Deuteronomy 9

Deuteronomy 9:1

Commitment of the Two and a Half Tribes

Moses does not forget that wilderness side of the Jordan is not the promised land. The land where the blessing of God is enjoyed is still before them. He recalls the two and a half tribes’ commitment to help conquer the land first.

We can learn from this that we should not only look for our own interests, but also for those of others (Philippians 2:4). If we ourselves have rest, we will seek it for our brothers. We are members of each other and in the blessing of our fellow believer is also our blessing. We will work toward that.

Deuteronomy 9:2

Joshua Encouraged by Moses

Moses, the elder believer, encourages Joshua, the younger believer. He shows him what God has done and what He has promised. Seeing something with one’s own eyes makes God’s acts of salvation toward His people actual for every generation. Moses uses this expression more often in this book (Deuteronomy 4:3; 9; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 9:17; Deuteronomy 10:21; Deuteronomy 11:12; Deuteronomy 34:4).

In Moses we also see here a picture of the Lord Jesus as the One Who died for us and also rose up. We see that in the picture of the Red Sea. Then we see how He leads us through the wilderness, which is a picture of what the world is for the life of faith. Joshua is a picture of the Lord Jesus as the One risen from death and glorified, the Lord Who guides His people into the land and makes them share the blessing of the land.

Deuteronomy 9:3

Joshua Encouraged by Moses

Moses, the elder believer, encourages Joshua, the younger believer. He shows him what God has done and what He has promised. Seeing something with one’s own eyes makes God’s acts of salvation toward His people actual for every generation. Moses uses this expression more often in this book (Deuteronomy 4:3; 9; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 9:17; Deuteronomy 10:21; Deuteronomy 11:12; Deuteronomy 34:4).

In Moses we also see here a picture of the Lord Jesus as the One Who died for us and also rose up. We see that in the picture of the Red Sea. Then we see how He leads us through the wilderness, which is a picture of what the world is for the life of faith. Joshua is a picture of the Lord Jesus as the One risen from death and glorified, the Lord Who guides His people into the land and makes them share the blessing of the land.

Deuteronomy 9:4

Moses’ Prayer for Grace

Moses recalls how he begged the LORD if he could still enter the land. He does not speak here about his failure and the punishment of God, but about his desire to enter the land. After encouraging Joshua with a view to conquering the land, in Moses that deep desire to enter the land with the people will have risen.

He did not speak his question in rebellion. He has not asked to enter the land to be a leader, to assert himself. His question did not arise from envy of Joshua. To him it is about the land itself. He spoke with great admiration about the inheritance that the LORD has prepared for His people and called it “the fair land” and “that good hill country”. He fully appreciates the land of God. Just like Moses, the Lord Jesus looked forward to that land. It was to Him “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Do we give Him the occasion to introduce us into that land as the true Joshua?

Moses appealed to God to finish what He had begun. Moses had already been allowed to see so much of Him, especially in the conquest of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og; now he would also like to see the completion of His endeavor here. God had said that he was not allowed to cross over. Nevertheless, he asked if he could cross over. Had not the LORD turned-about earlier on a matter through a prayer of Moses? Cast your mind back to God’s intention to exterminate the people after the sin with the golden calf, and after the refusal to enter the land. On the basis of Moses’ intercession, He had forgiven them then (Numbers 14:20).

Deuteronomy 9:5

Moses’ Prayer for Grace

Moses recalls how he begged the LORD if he could still enter the land. He does not speak here about his failure and the punishment of God, but about his desire to enter the land. After encouraging Joshua with a view to conquering the land, in Moses that deep desire to enter the land with the people will have risen.

He did not speak his question in rebellion. He has not asked to enter the land to be a leader, to assert himself. His question did not arise from envy of Joshua. To him it is about the land itself. He spoke with great admiration about the inheritance that the LORD has prepared for His people and called it “the fair land” and “that good hill country”. He fully appreciates the land of God. Just like Moses, the Lord Jesus looked forward to that land. It was to Him “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Do we give Him the occasion to introduce us into that land as the true Joshua?

Moses appealed to God to finish what He had begun. Moses had already been allowed to see so much of Him, especially in the conquest of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og; now he would also like to see the completion of His endeavor here. God had said that he was not allowed to cross over. Nevertheless, he asked if he could cross over. Had not the LORD turned-about earlier on a matter through a prayer of Moses? Cast your mind back to God’s intention to exterminate the people after the sin with the golden calf, and after the refusal to enter the land. On the basis of Moses’ intercession, He had forgiven them then (Numbers 14:20).

Deuteronomy 9:6

Moses’ Prayer for Grace

Moses recalls how he begged the LORD if he could still enter the land. He does not speak here about his failure and the punishment of God, but about his desire to enter the land. After encouraging Joshua with a view to conquering the land, in Moses that deep desire to enter the land with the people will have risen.

He did not speak his question in rebellion. He has not asked to enter the land to be a leader, to assert himself. His question did not arise from envy of Joshua. To him it is about the land itself. He spoke with great admiration about the inheritance that the LORD has prepared for His people and called it “the fair land” and “that good hill country”. He fully appreciates the land of God. Just like Moses, the Lord Jesus looked forward to that land. It was to Him “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Do we give Him the occasion to introduce us into that land as the true Joshua?

Moses appealed to God to finish what He had begun. Moses had already been allowed to see so much of Him, especially in the conquest of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og; now he would also like to see the completion of His endeavor here. God had said that he was not allowed to cross over. Nevertheless, he asked if he could cross over. Had not the LORD turned-about earlier on a matter through a prayer of Moses? Cast your mind back to God’s intention to exterminate the people after the sin with the golden calf, and after the refusal to enter the land. On the basis of Moses’ intercession, He had forgiven them then (Numbers 14:20).

Deuteronomy 9:7

The Answer of the LORD

The LORD had become angry with Moses, but it was on account of the people’s past deportment. His deed was the result of the sin of the people (Psalms 106:32-33). When we think about the inheritance, do we also think about the way in which we got it: because God was angry with the Lord Jesus on our account?

