Deuteronomy 4

Study Guide 18: Deuteronomy 1-4 THE CHALLENGE Overview The Book of Deuteronomy is one of the most significant in the Old Testament. Jesus often quoted Deuteronomy. When tempted by Satan in His own wilderness (Matthew 4:1-25), Jesus quoted this great book three times! “ Deutero-nomy” means “ second law.” But the book is far more than a restatement of the Law given at Sinai. This book is also a commentary on the Law’ s deeper meanings. As we study Deuteronomy we sense the deep love that underlies God’ s gift of Law — and the love for God that is necessary if any person is to be obedient to Him.

Outline

I. Moses’ First Sermon1:1-4:43 II. Moses’ Second Sermon4:44-28:68 III. Moses’ Third Sermon29:1-30:20 IV. Moses’ Last Days31:1-34:12“ YOU” . In this first sermon Moses reviewed what God had done for Israel. But in looking back on what happened to the first, now-dead generation, Moses talked of what God did for “ you” and of how “ you” responded to God. In the Old Testament there is a strong sense of corporate responsibility for the acts not only of the present community but also of past generations. God’ s mighty acts of deliverance were performed not just for the Exodus generation, but for “ you” the living. In the same way, the living are to identify with and to learn from the sins and failures of past generations.

Commentary The Book of Deuteronomy is both important and fascinating. It’ s a book that puts new stress on personal relationship with God. Here the phrase “ Yahweh our God” (The LORD our God) is not only introduced, it is repeated. The Law is not some rigid set of impersonal rules. It is a vital expression of the love relationship that flows from God to His people, and is ex pressed by the people in obedient response. This book does have many passages that are parallel to teaching already given in Exodus. For instance:

Exodus 21:1-11matchesDeu_15:12-18 Exodus 21:12-14matchesDeu_19:1-13 Exodus 22:21-24matchesDeu_24:17-22 Exo 22:29matchesDeu_15:19-23 Exodus 23:2-8matchesDeu_16:18-20 Exodus 23:10-13matchesDeu_15:1-11 Exodus 23:14-17matchesDeu_16:1-17 Exodus 23:19matchesDeu_26:2-10Still, some 50 percent of the content of Deuteronomy is new. And what is repeated is often expanded by exhortations or by explanation of the deeper meaning of the duplicated laws. Many have pointed out that Deuteronomy has great historical significance. It is written in a well-known contemporary form. It has the structure of a national constitution: a treaty between a ruler and his subjects. This form is important because of the message it contained for Israel. God’ s redeemed people had a faith relationship with the Lord. Now God established the fact that in this relationship He is the Ruler, they the subjects. He is ready to bind Himself by solemn treaty to fulfill His obligations as their Ruler. But they must also bind them selves by the same treaty to fulfill their obligations as His subjects. In essence, this kind of treaty spelled out the obligations of Ruler and ruled, and set the pattern for a harmonious relationship between the two. The well-known form of this treaty, followed in the structure of Deuteronomy, included:

Historical PrologueReviewing the relationship which the Ruler has with His subjects. Basic StipulationsSpecifying the general principles that are to guide behavior. Detailed StipulationsExpanding on certain rules that are to be followed. Document ClauseCalling for ratification by the subjects themselves. BlessingsExplaining the benefits the ruler provides for good subjects. CursingsExplaining the punishments for subjects who violate treaty stipulations RecapitulationSummarizing the treaty.How is this form seen in Deuteronomy? Here are the passages that fit this treaty format. Prologue: 1:6-3:29. Basic Stipulations: 5:1-11:32. Detailed Stipulations: 12:1-26:19. Document Clause: Deuteronomy 27:1-26. Blessings: Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Cursings: Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Recapitulation: 29:1-30:10. So the very form of Deuteronomy held an important message for Israel. This nation had as its ruler not some human tyrant, but God Himself! There was no need for a human king in Israel, for God Himself was King. There was no need for a human military leader, for God Himself would lead, protect, and bless. If only Israel would live according to the covenant regulations God gave, the Lord was committed to do His people good. Moses’ first sermon then was particularly fitting. In it, Moses revealed what God had done for “ us,” His special people. And in that review of the relationship between God and His people, there are many lessons for you and me, and for those whom we are called to teach!

