Deuteronomy 30:2 & 3 –
<2>If at that time you and your children return to the LORD your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, <3> then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.
In programming this is called an “if-then” statement and this one on the surface is quite simple. If you love God and return all will be restored. On the surface it seems simple, but when you start parsing all the regulations involved with obeying the commands it becomes quite difficult. If you “lawyer it up” and look closely at the regulations the interpretation becomes difficult. I read these and wonder how many were “man inspired” and how many were “God inspired”. Reason being is many of the laws I have already pointed out seem either in conflict with others or just odd in today’s society.
There is also question on how the commands apply to Christianity today. For example if we go back to the laws of marriage one could leave because the other person does not please them, yet Jesus makes the bond solid. Or if you look at tithing, Jesus steps it up and would have us give it all. This is to make sure we don’t let love for money override love for God and to let us know it’s all His in the first place. But as Christians, Jesus did the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and therefore the sacrificial system in the Law is over. So it gets cloudy on what Laws we should follow or when we should “follow the Holy Spirit.”
I think of the story of the prodigal son when I read these verses. There a child leaves the protection of his father’s love and goes on his own. After blowing through his money he crawls back to live with the servants. His father is so overwhelmed with compassion he welcomes his son with open arms. That story is a perfect example of how God welcomes us back when we stray from His love. The key here is NOT TO STRAY!! I did it and can say although the blessings return, the mess and mire I created before does not magically leave. I would suggest striving each day to learn and know God better so you will never stray from His loving arms!