The answer of the LORD to the supplication of Moses is not a reproach. Moses’ prayer was a prayer to God’s heart. Thus the Lord Jesus prayed three times if the cup He was to drink could be taken from Him (Matthew 26:39-44). His perfection is evident from that prayer and from His surrender to God’s will: “Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Paul also prayed three times that an angel of Satan who tormented him would leave him: “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). He received an answer similar to the one Moses received: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Our prayer can please God without giving us what we ask for. He wants us to learn to entrust ourselves to His will. God and His peace, to us imparted, is more than anything we can ask for. When He says that we should no longer ask Him about a certain matter, we must learn that what He does not consider suitable to give us is not suitable for us to ask.

Yet Moses received an answer to his prayer. God allowed him to stand in a place from where he could see the whole land in its length and breadth (Numbers 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 34:1-4). God enabled him to look further than is conceivable with natural eyes. He has seen more than any Israelite would ever see. Not only is his gaze not darkened (Deuteronomy 34:7), God has clarified his gaze in such a way that he has been able to see the whole land. If God keeps something from us and we trust Him in it, He gives something in its place that goes beyond what we have asked for.

Deuteronomy 9:8

The Answer of the LORD

The LORD had become angry with Moses, but it was on account of the people’s past deportment. His deed was the result of the sin of the people (Psalms 106:32-33). When we think about the inheritance, do we also think about the way in which we got it: because God was angry with the Lord Jesus on our account?

The answer of the LORD to the supplication of Moses is not a reproach. Moses’ prayer was a prayer to God’s heart. Thus the Lord Jesus prayed three times if the cup He was to drink could be taken from Him (Matthew 26:39-44). His perfection is evident from that prayer and from His surrender to God’s will: “Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Paul also prayed three times that an angel of Satan who tormented him would leave him: “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). He received an answer similar to the one Moses received: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Our prayer can please God without giving us what we ask for. He wants us to learn to entrust ourselves to His will. God and His peace, to us imparted, is more than anything we can ask for. When He says that we should no longer ask Him about a certain matter, we must learn that what He does not consider suitable to give us is not suitable for us to ask.

Yet Moses received an answer to his prayer. God allowed him to stand in a place from where he could see the whole land in its length and breadth (Numbers 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 34:1-4). God enabled him to look further than is conceivable with natural eyes. He has seen more than any Israelite would ever see. Not only is his gaze not darkened (Deuteronomy 34:7), God has clarified his gaze in such a way that he has been able to see the whole land. If God keeps something from us and we trust Him in it, He gives something in its place that goes beyond what we have asked for.

Deuteronomy 9:9

Joshua Will Bring the People into the Land

Strengthened by what the LORD would show him, he was to give Joshua his charges, and to encourage and strengthen him. Moses knew what he was talking about when he handed over the leadership to Joshua and pointed out to him what to do. It must also have been an encouragement for Moses knowing that the work the LORD started with him would be completed by Joshua. This is already the third time that the transfer of the leadership from Moses to Joshua is discussed (Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 3:21-22). It is important for Moses, for Joshua and for the people.

In the place where the people dwell, “opposite Beth-peor”, Moses makes his speech (Deuteronomy 4:45-46). There he is also buried (Deuteronomy 34:6).

After reading Deuteronomy 2-3, a succinct summation is: God’s actions in the past are an encouragement for the future.

Deuteronomy 9:10

Joshua Will Bring the People into the Land

Strengthened by what the LORD would show him, he was to give Joshua his charges, and to encourage and strengthen him. Moses knew what he was talking about when he handed over the leadership to Joshua and pointed out to him what to do. It must also have been an encouragement for Moses knowing that the work the LORD started with him would be completed by Joshua. This is already the third time that the transfer of the leadership from Moses to Joshua is discussed (Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 3:21-22). It is important for Moses, for Joshua and for the people.

In the place where the people dwell, “opposite Beth-peor”, Moses makes his speech (Deuteronomy 4:45-46). There he is also buried (Deuteronomy 34:6).

After reading Deuteronomy 2-3, a succinct summation is: God’s actions in the past are an encouragement for the future.

Deuteronomy 9:12

Introduction

In Deuteronomy 2-3 God makes clear to His people what the land is and what it is not. They must respect God’s ways and providence with certain countries. Other countries they have had to take possession of and start inheriting them. But even the countries they have begun to inherit are not yet the actual land. Deuteronomy 4 draws conclusions from the lessons of the past. Now there must be clear agreements between God and the people. Therefore Moses starts this chapter in Deuteronomy 4:1 with “now”.

The earthly people, Israel, are a reflection of the heavenly people, the church. The believers comprising the church find many lessons in the history of Israel about life on earth and blessings in heaven. It is about the blessings of the land as a picture for the Christian to live happily in fellowship with God, the focus being on where God’s heart finds fulfillment. Everything that the land has to offer us can be summed up in everything that is truly and eternally important to God’s heart.

The agreements that are made are the ground rules to enjoy what the land contains for us. These ground rules are discussed in Deuteronomy 4-11. They can be summed up in ‘law’ and ‘covenant’. The law is: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself: ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Matthew 22:36-39).

Now we, believers who belong to the church, are “not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). That does not mean, however, that our lives are not based on obedience. The knowledge of the truth that we are not under law, but under grace, has no meaning if we have not learned what it means to have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

By “the commandments of the Lord Jesus” we cannot understand what God has given in the law. The Lord’s commandments go much further. Nowhere in the law, for example, is a person asked to give up his life. The Lord Jesus received this commandment from the Father: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. … This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17; 18b). The same goes for the believer who has the Lord Jesus as his life: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The commandments of the Lord Jesus are of a different character. It is the desire of the believer’s new life to do everything He says, whether He commands it explicitly or merely announces His wish. He who loves Him keeps His commandments and His word (John 14:21; 23). Then the Father and the Son come and make Their abode with such a person. That is to say, with respect, that they feel at home there. That is fellowship.

The covenant, both the old and the new, is not made with the church, but with Israel (Hebrews 8:8; 13). The new covenant is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus. What the church does have to deal with is the blood of the new covenant. Therefore the institution of Lord’s Supper is also in the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and not only in the gospels. The apostles are “servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). They not only speak about the church, but also point to the future of Israel. The fact that the term ‘covenant’ is also used in connection with the church shows that the relations God establishes with us are subject to conditions.

Listen and Do

With the words “now, O Israel” with which Moses begins, he connects to the memory of the way God has gone with His people. He will now use history as an incentive for them to obediently fulfil their duty. The word “listen” means to take to heart and to do. This is the condition to enjoy the blessing of the land afterwards.

The teaching that Moses is going to give, aims to life: the real life in the land. Life in its fullness, as God intended for His people, is only really enjoyed when His statutes and judgments are listened to. By statutes are meant all that God has said with regard to serving Him. The judgments are all decisions concerning civil matters, everything concerning the mutual relations of the members of God’s people. The two expressions include the whole law of God. What God says is sufficient to protect our lives and to guarantee the enjoyment of the land.

It is “that you may live” Moses first speaks of, following which he mentions “and go in and take possession of the land”. That also applies to us. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we experience the highest enjoyment of life from God and living with God and with each other. Then our whole life will be to the glory of God, and we will praise Him: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17).

The statutes and judgments do not contain conditions on how to become a believer, but how to enjoy the blessings as a believer. Even before Moses starts giving God’s commandments, he first points out the danger of doing or taking away from God’s commandments (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jeremiah 26:2; Matthew 5:19). They do not need additional rules or instructions and nothing is superfluous.

We can only keep God’s commandments by taking them as He gave them. The Pharisees add their own commandments to the law, they are the rituals of their days. The Sadducees remove from the law what they cannot reason mentally. They are the rationalists of their days. We too are constantly in danger of adding to, or taking away from God’s Word.

Secondly, Moses recalls Baal-peor right from the beginning of this teaching (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalms 106:28; 39; Hosea 9:10). That is also significant. At Baal-peor the people connected themselves to the Moabites in body and mind and fornication was committed. They did so on the advice of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). God’s judgment came upon it. They recently saw this with ‘their own eyes’. Moses illustrates the consequences of disobedience and obedience to God’s commandments.

In Revelation 2 we read about “the teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). This teaching contains the connection between the world and God’s people. In our days we see that everywhere where the world is brought within the walls of the church with all kinds of beautiful excuses. A strong example is making certain decisions in the church by voting and accepting a case by majority vote. Scripture is no longer the norm, but most votes.

Serving God cannot be linked to the use of the methods of the world. All those who believe that this is possible will be destroyed. The choice is presented by Moses in its consequences. It is a warning to the generation that stands before him. That generation is alive before him because they have held fast to the LORD. He that holds fast to the LORD holds fast to life. Then – and only then – can life be lived in its richest form. In that life the Spirit works. God has nothing to do with the generation of the flesh, but with the generation of the Spirit.

Moses passes on to the people what the LORD his God has commanded him. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the great Teacher Who speaks the words of God. It is wisdom to listen to Him.

Deuteronomy 9:13

Introduction

In Deuteronomy 2-3 God makes clear to His people what the land is and what it is not. They must respect God’s ways and providence with certain countries. Other countries they have had to take possession of and start inheriting them. But even the countries they have begun to inherit are not yet the actual land. Deuteronomy 4 draws conclusions from the lessons of the past. Now there must be clear agreements between God and the people. Therefore Moses starts this chapter in Deuteronomy 4:1 with “now”.

The earthly people, Israel, are a reflection of the heavenly people, the church. The believers comprising the church find many lessons in the history of Israel about life on earth and blessings in heaven. It is about the blessings of the land as a picture for the Christian to live happily in fellowship with God, the focus being on where God’s heart finds fulfillment. Everything that the land has to offer us can be summed up in everything that is truly and eternally important to God’s heart.

The agreements that are made are the ground rules to enjoy what the land contains for us. These ground rules are discussed in Deuteronomy 4-11. They can be summed up in ‘law’ and ‘covenant’. The law is: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself: ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Matthew 22:36-39).

Now we, believers who belong to the church, are “not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). That does not mean, however, that our lives are not based on obedience. The knowledge of the truth that we are not under law, but under grace, has no meaning if we have not learned what it means to have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

By “the commandments of the Lord Jesus” we cannot understand what God has given in the law. The Lord’s commandments go much further. Nowhere in the law, for example, is a person asked to give up his life. The Lord Jesus received this commandment from the Father: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. … This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17; 18b). The same goes for the believer who has the Lord Jesus as his life: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The commandments of the Lord Jesus are of a different character. It is the desire of the believer’s new life to do everything He says, whether He commands it explicitly or merely announces His wish. He who loves Him keeps His commandments and His word (John 14:21; 23). Then the Father and the Son come and make Their abode with such a person. That is to say, with respect, that they feel at home there. That is fellowship.

The covenant, both the old and the new, is not made with the church, but with Israel (Hebrews 8:8; 13). The new covenant is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus. What the church does have to deal with is the blood of the new covenant. Therefore the institution of Lord’s Supper is also in the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and not only in the gospels. The apostles are “servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). They not only speak about the church, but also point to the future of Israel. The fact that the term ‘covenant’ is also used in connection with the church shows that the relations God establishes with us are subject to conditions.

Listen and Do

With the words “now, O Israel” with which Moses begins, he connects to the memory of the way God has gone with His people. He will now use history as an incentive for them to obediently fulfil their duty. The word “listen” means to take to heart and to do. This is the condition to enjoy the blessing of the land afterwards.

The teaching that Moses is going to give, aims to life: the real life in the land. Life in its fullness, as God intended for His people, is only really enjoyed when His statutes and judgments are listened to. By statutes are meant all that God has said with regard to serving Him. The judgments are all decisions concerning civil matters, everything concerning the mutual relations of the members of God’s people. The two expressions include the whole law of God. What God says is sufficient to protect our lives and to guarantee the enjoyment of the land.

It is “that you may live” Moses first speaks of, following which he mentions “and go in and take possession of the land”. That also applies to us. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we experience the highest enjoyment of life from God and living with God and with each other. Then our whole life will be to the glory of God, and we will praise Him: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17).

The statutes and judgments do not contain conditions on how to become a believer, but how to enjoy the blessings as a believer. Even before Moses starts giving God’s commandments, he first points out the danger of doing or taking away from God’s commandments (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jeremiah 26:2; Matthew 5:19). They do not need additional rules or instructions and nothing is superfluous.

