Deuteronomy 4:1-49

Deuteronomy: God’s Law of Love

Love and Obey the *LORD your God

Deuteronomy

Philip Smith

Chapter 4

v1 ‘Therefore, everyone in *Israel, listen to the rules and the laws that I will teach to you. Obey them so that you can live. Then you will go into the country and you will possess it. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, is giving it to you. v2 Do not add anything to the *commandments that I am giving to you. Do not take anything away from them. *Keep the *commandments of the *LORD your God that I ordered you to *keep.

v3 You saw what the *LORD did at Baal Peor. The *LORD your God *destroyed everyone who gave honour to *Baal. v4 Those people who remained loyal to the *LORD are still alive today.

v5 I have taught to you all the rules and the laws that the *LORD my God ordered me. Now you should obey them in the country that you will enter to possess. v6 Obey them carefully. That will show the people in other nations how wise you are. When they hear about all these rules, they will say this. “This great nation has wisdom and knowledge.” v7 No other nation has a god who is so near to them. The *LORD our God is near to us whenever we pray to him. No other nation is that great. v8 No other nation has such fair rules and laws like the laws that I am teaching to you today. No other nation is so great.’

Moses has described all the good things that God has done for the *Israelites. Because of that, they should obey God. Paul says something similar in Romans 12:1, ‘God has shown his kindness to you. Therefore I am appealing to you. Offer your bodies…’

Moses told the people to obey God’s laws. The result would be that they would live for a long time. Also, they would enjoy the country that God was giving to them. They should not add or take away anything from God’s laws.

Jesus said that too. In Matthew 5:18, Jesus said, ‘Even the smallest detail will not disappear from God’s Law.’ The Book of Revelation warns people about this. They must not add or take away from ‘this book’. (See Revelation 22:18-19.)

The laws that Moses gave were God’s laws. The same basic rules remain, although different circumstances may require some changes. We read in Mark 7:19 that Jesus declared all foods ‘*clean’. It is a basic rule that we must have *clean minds. After Jesus came, his people did not need the laws about ceremonies. The ceremonies were ways to describe what would happen in the future. By his death, Jesus *kept those laws perfectly.

Some of the *Israelites *worshipped the false god called *Baal at Peor. Moses reminded them about that event. The story is in Numbers chapter 25. Some men went to *Moabite women and they did wrong acts of sex with those women. The men also *worshipped the women’s false god. As a result, many people died with a disease. And the priests killed other people. The people who did not *worship *Baal were still alive. The *Israelites had to obey the laws that were in God’s *covenant. Then they would remain alive in their new country. Those laws would prove to other nations that the *Israelites had a great God. Those fair laws would show that God’s laws were better than the laws of other nations.

v9 ‘Be careful and watch yourselves. Do not forget the things that you have seen. Remember them as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to your grandchildren. v10 Remember the day when you stood in front of the *LORD your God at *Mount Sinai. He said this to me. “Tell the people to come together in front of me. They must listen to what I will say. Then, they will learn to respect me as long as they live on the earth. Also they will teach their children.” v11 You came near and you stood at the edge of the mountain. It burned with flames that reached up to the sky. There were black clouds and great darkness. v12 Then the *LORD spoke to you from the fire. You heard him speak. But you saw no shape. You only heard a voice. v13 He told you about his *covenant, the Ten *Commandments. He wrote them on two blocks of stone and he told you to obey them. v14 Soon you will cross the River Jordan to possess the country. The *LORD told me to teach all the rules and laws to you. And you must obey them in the country.’

Moses reminded the *Israelites that God gave to them the Ten *Commandments at *Mount Sinai. God spoke to them but they did not see God. Therefore, they must not make an image of him. They must be careful not to forget God. They should tell their children and their grandchildren about him.

Christians must remember what God has done. They should tell their children about him.

The flames, clouds and darkness show that God is magnificent. Moses warned the people. They had to obey what God had told them to do.

In Hebrews 12:18-27, the writer tells his readers this. ‘You have not come to a mountain that burns with fire. … But you have come to … the city of God, who is alive. … You have come to Jesus, who made the new *covenant.’ But the writer warns them. ‘Make sure that you do not refuse to listen [to God].’ We must listen to God and we must obey him. We have less excuse than the *Israelites. We have a better *covenant because we come to God by means of Jesus. He died so that God can forgive us. And Jesus makes people free from wrong things. God will now forgive our *sins, so we need not continue to be afraid. Jeremiah 31:33-34 describes the promises of the new *covenant.

