Verse 1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
For people to possess eternity in Heaven, they must do this – keep God’s commandments and judgements. “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” (Luke 16:16) Although Christian believers no longer live under the Old Testament law, the 10 commandments still stand. Jesus said all the law and the prophets were summed up in loving God and in loving people. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) If believers are doing that, they are keeping the law and the 10 commandments. If Christian believers go, preach the gospel, cast out devils and heal the sick, they are obeying the commandments of Jesus.
Verse 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
This verse is a commandment. No one today has the authority to change the Word of God or to teach interpretations other than what the Bible actually says. This goes for the entire 66 books. All the versions that change the written Word and thereby the meaning of the Word violate this commandment. Those people, believers and non believers alike, who insist on using a particular false Bible version because their church uses it or their family members use it or they like the readability of it are not obeying God and are participating in the breaking of this commandment. This warning is also in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:19) According to this verse, people cannot enter into eternity in Heaven if they alter the Word of God. Using an incorrect version or fake bible is a serious matter.
Verses 3-4 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.
The people had seen the judgment of God when He destroyed the men who rebelled against Him and against Moses, and they also saw that God had mercy on those who did not rebel and they were alive to hear Moses speak the words recorded in this chapter. God did not allow sin to remain in the Hebrew camp and removed those who sinned against Him. We are to not allow sin to remain in our camp (our lives and in the people we associate with) and we are to repent of our sins and to remove ourselves from those who will not repent. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17) This does not mean that we quit our jobs because of the unrepentant people we work with or that we never talk to sinners. Of course we cannot witness to people that remain in sin without being with them and showing love and compassion. It means we are not to embrace their life style and beliefs and behaviors and they are not to become part of our lives. We are not to date and marry unbelievers and we are not to mingle our finances with unbelievers. We are to live in the kingdom of God and not in the world system as much as is physically, mentally, and emotionally possible. We must guard against adopting the things of the world and the people in it as they will eventually come between us and our Lord.
Verse 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
Application: Moses declared that he had taught the people what God had instructed him to teach. Likewise, we as disciples have to just teach what God has instructed us to teach. We cannot put our own interpretation of the scriptures forth as being from God. We have to remain true to the Word. It says what is says and that is that. If we or the person we are teaching disagrees with what the scriptures are saying, they cannot be twisted to fit our own doctrines and beliefs. We are not the authors of the Bible and it is not ours to change and rewrite. The words are the very words of God.
Verse 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
The purpose of establishing the nation Israel in the geographical location God chose was for them to be an example to all the other heathen/pagan nations around them. The land they were promised sat between major trade routes from Africa, Asia and Europe. As foreign commerce traveled through the land of Israel, the lifestyle, religion and government given to the Hebrew people would serve as a witness of the greatness and goodness of God. Unfortunately, the people strayed from God repeatedly and adopted the beliefs and lifestyles of the foreigners traveling through the land.
Verses 7-8 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
The nation Israel was the first of its kind in the history of mankind, and it was the last. God Almighty had His very presence in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple in Jerusalem as evidenced by the pillar of fire at night and the cloud by day. After the nation rebelled and rejected their God, He took His presence away. No other nation has had the LORD God “so nigh unto them”. No other nation has had a system of worship and governance that is directly from God Almighty and that is righteous and just.
Verses 9-10 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
After over 40 years in the wilderness living with the Hebrew people, Moses knew them very well and he knew they would rebel against God after he was gone and no longer present to shepherd them. The people he was addressing at this time were the children of the original adults that came out of Egypt. Some of them would have seen the miracles of God as they were children, but many of them had been born during that 40 year punishment of dwelling in the wilderness until the older, rebellious generation died and were buried. Moses’ admonition to the Hebrews was to remember the past and to teach it to their children so that the story of the Hebrew people and their miraculous exodus out of Egypt would never be forgotten, and the LORD God would continue to be the center of their existence and would receive their obedience, praise, and worship.
