Deuteronomy 4:1-43

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 written them down and commanded Moses to teach them. Moses now passed this command on to the new generation by instructing the people to teach these same laws to their children, and to make sure that the children passed them on to future generations. These laws represented Israel’s obligations under the covenant. Moses reminded the people also of the holiness of God and of the reverence that sinful people must exercise when approaching him (9-14).Since they had not seen any form of God, the people could not make an image of him. Neither were they to use natural objects such as the sun, moon or stars as visible substitutes for him. To worship any of these things would be idolatry and would break one of the basic laws of the covenant (15-24). Such idolatry would bring national disaster, but God would be faithful to his covenant and save those who were sorry for their sin and returned to him (25-31).Not only was Yahweh the invisible God, he was the only God. He chose Israel as his people and saved them by his miraculous power, not because of anything they had done but solely because of his love for them. Moses therefore urged the people to love him in return. This would guarantee a long and satisfying occupancy of the land that they were about to enter (32-40).

Moses then established three cities of refuge in the area already settled east of Jordan. Three more cities would later be established west of Jordan, after the conquest of Canaan (41-43; see notes on Numbers 35:9-34).