The *covenant was a relationship and a special promise between God and his people. Deuteronomy refers to the *covenant 26 times. The *Israelites could show that they were God’s people. They did that when they obeyed his *commandments.

Today we have to trust Jesus in order to be part of the new *covenant. To trust Jesus means that first we have to confess our *sins. Then God will forgive us.

God told the *Israelites to obey his laws. Christians must show their *faith by what they do. James 2:14-26 tells us about that. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says this. ‘Not everyone who says to me “*Lord, *Lord,” will enter the heavenly *kingdom. My Father is in heaven. And only the people who obey him will enter there.’ The good deeds that we do will not give *salvation to us. But they are evidence that we are obeying God.

v15 ‘When the *LORD spoke to you at *Mount Sinai from the fire, you did not see any shape. Be very careful v16 that you do not act in a wicked manner. Do not make an *idol for yourself in any shape. Do not make an *idol like a man or a woman v17 or an animal or a bird. v18 Do not make an *idol in the shape of an animal that moves along the ground. Do not make an *idol in the shape of a fish in the water. v19 And be careful when you look up to the sky. Do not give honour to the sun, the moon, the stars or to anything that you see in the sky. Those are things that the *LORD your God has given to all nations to share. v20 But you are the people whom the *LORD rescued from Egypt. Egypt was like a very hot fire that melts metal. The *LORD rescued you in order to make you his own people. That is what you are today.

v21 The *LORD was angry with me because of you. He made a serious statement. He said that I would not go across the River Jordan. I would not enter the good country that the *LORD your God is giving to you as a possession. v22 I will die in this country. I will not go across the River Jordan. You will go across and you will possess that good country. v23 Make sure that you do not forget the *covenant. The *LORD your God made it with you. Do not make an *idol in the shape of anything that the *LORD your God has not allowed. v24 The *LORD your God is like a fire that burns everything. He is a jealous God.’

Moses reminded the people that they did not see any shape of God at *Mount Sinai. They must not make an image of God. Other nations made their false gods in many shapes. Moses made a list of the images that those nations used. Most of those images were in the religions of the *Canaanites, the *Egyptians and the nation called the Hittites. Moses told the *Israelites not to give honour to the sun, the moon or the stars. The *Israelites were different from other nations. God rescued them from the very difficult situation in Egypt. He made them his special people.

Peter tells Christians that they are special too. In 1 Peter 2:9 he says this. ‘You are … God’s own people. God wanted you to declare the wonderful things that he has done. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ He also warns Christians not to do wrong things.

Moses reminded the *Israelites that he would not go into the new country. That was because he had done the wrong thing. The *Israelites would go into the new country, but they must be careful. They must not make any *idol, because God is very *holy. If they did not continue to *worship God, he would be very angry. God did not want the people to *worship any false gods. The *Israelites should put God first. That is the only right way.

Christians must *worship God in a way that will please him. When they *worship him, they must respect him. ‘Our God is like a fire that *destroys.’ (See Hebrews 12:28-29.)

v25 ‘When you have lived in the country for a long time, you will have children and grandchildren. But do not behave in a wicked manner. Do not make an *idol in any shape. If you do such an evil thing, it will make God very angry. v26 Heaven and earth are my *witnesses against you today. You will soon disappear from the country that you will go across the River Jordan to possess. You will not live there for a long time. God will *destroy you. v27 The *LORD will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will remain alive among the nations where the *LORD will send you. v28 There you will serve false gods that people have made from wood and stone. Those false gods cannot see or hear. They cannot eat or smell. v29 But even there, if you look for the *LORD your God, you will find him. That will happen if you really look for him with your entire mind and with your entire strength. v30 All those things will happen to you and you will have trouble. Then you will turn back to the *LORD your God and you will obey him. v31 God has *mercy. He will not neglect you or *destroy you. He will not forget the *covenant that he made with your *ancestors. That was the *LORD’s serious promise.’

