IF we will keep His commandments

As I think and read the words to this week’s portion I am struck by the numerous curses that are listed that will come upon the followers of God who do not follow and keep His commandments, rules, instructions, directions and laws. The list is very long, much longer and in much greater detail than the list of blessings. The blessings are ours…if we keep this Torah…as it says over and over again. We tend to like and concentrate on the list of blessings and claim them for ourselves but we don’t look at the qualification that is given over and over again with each blessing. It says “if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today; if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways; if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”Deut 28.1-14. This little 2 letter word appears over and over again and it makes the receiving of the blessings conditional upon our obedience. We enter into covenant with God when we accept Jesus as our Lord, Savior and King and now as servants to the King we are required to keep the rules of the King if we want to live in the kingdom. Accepting Jesus gets you through the gate, to live bountifully within the gates requires obedience to the rules of His kingdom. Sounds like a fair trade to me...if we will keep His commandments.