Verses 11-14 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
The Hebrew word translated as “covenant” is “bariyth” and it means an alliance, pledge, treaty, or an agreement. The agreement included the ten commandments and was between the house of Israel and the LORD God. These commandments were so important to God that He wrote them Himself in stone. Moses did not go up into the mountain with a bunch of tools for stone work. These tablets were in the writing of God. Stones were set up as markers and they were used to set up pillars unto the LORD. “And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.” (Genesis 35:14) Stone in its natural condition was used for altars to God. “And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.” (Exodus 20:25) Stones were used to carry out capital punishment. “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:27) “And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD. shall be put to death.” (Leviticus 24:16) Stones were used as a memorial. “. . . and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” (Joshua 4:7) Stones were used for a witness. “And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.” (Joshua 24:27) Stones were used as a weapon. “And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.” (1 Samuel 17:49-50) Stones were used as building foundations. “And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.” (1 Kings 5:17) Stones were used as walls. “And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.” (Ezekiel 26:12) Stone was used to represent Jesus Christ. “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” (Psalms 118:22)
Application: Stone is long lasting and does not change its characteristics or composition. The stone tablets were/are representative of the character of God Almighty and of Jesus Christ: He is eternal and does not change. Stone does not move by itself and has been used for foundations. God does not move but is always there to hold His people on firm footing as they walk through the trials and temptations of this sinful world. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19 His commandments and laws are the foundation of societies. The stone tablets were/are that which would determine sin and the punishments for sin were listed in the statutes and judgements given to Moses. The stone tablets were/are markers for showing the traveler the right way to go through life on Earth. The stone tablets were/are the pillars upon which righteous living is supported. People have boundaries and direction through these commandments to know God’s expectations, His will, and how to treat others. By following the commandments written on the stone tablets, each and every believer in Jesus Christ becomes an altar as they are living sacrifices. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 The stone tablets were/are a memorial and a witness to the governance of God who loves mankind enough to provide law, statutes and judgement by which to live and by which to keep Satan from gaining a foothold in each and every life. The stone tablets provide a wall or divider between the people of God and the people of Satan. Satan’s people do not follow the commands of God and work to break all the commandments they can. Finally, the stone tablets are a weapon to use against the powers of darkness and those who chose to follow after Satan and his fallen angels.
Verses 15-19 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: 19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
Moses once again warns the people that because they never saw any form or image of their Lord on the mountain they are to be very careful not to fall into idolatry. People want something that they believe in to have substance that they can see, feel, hear or smell. They have difficulty with faith which is believing in something that cannot be seen, felt, heard or smelled. The disciple of Jesus works with faith, believing in an invisible Lord and Savior. Today, in the mainstream religious establishment churches, crosses and other items such as images of angles are often seen in both the church buildings and in the church members’ homes. Catholics have statues and depictions of a dead Jesus on a cross to which their members give worship and reverence. This is strictly forbidden by God. He asked to what will we liken him? We are not to form idols and give them our time and money. We are a special people and as such we need to be obedient. Often, evil spirits will attach to an object so that when an individual brings the object into their home the spirit comes with it. Idolatry is of the Devil and belongs exclusively to him. This writer removed all cute little statues and collector’s item out of the house. Another friend of this writer was having difficulties and was a collector of cat statues. The statues collected were of the long necked cats depicted from Egyptian religious practices of old. These statues were taken outside and placed in bags and then smashed with a hammer. Another friend went to get a ceramic “kitten in a basket” item out of her closet and saw an apparition of a cat slink out of the closet and disappear. Needless to say, things improved in that house after the items the evil spirits were attached to were destroyed and the spirits cast out. Both of these friends have real cats as pets. They are not the problem. They are a blessing to us and a source of delight. The problem is with what the Bible calls graven images, a similitude (likeness or form) of something in the creation. Because God says don’t make them, buy them or put them in your home, Satan uses them to tempt believers to sin and to be disobedient.
Verse 20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
Egypt had idols and worshipped them. Some were forged in a furnace. God brought His people out of that nation so that they would be different and be a people from which the Messiah would come. When metal is forged, the impurities are burned out of it. God wants His people to be without blemish or spot, to be pure and holy. The Hebrews were to be a people to get an inheritance from God. They would get land they did not have to buy, cities they did not have to build, a righteous form of government under which they could live peaceably and safely, a religious system that was to keep them worshiping the creator and not the creation, and a Messiah to pay the penalty of death for their sins. No other nation in the history of the world has had all this inheritance given to them. Yet the people turned their backs on the Lord and rebelled, getting involved in idolatry and witchcraft that led to them participating in human sacrifice to their idol gods. Today we, as disciples, have to guard against the idols of this world that will take our focus off of Jesus and onto people, events and things. Anything or anyone that becomes more important to us than spending time with Jesus in Bible study and prayer is an idol. Our inheritance is the land of Heaven which we cannot buy, the city of our God, the new Jerusalem in Heaven which we did not build, a personal walk with the creator of everything we know and experience, and our sins forgiven by the death of our Messiah on the cross. Eternity with Jesus is our inheritance and we can forfeit it by getting involved with idolatry and the things of this world.
