Original Meaning
Here Now, O Israel (4:1)
IN A SENSE, THESE eight verses summarize the entire chapter, highlighting the importance of obedience as the proper response to Yahweh’s grace expressed by the revelation of his will. Moses begins by calling for the people’s attention: “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws that I am about to teach you.”8 The Hebrew word for “decrees” (ḥôq) refers to laws prescribed by a superior and “inscribed” with a sharp object on some writing material (clay, stone, etc.). The word for “laws” (mišpāt), literally “judgments,” may suggest laws based on precedent, that is, decisions by a judge, though it seems more likely that in this context it means “divine decisions concerning the way of covenant righteousness.” In Deuteronomy the word pair “decrees and laws” is shorthand for the entire revelation received earlier at Horeb and along the way from Egypt to Kadesh Barnea.9
By “teaching” (limmēd) the “decrees and laws,” Moses functions as a pastor-teacher (Eph. 4:11), reiterating earlier revelation, applying that revelation specifically to life in the land, declaring the essence of covenant relationship, and highlighting the importance of a correct response to the revealed will of God. Moses does not view himself as a lawgiver; the only office he and the person who edited the book claim for him is that of prophet (18:15; cf. 34:10). Moses was the communicator and interpreter of divine revelation, not its source. Even so, as the authorized spokesman for God, everything he said about the “decrees and laws” was as binding as the original laws themselves, as he will declare in verse 2.
Moses declares his pedagogical goals in verse 1b (cf. 30:11–14). His immediate objective is to inspire Israel to “follow,” that is “do” (ʿāśâ) the decrees and laws. What he offers is not theoretical speculation but practical instruction for life demonstrated through obedient action. Moses expresses his long-range hope in terms of Israel’s high calling: life, entry into, and possession of the land that Yahweh is giving them. The life spoken of here is not so much eternal life but the full enjoyment of Yahweh’s blessings in the land promised to the ancestors.10
Why Obedience to the Torah Is Crucial (4:2–8)
IN VERSES 2–8 Moses explains why obedience to the Torah is crucial. (1) The Torah itself is normative by definition (4:2). By warning his hearers not to add anything to his word, Moses declares that only that which he (on Yahweh’s behalf) prescribes is normative, and by warning them not to delete anything from his word, he declares that all that he (on Yahweh’s behalf) prescribes is normative.11
(2) Obedience to the Torah is the key to life (4:3–4); in fact, as Moses will reiterate at the end of his final address (30:15–20), obedience to Yahweh is a matter of life and death. This was demonstrated recently in the treacherous worship of Baal at Peor,12 which Moses takes to be paradigmatic. Whereas Yahweh destroyed all who “followed” after Baal of Peor, the people standing before Moses are alive today because they “held fast” to Yahweh.13 They are living testimony to the importance of obedience to the divine will. The emphatic “See” in verse 5 suggests the challenge will be heightened rather than reduced once the Israelites have crossed the Jordan. Having referred to Baal Peor, Moses reminds the people that he is not looking back as much as he is looking forward to the people’s occupation of the land. As at Kadesh Barnea thirty-eight years earlier, and more recently at Baal of Peor, the people’s fidelity will be tested every day once they have entered the Promised Land.
(3) Obedience to the Torah is the highest privilege imaginable (4:6–8). In light of verses 2–5, the first two verbs in verse 6 are almost predictable: “Observe them [the decrees and laws] carefully,” that is, “keep them by doing them.” However, the following declaration emphasizes that compliance with the law is not a burden imposed on the people; it is a special privilege that will make them the envy of the nations. Moses highlights his point by introducing hypothetical respondents who, having watched Israel and learned of the ordinances that govern their lives, express their amazement and envy. The incredulity of outside observers to Israel’s privilege is reflected in the opening particle raq (“surely”), whose sense may be captured colloquially by “Wow!”14 Observing Israel’s “wisdom” and “understanding,” they will ascribe “great nation” status to them, thereby fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham15
(4) Israel is indeed great. But what is it that makes Israel so great, wise, and understanding in the eyes of the nations? In verses 7–8 Moses declares that the nation’s greatness does not derive from her own qualities, but from Yahweh their God. The question is asked twice, “What other nation is there [like Israel?]” The implied answer is “None!” for two reasons. (a) The Israelites are uniquely privileged because their God is near to them and he answers their prayers. When other peoples pray to their gods, they remain both aloof and silent. Craftsmen may design them with big ears, but they do not hear (cf. 4:28; Ps. 115:4–8). Ironically, although the Israelites’ God was not represented by images they could set up in their homes or anywhere else, he was near; and although he had no ears, he heard their cries whenever they called on him.16
(b) The Israelites are uniquely privileged because they know what their God expects of them, and what he expects is absolutely righteous. The Israelites were not the first nation to possess a set body of laws,17 nor were only their laws deemed by someone to be just. However, whereas elsewhere, tainted by self-interest, the people who promulgated the laws were the ones who deemed them to be just, it is outsiders who look at Israel and conclude that their entire Torah (which includes the laws and Moses’ interpretation of them) is “righteous.”18
For Moses “righteousness” is not an abstraction but adherence to an objective norm, demonstrated in concrete ethical acts that seek the interests of others and results in perfect harmony between them and their Ruler. In 16:20 Moses will declare the watchword of the Torah: “righteousness, only righteousness” (ṣedeq, 16:20, pers. trans.). Israel’s laws are righteous because they derive from God, who is absolutely righteous and upright (32:4), and because adherence to them always achieves righteous results. Israel may be the least significant people on earth with respect to size and numbers (7:7), but with regard to status Yahweh has elevated them high above the nation for his “praise, fame and honor” (26:19; 28:1, 9–10). His intent is that they might be a blessing (Gen. 12:2–3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14) and light (Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 51:4) to the nations.
Bridging Contexts
THE POSITIVE VIEW OF Israel’s law and the Torah of Moses reflected here is celebrated with unrestrained delight in Psalms 19:7–11[8–12] and 119, which is composed as a glorious “Ode to Torah.” These texts provide a welcome and necessary corrective to the common perception of the law in the Old Testament as a burden, a noose around the Israelites’ neck to drag them to their deaths. Moses’ reference to foreign observers reminds us that we must evaluate Israel’s law first and foremost within the context of the world in which it was given.
Having rescued his people from Egypt, Yahweh could have left them to figure out on their own what an appropriate response to his gracious redemption might be. This is the plight of all who lack access to the mind and will of God. Whereas the Israelites knew the will of their God because he had revealed it to them, the way other peoples related to their gods was always experimental. The best they could do was guess what should please their gods, but even then they would never know whether their assessment was right, whether their conclusions measured up to the standard of “righteousness,” and whether adherence won the goodwill of the gods. Their plight is illustrated by an ancient Sumerian prayer preserved in the library of Ashurbanipal (seventh century BC) in Nineveh:
Prayer to Any God19
May (my) lord’s angry heart be reconciled,
May the god I do not know be reconciled,
May the goddess I do not know be reconciled,
May the god, whoever he is, be reconciled,
May the goddess, whoever she is, be reconciled,
May my (personal) god’s heart be reconciled,
May my (personal) goddess’s heart be reconciled,
May (my) god and (my) goddess be reconciled (with me)!
May the god who [has turned away] from me [in anger be re]conciled,
May the goddess [who has turned away from me in anger be reconciled],
[I do not know] what wrong [I have done],
[ ] the wrong [ ]. . . .
I could not eat for myself the bread I found,20
I could not drink for myself the water I found.
I have perpetrated un[wittingly] an abomination to my god,
I have unwittingly violated a taboo of my goddess.
O (my) lord, many are my wrongs, great my sins,
O my god, many are my wrongs, great my sins,
O my goddess, many are my wrongs, great my sins,
O god, whoever you are, many are my wrongs, great my sins,
O goddess, whoever you are, many are my wrongs, great my sins!
I do not know what wrong I have done,
I do not know what sin I have committed,
I do not know what abomination I have perpetrated,
I do not know what taboo I have violated!
A lord has glowered at me in the anger of his heart,
A god has made me face the fury of his heart,
A goddess has become enraged at me and turned me into a sick man,
A god, whoever he is, has excoriated me,
A goddess, whoever she is, has laid misery upon me! . . .
When I wept, they would not draw near.
When I would make a complaint, no one would listen.
I am miserable, blindfolded, I cannot see!
Turn towards me, merciful god, as I implore you.
I do homage to you, my goddess, as I keep groveling before you,
O god, whoever you are, [turn towards me, I implore you],
O goddess, [whoever you are, turn towards me, I implore you],
O lord, tur[n towards me, I implore you],
O goddess, lo[ok upon me, I implore you],
O god, [whoever you are, turn towards me, I implore you],
O goddess, whoever [you are, turn towards me, I implore you]! . . .
How long, O god whosoever you are, until y[our angry heart is calmed]?
