobeyed my laws and strongly disliked my commandments. If they repent I will not loathe them, neither will I destroy them utterly and will not break my covenant with them which I made with their forefathers, for I am the Lord”.
Prosper Tingini compiled a book titled God’s Constitution for Mankind — The Laws and Commandments. His contact details are 0771 260 195 or email: [email protected] or the book can be purchased from Innov8 Bookshop, 23 G. Silundika Avenue, between First & Second Street, Harare
