Our scripture this morning is Deuteronomy 7:9-11.
Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
This passage teaches that the Lord alone is God, there is no one like Him. God chose us and is always faithful to us, from creation to the covenant with Abraham to the New Covenant in Jesus Christ and still today. When we keep His commandments, we become part of His work in the world.
Those who choose Him receive “His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation”, meaning forever. This is not a specific number or limit. We see the same teaching when Jesus says “forgive seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Jesus doesn’t mean at 491 we quit forgiving; it means we don’t keep count, and neither does God.
God has given us a specific commandment to love one another. It appears throughout the Old Testament and we see it demonstrated in the life and lessons of Jesus. He tells us loving God and one another is the Greatest Commandment. If we keep this, all others will follow.
Loving Lord, we are sorry for our failure to love as we should. Help us to see Your face in everyone we meet and share Your love everywhere. Amen.