Lessons in Relationship: Deuteronomy 1:6-4:40 God’ s promises are sure (Deuteronomy 1:6-8). It’ s striking to note the way that the Lord talks about His promises in this passage. He speaks of them not as that which He will do, but as something He has already done. “ Go in and take possession of the land,” the Lord told Israel. “ See, I have given [italics mine] you this land.” What a striking statement. God’ s promises are so sure that God can speak of what He intends as already complete. We can apply this in our own lives. When we find God’ s promises in the Bible, we can claim them with confidence. They do not simply express what God will do for us: they are so sure, they express what He has already accomplished. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT We need to help youth and adults see God’ s promises in their “ has done” and not “ will do” character. Why not list a number of Bible promises on a chalkboard. (You can find promises for all situations in Zondervan’ s inexpensive, pocket-size Believer’ s Promise Book.) Ask each person in your group to select a promise which is important to him or her because it seems to speak to a present personal need. Go around the circle and have each person tell what promise he or she selected, and why it seems important. Then read Deuteronomy 1:8, and point out how sure God is of His promises. Lead your group to pray, thanking God now for what He has given (not will give!) to them. Be fearless and fair (Deuteronomy 1:9-18). When the burden of leadership was too great for Moses to carry alone, he appointed “ wise and respected men” (Deuteronomy 1:15) in the community to share his ministry. These leaders, with authority over as few as 10 and as many as thousands, were responsible to “ hear disputes” and to “ judge fairly.” Moses laid down basic principles which apply in any leadership role. “ Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God” (Deuteronomy 1:17). Leaders are not to be influenced by fear of what others will think, or by the position held by any woman or man. Each person is to be valued alike; each is to be heard. God’ s will is to be the ultimate consideration in how the leader leads and what he does, for God is the ultimate Judge. Face reality (Deuteronomy 1:19-25). Here Moses explained something of his motives for sending spies into the Promised Land. His original impulse had been to simply point to the land, and command the people to “ charge!” “ See,” Moses said, “ the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 1:21). But the people wanted to send spies ahead, “ to bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” Moses did not stop to inquire of God what he should do. He simply liked the people’ s idea, and acted on it. Was Moses wrong? Not necessarily. It’ s never wrong to find out as much as we can ahead of time about decisions we need to make. As long as when we do we are not overcome by the problems we foresee. After all, God is the ultimate reality, so whatever the difficulties that seem to lie ahead as we follow God’ s leading we need not be afraid or discouraged. In fact, these two warnings uttered by Moses (“ do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” ), are warnings for us today. It is not facing realities in our lives that gives us problems. It’ s how we react to what we see. Because God truly is with us, and we live by His promises to us, we can remain confident and calm. We can enter our own promised lands, unfrightened by difficulties and undiscouraged by setbacks. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT You might want to hold a debate over this passage. Resolved: “ Moses made a tragic mistake when he listened to the people and sent spies ahead into the Promised Land.” There are good arguments for the negative as well as the positive of this resolution. For instance, it wasn’ t having information about Canaan that created the problem — it was how the people reacted to what they discovered (see Romans 4:18-21). After the debate, have a general discussion. How should you and I go about making decisions? Should we try to look ahead and determine difficulties? Should we move on blindly? How large a role should circumstances have in our making of decisions? Should we really take circumstances as indicators of God’ s will? Fear is an enemy of faith (Deuteronomy 1:26-46). The people of Israel had been terrified when the spies reported how strong the peoples of Canaan were militarily. Their fear led them to even doubt God: “ The Lord hates us,” they cried (Deuteronomy 1:27). Moses simply called on the people to remember all that God had done for them, and to let thoughts of His faithfulness bring back their confidence. Moses’ words to Israel are wonderful words for us too. “ Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:29-31). The problem with Israel was that despite all the evidence of God’ s care, they still would not trust in Him (Deuteronomy 1:32). Their rebellion was a direct result of a fear that flared up into a terror so great that they could no longer see God as He truly is. This passage speaks to you and me too. When fears come — and they will — we are to look away from what causes us terror to remember who God is, and what wonderful things He has done for us. The memory of God’ s work in our lives is to quiet our fears, and restore our trust. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT One of the ways that Christians can encourage each other to trust the Lord is to share personal experiences we have had of His faithfulness. Read Deuteronomy 1:26-31 aloud. Then ask each person to rewrite Deuteronomy 1:29-31,as if Moses were speaking to him or her about something he has personally experienced in his walk with God. When the new paragraphs are written, go around the circle and ask each person to share what he or she has written. Talk about the experiences mentioned in each of their paragraphs, trying to help each other sense those ways that God has demonstrated His faithfulness to each of you. God shares our wildernesses (Deuteronomy 2:1-13). When the people of Israel had rebelled and refused to enter the Promised Land, God turned them toward the wilderness. There they would wander until the entire generation of rebels died. But looking back on those wilderness years Moses said, “ The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These 40 years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (Deuteronomy 1:7). Later Moses would add, “ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these 40 years” (Deuteronomy 8:4). There is no question that the years in the wilderness were harsh and painful. They were years of discipline, marked by daily deaths of those who had rebelled against God. How stunning to realize that God “ watched over [their] journey” and that in all those 40 years “ the Lord [their] God [had] been with [them].” God doesn’ t abandon us even when He is angry with us and forced to discipline. Even in the darkest of times there is evidence of His continuing love. The evidence in Israel was in the smaller things. Their feet did not swell. Their clothing, which could not have been replaced in the desert’ s hot, empty lands, did not wear out. It was in such little things, as well as in the manna God supplied daily and in the presence of the cloudy-fiery pillar over the tabernacle, that God showed His presence and His love.

LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Ask your group members to think back on a dry and empty time in their lives. How did they feel then about God? Near — or distant? Loved — or abandoned? Let those who wish share about those experiences. Then read Deuteronomy 2:7 and Deuteronomy 8:4. Point out that even in the wilderness God stayed close to His people, tenderly caring for them, even when they did not sense His closeness. Talk then about the little ways that God may have communicated His love and presence to your group members in their desert experiences. Helping your group be aware of and sensitive to little evidences of God’ s love can make a vital difference in how they may handle the difficult times in life in the future. Remembering victories (Deut. 2:14-3:20). In this review of history Moses honestly examined Israel’ s failures and time of discipline. But there are more verses given to the recall of victories than to defeats. It was in the victories that the clearest evidence of God’ s love and presence are found. He is present at all times. But how we enjoy Him when the good days come! Moses’ sin (Deuteronomy 3:21-29). In most of this passage Moses speaks of “ you,” setting himself apart from the people that he led. But Moses too had failed. The incident is reported in Numbers 20:1-29. The company came to a waterless area, and again murmured and quarreled with Moses. God told Moses to gather the people, and to speak to a great rock there, and “ it [would] pour out its water.” But Moses instead shouted out, “ Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses struck the rock with his staff, twice. The waters came. But God rebuked Moses. “ Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12). Many have debated the cause of God’ s displeasure. Some suggest that the explanation is found in the fact that the rock was a type of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:4). Moses had struck a rock once before (cf. Exodus 17:1-16). This seems to them to represent Christ being stricken on the cross for our sins. To strike the rock twice violated the type, for Jesus’ one sacrifice was sufficient. On the basis of that one sacrifice, healing waters flow whenever we call on Him in faith. Others see the cause of God’ s anger with Moses in his words, “We bring you water.” Moses here seems to take the credit for the miracle for himself and Aaron, and not give the credit to God. Whatever the explanation, God was angered. Moses had been told to speak, and Moses disobeyed. He struck it rather than spoke to it. A person who expects to lead others to trust God enough to obey Him must himself trust enough to obey — completely. Deuteronomy 3:1-29 tells us how much the punishment hurt Moses. He pleaded with God. “ O Sovereign Lord, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand. . . . Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:24-25). Moses yearned to see all that God would do for His people. But it was not to be. Moses was allowed to climb a height across the Jordan River and look out on the land. But God told him, “ You are not going to cross this Jordan.” Moses finally accepted what must be. And he had one of his greatest fears relieved. God would appoint another leader who would lead the people across the river, and cause them to inherit the land (Deuteronomy 3:28). How good to know that you and I are not the only ones who can carry out what God intends for His people, or even for our own families. God is able to work with us as long as we trust Him. But even if we are set aside, as Moses was, God’ s work will not be hindered or destroyed. Continue to obey (Deuteronomy 4:1-14). As Moses concluded his review of the past, he looked ahead to the future. The men and women who heard Moses speaking that day were those who “ held fast to the Lord [their] God.” They were alive; the generation that turned its hold on God loose and surrendered to fear had rebelled, and their bodies all lay in the wilderness. Moses was about to teach again the laws and decrees of God. If the new generation would follow the laws and decrees, they would continue to be blessed with success. The passage points out two purposes which God had in giving Israel His Law. First, obedience would bring the people blessing. But second, an obedient Israel was intended to be a witness to the world. If Israel observed the laws of God carefully, Moses declared, “ 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.’ 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?” (Deuteronomy 4:6-8) As long as Israel did not let God’ s Law slip from their hearts, but obeyed it, they would be a beacon to a lost humanity. In Israel God intended to display His beauty to the entire world. But Israel would never respond fully to God. There might be flashing moments of greatness — in this second Exodus generation, in David and his kingdom — but history records a great darkness as the people of God again and again turned away from God’ s Word. Their witness was not only lost, but their misunderstanding of the meaning of God’ s call and His Law became so great that Paul was forced to say, as had the earlier prophets, “ God’ s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24; cf. also Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22). LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT How important is a Christian’ s life to his or her witness? This passage suggests that the ancient world was to be convinced of the greatness of God not by Israel’ s preaching, but by her commitment to living out His Law. The evidence of such a national and personal life would compel admiration for God. Is it the same today? What is the most compelling witness that Christians can give to Jesus? To help your group grapple with this question, you might: Read and talk about this Old Testament passage. Share conversion experiences. What influenced each of your group members to accept Jesus? Was it something impersonal? A relationship with a friend or relative? How important was that person’ s life and character? Can it be expressed in percentages — 70 percent of his or her life, 30 percent of his or her words? Look at John 13:34-35. What does Jesus suggest will compel the world to acknowledge His reality and presence among His people? In fact, both a verbal witness and a life-witness are important in sharing Jesus with others. What is important is that our lives back up and demonstrate all that we say about Jesus. Showing people Jesus, and telling them about Him, are inseparable parts of effective evangelism.

