Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Deuteronomy 3-4.
In the first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses has recounted the incredible forty year journey of these people.
In chapter four, Moses turns to direct exhortation with the words, " And now, Oh Israel, listen..."
Moses desires two things:
- that the people actually do cross the Jordan when God gives the command. They have been here before, they refused to enter, God was displeased, and hence we saw them wander in the wilderness for forty years.
- once they cross the Jordan, Moses desires that they not fall into past sins against God, "so that they might live".
In his exhortation, Moses wants the people to understand three things:
- they are to obey God, know his commandments, and not change a single thing. He also lets them know that this is not a casual suggestion. Disobedience will lead to their doom.
- the are to refrain from idolatry. This has been a problem for Israel in the past (Golden Calf). They are about to enter a land filled with false gods and idolatry. Moses instructs them that God is a consuming fire, and a jealous God. He is their husband, they are his bride, and he gets very upset when his bride acts the part of the whore.
- the Lord God is one. The world is full of gods who can't see, hear, eat, or smell (a little sarcasm on God's part). But Moses recounts all the things that God has shown them, and exhorts them to understand.
We are witnessing the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. These chosen ones all came from Abraham's seed.
Our task is to understand the infinite beauty of being chosen by God. Can there be any greater privilege?
If we begin to understand this, then we too must understand Moses' exhortations, and apply them to our own lives. Not from fear of a terrible angry God, but from a grateful heart towards a Father who has chosen us, set us apart, and desires nothing but to lavish his love upon us.