We can only keep God’s commandments by taking them as He gave them. The Pharisees add their own commandments to the law, they are the rituals of their days. The Sadducees remove from the law what they cannot reason mentally. They are the rationalists of their days. We too are constantly in danger of adding to, or taking away from God’s Word.

Secondly, Moses recalls Baal-peor right from the beginning of this teaching (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalms 106:28; 39; Hosea 9:10). That is also significant. At Baal-peor the people connected themselves to the Moabites in body and mind and fornication was committed. They did so on the advice of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). God’s judgment came upon it. They recently saw this with ‘their own eyes’. Moses illustrates the consequences of disobedience and obedience to God’s commandments.

In Revelation 2 we read about “the teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). This teaching contains the connection between the world and God’s people. In our days we see that everywhere where the world is brought within the walls of the church with all kinds of beautiful excuses. A strong example is making certain decisions in the church by voting and accepting a case by majority vote. Scripture is no longer the norm, but most votes.

Serving God cannot be linked to the use of the methods of the world. All those who believe that this is possible will be destroyed. The choice is presented by Moses in its consequences. It is a warning to the generation that stands before him. That generation is alive before him because they have held fast to the LORD. He that holds fast to the LORD holds fast to life. Then – and only then – can life be lived in its richest form. In that life the Spirit works. God has nothing to do with the generation of the flesh, but with the generation of the Spirit.

Moses passes on to the people what the LORD his God has commanded him. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the great Teacher Who speaks the words of God. It is wisdom to listen to Him.

Deuteronomy 9:14

Introduction

In Deuteronomy 2-3 God makes clear to His people what the land is and what it is not. They must respect God’s ways and providence with certain countries. Other countries they have had to take possession of and start inheriting them. But even the countries they have begun to inherit are not yet the actual land. Deuteronomy 4 draws conclusions from the lessons of the past. Now there must be clear agreements between God and the people. Therefore Moses starts this chapter in Deuteronomy 4:1 with “now”.

The earthly people, Israel, are a reflection of the heavenly people, the church. The believers comprising the church find many lessons in the history of Israel about life on earth and blessings in heaven. It is about the blessings of the land as a picture for the Christian to live happily in fellowship with God, the focus being on where God’s heart finds fulfillment. Everything that the land has to offer us can be summed up in everything that is truly and eternally important to God’s heart.

The agreements that are made are the ground rules to enjoy what the land contains for us. These ground rules are discussed in Deuteronomy 4-11. They can be summed up in ‘law’ and ‘covenant’. The law is: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself: ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Matthew 22:36-39).

Now we, believers who belong to the church, are “not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). That does not mean, however, that our lives are not based on obedience. The knowledge of the truth that we are not under law, but under grace, has no meaning if we have not learned what it means to have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

By “the commandments of the Lord Jesus” we cannot understand what God has given in the law. The Lord’s commandments go much further. Nowhere in the law, for example, is a person asked to give up his life. The Lord Jesus received this commandment from the Father: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. … This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17; 18b). The same goes for the believer who has the Lord Jesus as his life: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The commandments of the Lord Jesus are of a different character. It is the desire of the believer’s new life to do everything He says, whether He commands it explicitly or merely announces His wish. He who loves Him keeps His commandments and His word (John 14:21; 23). Then the Father and the Son come and make Their abode with such a person. That is to say, with respect, that they feel at home there. That is fellowship.

The covenant, both the old and the new, is not made with the church, but with Israel (Hebrews 8:8; 13). The new covenant is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus. What the church does have to deal with is the blood of the new covenant. Therefore the institution of Lord’s Supper is also in the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and not only in the gospels. The apostles are “servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). They not only speak about the church, but also point to the future of Israel. The fact that the term ‘covenant’ is also used in connection with the church shows that the relations God establishes with us are subject to conditions.

Listen and Do

With the words “now, O Israel” with which Moses begins, he connects to the memory of the way God has gone with His people. He will now use history as an incentive for them to obediently fulfil their duty. The word “listen” means to take to heart and to do. This is the condition to enjoy the blessing of the land afterwards.

The teaching that Moses is going to give, aims to life: the real life in the land. Life in its fullness, as God intended for His people, is only really enjoyed when His statutes and judgments are listened to. By statutes are meant all that God has said with regard to serving Him. The judgments are all decisions concerning civil matters, everything concerning the mutual relations of the members of God’s people. The two expressions include the whole law of God. What God says is sufficient to protect our lives and to guarantee the enjoyment of the land.

It is “that you may live” Moses first speaks of, following which he mentions “and go in and take possession of the land”. That also applies to us. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we experience the highest enjoyment of life from God and living with God and with each other. Then our whole life will be to the glory of God, and we will praise Him: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17).

The statutes and judgments do not contain conditions on how to become a believer, but how to enjoy the blessings as a believer. Even before Moses starts giving God’s commandments, he first points out the danger of doing or taking away from God’s commandments (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jeremiah 26:2; Matthew 5:19). They do not need additional rules or instructions and nothing is superfluous.

We can only keep God’s commandments by taking them as He gave them. The Pharisees add their own commandments to the law, they are the rituals of their days. The Sadducees remove from the law what they cannot reason mentally. They are the rationalists of their days. We too are constantly in danger of adding to, or taking away from God’s Word.

Secondly, Moses recalls Baal-peor right from the beginning of this teaching (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalms 106:28; 39; Hosea 9:10). That is also significant. At Baal-peor the people connected themselves to the Moabites in body and mind and fornication was committed. They did so on the advice of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). God’s judgment came upon it. They recently saw this with ‘their own eyes’. Moses illustrates the consequences of disobedience and obedience to God’s commandments.

In Revelation 2 we read about “the teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). This teaching contains the connection between the world and God’s people. In our days we see that everywhere where the world is brought within the walls of the church with all kinds of beautiful excuses. A strong example is making certain decisions in the church by voting and accepting a case by majority vote. Scripture is no longer the norm, but most votes.

Serving God cannot be linked to the use of the methods of the world. All those who believe that this is possible will be destroyed. The choice is presented by Moses in its consequences. It is a warning to the generation that stands before him. That generation is alive before him because they have held fast to the LORD. He that holds fast to the LORD holds fast to life. Then – and only then – can life be lived in its richest form. In that life the Spirit works. God has nothing to do with the generation of the flesh, but with the generation of the Spirit.

