EXCUSES, EXCUSES

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, 'Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, 'Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?' No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it". — Deuteronomy 30:11–14

"It's too hard." "I can't do that." "I don't know how to do that." How many times have we heard those excuses from our children when faced with a difficult or unpleasant task? Or maybe you've heard them from a co-worker or an employee who's been given a tight deadline to meet? What about yourself? When have you been known to use these excuses?

If we're honest, we sometimes use excuses like that when it comes to following God, don't we? Do any of these sound familiar — "I would obey God if I knew what He wanted;" "I'm so busy right now — it's really hard to find time to read my Bible." "How does God expect me to obey ALL these rules? It's too hard!"

In Deuteronomy 30: 11–14, Moses gives the people final instructions before entering the Promised Land and he obviously is anticipating the people's excuses. Notice what he says: What God is commanding is "not too difficult or beyond your reach." No one has to search for it; it doesn't take special knowledge or ability to understand. No, says Moses, "the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey."

In other words, they have no excuses. God's laws are clearly written in the Bible. They are evident in the world around us. Obeying them is reasonable, sensible, and beneficial. It is not too difficult or burdensome.

For us Jews, obeying God's laws is the means to redeeming, or "fixing" the world, as we discussed in the previous devotion. Like our ancestors at Sinai, Jews of every generation must "do everything the Lord has said" — which means obeying God's Word and seeking holiness in our lives. If we do so, not only are we personally cleansed, but Israel also is transformed into a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

Christians, too, are called to lives of obedience. Indeed, Jesus taught his followers "blessed… are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

The Israelites, poised to enter the Promised Land, had no excuses for failing to obey God's laws and commands. Neither, my friends, do we.

Take a moment or two to consider your own attitude right now toward obeying God's Word. What are the excuses you typically fall back on when it comes to spending time with God, or to obeying Him? What one step can you take today toward obeying God in one area of your life?

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein