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DEUTERONOMY
CHAPTER 4

1 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.

As I have said before, Moses used the incident at Kadesh-Barnea as a springboard and focal point from which he teaches the need to learn God's Word and abide by it. "Hearken" is a word which indicated listen, learn and do.
Possession of all God has for us cannot be received aside from listening, learning, and doing God's Word. God has great things in store for us, but they come through obedience to His Word.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

This caution not to add to or subtract from God's Word is found again in Revelation 22:18-19.
Here's another caution: don't interpret God's will based on feelings or desires. That's what Balam did for Balak.
Obedience itself does not warrant salvation. One can be obedient to God's Holy Word, yet never really KNOW God. Obedience though, IS evidence that God is at work in a believer.

5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

Both "wisdom" and "understanding" come from God. And God's Word to us yields a wisdom and understanding that is repeated by people of the world (verse 6). God's nearness is reflected in His people (verse 7), and there is no law of mankind that is anywhere close to being equal to God's Word for moral standards (verse 8).

9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Yet it is our responsibility as Christians to hear, learn and do God's Word, and to teach it to our children. The "world" is certainly not going to teach God's Word. Christians must do it.
The first "words" of God spoken to these people by God were the ten commandments. The people saw the thick clouds, felt the quaking of the ground and heard an audible voice from heaven. They saw no person or visible image. They HEARD God. This gives emphasis to the fact that we can not see Go'ds face today, but we can LISTEN to Him via His Word.

14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: 19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

God's Word is taught for a specific purpose: that people would put it into action in their lives (verse 14). More emphasis is placed on the fact that God was not SEEN. Therefore, any attempt to make an image in His likeness would be from the imagination of men, and abominable to God.
Though all things in heaven and earth reflect the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-3), nothing in creation compares to His insurmountable glory!

20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

God's true people are drawn from the furnace of iron. Egypt sympolizes slavery. Spiritual slavery is inescapable by the best efforts of the strongest men. Only GOD can deliver us from sin. ANd His purpose for saving us is to be "a people of inheritance." This means we will recieve what He has in store for us. And what God has in store for His people is the indwelling of His PERSON (Acts 2:38, Ephesians 2:22, 1Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:10).

21 Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: 22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Now here's something to really ponder: just what IS a graven image? Moses' use of the incident where he struck the rock instead of following God's instructions to speak to the rock is very revealing.
Did Moses make an idol there? Not physically, no. But he did in SELF. He worshipped self mor than God's Word at that rock. Now, THAT'S a REVELATION!

25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Moses is prophesying here. He realized under divine inspiration that these people will worship self more than God's Word, and that will lead them into all kinds of idolatry. He states that one day, because of this, they will lose their land and be scattered.
But a note of inspiration is in verse 29. Even when they are scattered, and held in slavery again, they can call upon God and find His presence. Only one condition is placed upon that promise: that they call upon Him with ALL THEIR SOUL.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Even in the "latter days" God will not forsake Israel if they will truly seek Him. God will not break His promise to save anyone who truly calls upon HIm (John 3:16, Romans 10:13).

32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?

No other person or nation had ever witnessed such a miraculous intervention of God. We might say the same thing about God's incarnation, life, death and resurrection!
Only ONCE in history did God become man, die upon a cross to pay for mans's sins, and rise again.

35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. 36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; 38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. 39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Twice here (verses 36 & 39) Moses states God's purpose in the exodus and 40 years in the wilderness. It is to prove that there is no other God aside from Him. He manifested His mighty power (verse 36), and He demonstrated His sovereignty through election (verse 37).

40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.

The "jist" of this statement is that Israel should learn God's Word and DO it. There are three rewarding results of doing this:
1) "that it might go well with thee.." - a life of spiritual peace.
2) "and with thy children after thee.." - a life that continues into the next generation.
3) "that thou mayest prolong thy days.." - a life of longevity.

Now someone may ask the question, "Why is it then that godly parents' children don't always follow the Lord and His Word?"
We must remember that ALL of God's promises are based upon one provision: a voluntary personal relationship with Him.
We should concentrate upon the same thing Moses is concentrating on: that we teach children FIRST to walk with God, and SECOND - walk with God in obedience.
41 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: 43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

Three cities were set apart as cities of refute on the East side of Jordan in the areas of land belonging to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 Manasseh.

44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: 45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt, 46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: 47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon, 49 And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

The words of this BOOK contain what Moses terms the testimonies, statutes and judgments of God that he preached before they crossed to the West side of Jordan.
They are testimonies of God's mighty and miraculous intervention, deliverance and provision for His people.
They are statutes of moral standards which direct God's people in living on a higher plane than other people.
They are judgments of God based on his righteousness and tempered by His grace - always applied in mercy.

Now go back and look at verse 1, and let's see a general conclusion to this chapter.
Moses' word there was "hearken." Again, I say, that means listen, learn and do.
Moses also said, "..that ye may LIVE, and go in and POSSESS the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
We don't really LIVE until we surrender to God. And we cannot realize the blessings of this life that God wants us to have, until we surrender to Him and obey His Word.

Please continue to follow with us daily in Bible study.