The level of devotion God craves?

Is He satisfied if we merely acknowledge Him in our lives?

Paying Him “token” lip service from time to time?

Or does He want more, in fact … demand more?

In order to receive God’s very BEST day by day, to benefit from His constant servings of GRACE … it is highly recommended that a Believer in the Lord God Almighty obey Him energetically!

As in Deuteronomy 11:22. “For if ye SHALL DILIGENTLY KEEP all these commandments which I command you, TO DO them, TO LOVE the LORD your God, TO WALK in all his ways, and TO CLEAVE unto him ….” Look at that string of verbs!

Here “shall diligently keep,” that verb, is translated this way in the Hebrew Text: “shamar shamar!” The verb is doubled, for emphasis! It means “to hear and obey” then “to hear and obey” some more!

“To do,” an infinitive, means (“asah” in Hebrew) “to accomplish” God’s Laws, performing them precisely!

“To love” God is “ahab,” meaning “to be friends” (and more) … obviously the depth of attachment is growing! But beyond “liking” a person … until absolute “adoration” begins!

Then … the heart of today’s Lesson … “to cleave” unto the Lord! “Dabaq” in Hebrew is the normal word for being “glued” to something! To “stick” to a person! Once transated “to be joined,” in the King James Version. Five times “to follow hard” after Him!

And as a Qal stem infinitive “dabaq” implies ongoing (perpetual, durative) adhesiveness to our Saviour! A “lifestyle,” if you please!

Reminds me of Psalm 63:8, two verbs there. “My soul followeth hard (“dabaq”) after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Yes, it’s “dabaq” again! (Note one’s soul no sooner pursues the Lord God, but that He immediately reaches out and “upholds” or “supports” His eager follower!)

So today’s let’s “be glued” to our Lord!

A “gluing” which first presupposes … obeying Him, loving Him, walking after Him!

Wow!

Oh, I am about to forget!

Once we do these things, culminating in such ardent attachment … the very next verse begins with the word “then.” Let me show you. “If ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him … THEN will the LORD …!”

Then will the Lord … “drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.”

In other words, “THEN will the Lord” give you victory!

Clearly, there are blessings accrued by “cleaving” unto the dear Lord!

I’d say, “innumerable blessings.”

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell