The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/PumWvlasEko
Reading
– Deuteronomy chapter 4
By
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Sometimes
we are not granted our heart’s desires. No matter how much we pray for
something or someone, our requests are not always answered in the way we want.
Or think we want. Such was the case with Moses’ desire to enter the Promised
Land along with the people that he had led throughout the 40 years since
leaving Egypt.
Deuteronomy 3:23-25 NKJV 23 "Then
I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying: 24 'O Lord GOD, You have begun to
show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in
heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?
25 'I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those
pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.'
Moses
was surely heartbroken that the LORD would not let him enter the land; only
allowing him to view the land at a distance. Even with Moses’ disappointment,
he did not turn his back on God and the people that God had put in his charge.
Moses entreated them to listen to God’s statutes and ordinances.
Our
portion this week is Va’etchanan, which means “and I besought”, or in the case
of the NKJV translation, “Then I pleaded.” Even though Moses didn’t get to go
into the Promised Land as he desired, He none the less continued in the mission
that the LORD had set before him.
Moses
had a special relationship with God and spoke to him face to face continually.
Moses argued or pleaded with God on several previous occasions including
talking God out of destroying the children of Israel and making a great nation
from Moses’ descendants. But Moses was not successful in his plea to be granted
permission enter the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 3:26 NKJV 26 "But the
LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD
said to me: 'Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.
In
our previous Torah Portion teaching, we learned about the overall structure of
the book of Deuteronomy and how it resembles an ancient form of a covenantal
treaty known as a suzerain treaty. We looked at the portion of Deuteronomy that
consists of the preamble and the historical prologue of the treaty found in
chapter 1:6 through chapter 3:29. Now Moses is about to lay out, once again for
the people, the stipulations of the covenant with God, first made at Mount
Sinai.
Even
though Moses was told in no uncertain terms that he would not enter the
Promised Land, he continued with his mission and relayed God’s instructions to
the people. Moses told them to put the words that he spoke into their hearts.
Deuteronomy 6:6 NKJV 6 "And these
words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
One
of the words that Moses repeats over and over throughout his dissertation is
the word hear or listen.
Deuteronomy 4:1 NKJV 1 "Now, O
Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe,
that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your
fathers is giving you.
The
word “listen” is the Hebrew word Sh’ma, #8085 meaning to hear intelligently
with the implication of attention and obedience. Sh’ma is not a passive word;
it is active and requires action on the part of the listener. It requires a
response to what is heard. The words are to be heard and followed, and those
words that they are to follow are God’s words!
In
the scriptures, it is unusual for God to speak His words to a group of people.
God usually speaks through His emissaries, such as the prophets. At the time of
Moses, God speaking directly to the people had never been done before. The
people heard directly from God at Mount Sinai.
Deuteronomy 4:32-35 NKJV 32 "For
ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day
that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other,
whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been
heard. 33 "Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the
midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 "Or did God ever try to
go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials,
by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by
great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt
before your eyes? 35 "To you it was shown, that you might know that the
LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.
This
is the only time since creation that God had spoken to a group of people. But
these were not just any people! God chose the children of Israel to be a
special treasure for Him from out of all the people of the Earth.
Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV 6 "For you
are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be
a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of
the earth.
This
was not because of anything that they had done to deserve this special honor;
they were in fact the least of the peoples of the Earth. God chose them because
they were Abraham’s children and He loved them. And God had made a covenant and
promise to Abraham and his descendants.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NKJV 7 "The
LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number
than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 "but
because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore
to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed
you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
God
went an extra step and bridged heaven and earth to speak to them directly. He
spoke out of heaven at Mount Sinai, and it was manifested in the earth as fire
on the mountain.
Deuteronomy 4:36 NKJV 36 "Out of
heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He
showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the
fire.
He
spoke to instruct the people which He had deliberately chosen out of all
peoples on the earth. God spoke out of the fire, but He did not appear as an
image of any kind.
Deuteronomy 4:12 NKJV 12 "And the
LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the
words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.
Likening
God to any image of creation is an act of corruption. Idolatry is a sin so
grievous that it is singled out in the ten words. Moses reminds the people that
God took no form when He spoke from the fire.
Deuteronomy 4:15-18 NKJV 15 "Take
careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at
Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 "lest you act corruptly and make
for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male
or female, 17 "the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the
likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 "the likeness of
anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the
water beneath the earth.
The
word “corrupt” is #7843 shaw-khath meaning to decay or to cause ruin or
corruption. This is the same word that is used to describe Noah’s generation.
Genesis 6:11-12 NKJV 11 The earth also
was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God
looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted
their way on the earth.
Likening
God to an image and then worshiping the image is to follow in the path of the
corruption of the time of Noah! Man’s propensity for idolatry continually draws
men away from God leading to the breaking of their covenant with God, so Moses
emphasizes that when God spoke, they saw no image. God, also, says that He
spoke to them face to face.
Deuteronomy 5:4 NKJV 4 "The LORD
talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.
But
this intimate face to face encounter frightened the children of Israel and they
insisted that Moses mediate between them and God.
Deuteronomy 5:24-27 NKJV 24 "And
you said: 'Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness,
and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day
that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. 25 'Now therefore, why should we
die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our
God anymore, then we shall die. 26 'For who is there of all flesh who has heard
the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and
lived? 27 'You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us
all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.'
