You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.
Deuteronomy 4:35 (NIV)
Read: Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Consider: When Moses stood in front of the people of Israel before they entered the promised land, he knew that he would not be there with them. Knowing the fickle and forgetful nature of the Israelites, he took the opportunity to remind them of who God is, his laws and commands, where they had come from and what God had done for them. This is recorded for us in the book of Deuteronomy. In today’s reading from Deuteronomy 4, Moses starts by telling the Israelites that in the history of the world no other nation has received this kind of treatment by God. This was not to make them arrogant, but to make them thankful.
We need to keep in mind that the people who left Egypt and made the journey through the wilderness, were not the same individuals as those who arrived at the Jordan, ready to take possession of the promised land. The generation who left Egypt had died in the desert and it was their children who were coming to possess the land. We also need to remember that this was a culture where the history of the nation would be passed on orally. Moses therefore recounted their history and the part God had played in bringing them to the land he had promised to their ancestor Abraham. In Deuteronomy 4:35 we read: You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. Moses wanted the people to be sure that the God they served is the one and only true God and that all the other ‘gods’ worshipped by the nations of the world were nothing in comparison.
Moses ends this section of the narrative in this way: Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time (Deuteronomy 4:40). This would remind them that each generation needs to honour and worship God in their own right.
What are we to learn from this passage? The example Moses sets is something that we can follow in our lives. If we are blessed with children (or grandchildren) it is important for us to tell the following generations what God has done for us and to share our faith with them. It is also important to tell them that God holds them personally accountable for how they respond to him and his offer of salvation. We can use the OT accounts of God’s interaction with his people to show God’s hand at work throughout history and to point us to the promised Messiah and God’s remedy for sin. We can use the NT accounts of Jesus to show them God’s fulfilment of his promises, in sending his Son to take upon himself the punishment we deserve, so as make us righteous before God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1-5).
Pray: Father, may we always seek to keep your goodness to us in mind and to share this with the following generations. May we use all of Scripture to show others your involvement with mankind throughout history, and to introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that your Holy Spirit would bring many to repentance, seeking your forgiveness. Amen
Every blessing
No Condemnation 