The word LOVE today has been put through such an obstacle course and covered with layers of man’s imaginations that God is nowhere to be found in the word. Today, we want to take a brief journey through passages of Deuteronomy 28 as well as a few other bible passages.

Deuteronomy which means second law is a repeating of many of the laws in Exodus and the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) to the second generation of the Israelites poised to enter the “Promised Land.” The first generation has died in the wilderness due to sin and now the children or this second generation is hearing from Moses what God did and how he showed His great LOVE to the Israelites. Love is an action word and describes who God is. Too many people, when talking about love often try to define love based on their own emotional state. The Bible says that GOD IS LOVE (I Jn 4:8, 16). Love is not simply some feeling you experience, but Love describes who God is. Therefore, when you see God in scripture you see Him giving Himself to His people.

The Love of God is often expressed in the blessings that God gives or bestows upon His people. In the first 14 verses of Deut 28, if the Israelites fully obeyed God, His love towards them would be expressed by God fully taking care of them. This included the elements also being a blessing to them. It’s interesting to note that when God’s people please Him, the earth and elements respond in kind (Deut 28:12). Deut 28:1 says “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.” The reason that we can love is because God first Loved us (I John 4:19). Our love for God is expressed by our obedience to His very word. This idea that God sits high with a sledge hammer waiting for you to blow it so that He can crush you, is a lie of the enemy and is the very antithesis of who God is. Yes, God is a God of judgment and that is a part of His Character; God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:10). God makes a distinction between those who are His and those who are not. He told this generation that He would elevate them above all nations. There would be no doubt that the Almighty was their God and that they were His people. Their identity would be inextricably linked to God Himself, the one who loves His people. Further, God’s love would be shown to His people by blessing the fruit of their womb; in other words, they would have children (Deut 28:4) and the Lord would give them many children. We should note this very carefully that God’s love was expressed in blessing the womb. Today, we are under a curse for the destruction of the child in the womb through abortion, but my time today will not allow me to address this matter in detail.

While we have only been able to briefly touch on the tremendous love of God, I don’t want to overlook the greatest Gift of Love that God gave in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 3:16,17). Jesus is the ultimate love gift from God. While many people may celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving gifts to their loved ones, the greatest gift has already been given, so be sure to show your deep love to God, by recognizing that you stand on the receiving end of God’s very best.