Deuteronomy 4:1-40

Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land.

Moses’ discourse

1. In general it is the use and application of the foregoing history. It comes in by way of inference from it (Deuteronomy 4:1). This use we should make of the review of God’s providences, we should by them be quickened to duty and obedience. The histories of ancient times should, in like manner, be improved by us.

2. The scope of his discourse is to persuade them to keep close to God, and to His service, and not to forsake Him for any other god, nor in any instance to decline from their duty to Him. Now, observe what he saith to them with a great deal of Divine rhetoric: First, by way of exhortation and direction; secondly, by way of motive and argument, to enforce his exhortations.

I. See here how he charges and commands them, and shows them what is good, and what the Lord required of them.

1. He demands their diligent attention to the Word of God, and to the statutes and judgments that were taught them. “Hearken, O Israel.” He means not only that they must now give him the hearing, but that whenever the book of the law was read to them, or read by them, they should be attentive to it.

2. He charges them to preserve the Divine law pure and entire among them (Deuteronomy 4:2). Keep it pure, and do not add to it; keep it entire, and do not diminish from it. Not in practice; so some: Ye shall not add, by committing the evil which the law forbids; nor diminish, by omitting the good which the law requires. Not in opinion; so others: Ye shall not add your own inventions, as if the Divine institution were defective; nor introduce, much less impose, any rites of religious worship other than what God has appointed; nor shall ye diminish, or set aside, anything that is appointed as needless or superfluous God’s work is perfect; nothing can be put to it, or taken from it, but it makes it the worse (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

3. He charges them to keep God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:2), to do them (verss 5, 14), to keep and do them (Deuteronomy 4:16), to perform the covenant (Deuteronomy 4:13). Hearing must be in order to doing; knowing in order to practice. God’s commandments were the way they must walk in, the rule they must keep to. What are laws made for but to be observed and obeyed?

4. He charges them to be very strict and careful in their observance of the law (Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 4:15; Deuteronomy 4:23). Those that would be religious must be very cautious, and walk circumspectly. Consider how many temptations we are compassed about with, and what corrupt inclinations we have in our own bosoms.

5. He charges them particularly to take heed of the sin of idolatry, which of all other they would be most tempted to by the customs of the nations, were most addicted to by the corruption of their hearts, and would be most provoking to God, and of most pernicious consequence to themselves (Deuteronomy 4:15). Two sorts of idolatry he cautions them against.

(1) The worship of images, however by them they might intend to worship the true God, as they had done in the golden calf; so changing the truth of God into a lie, and His glory into shame. Let this be a caution to us to take heed of making images of God in our fancy and imagination when we are worshipping Him, lest thereby we corrupt ourselves. There may be idols in the heart where there are none in the sanctuary.

(2) The worship of the sun, moon, and stars is another sort of idolatry they are here cautioned against (Deuteronomy 4:14). This was the first and most ancient idolatry of all other, and the most plausible, drawing the adoration to those creatures that not only are in a situation above us, but are most sensibly glorious in themselves, and most generally serviceable to the world. It is intimated hero how strong the temptation is to sense; for the caution is. “Lest thou shouldst be driven to worship them” by the strong impulse of a vain imagination, and the impetuous torrent of the customs of the nations. Yet he shows how weak the temptation would be to those that would use their reason; for these pretended deities, the sun, the moon, and stars, were only blessings which the Lord their God, whom they were obliged to worship, had imparted to all nations. It is absurd to worship them, for--They are man’s servants, were ordained to give light on the earth; and shall we serve those that were made to serve us? They are God’s gifts; He has imparted them. Whatever benefit we have by them we owe it to Him. It is therefore highly injurious to Him to give that honour to them which is due to Him only.

6. He charges them to teach their children to observe the law of God (Deuteronomy 4:9).

(1) Care must be taken in general to preserve the entail of religion among them, and to transmit the knowledge and worship of God to posterity; for the kingdom of God in Israel was designed to be perpetual, if they did not forfeit the privilege of it.

(2) Parents must, in order hereunto, particularly take care to teach their own children the fear of God, and to train them up in an observance of all His commandments.

