What Does the Lord Require

Scripture

Deuteronomy 10

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” — Deuteronomy 10:12 (ESV)

Devotional

Deuteronomy 10 comes after Israel’s rebellion, which makes the chapter especially beautiful. God had every right to leave His people in the hardness of their sin, yet He renews the covenant, restores what was broken, and calls them again to Himself. His commands come in the context of mercy. The Lord is not speaking to a people who have never failed, but to a people He has not forsaken.

That is what gives weight to the question: “What does the Lord your God require of you?” The answer is not cold religious performance. It is relational and wholehearted: fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul. God is not merely after outward compliance. He desires the whole person brought under His gracious rule.

And yet the chapter also reveals the problem clearly. “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” The issue is not simply that Israel needs better habits. They need inward transformation. A stubborn heart cannot love God rightly on its own. The command exposes the need for something deeper than effort—a heart made soft toward God.

This is where the chapter leads us to Christ. Jesus is the faithful Son who loved the Father with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength. He fulfilled perfectly what God required and, through His death and resurrection, He gives what He commands. In Him, stubborn hearts are forgiven, and by His Spirit, new hearts are formed. What the law requires, Christ fulfills and then works in His people from the inside out.

So Deuteronomy 10 teaches us that the Christian life is not a matter of external religion alone. God wants the heart. But this is not a crushing demand when seen through Christ. The One who calls you to love God wholly is the One who first loved you, redeemed you, and now makes your heart new. His mercy comes before His command, and His grace is what makes obedience possible.

Reflection Prompt

Where do I sense resistance, stubbornness, or divided love in my heart right now, and how is Christ inviting me to yield that place more fully to Him today?