Deuteronomy 6:10-15 - Battle Your Blessings
Introduction
The line of thought introduced here is developed more fully in 8:7–20, where the emphasis shifts slightly from the danger of defection to other gods to the danger of complacency.
Major Ideas
The grace of God is evidenced in that…
But there is a danger in being blessed by God’s grace…
To forget is less a memory problem than a moral one, a parallel to disobedience (8:11).
But there is a way to battle this danger...
6:13 fear. See v. 2 and note on vv. 1–2. Jesus quotes this verse in his refusal to bow down to Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8), demonstrating that he was God’s perfect Son, whereas Israel had failed its wilderness tests. See also Deut. 6:16 and 8:3.
And there is motivation for the battle against blessing…
4:24 a jealous God. God is zealous to protect what belongs to Him. He will not allow another to have the honor that is due to Him alone (cf. Is 42:8; 48:11).
God is jealous for his people’s unqualified allegiance. This is in fact the language of love (see also 5:9; 6:15; 9:3; cf. Heb. 12:29).
6:16 You shall not put the LORD your God to the test. Testing God is an act of disobedience and a lack of trust in him. Israel’s behavior at Massah (see Ex. 17:7) was a constant pattern in the wilderness (Num. 14:22). Jesus quoted this verse in his wilderness temptations (Matt. 4:7; Luke 4:12).
6:16 Massah. This name actually means “testing” (cf. Ex 17:1–7; Mt 4:7; Lk 4:12).
Testing involves a question about the capacity of the person tested. The recollection of Massah (Exod. 17:7; cf. Deut. 9:22) fits well in the present context because Israel’s ‘testing’ of the LORD there involved questioning whether he could take them safely through the wilderness and into the promised land. There too Israel was tempted to think Egypt a better option than the prospects ahead (Exod. 17:3), a great act of unbelief, reminiscent of the people’s refusal to go up into the land from Kadesh-Barnea (Deut. 1). The central point of this paragraph, therefore, is that Yahweh is capable of keeping his promise that Israel will enter the land.
6:20 When your son asks you in time to come. When a young son asked the meaning of the law, his father was to use the following pattern in explaining it to him. First, the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt (v. 21a). Second, God miraculously delivered the Israelites and judged the Egyptians (v. 21b). Third, this work was in accord with His promise to the patriarchs (v. 23). Fourth, God gave His law to Israel that His people might obey it (vv. 24, 25).
6:25 be righteousness for us. See also 24:13. This need not mean “righteousness as merited legal status,” which would clash with God’s gracious initiative (6:20–24; cf. 7:6–8). In context, the words mean “righteousness as the right response of obedience to God’s covenant.”
6:25 righteousness for us. A true and personal relationship with God that would be manifest in the lives of the people of God. There was no place for legalism or concern about the external since the compelling motive for this righteousness was to be love for God (v. 5).