There was a danger that the *Israelites would forget God’s *covenant. They might enjoy the good things in the country and then they might start to *worship *idols. (People believed that *idols were models of their false gods.) If they did that, God would be angry with them. Many *Israelites would die. Other *Israelites would leave their country. An enemy would force them to live in foreign countries. There they would *worship *idols that people had made. That happened after an enemy defeated Samaria. (See 2 Kings 17:6.) And it happened when an enemy defeated Jerusalem. (See 2 Kings 24:10-16.) Even then, if they returned to God, he would forgive them. He would remember his *covenant and he would show *mercy.

In 1 John 1:9, the writer says this to Christians. ‘If we confess our *sins to God, he will forgive us.’

v32 ‘Now ask about the past, from the day when God created people on the earth. Ask about the period before you were born. Look from one end of the sky to the other end. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Nobody has ever heard about anything as great as this. v33 No other nation has ever heard the voice of God speak out of fire. But you have, and you are still alive. v34 No false god has tried to take people from another nation and to make them his own special people. God did that for you in Egypt. You saw him use his great power and strength. He used tests, *signs, *wonders and war. He made terrible things happen.

v35 The *LORD has shown those things to you. He has proved that he is the only God. There is no other God. v36 He allowed you to hear his voice out of the place where he lives. In that way, he taught you. On earth, he let you see his great fire. You heard his words from out of the fire. v37 He brought you out of Egypt by his great power. He came with you himself. He did that because he loved your *ancestors. So he chose their *descendants. v38 He forced out nations who were greater and stronger than you. He brought you into their country and he gave it to you to possess. It belongs to you today.

v39 So realise this today and remember it. The *LORD is God in heaven above and He is God on the earth below. There is no other God. v40 So *keep his rules and his *commandments that I am telling you today. If you do that, good things will happen to you and to your *descendants. You will live in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you for always.’

Moses ended his first speech and he told this to the *Israelites. No other nation had received direct knowledge from a false god in this way. God loved his people, the *Israelites. He rescued them from Egypt and he gave a country to them. He did that by his great power and by the use of events. God loved them and he chose them as his special people. God did great things for his people. That was proof that God existed. No other power could do that. The *Israelites should obey God’s laws. Then they and their *descendants would enjoy God’s *blessings for always.

Paul shows how this is the same for Christians in Romans 8:28. ‘In all things, God works to help those people who love him. They are the people whom God chose because of his plan.’

v41 Then Moses made three towns to the east of the River Jordan. v42 Suppose that a man had killed a person by accident. But he did not kill that person because he hated him. Then the man could run away. And he could go to one of those towns. Nobody would kill him there. v43 For the *tribe called Reuben, the town was Bezer. It was in the *desert. For the *tribe called Gad, the town was called Ramoth. It was in the region called Gilead. For the *tribe called Manasseh, the town was called Golan. It was in the region called Bashan.

These cities were in the south, in the centre and in the north of this area. In that society, if someone killed a person, the dead person’s closest relative could get *revenge. If a person had killed someone by accident, he could go to one of those cities. There he would be safe from *revenge. In chapter 19, you can read more about those cities and the laws about them.

Second speech: 4:44 to 28:68 – Practical rules for how we should live

v44 This is the law that Moses gave to the *Israelites. v45 He gave to the *Israelites these orders, rules and laws after they had come out from Egypt. v46 They were in the valley near Beth Peor. It was on the east of the River Jordan. They were in the territory that had belonged to Sihon, king of the *Amorites. Sihon had ruled in Heshbon, but Moses and the *Israelites defeated him. That was when they came out from Egypt. v47 They possessed the land that belonged to Sihon. Also they possessed the land that belonged to Og, king of Bashan. Those were the two *Amorite kings to the east of the River Jordan. v48 That land was the area from Aroer to *Mount Sirion (Hermon). Aroer was on the edge of the River Arnon. v49 It also included the entire valley to the east of the River Jordan. It was the area right up to the Dead Sea below the slopes of *Mount Pisgah.

Verse 44 starts a new section. It is Moses’ second speech. He reminds the *Israelites about all the *commandments. God had given those *commandments 40 years before. It tells us where and when Moses gave his speech. He gave his speech after they had *captured the country to the east of the River Jordan. In this speech, Moses repeated the *commandments of God. Moses also told the *Israelites how to behave in the new country.

