Greater Nations

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;
Deuteronomy 11:23 - Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.

God's commandments are sacred and important for us to follow. It isn't that we should simply keep them, though. God is looking for people willing to diligently follow him and keep them. We can't pick and choose which commandents we follow, we have to follow all of them. The Bible describes how we are to follow the commandments. Deuteronomy 11:22 specifies we are: to do them, not just remember; to love the Lord, not just respect Him; to walk in His ways, not just recognize or admire them; to cleave unto Him, not just desire His presence. We can't have a surface relationship where all we have is a knowledge of God and His precepts. We have to apply that knowledge of the Lord to our lives. God is pleased when we do that and follow His commandments with an honest, seeking heart.

When we do these things for God, they aren't done without merit or benefit. God will reward us. The next verse, Deuteronomy 11:23, mentions that God will "drive out nations" from before us. Historically, in the Old Testament, those "nations" were literal enemies of God's children. Now they refer to the trials we face. If we do as God instructs, He will guide and help us through them. We can, with God's assistance, take on big trails (with victory) we wouldn't ordinarily have the ability to conquer ourselves. When we are in line with what God wants us to do, He will help us out. He will drive out the problems we face. Then, we will "possess greater nations" and become mightier than we were before. Our success forged in following God's commandments helps us move on to bigger and better things in God's kingdom.

God has specific instructions for us that go beyond a simple knowledge and understanding of God and His ways. We have to live actively in God's service to reap the rewards of what He has for us. The "nations" or issues in our own lives may seem like giants much bigger than we are capable of facing. However, if we trust God and are diligent to seek and follow His commandments, we will possess greater nations than the ones we once had trouble overcoming.