Verses 21-22 Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: 22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.
Moses repeated the fact that he was not going to be able to cross over Jordan and go into the promised land. The point was/is that actions by others can affect someone and be detrimental. Because of the Hebrews’ rebellion, Moses lost his temper and did not follow God’s instructions to the letter and, as a result, was going to reap the consequences. We as disciples must be aware of what we do and say and how it might affect the people around us. Paul talks about not eating meat from the market that was sacrificed to idols if it causes someone to sin. However, even though Moses was not to go across the Jordan river, he was in the promised land that had been given to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. So God was faithful and let him enter into the first part of the land they were to possess.
Application: Today, Jesus’ disciples have that great gift of grace, and just like Moses, if we do not follow God’s instructions to the letter and sin, we have an advocate in Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ who forgives us when we ask to be forgiven and gets us back on our journey to our promised land.
Verse 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
Application: Moses gives a command to take heed. That means to pay attention. How often do we pay attention to ourselves? Our attention is on the things of the world – family, job, finances, news, government, etc. Do we take the time to just examine ourselves and our walk with the Lord? This is something all disciples need to do on a regular basis. Are we walking in the New Covenant? Are we being faithful and living by faith? Is there a sin we are ignoring and need to deal with? Are we spending meaningful time with the Lord in prayer and Bible study? Like the Hebrews, are we giving our heart to idols such as money, power, prestige, things, careers, distractions like the TV and Internet?
Verse 24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
The Lord is a consuming fire. Fire destroys, purifies and illuminates. It is energy. The Hebrews saw that fire on the mountain. They were afraid of what they saw. We need to understand who God is and the power that He has. We are only alive and breathing because He loves us. He could destroy us at any time. Peter says that this present world and all that is in it will be destroyed by fire. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:7) That fire is the consuming fire of God. He never changes. He will destroy evil, purify His saints and illuminate our understanding. He is God and He is almighty.
Verse 25 When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
Moses understood the sinful nature of man. He knew that the Hebrews would follow their God for only so long and that they would eventually adapt to the heathen nations around them and adopt their religions. The rest of the Old Testament books attest to that fact and chronicle the rise and fall of the Jewish nation. Adapt and adopt was their policy, and today we have churches that call themselves ‘Christian’ but who have adapted to the world and adopted the world’s thinking and Satan’s morality. These churches use false bibles and preach a social gospel. Potlucks and Bingo are more often participated in than going into the highways and byways to preach the gospel and free the people from devils and sicknesses. Pagan practices are brought into the church such as Easter and are “Christianized” by religious ceremonies to make them look holy. Crosses of all shapes and sizes adorn the church-goer’s ears and neck as that is supposed to symbolize their religion and make them look holy. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus despised the cross which was the Babylonian form of capital punishment. Yet church goers insult Him with their choice of jewelry. Churches display in sanctuaries that are supposed to be the house of the Lord the flags of their nation, here in the United States that flag being the stars and stripes. Yet we are supposed to be in the kingdom of God and living by His words and by His judgements, not living by a corrupt human governing body. The mainstream religious establishment churches today are no better off than the Hebrew nation of old as they have drifted from God and are now in the camp of the Devil and his fallen angels or devils.
Verses 26-28 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
These verses are prophecy which came to pass when the 10 northern tribes were captured by the Assyrians and when the 2 southern tribes were captured by the Babylonians. Even though a remnant returned to the land during King Cyrus’ reign as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, they were finally scattered as prophesied in 70 AD when the Roman commander, Titus, surrounded Jerusalem. Verse 26 says that the Hebrews would utterly be destroyed. Today, the people occupying the former nation of Israel are not Hebrew. They are Khazars and descendants of Esau, a fact that has been proven by genetic studies done by geneticists from modern day Israel. To learn more about this get a copy of Texe Marrs’ book DNA and the Jewish Bloodline. The Bible is true and does not lie. When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, all the records were destroyed with it. Therefore, all the records of genealogy were gone so that today’s so-called Jews cannot prove that they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact, genetic studies have proven that the Palestinians are more Hebrew than the people claiming their land. Verse 27 says that the Hebrews would be scattered among the nations and history bears this out. Verse 28 records that the Hebrews would fall into idolatry and abandon the very God that called them out of the nations to be a special people for Him. Instead of following the God of the Bible in the lands where they were scattered, they followed the Babylonian Talmud which they adopted when in captivity in Babylon so many years ago, and this collection of books is what is taught in Rabbinical schools and used in synagogues today. In these books it is taught that Mary was a whore who got pregnant by a Roman and that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a bastard burning in hot excrement in Hell. Copies of the Babylonian Talmud are available for purchase if you doubt what this writer has said and wish to research this for yourself.
