Remember; Worship the Creator not the creatures; and Don't Underestimate God's Jealous Love for You.

Deuteronomy Chapter 4: Part 3: Moses Continues His Advice Reminding Israelites of 3 Key Things to Avoid & 2 Key Things about God

Deuteronomy 4:15-24 -- The Passage and Some Thoughts

Hopefully you have your favorite version of the Old Testament nearby so you can follow our study. I personally use the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and my thoughts are based on the wording therein.

In verse 16, first, he reminds them that they are not to have or make any graven image in the form of any figure, in the form of any living thing. He reminds them that they had never actually seen God and thus have no idea of what He looks like – so no idols to worship. We would do well to remember that all those pictures of God that we have, including Michelangelo’s portrait of God on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in his “The Creation of Adam” painting is not how God looks. So, folks let’s stop with the graven images of God, Christ, and all the saints.

In verse 19, Moses warns the children of Israel that they are not to worship anything they see in the sky – not the sun, not the moon, nor the stars. And we are not to ‘worship’ them – that means no ‘astrology’ lovers in God’s Chosen People or in the Christian faith. Oh, how it breaks my heart to see my good friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, following their ‘horoscope’ (just for fun) and serving it in the sense that they try to bring its words about (just for fun). Sorry, that is not for fun. God wants no part of it. Let’s stop that.

Whether it is man, or beast, or fish, or bird, or objects in the sky – God doesn’t want us to worship what He has created, but rather to worship Him, the Creator.

And he also reminds us that those heavenly bodies are there for “all the peoples under the whole earth”. Getting to the moon first, or later to Mars, is one thing.  But once we get there, we better not try to keep others from joining us.

In verse 23 he shares the third key thing to avoid in this passage – he says, “don’t forget the covenant which God made with you”.  No graven images, no astrology, and no forgetting of the covenant. Hey, guys, can you remember that?  Can we remember those things?

Let’s backtrack a bit to verse 22 where Moses once again shares what is personally foremost on his mind. He tells the sons of Israel that he would die right there without crossing over to the promised land on the east side of the Jordan River. He reminds them in verse 21 that it was on account of them that God got angry with him and wouldn’t let him cross. Clearly, something that was very much on his mind as he faced the end of his days. But he remained a ‘statesman’ for the children of Israel to the end.

Now we can’t leave this passage without focusing on the two things Moses shares about God. The first is in verse 20. What God did, taking the people out of the iron furnace, that is out of Egypt and the slavery they were in, He did so that they would be a people “for His own possession”. Wow, do we get that?  The children of Israel were then, still are, and we too are now His people not for our sake, but for “His own possession” – our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is about HIM, not us. Yes, we benefit from it greatly, but each of our relationships with Him is for His glory. Many Christians just don’t get that. And when they do, some don’t like it. And they lose out on so much more blessing. Have you and I gotten that straight?  And if so, can we live with it?  I hope so.

Then the second thing he tells us about God is found in verse 24: “Your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God”. Perhaps the best thing we can do at this point is to ask ourselves a) what does that mean to me? and b) understanding that, how does it impact my life? I can only speak for myself, based on what I have studied so far. God being a “consuming fire, a jealous God” for me means that He is not to be two-timed. We are not to cheat on God. And yet we often do. But ultimately, He won’t allow us to go on like that. He loves us enough to keep giving us chances to get it right, but in the end, He is a jealous God and won’t tolerate anything but total devotion. May we never feel the “consuming fire” of God personally. Have you ever been so in love with someone (hopefully your spouse) that you were so jealous of them? Well, to be honest, probably since you don’t own them, nor did you create them – it’s not a good thing. But it may help us to understand how God feels about us – He is a jealous lover of you and me. And He has every right to because He did create us.  And secondly, if we are Christians, He purchased us (we are His) with the blood of Jesus Christ.

With that in mind, I must live my life in such a way that I am seriously seeking to please Him more and more each day – correcting my errors, seeking to be forgiven for my sins, and disciplining myself to not repeat them – because I love Him, and I love Him because He first loved me.

Wrap-up

So, what’s the takeaway from these few verses for us today? For me, it’s simply this – “remember your God; worship the Creator; and don’t underestimate His jealous love for you.”

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