When we began the book of Deuteronomy we talked about how the word "deuteronomy" means something like "copy of the law", or "retelling of the law". Moses has been retelling what has happened while Israel has been in the wilderness. In Chapter 5 he goes back over the Ten Commandments as part of a sermon he preaches to the congregation.
"Moses summoned all Israel and said: 'Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.'" (Deuteronomy 5:1) In our churches and synagogues today we regularly hear a retelling of the Lord's decrees and laws so that we may "learn them and be sure to follow them". The Lord gave us instructions for godly living and we are doing ourselves a disservice, and we are dishonoring our Lord, if we don't place a priority on knowing and following these instructions.
Moses continues, "The Lord made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today." (Deuteronomy 5:2-3) Verse 3 could also be rendered as, "It was not only with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant". In other words, His instructions weren't meant only for those who were alive to hear them firsthand. His instructions were meant for every generation to come.
God's instructions weren't meant only for the people of ancient times. They were meant also for you and me here in 2021. What was a sin in 1300 BC (the approximate time period for when the Ten Commandments were given) is still a sin today. What the Lord considered godly behavior in 1300 BC is still what He considers godly behavior today. The word of the Lord is every bit as relevant in our own day as it was in Moses' day, "For the word of God is alive and active." (Hebrews 4:12) The word of God still speaks to us. It still guides us, still reveals our sins to us, still leads us to repentance, still comforts us, still encourages us.
As Moses pointed out in yesterday's passage, no other nation on earth could claim that the Lord interacted with them the way He interacted with Israel. This should impress upon Israel the importance of knowing and obeying His words. The Lord personally came and spoke to them. The Lord wants to be a personal God to them. They must not even consider bowing down to any deity of the land of Canaan to which they are going. No other deity has made himself or herself known to Israel---there is no deity except the Lord. "The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And He said: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.'" (Deuteronomy 5:4-7)
In the generations to come, every citizen of Israel is to remember that it was the God of their forefather Abraham who rescued them from slavery in Egypt and settled them in the promised land. No other god did this for them. No other god spoke to them from the fire or provided them with the ten commandments and the law. No other god performed signs and wonders in their sight. It's vitally important to keep this fact always in their minds because they have been and will continue to be bombarded with idolatrous imagery. Israel came out of Egypt, a land filled with idolatry. Israel passed through territories filled with idolatry on their way to the promised land. Israel is about to enter the promised land where they will be taking it over from tribes who practice idolatry. But the people are to guard their hearts so they will never be seduced by idolatry.
In this same way, you and I are perpetually confronted by worldly things capable of leading us into idolatry if we allow ourselves to be seduced by them. We are bombarded by images and messages every day that could lure us into sinful thinking and sinful actions. But the Bible tells us we can live in this world without being part of the world. We won't live perfect, sinless lives as long as we inhabit these frail mortal bodies but we can still be different from unbelievers. We have been instructed to be "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) but we can't light anyone's way out of darkness if we appear to be living in darkness ourselves. As believers, we are meant to stand out from the crowd and be different from the culture. That's what Moses is saying to Israel in our passage today. The Israelites are about to enter a land where the landscape is dotted with pagan altars. The are about to invade cities filled with temples and idols dedicated to false gods. They must not allow themselves to be seduced into idolatry by the sight of these things. They must destroy these things and keep their hearts and minds fixed on the one true God so they can remain faithful to Him. If they do this, they will be different. They will stand out. They will be lights in a dark world and perhaps those who are living in the dark and in the cold will be drawn by them to the one and only God.
No comments:
Post a Comment