Introduction:
1. Segway
2. Background of Deuteronomy:
Matthew alludes to Deut. More than 10 xs/
Author/Recipients/Setting
These are the words
which Moses spoke
to all Israel
on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness…
Deut. 1
We have to make special note of the setting as we make application to the Church in the 21st Century.
There are principles about the character of God and His relationship with people, but we must be careful to filter out some specific applications to the nation, Israel, which God had chosen from among all the nations of the earth.
Ways to look at Deuteronomy
1. Literary – 3 sermons
1-4 Historical Prologue
5-28 Body
General Principles (5-11)
Specific Rules (11-26)
Blessings and Cursings (27-28)
29-30 Epilogue
31-33 Moses’s last acts.
2. Political –a treaty (dominant state with a vassal) modeled after a Hittite Suzerainty treaty
I. Preamble -- "These are the words..." 1.1-5
II. Historical Prologue -- antecedant history: the events which lead to and now form the basis of the treaty. 1.6-4.49
III. General Stipulations -- substantive statements regarding the future relationship which is related to the antecedant history and which summarizes the purpose of the specific stipulations which will follow. 5.1-11.39
IV. Specific Stipulations 12.1-26.19
V. Divine Witnesses -- the gods (sometimes a long list) are called upon to bear witness. 30.19-20
VI. Blessings and Cursings -- what will happen if the covenant is kept or broken. 27-30.18
II. Historical Prologue -- antecedant history: the events which lead to and now form the basis of the treaty. 1.6-4.49
III. General Stipulations -- substantive statements regarding the future relationship which is related to the antecedant history and which summarizes the purpose of the specific stipulations which will follow. 5.1-11.39
IV. Specific Stipulations 12.1-26.19
V. Divine Witnesses -- the gods (sometimes a long list) are called upon to bear witness. 30.19-20
VI. Blessings and Cursings -- what will happen if the covenant is kept or broken. 27-30.18
VII. Instructions—for storing, reading, and ratifying by later generations 31.1-34.12
· Historical Discovery http://www.beavervalleysoftware.com/historysources/historycontent.aspx?product=Biblical%20Archaeology&Topic=Deuteronomy%20as%20a%20Hittite%20Treaty?
· University of the Comberlands http://religion.ucumberlands.edu/hebrew_bible/hbnotes/deuteronomynotes.htm
3. Theological – the relation of faith and obedience/love
Deuteronomy is of mixed and varied genre…
—Eugene H. Merrill
3. Today’s sermon:
BIG IDEA:
Beware! lest you forget the Lord who brought you out.
Outline:
1. The admonitions (10-19)
When you are full, remember God and don’s test Him.
2. The Answers (20-25)
When your children ask, tell them this.
----------------------------
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, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full--
Admonition: Do not Forget God—
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
Admonition: Do not Tempt or Test God—
16 "You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
20 "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?'
Answer your children and tell them why—
21 then you shall say to your son:
'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.
24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.'
I. The admonitions (10-19)
A. The circumstance “when” (10-11)
1) the faithfulness of God
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 ...
Observe:
“the linkage between the soon-coming conquest and occupation of the land of Canaan and the ancient promises to the patriarchal fathers…” —Eugene H. Merrill in The New American Commentary
2) the blessings of the land
...to give you
large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill,
hewn-out wells which you did not dig,
vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--
(..groves and vineyards usually took many yearts to develop and be productive… —IVP Bible Knowledge Commentary)
Observe:
There was not major destruction of these towns and cities.
· This provided ready-made facilities and
· would result in little archeaeological evidence of the conquest.
3) the danger of the blessings
*when you have eaten and are full--
full שָׂבַע Strong's H7646 - saba` sä·vah (Qal) to be be satisfied with be filled (with food)
Ylt, nasb, niv—satisfied; kjv, nkjv, esv, nlt—full (fill)
Observe:
The same goodness that is intended to lead to repentance (Romans 2.4) can also have a dangerous side effect.
Proverbs 30
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance... 7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches-- Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.
· When you get out on your own ...
· When you finally “make it” in your job ...
· When you finally get a solid client base ...
· When you get your dream home ...
· When you reach financial independence ...
· When things are going well ...
Two things the passage tells us to be careful of two things…
B. The cautions (12-19)
1. Don’t Forget the Lord (12-15)
2. Don’t test the Lord (16-19)
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
beware שָׁמַר shamar (Niphal) 1) to be on one's guard, take heed, take care, beware 3) to be kept, be guarded
Ylt—take heed; kjv, njkv—beware; nasb—watch yourself; take care; esv— be careful
forget Strong's H7911 - shakach shä·kakh' 1) to forget 2) to cease to care
&
De 4.9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart ...
De 4.23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you...
8.11 Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments...
8.14 ...forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
8.19 ...forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods ...