How long, O goddess, whosoever you are, until your estranged heart is reconciled?
Men are slow-witted and know nothing,
No matter how many names they go by, what do they know?
They do not know at all if they are doing good or evil! . . .
O my god, though my wrongs be seven times seven, absolve my wrongs,
O my goddess, though my wrongs be seven times seven, absolve my wrongs. . . .
Absolve my wrongs, let me sound your praises!
As if you were my real mother, let your heart be reconciled,
As if you were my real mother, my real father.
This pathetic piece provides a remarkable window into the psyche of the ancients. This person is sure of three things: the gods are angry with him; his sin has caused this anger; and he must do something about the sin to placate the gods’ wrath. But his ignorance is also threefold: he does not know which god is angry; he does not know what the crime is that provoked the divine fury; and he does not know what it will take to placate the wrath of the gods.
Into this dark world the Torah of Moses shines its beacon of glory and grace. Israel’s God has revealed himself; Israel’s God has declared the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable conduct; and Israel’s God has provided a way of forgiveness that actually solves the human problem of sin. No wonder psalmists celebrated with such joy the life to be found in the Torah (Ps. 119). Even as Moses recognizes Israel’s extraordinary privilege as bearer of the revealed will of God, he also declares the nation’s missionary function. In the plan of God through the obedience of his people, they would demonstrate their greatness to the nations and so fulfill the promise to the ancestors and serve as agents of worldwide blessing. To borrow the language of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:3, Israel was to be a letter from God to the world, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Sadly, the nation as a whole failed in this mission, and the individuals within the nation who fulfilled this calling were rarely more than a remnant. But Israel’s failure negates neither the grace nor the power of the Torah to yield life when treasured with proper perspective. Israel’s failure testifies simply to the hardness of the human heart.
Contemporary Significance
KNOWING GOD AND HIS will as Israel’s supreme privilege. This paragraph highlights two commonly forgotten or intentionally dismissed realities for Christians. It reminds us that along with the experience of salvation itself, the presence of God and the knowledge of his will represent the supreme privileges of his people. Moses will conclude his final speech by declaring that the word, that is, the revealed will of God, is near to Israel, presenting them with the opportunity to choose life or death (30:11–20, esp. v. 14).
In a strange hermeneutical move, Paul will explicitly quote that statement in Deuteronomy 30:12–14 and apply it to Christ, who is the climactic demonstration both of God’s nearness and his revelation (Rom. 10:7–11). However, the christological significance of our present passage finds expression more naturally and more fully in the prologue to the gospel of John, which reaches a climax in 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And then John exclaims, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the Torah was given through Moses; grace and truth happened through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16–17). The contrast here is not between law and grace, but two ways of expressing grace: mediated and embodied. John is referring to the two climactic gracious revelatory moments in history. For the Israelites, possession of the Torah was a supreme grace (Rom. 9:4), a grace exceeded and superseded only by Christ, for he is Immanuel, “God with us.”
The significance of God’s revealed will in a believer. At the same time, this paragraph reminds us of the significance of God’s revealed will in the life of a believer. The Torah and the rest of the Scriptures have not been given to us to display in beautifully decorated family Bibles on the coffee table, or to be the subjects of high-sounding creedal statements on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures. A high view of God’s revealed will is demonstrated in lives that conform to God’s will as revealed. Moses spends much more time calling his people to orthopraxy than to orthodoxy. The missional goal of God’s people is not fulfilled with precise theological formulas, but through the life-giving and transforming power of the divine Word.
In our Western cultural context Christians as individuals and as the church are increasingly dismissed by outsiders as irrelevant, hypocritical, and self-serving. But in his own farewell address to his disciples Jesus reminded his followers of the relationship between spiritual claims and life:
• If you love me you will obey my commands (pers. trans., John 14:15).
• If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love (John 15:10).
Here “keep/obey my commands” does not mean simply, “Do as I tell you from now on.” The expression “my commands” alludes to specific commands revealed long ago as God’s will. When the disciples hear these words from Jesus’ lips, they are hearing the voice of the One who revealed his “decrees and laws” long ago at Horeb. This Jesus who speaks in the upper room is the same One who spoke directly to the people at Sinai and through his prophet Moses. Through obedience to Jesus Christ we demonstrate our covenantal commitment (“love”) to him, but we also display to the world the privilege of salvation, divine presence, knowledge of his will, and blessing. Delighting in obedience to the revealed will of God represents the key to fulfilling the divine mission of reaching the world with his grace.