7. He charges them never to forget their duty (Deuteronomy 4:23). Though God is ever mindful of the covenant, we are apt to forget it; and that is at the bottom of all our departures from God. Care and holy watchfulness are the best helps against a bad memory. These are the directions and commands he gives them.

II. Let us see now what are motives or arguments with which he backs these exhortations. How doth he order the cause before them, and fill his mouth with arguments? And a great deal he has to say on God’s behalf. Some of his topics are indeed peculiar to that people, yet applicable to us. But upon the whole it is evident that religion has reason on its side, the powerful charms of which all that are irreligious wilfully stop their ears to.

1. He urges the greatness, glory, and goodness of God. Did we consider what a God He is with whom we have to do, we would surely make conscience of our duty to Him, and would not dare to sin against Him. He reminds them here that the Lord Jehovah is the one only living and true God. That He is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24). That yet He is a merciful God (Deuteronomy 4:31). It comes in here as an encouragement to repentance, but might serve as an inducement to obedience, and a consideration proper to prevent their apostasy. Shall we forsake a merciful God who will never forsake us, as it follows here, if we be faithful unto Him? Whither can we go to mend ourselves?

2. He urges their relation to this God, His authority over them, and their obligations to Him. The commandments you are to keep and do are not mine, saith Moses, not my inventions, not my injunctions, but they are the commandments of the Lord, framed by infinite wisdom, enacted by sovereign power.

3. He urges the wisdom of being religious (Deuteronomy 4:6). “For this is your wisdom in the sight of the nations.” In keeping God’s commandments they would act wisely for themselves. This is your wisdom. It is not only agreeable to right reason, but highly conducive to our true interest (Job 28:28). They would answer the expectations of their neighbours, who, upon reading or hearing the precepts of the law that was given them, would conclude that certainly the people that were governed by this law were a wise and understanding people.

4. He urges the singular advantages they enjoyed by virtue of the happy establishment they were under (Deuteronomy 4:7).

(1) Never was any people so privileged in speaking to God (Deuteronomy 4:7). It is the character of God’s Israel, that on all occasions they call upon Him, in everything they make their requests known to God. They do nothing but what they consult Him in; they desire nothing but what they come to Him for. Those that call upon God shall certainly find Him within call, and ready to give an answer of peace to every prayer of faith (Isaiah 58:9). This is a privilege which makes the Israel of God truly great and honourable. What can go further than this to magnify a people or person?

(2) Never was any people so privileged in hearing from God by the statutes and judgments which were set before them (Deuteronomy 4:8). Observe that all the statutes and judgments of the Divine law are infinitely just and righteous, above the statutes and judgments of any of the nations. The having of these statutes and judgments set before them is the true and transcendent greatness of any nation or people (Psalms 147:19). It is an honour to us that we have the Bible in reputation and power among us; it is an evidence of a people’s being high in the favour of God, and a means of making them high among the nations. They that magnify the law shall be magnified by it.

5. He urges God’s glorious appearances to them at Mount Sinai when He gave them this law.

(1) What they saw at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:11). They saw a strange composition of fire and darkness, both dreadful and very awful. He tells them again (Deuteronomy 4:36) what they saw, for he would have them never to forget it. He showed thee His great fire. It gave an earnest of the day of judgment, in which the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire. As he reminds them of what they saw, so he tells them what they saw not; no manner of similitude from which they might form either an idea of God in their fancies, or an image of God in their high places.

(2) What they heard at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:12). The Lord spake unto you with an intelligible voice, in your own language, and you heard it. This he enlargeth upon towards the close of his discourse (Deuteronomy 4:32; Deuteronomy 4:36). They heard the voice of God speaking from heaven. God manifests Himself to all the world in the works of creation, without speech or language, and yet their voice is heard (Psalms 19:2). But to Israel He made Himself known by speech and language, condescending to the weakness of the Church’s infant state. They heard it out of the midst of the fire, which showed that it was God Himself that spoke to them; for who else could dwell with devouring fire? They heard it, and yet lived (Deuteronomy 4:33). It was a wonder of mercy that the fire did not devour them, or that they did not die for fear, when Moses himself trembled.

(3) Never any people heard the like. He bids them inquire of former days, and distant places, and they will find this favour of God to Israel without precedent or parallel (Deuteronomy 4:32). This singular honour done them called for singular obedience.