No Idols — God: Deuteronomy 4:15-40From the time of the Exodus on through the final Captivity and destruction of the kingdom of Judah in 586 b.c. — a span of some 850 years — the people of God would be plagued by idolatry. Again and again they would desert the worship of God to follow pagan practices, entranced by the open sensuality of such religions and insensitive to the reality of a God who could not be touched or seen. In this Deuteronomy passage Moses warned against making “ an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or woman, or like any animal” (Deuteronomy 4:16-17). Moses looked ahead here, to foretell both Israel’ s failure and her punishments. But he also infused his warning with promise. When “ all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him” (Deuteronomy 4:30). Even though the people would be unfaithful, God would remain true (Deuteronomy 4:31). Idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:15-31). The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words has this to say about idolatry: The idol, or image, is anything that one may shape for use as an object of worship. The basic reason for this prohibition is that idols necessarily distort one’ s concept of God, who is Spirit (John 4:24) and who must be worshiped in harmony with His nature. Human beings who worship idols are led from dependence on God to reliance on some thing that expresses their own religious thoughts and motivations. In Isaiah 2:8-22 the prophet asserts that idolatry is an expression of human pride and arrogance. He insists, “ Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22) Though idolatry is essentially a spiritual sin, representing rejection of the true God, it is a sin that has moral implications. This is seen clearly in Romans 1:18-32. Here Paul clearly rejects the theory that idolatry is a “ primitive” religion, which in time must naturally develop into higher forms. Paul portrayed mankind as having a knowledge of God but suppressing the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18). People reject creation’ s testimony to the Creator and, instead of worshiping and thanking Him, create images to worship. This rejection of God cuts human beings off from a knowledge of their own moral character and denies them a standard against which to measure choices. Consequently humans turn to all forms of immorality (Romans 1:26-27) and sin (Romans 1:28-31). Deep within these God-rejectors is a sense of sin, but rejection of a knowledge of God renders them unable and unwilling to sense Him. This process of alienation had its culminating expression in Canaan, and in Canaanite religion. Yet it was in Canaan that God led the Israelites to settle. The stern warnings against idolatry and the original inhabitants’ practices linked with idolatry are found throughout the Old Testament. These passages, which use some 10 different Hebrew words for “ idol” and “ image,” are found in nearly every book in the Bible up to the time of Captivity. The Exile purged Israel: after the Exile, idolatry held no attraction to Israel. For a powerful satire on the futility of idolatry, see Isaiah 44:6-23. Idolatry was widespread in the world of the first century. Paul warned believers to stay away from events featuring idol worship (1 Corinthians 10:14). Though the idol has no real existence (1 Corinthians 10:19; 1 Corinthians 12:2; Galatians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:9) and idol worship accomplishes nothing (1 Corinthians 10:19), demonic beings are involved in pagan worship (Isaiah 44:10-22), and immorality was often interwoven (Isaiah 44:6-13). The remedy (Deuteronomy 4:32-40). What is the remedy for idolatry in all its forms? This last chapter of Deuteronomy’ s prelude informs us. We are to look back into history, and realize all God has done for us in this world of space and time. “ Has anything so great as this ever happened?” Has any other God ever spoken? Or created a nation out of slaves by miracles and power? All this, Moses explained, was “ because He [God] loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them” (Deuteronomy 4:37). God had acted because of His ever-faithful covenant love. In view of all this, Israel, and you and I, are to “ acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other.” Because we have a living God, we trust Him alone and keep His commandments.