This
unusual action of God speaking to the children of Israel shows the importance
that God places on His relationship with the children of Israel. Moses tells us
that God spoke to the children of Israel so that they would know that He is the
only God.
Deuteronomy 4:39 NKJV 39
"Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD
Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
He
spoke to give them instructions so that they would live long in the land that
He was giving to them.
Deuteronomy 4:40 NKJV 40 "You
shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you
today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that
you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for
all time."
At
Mount Sinai God spoke the words of the covenant. He spoke words on how to live
which were summarized in the ten words, what we call the Ten Commandments. The
first four of these Words, or commandments, were instructions on how to
maintain a relationship with God. He alone is to be their God; they are not to
make images to worship in place of God. They are not to use God’s name
incorrectly or casually, and they are to observe the Sabbath Day. The last six
words are words on how to relate to each other, starting with the most
important people, their fathers and mothers. Honoring their fathers and mothers
will result in the blessing of prosperity in the Promised Land. They are not to
murder, cheat on their spouses, steal, lie, or covet the possessions of others.
These are simple rules that God expands on in statutes and judgments designed
to bring the children of Israel closer to him and to each other.
When
Yeshua was asked by the Scribes and Pharisees what the greatest commandment was,
He summarized all of these words in His answer.
Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV 37 Jesus said to
him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great
commandment. 39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.' 40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the
Prophets."
God
told Moses to teach all of His commandments, statutes and judgments to this
generation of the children of Israel that came out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 4:14 NKJV 14 "And the
LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you
might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
Now,
while they are gathered at the threshold of the Promised Land, Moses is
repeating these words to this generation. These are the words that Moses told
the children of Israel to put in their hearts. God longed for them to observe
His words from their hearts!
Deuteronomy 5:29 NKJV 29 'Oh, that
they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My
commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
How
were the children of Israel supposed to put God’s word in their hearts? Moses
tells them they were to observe them because God’s commandments would be their
wisdom!
Deuteronomy 4:6 NKJV 6 "Therefore
be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in
the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely
this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
Next,
they were to teach them to the next generation.
Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV 7 "You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
They
were to speak about the words of God all the time, when they first got up in
the morning, when they went out the door and returned and when they went to bed
each night. Finally, they were to place visual reminders of God’s words on
places where they would see them. God’s words were to always be on their minds.
Deuteronomy 6:8-10 NKJV 8 "You
shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on
your gates. 10 "So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the
land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give
you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
King
David exemplified this and took joy in meditating on God’s word.
Psalms 119:46-48 NKJV 46 I will speak
of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed. 47 And I will
delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love. 48 My hands also I will lift
up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Paul
tells us that Yeshua washes us in the water of the word. The result of which is
a holy people.
Ephesians 5:26-27 NKJV 26 that He
might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that
He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
God
desires of His people to be holy and without blemish. That is accomplished by
placing His words on our hearts and minds.
Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV 6 "For you
are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be
a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of
the earth.
Moses
stood there on the plains of Moab declaring God’s word to this new generation
of the children of Israel. Those who actually heard the words spoken at Mt.
Sinai, had rebelled and rejected the covenant. Unfortunately, rebellion would
be repeated over and over again in future generations. Because of the
abomination of the people, Israel and Judah would go into captivity. But despite
this, God promised a new beginning for them. God would take them into a new
covenant with the same commandments, statutes, and laws that they continually
broke. Even with their multi-generational rebellion, God has never given up on
His people. The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God would write His words on
their hearts in this new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 NKJV 31
"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- 32 "not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they
broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the
LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people.
This
is the new covenant. Even now, the Holy Spirit lives within each of God’s
people who have entered into this covenant through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua.
The Holy Spirit helps us to know the word that God has written on our hearts.
He helps us to follow God’s commandments, statutes, and judgments. Not because
we must, but we follow them because we desire to draw near to God. Yeshua calls
those who hold to God’s commandments, blessed.
Revelation 22:14 NKJV 14 Blessed are
those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of
life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
None
of us is perfect in following God’s Words, but as long as we love Him and
strive to keep His Words, we know that God will keep mercy with us. We know
that we have forgiveness through Yeshua who died that we could enter into the
new covenant and have new life. Listen to God’s statutes and ordinances that
you may live!
Study
Questions:
2.
Moses told the children of Israel that
the covenant was made that day with those who were alive, who had held fast to
the LORD. (Deuteronomy 4:4 and 5:3) The writer of Hebrew discusses this concept
of those who hold fast in Hebrews 3 and 4. What are the rewards of holding
fast?
3.
God spoke out of heaven, and it was
manifested on Earth as they, “heard His word from the midst of the fire”
(Deuteronomy 4:36). Discuss the significance of the fire. How is this related
to Acts chapter 2 and the gospel accounts where God’s voice is heard from
heaven: Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 9:28-36, and John 12:23-33. How are these events
similar?
General Portion Questions
4.
The very first of the Ten Commandments or
Ten Words that God spoke to the children of Israel dealt with making images and
worshiping the images found in Deuteronomy 5:8-10. Why does God connect his characteristic of
mercy or chesed with the command not to make or worship images?
5.
What did Moses mean when he told the
people of this generation that “The LORD did not make this covenant with our
fathers, but with us, with those of us alive here today?” (Deuteronomy 5:3)
6.
What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in
this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?
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2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.