Verse 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Application: Moses offers hope in the next few verses. There is the promise of finding the Lord if a person truly seeks Him. We today have to do the same thing. We have to seek Jesus with our whole heart and with our whole soul – mind, will and emotions. A few minutes a day reading the Bible or saying a quick prayer of praise or thanks is not seeking the Lord with our whole heart and soul. It is merely a formality done out of duty. The rest of the day our thoughts, feelings and actions are focused on the things of the world and we wonder why we have a bad day! In essence, we are in captivity in the physical world. We need to spend time in the spiritual world by putting our soul in the presence of Jesus and focusing our thoughts, feelings and actions on Him. If all our children or friends received from us was distraction and business when in their physical presence, would they want to stay around us for long? Probably not. If the Lord cannot interact with us because we won’t seek Him or spend time with Him, He won’t stay around very long either.
Verses 30-31 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
These verses contain another promise from Moses of help from the LORD when in tribulation. Moses predicted correctly that the Hebrews would loose everything God had given to them in the world because of their disobedience and idolatry and their rejection of Him. They would be scattered into other nations and not have an easy time. History bears this out to be true. But the Lord never forsook them. They forsook Him. These verses assured them that because of His merciful character, He would be there to help.
Application: Today, the believers in Jesus are the Lord’s people and even though we can wax and wane in our relationship with Him, He is still as merciful today as He was in Moses’ time and He will always be there for us and never forsake us. Mercy is when we do not receive from God the punishment for our sins that we deserve.
Verse 32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
Moses challenged the people to look back at history, the times past, as to whether there had been any events in the world to equal what they had experienced in their lives. When had a people been adopted by the God of Creation, made a great nation, been rescued from an evil and oppressive one world government, lead to safety through a sea and a wilderness, and then given a great land in which to live and thrive?
Application: Today, we disciples can be asked the same question regarding looking back into historical events. When Jesus, who is very God manifested in the flesh of mankind, came to Earth to take our sins away and to pay the death penalty so that we can enter our promised land, eternal life with the Lord in Heaven, this historical event was/and is the greatest event in human history. As a result, the Kingdom of Heaven came to Earth and the Church was established to tell the world the gospel, to cast out devils, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and to release people from spiritual and physical bondage. No historical event that has ever been recorded has continued to impact people down through time in such a dramatic fashion. And this single event will continue to do so until the LORD Jesus Christ returns to this Earth in all His glory.
Application: This writer does not believe in the scientific presumption that the earth is a globe. Why? Because the teaching does not align with Scripture. (Check out the book, The Greatest Lie on Earth, by Hendrie.) Scripture teaches that the Earth is flat, not round. This verse by Moses who did not have a telescope or scientific books and journals with which to consult declares that God created man upon the Earth and that Heaven has limits, one side unto the other. On a round, ball like Earth, Heaven would not and could not have sides. It would just circle the earth and have no starting point or stopping point. If the Earth is flat, and all the scientific tests ever done prove that it is flat, then Heaven which is above the flat earth would have a starting and stopping point. Heaven, as we know it, was created along with the Earth. It is an entity and has substance and exists above the Earth, not around it.
Verse 33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
Moses is continuing with the point he made in the verse above that no people prior to the Hebrews experienced the wonders and miracles that these people experienced. They heard the voice of God coming out of the fire on the mountain and they lived to tell about it. At Creation, God talked with Adam in the garden. God talked with Noah. This was not new, but it had not occurred in centuries. The Hebrews were captive in Egypt for over 400 years. To hear the voice of God was a frightening experience for them. Today, we hear the voice of God in our minds through the Holy Ghost that indwells us spiritually and guides us unto all truth. We also hear the voice of God through His word, the King James Bible in the English language. His words tell us what to do in all circumstances of life. There is nothing that can occur in our lives that cannot be understood and dealt with through Scripture. The Bible is, as has been said before, our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It is and will be our guide through this earthly life.