9.7 Remember. Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. …
Note: The similarity between this verse (6.12) and Deut 5.6
5 I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain.
He said: 6 'I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1. 7 'You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. 8 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
bondage עֶבֶד Strong's H5650 - `ebed — slave, servant
ylt—of servants; kjv, nkjv—of bondage; nasb, esv, niv, nlt—of slavery
a) The 1st command (Luke 4.8)
13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
& Turn to Luke 4.5
When Satan tempted the Lord Jesus, two of his pitches were simple fastballs attacking the first two commands. Jesus drew on these verses from Deuteronomy’s statement of the covenant and the exodus experience in general to refute the challenges.
Luke 4
" 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
1. structure of verse [De 6] 13 in Hebrew emphasizes God (Underline Lord your God, him and him. )
The structure of verse 13 in Hebrew emphasizes that God should be first in allegiance; God comes first in the word order of the sentence; (lit.) The Lord your God shall you fear and him shall you serve and in His name shall you swear.
—Christopher Wright in New International Biblical Commentary
(Luke 4.8 You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.)
2. serve Strong's H5647 - `abad ä·vad' — to work, serve
ylt, kjv, njkv, esv, niv, nlt—fear; nasb—worship
The English obscures the sharpness of the Hebrew, in which ‘slavery’ and ‘serve’ are the same root word.
—Christopher Wright in New International Biblical Commentary
Romans 6
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
take oaths Strong's H7650 - shaba` shä·vah' — to swear, take an oath (to curse )
3. fear Strong's H3372 - yare' yä·rā' —to fear, reverence, honour, respect
Note the close relationship between fearing God
and worshiping God that Jesus highlights in the way He paraphrased Deuteronomy 6.
b) The 2nd command
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
· jealous Strong's H7067 - qanna' kan·nä' — jealous (used of God) as not bearing any rival; the severe avenger of departure from himself
kjv, nasb, nkjv, esv, niv, nlt—jealous; ylt—zealous
· anger Strong's H639 - 'aph af —(lit.) nostril, nose, face
(fig.) anger
· aroused Strong's H2734 - charah khä·rä' —(Qal) to burn, kindle
ylt, niv—burn; kjv, nasb, esv—kindled;
nkjv—aroused; nlt—flare up
· destroy Strong's H8045 - shamad shä·mad' —to annihilate, exterminate
ylt, kjv, nkjv, nkjv, esv—destroy; nlt—wipe you from
The Lord also disciplines his saints today.
Hebrews 12.5-6 and Proverbs 3:11-12
..."My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
1 Corinthians 11.29-30
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
The Corinthians forgot the truth in the last part of verse 26.
1 Corinthians 11.26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
APPLICATION
The full need a fervor for the blessed hope.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Titus 2.12-13
p I. The admonitions (10-19)
A. The condition (10-11)
B. The cautions (12-19)
1. Don’t Forget the Lord (12-15)
2. Don’t test the Lord (16-19)
16 "You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
a) Massah (Ex 17.7)
16 "You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
tempt Strong's H5254 - nacah nä·sä — to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test
ylt—try; kjv, nkjv—test; nasb, esv, niv, niv—test;
(In 1 Corinthians 10.13 of Numbers 21.6; 11.30)
Massah Strong's H4532 - Maccah mas·sä' —"temptation" (also 'Meribah')
& Exodus 17
1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, "Give us water, that we may drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?" 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!" 5 And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
...an unbelieving murmuring against God, if He does not remove any kind of distress immediately… —C.F. Keil Commentary on the Old Testament
& Luke 4
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' 11 "and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "
(Matt. 4.5-7) The suggestion that He should ‘prove’ God’s protective commitment to Him by jumping off the temple in Jerusalem … Israel, God’s first-born son (Exod 4.22), had so often distrusted and disobeyed, in spite of spectacular demonstrations of God’s benevolence, the Son of God would trust and obey.
—Christopher Wright in New International Biblical Commentary
TS: The positive antidote to such forgetfulness, desertion, or doubting of God is the determined positive effort to keep God’s commands.
—Christopher Wright in New International Biblical Commentary
b) Keep the commands
17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
diligently Strong's H8104 - shamar shä·mar' — to keep, guard, or observe (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow)
niv—be sure to
1. keep “Diligently” and “keep” are actually the same word repeated in a way that emphasizes the statement. —NET Bible Translation Notes
commandments Strong's H4687 - mitsvah mits·vä' —commandment
testimonies Strong's H5713 - `edah ā·dä' — testimony, witness; always plural and always of laws as divine testimonies
niv—stipulations; nlt—laws
statutes Strong's H2706 - choq khōke —statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due
Niv, nlt—decrees;
2. He has commanded you Strong's H6680 - tsavah
tsä·vä' 1) to lay charge upon 2) appoint, ordain (of divine act) (Piel usually expresses an "intensive" or "intentional" action.)
c) Do right and good
18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
Two descriptions of the testimonies and statutes which they were to keep.
