A GREAT NATION BECAUSE OF GOD’S LAW

Deuteronomy 4:1-14 / Keywords 4:7-8

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

 

4:1 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 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.

3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

1. After summarizing their history in chapters 1-3, Moses calls all Israel to hear God’s law (1), revealing what a great blessing it is. Why were laws a blessing? First, if the Israelites obeyed these laws, God would establish them in the land (1-2). Second, these laws explained the Israelites experiences and history (3-4). Third, obeying these laws taught them how to live in the land, setting an example to be admired by all (5-6). Finally, and most importantly, God would dwell among them and hear and answer their prayers (7). All the laws in Exodus centered around the Tabernacle (God’s dwelling among them). God’s laws gave the Israelites their identity as God’s blessed and great nation (8). And this was God’s law: Remember what God has done for them and honor him.

2. God wants to bless a thousand generations (5:10). Moses was teaching the second generation to teach the third generation. They must not forget all God has done but teach their children so they may learn to revere God as long as they live. This included the covenant and the Ten Commandments. In the same way, we pray for the next generation to know the blessing of God’s law that points to Jesus.

Prayer Father, thank you for your law, which you gave so that we may live with you as your people. Thank you for fulfilling this through Jesus. Help me keep it and teach it to others.

One Word Blessed are those who keep the law