Moses passes on to the people what the LORD his God has commanded him. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the great Teacher Who speaks the words of God. It is wisdom to listen to Him.

Deuteronomy 9:15

Introduction

In Deuteronomy 2-3 God makes clear to His people what the land is and what it is not. They must respect God’s ways and providence with certain countries. Other countries they have had to take possession of and start inheriting them. But even the countries they have begun to inherit are not yet the actual land. Deuteronomy 4 draws conclusions from the lessons of the past. Now there must be clear agreements between God and the people. Therefore Moses starts this chapter in Deuteronomy 4:1 with “now”.

The earthly people, Israel, are a reflection of the heavenly people, the church. The believers comprising the church find many lessons in the history of Israel about life on earth and blessings in heaven. It is about the blessings of the land as a picture for the Christian to live happily in fellowship with God, the focus being on where God’s heart finds fulfillment. Everything that the land has to offer us can be summed up in everything that is truly and eternally important to God’s heart.

The agreements that are made are the ground rules to enjoy what the land contains for us. These ground rules are discussed in Deuteronomy 4-11. They can be summed up in ‘law’ and ‘covenant’. The law is: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself: ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Matthew 22:36-39).

Now we, believers who belong to the church, are “not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). That does not mean, however, that our lives are not based on obedience. The knowledge of the truth that we are not under law, but under grace, has no meaning if we have not learned what it means to have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

By “the commandments of the Lord Jesus” we cannot understand what God has given in the law. The Lord’s commandments go much further. Nowhere in the law, for example, is a person asked to give up his life. The Lord Jesus received this commandment from the Father: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. … This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17; 18b). The same goes for the believer who has the Lord Jesus as his life: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The commandments of the Lord Jesus are of a different character. It is the desire of the believer’s new life to do everything He says, whether He commands it explicitly or merely announces His wish. He who loves Him keeps His commandments and His word (John 14:21; 23). Then the Father and the Son come and make Their abode with such a person. That is to say, with respect, that they feel at home there. That is fellowship.

The covenant, both the old and the new, is not made with the church, but with Israel (Hebrews 8:8; 13). The new covenant is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus. What the church does have to deal with is the blood of the new covenant. Therefore the institution of Lord’s Supper is also in the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and not only in the gospels. The apostles are “servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). They not only speak about the church, but also point to the future of Israel. The fact that the term ‘covenant’ is also used in connection with the church shows that the relations God establishes with us are subject to conditions.

Listen and Do

With the words “now, O Israel” with which Moses begins, he connects to the memory of the way God has gone with His people. He will now use history as an incentive for them to obediently fulfil their duty. The word “listen” means to take to heart and to do. This is the condition to enjoy the blessing of the land afterwards.

The teaching that Moses is going to give, aims to life: the real life in the land. Life in its fullness, as God intended for His people, is only really enjoyed when His statutes and judgments are listened to. By statutes are meant all that God has said with regard to serving Him. The judgments are all decisions concerning civil matters, everything concerning the mutual relations of the members of God’s people. The two expressions include the whole law of God. What God says is sufficient to protect our lives and to guarantee the enjoyment of the land.

It is “that you may live” Moses first speaks of, following which he mentions “and go in and take possession of the land”. That also applies to us. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we experience the highest enjoyment of life from God and living with God and with each other. Then our whole life will be to the glory of God, and we will praise Him: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17).

The statutes and judgments do not contain conditions on how to become a believer, but how to enjoy the blessings as a believer. Even before Moses starts giving God’s commandments, he first points out the danger of doing or taking away from God’s commandments (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jeremiah 26:2; Matthew 5:19). They do not need additional rules or instructions and nothing is superfluous.

We can only keep God’s commandments by taking them as He gave them. The Pharisees add their own commandments to the law, they are the rituals of their days. The Sadducees remove from the law what they cannot reason mentally. They are the rationalists of their days. We too are constantly in danger of adding to, or taking away from God’s Word.

Secondly, Moses recalls Baal-peor right from the beginning of this teaching (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalms 106:28; 39; Hosea 9:10). That is also significant. At Baal-peor the people connected themselves to the Moabites in body and mind and fornication was committed. They did so on the advice of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). God’s judgment came upon it. They recently saw this with ‘their own eyes’. Moses illustrates the consequences of disobedience and obedience to God’s commandments.

In Revelation 2 we read about “the teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). This teaching contains the connection between the world and God’s people. In our days we see that everywhere where the world is brought within the walls of the church with all kinds of beautiful excuses. A strong example is making certain decisions in the church by voting and accepting a case by majority vote. Scripture is no longer the norm, but most votes.

Serving God cannot be linked to the use of the methods of the world. All those who believe that this is possible will be destroyed. The choice is presented by Moses in its consequences. It is a warning to the generation that stands before him. That generation is alive before him because they have held fast to the LORD. He that holds fast to the LORD holds fast to life. Then – and only then – can life be lived in its richest form. In that life the Spirit works. God has nothing to do with the generation of the flesh, but with the generation of the Spirit.

Moses passes on to the people what the LORD his God has commanded him. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the great Teacher Who speaks the words of God. It is wisdom to listen to Him.

Deuteronomy 9:16

Introduction

In Deuteronomy 2-3 God makes clear to His people what the land is and what it is not. They must respect God’s ways and providence with certain countries. Other countries they have had to take possession of and start inheriting them. But even the countries they have begun to inherit are not yet the actual land. Deuteronomy 4 draws conclusions from the lessons of the past. Now there must be clear agreements between God and the people. Therefore Moses starts this chapter in Deuteronomy 4:1 with “now”.

The earthly people, Israel, are a reflection of the heavenly people, the church. The believers comprising the church find many lessons in the history of Israel about life on earth and blessings in heaven. It is about the blessings of the land as a picture for the Christian to live happily in fellowship with God, the focus being on where God’s heart finds fulfillment. Everything that the land has to offer us can be summed up in everything that is truly and eternally important to God’s heart.

The agreements that are made are the ground rules to enjoy what the land contains for us. These ground rules are discussed in Deuteronomy 4-11. They can be summed up in ‘law’ and ‘covenant’. The law is: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself: ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Matthew 22:36-39).