Lord ~ a name for God. It translates the word ‘Adonai’ in the Hebrew language, which means ‘my ruler’. The word ‘lord’ (without a capital letter) means an ordinary ruler.

LORD ~ God gave this special name to himself. It translates the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Hebrew language. It is the Covenant name for God. It links to the words ‘I am’; it means that God has always been here.

covenant ~ the special promise that God made to his people. God’s covenant with the Israelites established a relationship between him and them. But they must obey him.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
ancestors ~ people in your family who lived before you.
commandment ~ a rule or a command that God gave to the Jews; the 10 rules that God gave to Moses. That was on the mountain called Mount Sinai (or Horeb); a command from someone who has authority.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Mount ~ mountain. For example, ‘Mount Sinai’ means the mountain called Sinai.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
keep ~ to do whatever you should do because of a promise or a law; to respect and to give honour to the law.
keep ~ to do whatever you should do because of a promise or a law; to respect and to give honour to the law.
destroy ~ to damage something so that it does not continue to exist; to kill people or animals.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
clean ~ good in thought and in action. But, in the Old Testament, many things could make a person not clean towards God. For example, if they touched a dead body, that would make them not clean. And the Israelites must not eat animals that God called not clean.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, it tells about the history and the beliefs of the Israelites.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or pray. Or they may kneel down or give a sacrifice.

sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
Moabite ~ someone from the nation called Moab; anything with a relationship to Moab. The Moabites were relatives of the Israelites.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
covenant ~ the special promise that God made to his people. God’s covenant with the Israelites established a relationship between him and them. But they must obey him.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
Mount ~ mountain. For example, ‘Mount Sinai’ means the mountain called Sinai.
commandment ~ a rule or a command that God gave to the Jews; the 10 rules that God gave to Moses. That was on the mountain called Mount Sinai (or Horeb); a command from someone who has authority.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Mount ~ mountain. For example, ‘Mount Sinai’ means the mountain called Sinai.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
faith ~ strong belief and trust.
Lord ~ a name for God. It translates the word ‘Adonai’ in the Hebrew language, which means ‘my ruler’. The word ‘lord’ (without a capital letter) means an ordinary ruler.

LORD ~ God gave this special name to himself. It translates the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Hebrew language. It is the Covenant name for God. It links to the words ‘I am’; it means that God has always been here.

covenant ~ the special promise that God made to his people. God’s covenant with the Israelites established a relationship between him and them. But they must obey him.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
kingdom ~ a country or a nation that a king or a queen rules; the kingdom of God (or heaven) means the people whom God rules.
salvation ~ when God saves people from the results of *sin and from punishment for *sin.
idol ~ an image of a false god that people give honour to; an object of wood, stone or metal that people worship.

worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or pray. Or they may kneel down or give a sacrifice.

sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to make such a gift.
Canaanites ~ the people who originally lived in the country called Canaan.
Egyptian ~ someone from the country called Egypt; anything with a relationship with Egypt. The Israelites were *slaves in Egypt before God freed them.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
holy ~ morally good; something completely good and perfect; something that people consider to be very important in their religion.
mercy ~ kindness instead of punishment.
sign ~ an unusual event that God uses to teach people something. But sometimes false prophets promised signs.
wonder ~ an event that astonishes people and it shows God’s power. But other people who did not love God sometimes did them too.
descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.
blessing ~ a good thing that God does for us; when someone asks God to do good things for a person or for people; when a person speaks good words about someone.
tribe ~ a group of people from the same race, who all came from one person. The tribes of *Israel were the 12 large families of Jacob’s sons.
desert ~ a wild place where there are small bushes and not much water. It has poor soil and people cannot grow crops there. So, not many people live there.
revenge ~ to get revenge means to return an injury that someone has done to you. God’s revenge is his desire to give the punishment that a person deserves.
Amorite ~ a nation of people who were among the original inhabitants in the country called Canaan; anything that has a relationship with that nation. There may have been more than one nation that had that name. The Israelites had to travel through Amorite country as they went to Canaan.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; Israelites is another name for the Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the Israelites. Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

descendant ~ a person in your family who will live after you.