For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today? Deuteronomy 4:7-8

Moses is speaking to the Israelites, the chosen people that God saved from slavery in Egypt and was leading to the promised land. After 40 years, the people are days away from entering the land, and Moses is giving them final instructions. He is about to pass the baton to his mentee, Joshua, as the new leader to take the people into Canaan.

In this last message, Moses focuses on obedience to God telling them when they enter the land, follow the statutes and commandments given to them directly from God and guard against the worship of other gods. The decrees and regulations were “righteous and fair,” a gift to guard the hearts of the people. Other people would recognize their wisdom through these statutes.

Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ Deuteronomy 4:6

Moses leaves no doubt for the people, remember and observe the commandments from God. This is the key to wisdom and life. Very simply, be obedient to the words of God.

Fast forward 3,000+ years, and Jesus is teaching the multitudes. He makes a statement about following God.

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? Luke 6:46

Sound familiar? Just like Moses said to the people, Jesus says in His sermon to do what He says, follow His commands. And then, Jesus talks about the value of knowing and following His Words.

I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Luke 6:47-49

The question for us is what did Jesus say to do, what are His commands? An example is what Jesus said immediately preceding the above verses.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Luke 6:41-42

In this passage, He clearly, simply said not to judge others, don’t talk about others, don’t point fingers, don’t consider yourself better or more enlightened. No, examine yourself. Following these words of Christ would solve much of the world’s woes today.

And, this is a small snippet of the words of Christ. The Bible is full of the wisdom and truth of His Words that lead one to live a fruitful, wise, life. The words of Christ free, teach practical wisdom, teach love.

But, we have the duty of knowing the Bible for ourselves through the personal reading of His Word. If we are to follow Him, we must know what we are following. Books and other people’s thoughts may be great, but must never take the place of knowing what Christ said, personally for yourself. After all, how can you call Him, Lord, if you don’t know what He says?

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Bible is a consistent wealth of wisdom for practical, daily life.

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