(2) Ye shall not add unto the word.—The word, not “the words.” The word is the substance of the Law. The words in which it is expressed may be more or less. The law of Moses contains in it the germ of all revelation to the very end. read more
Remembering the Past (for the Last Sunday of the Year) Deuteronomy 4:9 I. How far ought we to Remember the Past, and how far ought we to Forget it? It may indeed be said that remembrance and forgetfulness are largely independent of our control. We are naturally endowed with strong or with weak memories, and ardent or placid temperaments, and our fortunes in life are only to a small extent within our own determination. Whether we shall pass through experiences which cut deeply into the mind,... read more
MOSES’ FAREWELL SPEECHESDeuteronomy 4:1-40, Deuteronomy 27:1-26; Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Deuteronomy 30:1-20.WITH the twenty-sixth chapter the entirely homogeneous central portion of the Book of Deuteronomy ends, and it concludes it most worthily. It prescribes two ceremonies which are meant to give solemn expression to the feeling of thankfulness which the love of God, manifested in so many laws and precepts, covering the commonest details of life, should have made the... read more
3. Hearken, O Israel! CHAPTER 4 1. Obedience demanded (Deuteronomy 4:1-8 ) 2. The covenant to be observed (Deuteronomy 4:9-14 ) 3. Take heed unto yourselves lest ye forget (Deuteronomy 4:15-24 ) 4. The warning (Deuteronomy 4:25-31 ) 5. Israel, the chosen nation (Deuteronomy 4:32-40 ) “Now therefore hearken, O Israel” marks the beginning of the exhortation to keep the law of the Lord. First he had shown the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord and upon that Moses admonishes them to... read more
4:2 Ye shall {b} not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye {c} diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.(b) Think not to be more wise than I am.(c) God will not be served by halves, but will have full obedience. read more
MOSES INSISTS ON OBEDIENCE (vs.1-14) Because God had already blessed Israel and intended to bless them more greatly still. Moses urges them to "listen to the statutes and judgments" he is teaching them, for these are their very life and the basis for their possessing the land God had given them (v.1). How vitally true this is for us today also. It is the Word of God by which we live (Matthew 4:4), and it is that Word by which we enter into the blessings "in heavenly places" that are given us... read more
REVIEW OF THE LAWS THE LESSONS OF SINAI (Deuteronomy 4:0 ) What makes a nation wise and understanding (Deuteronomy 4:6 )? What makes a nation great (Deuteronomy 4:7-8 )? What obligation does one generation owe the next (Deuteronomy 4:9 )? Of all the divine commandments, which are the most important (Deuteronomy 4:10-13 )? Of these ten, which one is particularly emphasized (Deuteronomy 4:15-28 )? How is God’s merciful character illustrated in one connection with these commandments... read more
Memory and Duty Deuteronomy 4:0 In the ninth verse we have a very solemn possibility indicated. The words of Moses are: "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." The solemn possibility is the possibility of forgetting God and God's providence in human life. We fail not always through sin or vulgar crime, as if with... read more
It is worthy of remark, how jealous the LORD is of his name and glory; in both Testaments of Scripture the precept of neither adding to, nor diminishing from, is strongly formed. See Revelation 22:18-19 . read more
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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 4:1-49
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