You Shall Bless the LORD Your God

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.” This is the instruction which Moses gives to the children of Israel, that they are to be careful to do all which the Lord has commanded them.

But notice that the Lord attaches a threefold promise to His commandment: that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give. The Lord has already sworn to give good gifts to His people. Now, all they must do is follow the rules He has set forth in order to receive them.

We sing the hymn:

The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress (LSB 579.1).

Truly, the Law of God is good and wise. It is pure, holy, and precious. The Law instructs the children of God in the way of holiness and wisdom. The Law gives the promise of life, if only you will keep this whole commandment which the Lord has commanded you.

But the Law of God is harsh. It accepts no compromise. It takes no prisoners. It allows no wiggle room. The Law declares the will of God, and to oppose it is to oppose God Himself. To oppose God is to die. Do this and you shall live; disobey this and you shall surely die.

“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

This surely must have sounded great to the Israelites. We just spent forty years wandering back and forth across a burning desert with no food, no water, and no end in sight, so that God could “humble” us. This is supposed to be a good thing? This is supposed to be something for which we give thanks? We are supposed to be humbled, and do all that He has commanded?

The testing of the Lord is seldom pleasant. In fact, it almost always is unpleasant; otherwise it would not be much of a test. Job was happy to bless the Lord when he was rich, healthy, and surrounded by friends and family. But the test was to see what would happen when those things were taken away. Hannah was tested by the withholding of a child. St. Paul suffered a “thorn in the flesh”, which he said was specifically given to keep him from becoming conceited or thinking too much of himself.

You face testing and humbling experiences throughout your lives. The death of a loved one, especially a spouse. The grave illness of a child. The separation from a dear friend. Physical and mental suffering that pierces your own soul. Typhoons and tornadoes, hurricanes and fires, famines and droughts, and all manner of natural and man-made evil befall you. The devil, the world, and your own sinful nature beset you from within and without. And it all happens according to the will of the Lord.

He has tested you to see what is in your heart, whether you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, or whether you will curse God and die. He has humbled you to see whether you will accept His gracious care and provision, or whether you will rebel under His easy yoke and kick against the goads of His Law.

However, “know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.” The Lord disciplines you as a man does his own son.

What is the root of a father's discipline of his son? His love for his son. His desire that his son grow up to become an honorable man, a wise man, a healthy and long-lived man. A man disciplines his son because he wants it to go well with his son, that he might prosper.

So also the discipline of the Lord upon His children. He disciplines you by testing and humbling, so that it may go well with you, that you may live long in the land and prosper. Whatever the hand of the Lord does prospers. He comes to His people to give life, for He is the God of the living. He disciplines you because He loves you. He disciplines you because He wants you to live, to thrive, to grow and multiply. He disciplines you because He wants to make you ready and worthy to receive the inheritance He has promised to your fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

The discipline of the Lord is painful. Rebuke, correction, and discipline are never fun and games. You must give up your own idols of self-worth, self-image, and self-gratification. You must set aside your own goals and ambitions. You must turn your eyes away from your own navel and fix them on your neighbor and his need for your help. You must repent of your sinful ways and turn to the Lord to receive His benefits.

Be thankful for the Lord's discipline. How often have you thought of that at Thanksgiving? Do you sit down to the great American feast and list the Lord's testing and discipline among those things for which you are most thankful? Do you delight to be humbled by the almighty and everlasting King of heaven? You should do.

Be thankful for His discipline, because the alternative is much, much worse. The alternative is that you live your way now, and face eternal death later.

Be thankful to God, “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land.” The Lord your God is bringing you into a land of plenty, a land flowing with all sorts of good things, a land teeming with the blessings of the Lord.

The Lord is indeed bringing you into a land of plenty. This land is the kingdom of heaven, the dominion of God. In this land, there is no testing or tribulation, no humbling or discipline. In this land there is only blessing and joy. This land is flowing with the waters of life.

For the kingdom of heaven is anchored at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The land into which the Lord your God has brought you is the kingdom of heaven, where sin no longer reign and death no longer threatens. You have no need for humbling, because you have already been brought low, as low as death and the grave. And you have been raised up. You have been cleansed by the water, blood, and Spirit that flow from the side of Christ the crucified for you.

Your sins are forgiven in this land. Your testing is ended in this land. Your humbleness is turned to everlasting privilege as a son of the King of Heaven and a brother of the One who sits upon the throne. Your sins are forgiven by the death not of bulls and goats, but of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In this land flowing with milk and honey, wine and oil, figs and pomegranates, you will lack nothing. “You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land He has given you.” You shall eat and be full. You shall drink and be satisfied. For in the great land into which the Lord your God is leading, you shall feast upon none other than the Paschal Victim, who places His Body on your lips, pours His Blood onto your tongue, and causes springs of living water to well up within you.

You will eat and drink, and you will lack nothing. You will enjoy the splendor of the Lord's table in the presence of your enemies. And you shall bless the Lord your God.

So, this Thanksgiving, be thankful for testing and humbling, for discipline and correction. For without these things, your faith would be weak and you would fall into temptation. But rather the Lord has strengthened you by His patient discipline, that you may enter into the promised land and eat at the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the blest.

And, of course, rejoice and give thanks for all the benefits the Lord has given to you – all the joys and bounties of land and sea, of family and friends, of harvest and hunt, and all the blessings of this body and life. “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever!”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.