Teaching Notes

The Rewards of Obedience

Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. - Exodus 34:10-12

We live in a world that says do what "feels right to you". You are the captain of your own ship, the determining factor of your destiny and other such sayings. What in fact the hidden message is, is that you do not have to follow any rules expect what feels good to you.

The Lord is speaking in this scripture and is making a covenant with the children of Israel. A covenant is more that a simply promise. God is making a agreement of what he will do for his people. Let's look at what God promises.

1. He will do wonders never seen before. - God promises his people that he will do such wonders among them that no one else has ever seen before. God is not simply doing this so that the people will look good, but he is mainly doing it to show others around them his wonders. Did you know that simply because you are God's people he will bless you so that he can show others who he is through his interactions with you? What wonders do you need to see done in your life that have not been seen before? As a young person, do you need to see some wonders in your life that you have only heard about from others? Why not take a chance today and ask God to show you himself, you might be surprised what he shows you.

2. He will drive out the "nations" before you. - You read the list of nations that God said he would move out of the way of the children of Israel. These nations were possessing the land that God had promised the Israelites. So how where they to take what someone else was living on? They wouldn't do it, God would. Did you know that the things you seek from God to do in your life that seem impossible to possess because of obstacles that stand in the way can be had because God promises that he will move those obstacles out of the way. Why would he do that? Because he made an agreement with his people to give them the land. While God has not promised to give us an actual land, he has promises to us provisions that we can obtain because of the covenant we have with him. Do you need God to move out the "nations" the obstacles that are standing in your way so that you can obtain the promises he has for you? The next question then is how do you obtain these rewards?

3. Obey and receive. - It is simply through your obedience to God. That is our part of the covenant with God. God promises to show himself in us so that others will be amazed at his work and he promises to move out obstacles that would try to keep us from obtaining what he has for us. But this can only happen when we obey his commandments. Otherwise, we forfeit the reward. The final think is we must heed the warnings. The children were told do not go into the land that God has for you and make an agreement with the people there, otherwise it will become a snare to you.

This is true for us today. If we make an agreement with the "nations" that which is contrary to God we create a snare for ourselves and we are not able to see the fullness of what God wants to do in our lives. What this means is I cannot try to do what the world says and try to live for God as well, I cannot do both and in my trying more than likely I will create a problem for myself and become unable to do the things that are pleasing to God.

This week I pray that you would seek God to direct you in how to obey him more completely. I challenge you this week. Do you want to see God do some wonderful things in your life? Then obey him fully. What is he telling you to do? Are you doing it? Are you reading your word, praying and yielding yourself to him? Obey him and receive the rewards of the obedient.