"So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel." (Deuteronomy 31:9) The responsibility for the religious instruction of the congregation as a group belonged to the religious leaders of the community. That's why the priests were entrusted with this copy of the law.
"Then Moses commanded them: 'At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place He will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing.'" (Deuteronomy 31:10-11) This doesn't mean the people were only to read the law every seven years. But they were to hold this special assembly and a special public reading of the law at the end of every seven years.
Imagine if you and I only heard portions of the Holy Bible every seven years. We wouldn't have a very comprehensive knowledge of what is contained in the Bible. We'd have trouble memorizing verses from the Bible. We'd almost certainly find it difficult to develop a close relationship with the Lord because we'd have no idea what He says and how He thinks and what He wants us to do. The people were to make themselves very familiar with the law at all times. We've already seen that maintaining a close connection to the word of God was to be a part of everyday life for the Israelites, for Moses instructed them: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Deuteronomy 11:18-20)
To ensure as many citizens as possible are able to hear this special reading of the law, it is to be read during one of the three yearly festivals which Jewish men were required to attend: the Festival of Tabernacles. This attendance was usually a family affair, with the men bringing their wives and children and their extended family members and servants. The Lord wants everyone to hear the reading of the law so He commands the women, children, and foreigners to attend this reading along with the men. "Assemble the people---men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns---so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." (Deuteronomy 31:12-13)
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:35 that husbands were supposed to be explaining the Lord's laws at home. But we can safely assume that not every man of Israel was fulfilling this duty in the home, just as not every man in today's world is fulfilling this duty in the home. (For example, there are a lot of Christian men in today's world who are not stepping up and setting the spiritual example for their households by talking about the Lord at home and reading the Bible with their families and leading prayer with their families; their wives have had to step into this role.) Until modern times a lot of cultures did not consider it necessary to teach women or servants or slaves how to read. How then were they to hear the word of the Lord if the male head of the household did not speak of the Lord and His laws at home? They would at least be able to hear the word of God at the public reading of the law every seventh year. The Lord wants everyone to have an opportunity to learn about Him and that's why He commanded everyone to assemble at this public reading of the law.
In our own country there is really no excuse for not knowing at least some of what the Scriptures say. We have access to the word of God through more methods than ever before. We have printed Bibles. We have online Bibles. We can get free Bibles from a lot of different organizations. We can hear the word of God on TV and radio. We can attend religious services whenever we choose without anyone trying to prevent us from assembling together. In order to be completely ignorant of what the word of God says, a person pretty much has to be deliberately avoiding hearing or seeing anything that pertains to the Bible. The Lord has graciously made His word available to anyone and everyone who wants to hear it or read it. But because He's made His word so easily accessible, our guilt for not knowing His laws and commandments is that much greater. We are more responsible for knowing and following His holy precepts than we ever have been before. With this in mind, let's try to never let a day pass without taking time to read something out of the Bible. We are so privileged to have this free, unhindered access to it! There are some countries where a person can be put to death for possessing a page of the Bible. How can we neglect this awesome opportunity we've been given?
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