Teaching Guide Prepare Memorize Deuteronomy 4:39 : “ Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”

Explore Give a minilecture overview of Deuteronomy, drawing on material in this guide.

Expand This introductory Deuteronomy passage touches on many different themes. Any or several might be developed as an effective group study. So consider the makeup of your own group, and their needs as you know them. Then pick one or two of the following activities to use when you meet.

1. How do we claim God’ s promises? Help your group learn and do with the “ link-to-life” process outlined above.
2. What is the role of circumstance in Christian decision-making? Young adults are often concerned about discerning God’ s will and making choices that will affect their futures. The study suggested above gives an extremely practical study of Deuteronomy 1:19-25.
3. How can we encourage each other to press on? Everyone faces moments of decision. How can we help each other respond to God when we sense His will? Let Moses’ encouragement of Israel teach your group how to help each other to a deeper trust in the Lord. The process to follow is outlined in “ link-to-life” above.
4. Can we still sense God when everything goes wrong? Help your group members look back to their wilderness times, and discover the little things that showed Jesus still loved them, and still was with them. See above.
5. How do we witness most effectively? By word, or by life? To help your group members learn how to share Christ effectively and to evaluate their own conversions, follow the “ link-to-life” ideas above.

Apply Moses concludes this preamble to the constitution of Israel with a call to reject all idols in favor of the living God. Like him we are to “ acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below” (Deuteronomy 4:39). Write this verse on a chalkboard and have your group members repeat it. Then remove it by erasing a word at a time, but each time have the group repeat the whole verse. By the time it is erased, they will have memorized this key Bible affirmation. Close with prayer, asking God to help each of you take to heart in your todays the reality of God who is Lord — above, and on the earth below as well.