Listen to what Moses tells Israel in Deuteronomy 10:12–13: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

Notice the phrase at the end: for your own good. Not “for God’s benefit.” Not “because God is arbitrary and demands submission.” But “for your own good.” This reframes obedience entirely. God’s commands are not chains. They’re not restrictions imposed by a distant tyrant. They’re instructions from a Father who loves you and knows what will actually make you flourish.

Think about a parent teaching a child not to run into the street. The child experiences this as a restriction. “Why can’t I go where I want?” The parent’s answer isn’t “Because I enjoy controlling you.” It’s “Because I love you, and I know what will kill you.” The command protects. The command is an act of love.

This is what Israel needed to hear—and what we need to hear. We live in a culture that frames obedience to God as oppressive, as if following His commands means surrendering your freedom and joy. But Scripture teaches the opposite. Psalm 119:45 says, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” Freedom comes through obedience, not despite it. The person who follows God’s commands about sexuality, generosity, honesty, and rest is not a slave. He’s free—free from shame, free from the destruction that sin brings, free to experience the life God designed him to enjoy.

Consider the command to rest on the Sabbath. Our culture sees rest as laziness, as something you earn after you’ve proven yourself productive enough. So we work ourselves to exhaustion, sacrifice our families, damage our health—all in pursuit of more. And God says, “Stop. Rest. You are not defined by your productivity. You are defined by your identity as My beloved child.” That command isn’t a burden. It’s a gift. It’s God saying, “I love you too much to let you destroy yourself.”

Or consider the commands about forgiveness. Jesus tells us to forgive those who wrong us, to let go of bitterness, to seek reconciliation. Our flesh screams that this is unfair, that we deserve to hold a grudge, that forgiveness lets the other person off the hook. But God knows what bitterness does to a human soul. He knows how unforgiveness eats you alive from the inside. His command to forgive is not punishment. It’s rescue. It’s Him saying, “I love you too much to let you poison yourself with hatred.”

God’s law is good. Not arbitrary. Not oppressive. Good. The Westminster Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” and answers, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Notice those two things together: glorify and enjoy. They’re not in tension. When you obey God, you glorify Him and you experience the joy and blessing He designed you to experience.

So when you’re tempted to see God’s commands as burdensome—when obedience feels like sacrifice—pause. Ask yourself: What is God actually protecting me from? What is He inviting me into? Often you’ll discover that the command you’re resisting is the very thing that would heal you, free you, restore you. God’s commands are not chains. They’re the blueprints for a human life lived as it was meant to be lived.

That’s the heart of Deuteronomy 10:12–13. Not “Obey because God demands it,” but “Obey because God loves you, and His way is the way of life.”

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor John