Deuteronomy 4:23. Lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God Lest you either disregard the knowledge of God’s law, or wilfully disobey it, now it is declared to you, and thereby bring misery and destruction upon yourselves. read more
Warning to be obedient (4:1-43)The reason Moses outlined Israel’s history was to show on the one hand that God’s promises did not fail, and on the other that his judgment on disobedience was certain. In view of this, the people were to keep all God’s laws and commandments without altering them to suit themselves. If they modelled their national life in Canaan on these laws, they would benefit themselves and be an example to others (4:1-8).In order that Israel might not forget his laws, God had... read more
forbidden thee. Hebrew. zivvah, a Homonym = to command, and to forbid. Here it = forbid, also in Judges 13:14 , where it is wrongly rendered "command". read more
B. An exhortation to observe the law faithfully 4:1-40Moses turned in his address from contemplating the past to an exhortation for the future. This section is the climax of his first speech."The parallel between the literary structure of this chapter and that of the Near Eastern treaty is noteworthy. The author of the treaty is named (1, 2, 5, 10), reference is made to the preceding historical acts, the treaty stipulations are mentioned, the appeal is made for Israel to obey, the treaty... read more
II. MOSES’ FIRST MAJOR ADDRESS: A REVIEW OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS 1:6-4:40". . . an explicit literary structure to the book is expressed in the sermons or speeches of Moses; a substructure is discernible in the covenantal character of the book; and a theological structure is revealed in its theme of the exclusive worship of the Lord as found in the Ten Commandments, particularly in the First Commandment and its positive expression in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)." [Note: Patrick D. Miller,... read more
3. The prohibition of idolatry 4:15-24Because God did not reveal Himself in any physical form He forbade the Israelites from making any likeness of Him as an aid to worship (Deuteronomy 4:15-18). They were not to worship the heavenly bodies for this purpose either (Deuteronomy 4:19), as did other ancient Near Easterners. Christians may not face the temptation to represent God in wood or stone, but we must be careful about thinking we can contain or limit Him or fully comprehend Him. Even though... read more
First Discourse (Deu 1:14 to Deu 4:43)The long sojourn in the wilderness is now drawing to a close. The Israelites are encamped in the Plains of Moab within sight of the Promised Land. Moses, feeling that his death is approaching, delivers his final charges to the people. In the first, he reviews briefly the history of Israel from Mt. Sinai to the Jordan, dwelling on the goodness of God, and making it the basis of an earnest appeal to the people to remember all that He has done for them, and to... read more
Exhortations To ObedienceThis chapter contains the practical part of the discourse. Having briefly rehearsed the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness up to the present point, Moses closes with an eloquent appeal not to forget what they had seen and learned, but to keep the commandments of the Lord. The argument is quite evangelical. Jehovah of His own free grace has chosen and redeemed this people, they ought, therefore, to love and serve Him alone: cp. Joshua’s exhortation in Joshua... read more
(21-23) The Lord was angry with me for your sakes . . . I must die in this land . . . but ye shall go over . . . Take heed unto yourselves.—The argument appears to be this: “I cannot go with you to warn you; therefore take the more heed when you are alone.” The same line of thought appears in St. Paul’s last appeal to Timothy: “Fulfil thy ministry; for I am now ready to be offered” (2 Timothy 4:6). read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 4:23-32
National backsliding. The history of the Jews is an unanswerable argument in favor of the truth of prophecy and the reality of Divine revelation. The singularity of that history is such as can only be fully accounted for on the idea of a supernatural Providence interesting itself in their fortunes; but the strangest fact is in that, their own sacred books, this wonderful history is predicted with minute precision. The Book of Deuteronomy furnishes a series of these predictions, the... read more