Verses 34-35 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.
God took the Hebrews out of the nation Egypt as He had promised Abraham to form a nation out of Abraham’s descendants through which the Messiah Jesus would come. God was/is not a respecter of persons in that He decided that the Egyptians were less valuable than the Hebrews. Any Egyptian could join the Hebrews and apparently this happened as the people leaving Egypt were a mixed multitude. Throughout the Bible’s historical books the reader can see many times where people from other nations joined the Hebrew nation. Rahab and her family from Jericho is a prime example. “And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” (Joshua 6:25) Today, the Church of Jesus Christ is made up of people from many nations. It is a mixed multitude. What distinguished the Old Testament chosen people and today’s chosen people was not and is never their race as the Jews have always been a mixed multitude. It was their faith in God and their obedience to the Lord and to following His commandments that made them His chosen people. The original Hebrews were Syrians and they were not even called Jews until they inhabited the promised land and lived in Jerusalem from which the title ‘Jew’ came from.
This verse lists all the ways the Lord used to punish the nation Egypt and obtain the release of His people from bondage. Signs and wonders were part of the salvation process of the people. Today, God’s people witness to those that need to be saved from sin, death, and Hell by signs and wonders. Casting out devils and healing the sick are signs and wonders. They cannot be explained by science and by human reasoning. Every believer is commanded to witness and perform signs and wonders so that, as verse 35 states, the unbeliever might “know that the Lord He is God; there is none else beside him.” “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:14–18)
Verse 36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
God’s Word is our map, compass and instruction book. We are so very fortunate today to possess His words in written form, the Bible, so that we can read it, learn from it, do it and rely on it for our good and for the good of the people around us. The Hebrews did not have the Bible but God, through Moses, was beginning the written version of His spoken Words. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament and through it we learn the history of man and the divine nature of God. Here Moses is reminding the Hebrews of the fact that they heard the voice of God for the purpose of instructing them. Today, the Bible records the voice of God for us and He talks to us through His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, which dwells in every true believer, so that we can be instructed on how to live, how to serve and how to please Him. We no longer live under the Old Testament, but under the grace and mercy of the New Covenant recorded in the New Testament. The epistles are our personal mail and it is through them that we learn how to be New Testament disciples.
The second part of this verse refers to the Hebrews seeing of a great fire. This fire is power. It did not consume the mountain or the people. It is the fire Moses saw in the bush out in the wilderness. “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” (Exodus 3:2) It is the fire that appeared as cloven tongues on the day of Pentecost. “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:3) God is a spirit and a consuming fire as is described in verse 24 above and again in the New Testament. “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29) Let us not forget His greatness and majesty and give unto Him the worship and honor He deserves.
Verse 37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;
Why did the Hebrews get God’s attention, protection and salvation from bondage and death? Because He loved their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Hebrew people did nothing to deserve being saved from Egyptian oppression. In fact, when Moses and Aaron came to liberate them under the direction of God, they complained and wanted Moses and Aaron to leave them alone. Their bondage was familiar and freedom was unknown to them. Perhaps they were afraid of change. Even though they saw the great miracles, they continued to complain before, during, and after being freed. They rebelled against Moses and against God. When reading the Old Testament accounts of Hebrew history, the reader has to ask, “Why would God put up with them?” This verse gives the answer. God loved their fathers. Today, we have done nothing to deserve God’s attention, protection, love, caring and salvation. He gives it freely to us because He loves us. We only live and breathe and have the promise of eternal life in Heaven because He loves us. We can do nothing to earn that love. It is given freely. But we can understand it and appreciate it and live to please Him and love Him because He loves us first. “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
Verse 38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
The Hebrews had already defeated several kings and taken their land when Moses was reviewing this history. They knew that God had driven these kings and nations out so that they could go into the land which was to be an inheritance. They also had to know that after Moses’ death, God would continue to drive the pagan nations out. Many readers of the Old Testament wonder if God is a benevolent God since He allowed the Hebrews to kill all the people of these nations. What the reader may not know is that these nations were inhabited by devils and that they engaged in human sacrifice, one of their practices being burning children alive upon alters to various gods such as Moloch. In countries today this practice would bring the death penalty upon the perpetrators. God also has a death penalty and He used the Hebrews to carry it out. These nations knew that the Hebrews were coming and could have repented and followed God but they refused. They refused because the people were working with and for Satan and his devils. They had no excuse. God said that death was the punishment for sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Today, people around the world have technology so that they know what is being preached and taught. They can choose to repent and follow Jesus or choose to serve Satan. They have no excuse. Just like the pagan nations of old, people today must choose either to die or to have eternal life. Followers of Jesus have a land and an inheritance that is not of this world, but that is in the kingdom of God where there is no more suffering but only peace and joy.