Now we, believers who belong to the church, are “not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). That does not mean, however, that our lives are not based on obedience. The knowledge of the truth that we are not under law, but under grace, has no meaning if we have not learned what it means to have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

By “the commandments of the Lord Jesus” we cannot understand what God has given in the law. The Lord’s commandments go much further. Nowhere in the law, for example, is a person asked to give up his life. The Lord Jesus received this commandment from the Father: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. … This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17; 18b). The same goes for the believer who has the Lord Jesus as his life: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The commandments of the Lord Jesus are of a different character. It is the desire of the believer’s new life to do everything He says, whether He commands it explicitly or merely announces His wish. He who loves Him keeps His commandments and His word (John 14:21; 23). Then the Father and the Son come and make Their abode with such a person. That is to say, with respect, that they feel at home there. That is fellowship.

The covenant, both the old and the new, is not made with the church, but with Israel (Hebrews 8:8; 13). The new covenant is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus. What the church does have to deal with is the blood of the new covenant. Therefore the institution of Lord’s Supper is also in the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and not only in the gospels. The apostles are “servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). They not only speak about the church, but also point to the future of Israel. The fact that the term ‘covenant’ is also used in connection with the church shows that the relations God establishes with us are subject to conditions.

Listen and Do

With the words “now, O Israel” with which Moses begins, he connects to the memory of the way God has gone with His people. He will now use history as an incentive for them to obediently fulfil their duty. The word “listen” means to take to heart and to do. This is the condition to enjoy the blessing of the land afterwards.

The teaching that Moses is going to give, aims to life: the real life in the land. Life in its fullness, as God intended for His people, is only really enjoyed when His statutes and judgments are listened to. By statutes are meant all that God has said with regard to serving Him. The judgments are all decisions concerning civil matters, everything concerning the mutual relations of the members of God’s people. The two expressions include the whole law of God. What God says is sufficient to protect our lives and to guarantee the enjoyment of the land.

It is “that you may live” Moses first speaks of, following which he mentions “and go in and take possession of the land”. That also applies to us. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we experience the highest enjoyment of life from God and living with God and with each other. Then our whole life will be to the glory of God, and we will praise Him: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17).

The statutes and judgments do not contain conditions on how to become a believer, but how to enjoy the blessings as a believer. Even before Moses starts giving God’s commandments, he first points out the danger of doing or taking away from God’s commandments (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jeremiah 26:2; Matthew 5:19). They do not need additional rules or instructions and nothing is superfluous.

We can only keep God’s commandments by taking them as He gave them. The Pharisees add their own commandments to the law, they are the rituals of their days. The Sadducees remove from the law what they cannot reason mentally. They are the rationalists of their days. We too are constantly in danger of adding to, or taking away from God’s Word.

Secondly, Moses recalls Baal-peor right from the beginning of this teaching (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalms 106:28; 39; Hosea 9:10). That is also significant. At Baal-peor the people connected themselves to the Moabites in body and mind and fornication was committed. They did so on the advice of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). God’s judgment came upon it. They recently saw this with ‘their own eyes’. Moses illustrates the consequences of disobedience and obedience to God’s commandments.

In Revelation 2 we read about “the teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). This teaching contains the connection between the world and God’s people. In our days we see that everywhere where the world is brought within the walls of the church with all kinds of beautiful excuses. A strong example is making certain decisions in the church by voting and accepting a case by majority vote. Scripture is no longer the norm, but most votes.

Serving God cannot be linked to the use of the methods of the world. All those who believe that this is possible will be destroyed. The choice is presented by Moses in its consequences. It is a warning to the generation that stands before him. That generation is alive before him because they have held fast to the LORD. He that holds fast to the LORD holds fast to life. Then – and only then – can life be lived in its richest form. In that life the Spirit works. God has nothing to do with the generation of the flesh, but with the generation of the Spirit.

Moses passes on to the people what the LORD his God has commanded him. He is a type of the Lord Jesus as the great Teacher Who speaks the words of God. It is wisdom to listen to Him.

Deuteronomy 9:17

God’s People and the Other Peoples

True wisdom and understanding are found in a life lived according to God’s order. God has revealed it in His Word. He has given that Word to His people. The possession of that Word makes the big difference to the world around God’s people. Not their prosperity or military power, but a life according to the statutes and judgments of God’s Word distinguishes God’s people from the world. If they are obedient, they will arouse the jealousy of all peoples.

The letter to the Colossians begins with a prayer for wisdom and spiritual insight necessary to enjoy the blessings of the land: “For this reason also, since the day we heard [of it], we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). The true life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Stretching out for it, being busy with it (Colossians 3:1) is true wisdom and understanding, for in Him are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

If we read God’s Word in this way and discover more and more of Christ, in whom our blessings are already contained, we will walk “with wisdom toward outsiders” (Colossians 4:5). So says Moses too, to the people. Their listening to the commandments of God will be a testimony to the nations around them (cf. 1 Kings 10:4-5). The true right is rooted in God. If His people maintain this, He will become visible through it. He is honored. This honor also comes upon the people. Those who make the Word of God great in their lives will be made great by it themselves.

Moses tells the people how near the LORD is to them. He is so near that He hears them when they call. There is a real relationship. Do the people realize it? Are we aware of it? And God answers. In His Word we have His answer to any question. Moses then points to this. He speaks with full conviction of the unparalleled righteousness of God’s laws (Psalms 147:19-20).

Are we, am I, fully and deeply convinced of that? If there is no conviction of the truth of God’s Word, we do not read it. If we do read it without that conviction: we do so without the awareness that the living and loving God speaks to us. “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), that is, for the new life. They are the best and most righteous commandments. The foundation is love. He is so near to His people, and we are so near to Him.

We must learn to walk “not as unwise men but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). We learn this by, among other things, dealing with the letter to the Ephesians. As a result, we receive wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is not to be found in learning and science, in education or in the world, but in the school of God. True wisdom cannot be learned from a booklet, but we learn it in God’s school of practice.