1. right Strong's H3477 - yashar yä·shär' —straight, upright, level/even
2. good Strong's H2896 - towb tōve —good, pleasant, agreeable
3. That it may be well with you, and...
The Hebrew participle translated in this manner (lĕman’an) introduces the apodosis that is conditioned upon doing “right” and “good” before the Lord, namely, to accomplish what God had already promised. The apparent paradox of “contingent certainty” is best resolved by recognizing two things: (1) God’s promises to the fathers were, indeed, without condition and qualification (Gen 13:14-17; 15:18; 17:8, etc.), but (2) any individual or generation in succession to the patriarchs could appropriate their blessings through faith and obedience (Gen 15:6; Exod 19:5; Deut 4:40; 5:16,29,33). —Eugene Merrill The New American Commentary
APPLICATION
Keep a grip on God’s goodness.
Don’t gripe.
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also
be patient. Establish your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9
Do not grumble
against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
James 5:7-9
When trouble come our goal is to abide not decide why God might have done something.
II. The Answers (20-25)
A. The Question
20 "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?'
When:
It is assumed or expected that the question will be asked.
The question is not discouraged in any way.
1. Who asks the question
Children of godly “command following” parents.
Note what triggers the question.
The first thing to notice is that such questions and teaching opportunities would arise only if the parents themselves were conspicuously observing the laws. —Christopher Wright in New International Biblical Commentary
The ill. about the child after church.
A child gets into the car after church and is sobbing and crying uncontrollably. The parents repeatedly ask what is wrong and finally the child is able to answer and replies. “The preacher said every child should live in a Christian home, but I want to stay with you guys.” —Pat Bartlett
2. How the question is asked
The Passover Seder tells about four kinds of children that ask questions about the Seder.
· The wise child asks, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?' A believing child who wants to understand acknowledge that God is his God too. Explain to everything to him in detail.
· The wicked child asks, ‘What do you mean by this service?’* He excludes himself from the group and denies God. You tell them that this is what God did for me, not you. You are not redeemed.
* Like Pharaoh in Exodus 6.2.
· The simple child asks, ‘What is this?’
· The last child is too young to ask anything. You tell them we are doing this because of what God did for us.
Children ask your parents at the right time and with the right attitude (to learn).
3. What the question is
What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?'
The context here suggests that the children already know what the commands are.
...the question means something like
“What is the meaning of…?”
“What is the real significance of…?”
“What is the point of…?”
or even “Why do we keep these laws?”
-----------------
· It is a fair question.
· It is natural and good for children to ask it.
· While we may need to address the attitude with which it is asked in the heat of the moment,
· while it may be unavoidable to wait till later to answer it, godly parents have an obligation and sacred duty to answer the question.
· “Because I said so,” or just “Because the Bible says so,” is an inadequate answer.
· Children should obey just because we say so, but if you want your faith to become their faith, you must explain why you said so.
APPLICATION: Children, ask your parents why.
Ill.—”Question authority” bumper sticker.
p B. The Answers
1. What the Lord did
21 then you shall say to your son:
'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.
a. We were slaves
Tell them where you were. (This can even be generational. Grandpa was … we don’t live that way any more. And it should be personal.)
b. before our eyes
Tell them how you came out. Be concrete and specific.
c. which He swore
Tell them of God’s ongoing faithfulness in your life. Tell your children your faith stories.
“I can’t remember them.” -- This should often be a “talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up,” as situations come up. I remember when...
B. The Answers
1. What the Lord did
2. What the Lord said
24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.'
1. The commandments are for our good.
good Strong's H2896 - towb tōve —good, pleasant, agreeable
2. The commandments tend to physical life.
3. The commandments (kept inside and out) are a key to right standing before God.
righteousness Strong's H6666 tsĕdaqah tsed·ä·kä'—righteousness, piety, virtue (as ethically right)
careful same as verse 12 “beware” shamar (Qal) to watch for, guard
observe Strong's H6213 - `asah ä·sä' Qal-to do, work, make, produce
The central feature of the covenant stipulations is their providing a vehicle by which genuine saving faith might be displayed (cf. Deut 24:13; Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; 4:1-5; Gal 3:6-7).
—Eugene Merrill The New American Commentary
p APPLICATION
Live a godly example and
explain it to your children.
“1 Children, obey your parents...
4 fathers … bring them up in
the training and admonition
of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:1,4b
p BIG IDEA:
Beware! lest you forget the Lord who brought you out.
Benediction
May you not forget the Lord who has saved you.
May you trust Him to do good in the end.
May your children know the Lord and the work He is doing in you.
The IVP Biblical Background Commentary
Earl S. Kalland in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol. 3
Peter C. Craigie in The Book of Deuteronomy (The New International Commentary of the Old Testament)
Christopher Wright in Deuteronomy (New International Biblical Commentary)
J. A . Thompson in Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary ( Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)
Eugene H. Merrill in Deuteronomy (The New American Commentary: An Exegetical the Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture)
Patrick Miller in Deuteronomy (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching)
Jack E. Deere in The Bible Knowledge Commentary
D. A. Carson in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged
NET Bible translation notes
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