Verse 39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
This verse is more than poetical. This verse is a commandment. We are to know and consider in our hearts that the Lord is God of all things. He is God of the Creation and God of the creatures in it. He is Spirit and can be everywhere and in everything at the same time. How often do we as believers take the time to consider His greatness? If we did, our problems would seem so small compared to His power and majesty. Do we really understand the awesomeness of our God? Do we really understand the greatness of His love towards us in that He bothered to come to earth and inhabit a fleshly body named Jesus so that He could provide the atonement we needed to be forgiven of our sins and to have the penalty of sin, which is death and Hell, removed from us? The churches today are so busy with their finances and plans for expansion, their social gatherings and choir practices, and their pride and position in the community that they have lost sight of the greatness of God. It is time to start to obey this verse every day and just take time to think about Him and what He really means to us.
Application: This writer has stated belief that the Earth is not a globe, but is flat like a plate. The verse above supports this in that Moses clearly says God is in Heaven above, and upon the Earth beneath. For heaven to be above the earth, the Earth has to be flat. It cannot be round. Think about it. Do you, the reader, believe the Biblical account of Creation or the round earth teachings we have today?
Verse 40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.
Moses once again commanded the Hebrews to keep God’s statutes and commandments. Why? For three important reasons. First, “so that it may go well with thee.” What is the it in this verse? We can only assume that “it” refers to life in general and all that life throws at us every day. Secondly, it will go well with their children also. By obeying the statutes and commandments, God is promising protection and good things to His people. Thirdly, “that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth.” The Hebrews had it made. All they had to do was obey. They would be cared for by God, protected by God, their children would be safe, and they could enjoy the land and the life that God had given them. Why wouldn’t they agree to these simple commands? History shows that they let sin into the camp and they listened to other cultures and nations which led them into idolatry. When they broke the law, they had to be punished. Today, we as disciples have only two commandments to keep which Jesus said covered all the law and the prophets. Basically these two commandments are love God and love your neighbor. We live under a new covenant and not under the old one made with the patriarchs. We no longer have to go to a temple to worship and make live animal sacrifices because Almighty God, manifested as the Holy Ghost, lives in us and not in temples made with hands. We no longer have to kill animals to shed blood for the atonement of our sins because Jesus did that once and for all when He was killed outside of Jerusalem. If we love God and put Him first and then love others we cannot participate in idolatry, kill, steal, covet other peoples stuff, commit adultery, lie, mistreat our parents, bear false witness or use God’s name irreverently. The commandments will be kept. The statutes were the law, and since no one could keep the law, Jesus came and kept it perfectly for us. We no longer have to worry about it. We have it made. We have safety, protection, our needs met and long life if we believe in Jesus and keep two, simple commandments. How great is our God!
Verses 41-43 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: 43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
In these verses Moses obeys God’s commandment to make what we today would call sanctuary cities where the person who accidentally kills someone can flee to for protection until a trial and determination of his innocence is made. It was a place where the family of the deceased could not revenge the death of their family member. Moses established one city in each of the three tribes who took land before crossing the Jordan river. Today in the U.S. sanctuary cities have been established in which people who have broken the law can reside without consequence. In some cases, these criminals have gone on to kill innocent residents of these cities. This was not the intent of God. The cities of refuge were not designed to shield the murderer from judgement and justice which in God’s rules resulted in a death penalty. God wanted to keep criminals out of the Hebrew communities, not shield them from the law.
Verses 44-49 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: 45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt, 46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: 47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon, 49 And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah. (Deuteronomy 4)
These verses finish the chapter and give boundaries and descriptions of the land on the east side of Jordan that the Hebrews obtained by the defeat of the the two kings, Sihon and Og,