Deuteronomy 4-5

Intro

The God who brought Creation into existence by speaking the Word (Ps. 33:6–9) has ordained that His people should live by hearing and obeying His Word.

The verb “to hear” is used nearly 100 times in the Book of Deuteronomy.

The traditional Jewish confession of faith (Deut. 6:4–5) is called “The Shema,” from the Hebrew word which means “to hear, to pay attention, to understand, to obey.”

To the Old Testament Jew and the New Testament Christian, hearing the Word of God involves much more than sound waves impacting the human ear.

Hearing God’s Word is a matter of focusing our whole being—mind, heart, and will—on the Lord, receiving what He says to us and obeying it.

The Word of God must penetrate our hearts and become a part of our inner being if it is to change our lives.

That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Who has ears to hear, let him hear

Read Deut 4:1-8

I. Vs. 1-2 Hear the Word

After Moses gives Israel a lesson from its recent history he tells them to listen to the statutes of God’s Word

We are called to be not just hearers of the Word but doers

Obedience is essential for every believer

Obedience brings life and it was important for the Israelites as they were getting ready to enter into the promised land

When God speaks, He sets before us life and death, and our response determines which it will be.

The Lord not only tells us what to do but He also explains the truth behind His commands.

Believers today must find their life and victory in God’s Word. Unless we know what God commands, we can’t obey Him

At the same time Moses tells the people not to add or subtract from the Word

Prov 30:6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day jealously guarded the Scriptures, yet they were guilty of taking away from the Word of God by replacing it with their own traditions (Mark 7:1–13).

If God’s Word is our life, then we’re jeopardizing our own future if we don’t honor the Word and obey it from the heart

II. Vs. 3-8 Avoid Idolatry

One of the biggest problems Israel had was idolatry

It was more than just worshipping idols, it was the immoral lifestyle that accompanied it

Moses reminds them of what God did at Baal-peor

The false prophet Balaam tried to curse Israel 3x’s

When that didn’t work he lured Israel into compromise

He invited them to a Moabite religious feast which included intercourse with prostitutes

One man even brought back his date into the jewish camp

God killed 24,000 men that day

What the enemy couldn’t accomplish with curses and fighting he accomplished with compromise and “friendship.”

God’s people must be careful not to become friendly with the world (James 4:4) or spotted by the world (1:27), because this leads to loving the world

To fear the Lord means to respect who He is, what He is, and what He says, and by our submission and obedience show Him that we love Him and want to please Him.

Psalm 25:12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

Vs. 5 Moses reminds them that the whole time he has been teaching them the statutes and rules

This instruction was so that they would use it in the promised land

All Biblical instruction is for you to apply to your life

Keeping God’s Word brings wisdom and understanding

It is also a testimony to other nations

Israel would be declared a wise and understanding people

Moses ends this section by asking the people “What great nation has a god so near to it?”

We can call on Him whenever we want because He is near us

III. Vs. 9-14 Take Care of Your Soul

vs. 9 Keep you soul

Moses has told the people to hear the word and obey it

He has warned them against idolatry and the lifestyle that went with it

Now he tells them to take care of their souls

We need to be diligent in this endeavor lest we forget

If we forget the Word departs from our hearts

Then he tells us to make them know to your children and grandchildren

This is interesting

The responsibility falls on the parent for their Spiritual knowledge

This shows us the priority of God’s Word in our lives

We need to study it, be taught it, and then in turn teach it

vs. 12 Lord spoke out of the midst of the fire

Moses then tells them how God gave them the 10 commandments

It was at Mount Sinai when God descended in a cloud on the mountain top and spoke through the fire

The mountain burned and Israel heard the words but saw no form, or person

vs. 13 Declared HIs Covenant thru 10 commandments

There God declared His covenant

The covenant was simply to obey the 10 commandments

Moses would teach them so they would understand

If they obeyed God’s Word Israel would be the most prosperous nation in the world

Unfortunately that didn’t happen

There is still blessing for those who follow God’s Word

IV. Vs. 15-31 Watch Yourselves

vs. 16 Beware lest you act corruptly

Moses circles back around and tells Israel to watch themselves

The draw of idolatry is great but underneath that is a desire to be like everyone else

Christians fall for this every time

We are called to be set apart or sanctified but in fear of looking different we will conform to the world

vs. 16-19 are a description of all the different kinds of gods that were worshipped

Most were associated with nature like the sun or animals

Following after these gods is to act corruptly

vs. 20 Brought you out of the iron furnace

Instead we need to remember that God brought Israel out of the furnace that was Egypt

He set them free from slavery and made them His own and gave them the promised land as an inheritance

Moses also gets another dig in for missing the promised land by blaming them

Which he uses to remind the people to keep the covenant

vs. 24 The Lord is a consuming fire

In yet another warning Moses tells Israel God is a consuming fire

I know we like to sing this line in worship songs but Moses is being dead serious

If Israel wanders from obedience they will perish and the land will be taken from them

They will be scattered among the people of the earth with just a remnant in Israel

That remnant will be controlled by many different nations

vs. 29 When it gets really bad you will seek the Lord and you will find him if you do it with all of your heart

vs. 31 The lord is merciful

To show mercy means to have compassion on someone who is not able to help themselves

Jesus showed compassion several times in the Gospels

Moses promises 3 things in God’s Mercy

He will not leave you

He will not destroy you

He will not forget His covenant

V. Vs. 32-40 The Love of God

When you’re raising small children, you use rewards and punishments to teach them to obey; but when they get older, you hope that character and love will motivate them to shun evil and do what’s right

God doesn’t want His children obeying Him just to get blessings or to avoid chastening, but because they love Him from the heart.

The word “heart” is mentioned more than forty times in Moses’ speech, and the Shema (6:4–5) emphasizes love for the Lord.

When Moses gave the law to the older generation at Sinai, the emphasis was on the fear of the Lord (Ex. 19:10–25; 20:20), but his application of the Law to the new generation magnifies God’s love for Israel and the importance of Israel loving the Lord.

They were now to be a mature people who obeyed God from the heart.

The Lord is a merciful God (Deut. 4:31), but we shouldn’t tempt Him because He is also a jealous God (v. 24).

VI. Vs. 41-43 Cities of Refuge

VII. Vs. 44-49 Intro to the Law