Why Can’t We Leave It as it is?

Deuteronomy 4:2
Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

When God gave Moses the commandments He also added this command that is in our text today. Do not add to what I tell you. Do not subtract from what I tell you. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

What God commands us is not just the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are part of what God has commanded us. Everything in the Bible is what God has commanded us. God is therefore asking that we shouldn’t add to what is in the Bible and we shouldn’t subtract from what is in the Bible. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

God asks that we shouldn’t add. God says what He has given is enough. He has covered every need we will ever have. All future developments are adequately covered. Do not add! To add is to suggest that our all-knowing God did not foresee some situations. We shouldn’t add to what God commanded!

If what God has given is enough then adding is correcting God. Adding is telling God you shouldn’t have said this instead you should have said what I am suggesting. It is offensive to God to add to what He has commanded.

Do not subtract means if we do less than what He commanded we would be like patients on underdose. We will never recover. What God has given is measured and perfectly sufficient. Anything less would harm us. Anything less is defiance by rejecting what we subtract. Do not subtract!

Whatever we do as believers should be consistent with scripture without adding or subtracting. Our worship should not add or subtract. Our prayers should not add or subtract. Our church policies, practices, protocols, etc., should not add or subtract from what God has commanded. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

To justify slavery, slave masters added and subtracted from God’s word while preaching to slaves. Do we preach sermons that add and subtract in order to justify evil intentions? That is unacceptable before God.

To justify male chauvinism and cultures that discriminate against women, we selectively pick verses of the Bible to support our position and thinking. In the process of selective reading, we add and subtract. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

If the Bible was left as it is without adding or subtracting, it will end some practices we are fond of today. There are churches we will stop attending. There are preachers we will stop listening to. There are beliefs we would abandon. If we stuck to what God said without adding or subtracting.

The biggest problem facing religion is extremism. Fanatics are extreme by adding to what God said. They add so many demands and rules that attending worship and being a Christian becomes an unbearable burden. Yet God said do not add! Some extremists add and make it almost impossible to be part of the body of Christ!

Some liberals subtract so much in their extremism until religion, faith, and worship seem like a big joke. They subtract until no standards remain. They subtract and now anything goes. They subtract until Faith which was supposed to be distinct from the world around cannot be differentiated from the world. They have subtracted until Christianity becomes irrelevant!

To save us from extremism God gave this command that we shouldn’t add or subtract to what He has said. An assessment of most contentious issues shows that they are additional or subtracted from God’s word. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

Revelation 22:18-19
(18) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. (19) And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Prophetic teachings are also victims of extremism. Excessive additions through ridiculous teachings that seem to link everything to bizarre explanations masquerading as present truth prophecies. These additions are so attractive that people share them around faster than the plain truth. God warns that no additions or subtraction should be done. God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

Must we make outrageous claims about knowing the inner workings of secret societies if such things exist? Isn’t Bible prophecies as it is enough? Do we need quotes from scientists and politicians to direct our minds to deep secrets that leave us scared and mesmerized more than hopeful?

If Jesus said no one knows the hour of the end of time, must we add and subtract until we reach a conclusion that we have an idea about the time of the end? Must we add? Must we subtract? God is asking that we leave it as it is. Why can’t we leave it as it is?

It is possible that a believer will experience happiness and joy according to the Bible if we avoid extremes. The prophecies in the Bible are easy to understand for everyone and no one has to specialize in them. Bible prophecies leave us having hope and continuous assurance of salvation. May God save us from adding and subtracting. May God save us from those who add and subtract. May God expose to us today what we have added and subtracted, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/