Deuteronomy 9:18

God’s People and the Other Peoples

True wisdom and understanding are found in a life lived according to God’s order. God has revealed it in His Word. He has given that Word to His people. The possession of that Word makes the big difference to the world around God’s people. Not their prosperity or military power, but a life according to the statutes and judgments of God’s Word distinguishes God’s people from the world. If they are obedient, they will arouse the jealousy of all peoples.

The letter to the Colossians begins with a prayer for wisdom and spiritual insight necessary to enjoy the blessings of the land: “For this reason also, since the day we heard [of it], we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). The true life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Stretching out for it, being busy with it (Colossians 3:1) is true wisdom and understanding, for in Him are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

If we read God’s Word in this way and discover more and more of Christ, in whom our blessings are already contained, we will walk “with wisdom toward outsiders” (Colossians 4:5). So says Moses too, to the people. Their listening to the commandments of God will be a testimony to the nations around them (cf. 1 Kings 10:4-5). The true right is rooted in God. If His people maintain this, He will become visible through it. He is honored. This honor also comes upon the people. Those who make the Word of God great in their lives will be made great by it themselves.

Moses tells the people how near the LORD is to them. He is so near that He hears them when they call. There is a real relationship. Do the people realize it? Are we aware of it? And God answers. In His Word we have His answer to any question. Moses then points to this. He speaks with full conviction of the unparalleled righteousness of God’s laws (Psalms 147:19-20).

Are we, am I, fully and deeply convinced of that? If there is no conviction of the truth of God’s Word, we do not read it. If we do read it without that conviction: we do so without the awareness that the living and loving God speaks to us. “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), that is, for the new life. They are the best and most righteous commandments. The foundation is love. He is so near to His people, and we are so near to Him.

We must learn to walk “not as unwise men but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). We learn this by, among other things, dealing with the letter to the Ephesians. As a result, we receive wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is not to be found in learning and science, in education or in the world, but in the school of God. True wisdom cannot be learned from a booklet, but we learn it in God’s school of practice.

Deuteronomy 9:19

God’s People and the Other Peoples

True wisdom and understanding are found in a life lived according to God’s order. God has revealed it in His Word. He has given that Word to His people. The possession of that Word makes the big difference to the world around God’s people. Not their prosperity or military power, but a life according to the statutes and judgments of God’s Word distinguishes God’s people from the world. If they are obedient, they will arouse the jealousy of all peoples.

The letter to the Colossians begins with a prayer for wisdom and spiritual insight necessary to enjoy the blessings of the land: “For this reason also, since the day we heard [of it], we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). The true life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Stretching out for it, being busy with it (Colossians 3:1) is true wisdom and understanding, for in Him are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

If we read God’s Word in this way and discover more and more of Christ, in whom our blessings are already contained, we will walk “with wisdom toward outsiders” (Colossians 4:5). So says Moses too, to the people. Their listening to the commandments of God will be a testimony to the nations around them (cf. 1 Kings 10:4-5). The true right is rooted in God. If His people maintain this, He will become visible through it. He is honored. This honor also comes upon the people. Those who make the Word of God great in their lives will be made great by it themselves.

Moses tells the people how near the LORD is to them. He is so near that He hears them when they call. There is a real relationship. Do the people realize it? Are we aware of it? And God answers. In His Word we have His answer to any question. Moses then points to this. He speaks with full conviction of the unparalleled righteousness of God’s laws (Psalms 147:19-20).

Are we, am I, fully and deeply convinced of that? If there is no conviction of the truth of God’s Word, we do not read it. If we do read it without that conviction: we do so without the awareness that the living and loving God speaks to us. “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), that is, for the new life. They are the best and most righteous commandments. The foundation is love. He is so near to His people, and we are so near to Him.

We must learn to walk “not as unwise men but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). We learn this by, among other things, dealing with the letter to the Ephesians. As a result, we receive wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is not to be found in learning and science, in education or in the world, but in the school of God. True wisdom cannot be learned from a booklet, but we learn it in God’s school of practice.

Deuteronomy 9:20

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:21

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:22

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:23

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:24

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:25

The Lord Lets His Words Be Heard

There is always the danger that the things we have experienced and that have made a great impression on us will be soon forgotten. Moses insists that God’s people will keep in their hearts what God has shown them of Himself. God’s revelation departs from our hearts when we allow other things to fill our hearts.

Passing on to our children and grandchildren the things we have seen of God is a commission and also a means by which we ourselves are reminded of Him time and again. In this book the emphasis is not so much on priestly service or religious leadership, but more on the parents who are responsible for the spiritual forming of their children.

Moses recalls the day that the people stood at Horeb “before the LORD your God”. He speaks to those who were then under twenty, but it also applies to those who were still in the loins of their fathers and were born during the wilderness journey. God then had him summon the people, to make them hear His words. God therefore wanted them to learn to respect Him as long as they live on earth. Also now God teaches us, His people: the church, through His Word how to honor Him.

The mountain was on fire. It is not a fire that has descended upon an unfaithful people to consume them. It is a fire that “burned … to the [very] heart of the heavens”. The fire is a symbol of judgment. The heart of the heavens is the Lord Jesus. Here we see in picture form that the fire of God’s judgment has come on the only One Who did not deserve that fire. God has sent the fire into the bones of the Lord Jesus (Lamentations 1:13), the heart of the heavens.

From the middle of the fire God speaks. God takes the foundation He found in the judgment that came on His Son. From that place, that righteous foundation, He speaks to His people. But God does not only speak, He also writes. God’s writing is a perfect representation of what He has spoken. Thus He made sufficient provision for His people with the understanding they needed to receive and keep the fullness of His blessing.

Deuteronomy 9:26

Prohibition to Make Any Idol

For the second time Moses insists on watching carefully (Deuteronomy 4:9; 15), to avoid wickedness by making an image of God. How would they portray God? For they have not seen His likeness, but only heard His voice. If they did, they would take something from creation. There is nothing against the things in creation. Nevertheless, taking something that is created and loosening it from creation to make it an object of worship, is idolatry.

Moses lists all the things that can be abused. He begins with the highest in creation on earth, man and woman, and descends to the lowest kind of creatures, after the example of which a graven picture can be made. Direct worship of heavenly bodies as a form of worship elevated above the earth is also an abomination to God.

