Deuteronomy 4 – The God Who Speaks
God’s good rules
Deuteronomy so far
Keep God’s rules (v1-4)
…respond to ALL of God’s commands with obedience.
Baal Peor – Numbers 25:1-9
Why keep God’s rules? (v 5-8)
Verse 5 – a condition of entry into the land
Verse 6 – other nations will see God’s wisdom
Verse 7 – a display to other nations
Verse 8 – God speaks to them
The danger of forgetting (v 9)
When they remember all God has done… obeying him should be their desire.
The danger of corrupting (v15-24)
They made an image of God and worshipped it.
God is a consuming fire… he is a jealous God.
But what if they forget? (v25-31)
They will lose the land
God will remove his blessing from them.
BUT … he will not abandon his people if they turn back to him.
Why God Cares (v32-40)
Obedience to God’s laws is set firmly within the context of God’s incredible grace.
Applying Deuteronomy Today
Don’t take it out of the historical context.
1) The God who speaks (still demands obedience to all his word)
James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves: do what it says”
2 Tim 3:16- 17 “All Scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
A word of caution: … fulfilled in Jesus.
A challenge: Do others truly see the greatness of God reflected in our own obedience to his word?
1 Peter 2:10-12
2) A rescue better than the Exodus
Rom 5:8-9, “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him?”
James 1:22
Jesus teaches us what it means to obey God.
A challenge: Do you strive to obey all that God has commanded in thankfulness for the way Jesus has rescued you?
Danger of idolatry
“The human heart is a perpetual factory for idolatry”
God’s grace remains for the repentant sinner