Deuteronomy 4:1 – 14 “Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow so that you may live, and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.
Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.
See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
For what nation is so great as to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him? And what nation is so great as to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?
Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”
You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone. At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
News flash! The ancient Israelites were not the only people to have statutes and ordinances. The Code of Hammurabi was written in Babylonia in 1755 – 1750 B.C. Some of the tenets of that Code resemble some parts of the laws God gave to Moses, particularly, the idea of lex talionis – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Was Moses a copy cat? Not necessarily. Why couldn’t God make His Will known to more than one set of people? But the difference between Mosaic law and the Code of Hammurabi was the setting in which the laws were given.
When God gave the law to Moses, the Israelites stood at the foot of a mountain “blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.” And the Lord spoke to them out of the fire. That same God continued to demonstrate his constant Presence to His people by accompanying them on their journey as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
Moses knows that he will soon die and that the Israelites will go on without him. But Moses also knows that these same people are as willful as a bunch of sheep, wandering after the next tender blade of grass. This is why Moses is practically begging his people to follow these laws and to teach them to their children so that all the surrounding nations will marvel. “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
APPLICATION: A popular song from the 1970’s told us “Teach your children well!” These days many of us are distracted by our jobs, by current events, and by social media. Many parents are leaving their children to get all their values from TikTok, You Tube, and online gaming. While social media posts may inflame our emotions, they leave us without lasting values.
The warnings Moses gave the Israelites still apply to us. If we want our children to know God, we are the ones who must teach them. If we truly love God, we must be willing to tell those around us about Him. The literal meaning of the term “gospel” is “good news.” With all the bad news assailing us, we need all the good news we can get. The good news of the Gospel is that God is just, loving, merciful, all – knowing, and all – powerful, and that He has given good counsel for His people. But if we are to know God, we must read His word and teach it to our children.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Give us a hunger to know You and to study Your Word, so that we will be able to share it with our children and our friends and neighbors. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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