With Advantage, Comes Privilege But Also Responsibility

Deuteronomy Chapter 4 – Part One: Moses Reminds the People of their Advantage

Deuteronomy 4:1-8 -- The Passage and Some Thoughts

This whole chapter is loaded with gems for us to use in our lives today. We often miss these because they are found in what most would consider ho-hum books of the Bible, but as God’s Word, they are invaluable.  Take a look.

Verse 1 – Moses wants the children of Israel to listen to the statutes and judgments he was teaching them, which if they obeyed, they would live and possess the land God is giving them. In one sense, it is a “summary purpose” of the entire Word of God, the whole Bible – it is God’s message to us – if we listen and obey, we will inherit heaven, our promised land.

Verse 2 – Moses warns that no one is to add or deduct any from these statutes. That still holds for us today, yet many preachers are either ignoring certain parts of God’s Word or they are adding their own requirements. As far as God is concerned, that’s a non-starter. Woe to those that do that.

Verse 6 – Moses says these statutes and judgments are to be kept and carried out; they are “your wisdom and your understanding”. As I get older, I am startled that some younger folks actually appreciate what they call (to my surprise) “my wisdom”. For my part, I just feel that I’m using God’s principles of life as taught to me in His Word. Moses tells them if they apply that wisdom, people will see Israel as a “great nation that has wise and understanding people.” I believe that is how we as the Church could have been viewed by so many in the world, but perhaps we blew our chance when we did not hearken to, learn, and follow God’s statutes and judgments for us.

Verse 7 – I love this verse. Moses is asking the people to name any other nation that has a god so near to it as is “the Lord our God whenever we call on Him.” Only Israel did and may still do. Only the Body of Christ does today. We seem to live unaware of that very fact, that incredible difference, between us and the rest of the world. We often live like losers, when in fact we are, as Romans 8:37 says, “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

Verse 8 – And not only is Israel and we the Body of Christ great because of our God, but we are great because of the very righteous nature of the whole law which God has given us. As much as we try, and providing we use the correct context, we cannot find any – not one iota – fault with the Law of God. It is 100%-proof. No further experiments or research is required. Nothing surpasses it.

Robert Jamieson points out that for the Israelites, as a result of what God has done for them and given them, they have both a privilege (of being so blessed) and a responsibility (of teaching this Law of God to all generations).  That privilege and responsibility applies to us as believers in Christ Jesus today.

Wrap-up

How then can we lose? We have a great God Who has given us a great Law to live by. Let us go out there and live as such.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.