6. He urges God’s gracious appearances for them in bringing them out of Egypt, from the iron furnace, where they laboured in the fire, forming them into a people, and then taking them to be His own people, a people of inheritance (Deuteronomy 4:20). This he mentions again (verses 84, 37, 38). Never did God do such a thing for any people.

(1) They were thus dignified and distinguished; not for anything in them that was deserving or inviting, but because God had a kindness for their fathers, He chose them.

7. He urges God’s righteous appearance against them, sometimes for their sins. He instanceth particularly in the matter of Peor (Deuteronomy 4:34). He also takes notice again of God’s displeasure against himself (Deuteronomy 4:12; Deuteronomy 4:22). “The Lord was angry with me for your sakes.” Others suffering for our sakes should grieve us more than our own.

8. He urges the certain benefit and advantage of obedience. This argument he begins with, That ye may live, and go in and possess the land (Deuteronomy 4:1). And this he concludes with, “That it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee” (Deuteronomy 4:40). He reminds them that they were upon their good behaviour, their prosperity would depend upon their piety. If they kept God’s precepts He would undoubtedly fulfil His promises.

9. He urges the fatal consequences of their apostasy from God, that it would undoubtedly be the ruin of their nation. This he enlarges upon (Deuteronomy 4:25), where God’s faithfulness to His covenant encourageth us to hope that He will not reject us though we are driven to Him by affliction. If we at length remember the covenant, we shall find that He has not forgotten it. Now let all these arguments be laid together, and then say whether religion has not reason on its side. None cast off the government of their God but those that have first abandoned the understanding of a man. (Matthew Henry, D. D.)

God’s dealings with His people

I. In reviewing the gracious dealings of God towards us, the great difficulty is to know at what point to begin. As a people, and as individuals, to God alone are we indebted for the multiplied sources of hope and enjoyment. We live under a mild and well-balanced constitution, and under the shadow of equitable laws. We possess a fruitful soil and temperate seasons. We enjoy an open Bible, and therefore have the full light of Divine revelation. We are favoured likewise with a pure faith and the reformed religion.

II. “Hearken therefore, O Israel,” was the inference of Moses on a review of the dealings of God towards the Jews: “Hearken, therefore, to His statutes and judgments so as to do them.” The Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, contain the records of God’s will, and His statutes for us. To hearken to these precepts we are bound both by duty and by gratitude. These are the strongest forces which can be applied to the mind of man.

III. By obedience only can we secure mercies yet to come. Of this Moses warned the Israelites: “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.” The promises vouchsafed to them had reference to temporal things. These could only be secured by obedience. The promises granted to us in the Gospel relate both to time and to eternity, for “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (H. J. Hastings, M. A.)

Hearken

Moses called upon Israel to “hearken.” Who can hear? Who has ever met a man, in any congregation, that could listen? What is wanted today may be described as good hearers. It is not given to man to rush away from his business, place himself down suddenly in the sanctuary, and call for revelations that he can appreciate. Men must be prepared to hear as well as prepared to preach. To “hearken” is not a mechanical exercise. The word “hearken” is charged with profound meaning; it represents the act of acute, ritual, profound, fervent attention. He who “hearkens” is in an attitude of eagerness--as if he would complete the speech, anticipate it, or elicit from the speaker a broader eloquence by the gratitude and expectancy of his own attention. Would that they who say much about speaking would learn the elements of good listening!--so learned, they would be dispossessed of themselves, their ears would be purged of all noises and tumults and rival competitions; and importunity being dismissed, anxiety being suspended, and the soul set in a posture of expectation, would receive even from slow-speaking Moses statutes and precepts ,solemn as eternity, and rich as the thought of God. “He that hath ears to hear,”--not for noises to please,--“let him hear.” Such hearing is almost equal to praying; such listening never was disappointed. (J. Parker, D. D.)

The Bible the wisdom of nation

Consider--

I. That the Bible brings greatness to a nation; because--

1. When received and obeyed, it brings God’s blessing with it.

2. It elevates the national character.

II. That it is the duty of all to have a personal acquaintance with the Scriptures, and to instruct the young in them. (S. Hayman, B. A.)