It is easy for man to come to worship heavenly bodies. They make a great impression by their height, their brilliance and their meaning for life on earth, while there is no thought of Him Who made them. Many are the sun worshipers, but few are the true worshipers of the Father who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Any form of idolatry is a great insult to Him and a great deceit to the idolater himself.

The people of God are a redeemed people. God has redeemed His people, that they may be His own people. He has freed them from the “iron furnace, from Egypt”. An iron furnace is fired as hot as possible in order to process the metal afterwards. For Israel, Egypt had been a place of great distress and misery, where the fire of the trial had burned hot. Their liberation from that must have provided tremendous enlightenment.

God wants His people to serve and honor Him alone and in the way He indicates. Any relationship that His people have with something He has created in order to give honor to it, which only He is entitled to, is sin. It is a denial of the special relationship He has with this people and the special work by which He has made them His own people. God had said that they would be His own people, and now that has become reality.

The last words of Deu 4:20, “as today”, sound like an exclamation that underlines the relationship of the people to God. It sounds like the exclamation “and we are” of John that immediately follows what he has spoken about the love that “the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1a).

Deuteronomy 9:27

Prohibition to Make Any Idol

For the second time Moses insists on watching carefully (Deuteronomy 4:9; 15), to avoid wickedness by making an image of God. How would they portray God? For they have not seen His likeness, but only heard His voice. If they did, they would take something from creation. There is nothing against the things in creation. Nevertheless, taking something that is created and loosening it from creation to make it an object of worship, is idolatry.

Moses lists all the things that can be abused. He begins with the highest in creation on earth, man and woman, and descends to the lowest kind of creatures, after the example of which a graven picture can be made. Direct worship of heavenly bodies as a form of worship elevated above the earth is also an abomination to God.

It is easy for man to come to worship heavenly bodies. They make a great impression by their height, their brilliance and their meaning for life on earth, while there is no thought of Him Who made them. Many are the sun worshipers, but few are the true worshipers of the Father who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Any form of idolatry is a great insult to Him and a great deceit to the idolater himself.

The people of God are a redeemed people. God has redeemed His people, that they may be His own people. He has freed them from the “iron furnace, from Egypt”. An iron furnace is fired as hot as possible in order to process the metal afterwards. For Israel, Egypt had been a place of great distress and misery, where the fire of the trial had burned hot. Their liberation from that must have provided tremendous enlightenment.

God wants His people to serve and honor Him alone and in the way He indicates. Any relationship that His people have with something He has created in order to give honor to it, which only He is entitled to, is sin. It is a denial of the special relationship He has with this people and the special work by which He has made them His own people. God had said that they would be His own people, and now that has become reality.

The last words of Deu 4:20, “as today”, sound like an exclamation that underlines the relationship of the people to God. It sounds like the exclamation “and we are” of John that immediately follows what he has spoken about the love that “the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1a).

Deuteronomy 9:28

Prohibition to Make Any Idol

For the second time Moses insists on watching carefully (Deuteronomy 4:9; 15), to avoid wickedness by making an image of God. How would they portray God? For they have not seen His likeness, but only heard His voice. If they did, they would take something from creation. There is nothing against the things in creation. Nevertheless, taking something that is created and loosening it from creation to make it an object of worship, is idolatry.

Moses lists all the things that can be abused. He begins with the highest in creation on earth, man and woman, and descends to the lowest kind of creatures, after the example of which a graven picture can be made. Direct worship of heavenly bodies as a form of worship elevated above the earth is also an abomination to God.

It is easy for man to come to worship heavenly bodies. They make a great impression by their height, their brilliance and their meaning for life on earth, while there is no thought of Him Who made them. Many are the sun worshipers, but few are the true worshipers of the Father who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Any form of idolatry is a great insult to Him and a great deceit to the idolater himself.

The people of God are a redeemed people. God has redeemed His people, that they may be His own people. He has freed them from the “iron furnace, from Egypt”. An iron furnace is fired as hot as possible in order to process the metal afterwards. For Israel, Egypt had been a place of great distress and misery, where the fire of the trial had burned hot. Their liberation from that must have provided tremendous enlightenment.

God wants His people to serve and honor Him alone and in the way He indicates. Any relationship that His people have with something He has created in order to give honor to it, which only He is entitled to, is sin. It is a denial of the special relationship He has with this people and the special work by which He has made them His own people. God had said that they would be His own people, and now that has become reality.

The last words of Deu 4:20, “as today”, sound like an exclamation that underlines the relationship of the people to God. It sounds like the exclamation “and we are” of John that immediately follows what he has spoken about the love that “the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1a).

Deuteronomy 9:29

Prohibition to Make Any Idol

For the second time Moses insists on watching carefully (Deuteronomy 4:9; 15), to avoid wickedness by making an image of God. How would they portray God? For they have not seen His likeness, but only heard His voice. If they did, they would take something from creation. There is nothing against the things in creation. Nevertheless, taking something that is created and loosening it from creation to make it an object of worship, is idolatry.

Moses lists all the things that can be abused. He begins with the highest in creation on earth, man and woman, and descends to the lowest kind of creatures, after the example of which a graven picture can be made. Direct worship of heavenly bodies as a form of worship elevated above the earth is also an abomination to God.

It is easy for man to come to worship heavenly bodies. They make a great impression by their height, their brilliance and their meaning for life on earth, while there is no thought of Him Who made them. Many are the sun worshipers, but few are the true worshipers of the Father who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Any form of idolatry is a great insult to Him and a great deceit to the idolater himself.

The people of God are a redeemed people. God has redeemed His people, that they may be His own people. He has freed them from the “iron furnace, from Egypt”. An iron furnace is fired as hot as possible in order to process the metal afterwards. For Israel, Egypt had been a place of great distress and misery, where the fire of the trial had burned hot. Their liberation from that must have provided tremendous enlightenment.

God wants His people to serve and honor Him alone and in the way He indicates. Any relationship that His people have with something He has created in order to give honor to it, which only He is entitled to, is sin. It is a denial of the special relationship He has with this people and the special work by which He has made them His own people. God had said that they would be His own people, and now that has become reality.

The last words of Deu 4:20, “as today”, sound like an exclamation that underlines the relationship of the people to God. It sounds like the exclamation “and we are” of John that immediately follows what he has spoken about the love that “the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1a).