Deuteronomy 4:9–31

Original Meaning

The Grace of Covenant Past: The Origins of Yahweh’s Covenant with Israel (4:9–14)

VERSES 9–14 involve one long sentence governed by the twofold appeal to absolute vigilance in verse 9a,2 and a twofold warning (lit.), “lest you forget,” and (lit.) “lest they leave your minds.”3 The verb “forget” does not mean simply a loss of memory, but failure to take into account what the memory recalls—the special relationship Yahweh had established with his people. Throughout his addresses Moses refers to details not to be forgotten,4 reinforcing the impression created here that Israel’s memory is not simply to involve abstract notions about God, but his specific acts in history on their behalf. With the charge, “Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (v. 9b), Moses highlights both the importance of Yahweh’s revelation and the antidote to Israel’s bad memory (cf. v. 25). The Israelites’ greatest enemy will not be the Canaanites out there, but their own mind and heart within them (Judg. 2:10; Hos. 4:6).

As is often the case with modern preachers, Moses’ passion is reflected in the awkward style of verses 9–14.5 The object of “do not forget” in verse 9 is clear: “the things [events]” that the people’s own eyes had witnessed. Verses 10–14 are best interpreted as commentary on “the things,” highlighting especially one of the most significant “days” (v. 10) in Israel’s history. Moses recaptures the aura of past events with the last three words of verse 11, which echo Exodus 19:16 and 20:21: that was a day of “darkness, cloud, and deep gloom” (NIV “black clouds and deep darkness”).

Moses’ recollections of Horeb focus on actions, first by the Israelites (vv. 10–11) and then by Yahweh (vv. 12–14). On that day the people stood before Yahweh their God; they came near and stood at the foot of the blazing mountain. This is formal court language. For a brief moment Horeb was transformed into a sacred place, the throne room of Yahweh, and his subjects were invited to an audience with their divine Sovereign (cf. 18:7). Sometimes the Old Testament associates the divine fire with Yahweh as a warrior,6 but in Deuteronomy fire is usually linked with the theophany at Horeb.7 The combination of fire and light on one hand with cloud and darkness on the other introduced the Israelites both to the radiance of divine glory and to its lethal force.

The human actions provide the syntactical skeleton for verses 10–11, but these actions were possible only because of the divine Sovereign’s gracious invitation. While the charge “Assemble the people before me” (v. 10) recalls Yahweh’s own summary of the events in Exodus 19:4 (cf. Ex. 3:12), here Yahweh summarizes the agenda for the encounter: He will let them hear his voice so they might learn to “revere” him and never stop “revering” him. The Hebrew word for “to revere” (yârēʾ) bears a wide range of meanings in the Old Testament. Depending on the relationship between subject (the fearer) and object (the one feared), it could denote either fright (Ex. 20:18) or reverence and awe in the presence of a superior.8 The latter is obviously the case here. For Israel this sort of “fear” will be a precondition to unqualified obedience, which in turn will be a precondition to life and prosperity in the land. The generation that came out of Egypt learned this fear through the physical sight of Yahweh’s glory. Throughout his addresses Moses assumes that present and future generations must be taught this fear (Deut. 4:10; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12–13) through hearing the words of Yahweh (4:10), participating in formal worship (14:23), and hearing the Torah (17:19; 31:12–13).

Accepting the invitation, the people stood at the foot of the mountain eagerly anticipating the address of the divine king (v. 11).9 When Yahweh spoke, he introduced them to his “covenant” (b^erît). The covenantal nature of Deuteronomy is evident in both the structure and the tone of the book, but this is the first occurrence of this word. In the Old Testament the word b^erît generally speaks of established or confirmed relationships and usually carries with it nuances of obligation.10 The word is used of agreements, pacts, and treaties of all kinds, ranging from marriage contracts to legal declarations of promise and obligation.

Moses notes two significant details about this covenant. (1) He identifies the covenant as Yahweh’s covenant. Like all covenants involving Yahweh in the Old Testament, this covenant is monergistic: that is, Yahweh initiates it, identifies the covenant partner, defines the terms, and determines the consequences for compliance or noncompliance. However, unlike Hittite and Assyrian suzerainty treaties, this covenant was not imposed by an overlord upon a defeated vassal. The background is found in Yahweh’s miraculous and undeserving rescue of the Israelites from the clutches of an oppressive overlord, that he might establish a relationship with them—a relationship that, from start to finish, serves their interests and well-being.

(2) Moses associates the covenant with (lit.) “the Ten Words”11 (v. 13). Contrary to most translations and to pervasive popular usage, the Old Testament never refers to this document as the “Ten Commandments”; these are “ten words” (cf. 10:4; Ex. 34:28). Given the semantic range of the term d^ebārîm, we should follow the early Greek translation and refer to this document as the Decalogue, that is, “the ten words/declarations,” or even “the ten principles of covenant relationship.” While the Old Testament never explains why there were ten words or explicitly numbers them,12 the number ten seems to have been selected to correspond to the fingers on our hands and to facilitate memorization.

Having declared the foundational principles of the covenant,13 Yahweh produced two written copies of the document on tablets of stone (cf. Ex. 24:12; 31:18; 32:15–16). The provision of two identical copies follows the ancient Near Eastern custom of giving each party to a covenant a copy of the agreement.14 Whereas second millennium BC Hittite sources suggest the subordinate’s copy was kept in the temple of his chief deity,15 Deuteronomy 10:5 notes that both Yahweh’s and Israel’s copies of the Decalogue were stored in the ark of the covenant.

Moses concludes his report of the events at Horeb by adding that Yahweh commanded him to teach the Israelites “decrees and laws,” which they were to put into practice in the land that they were to enter and possess (v. 14). The statement reinforces his role as authorized interpreter of the covenant. The book of Deuteronomy testifies to his fidelity to this charge.

Bridging Contexts

WHAT SHALL WE MAKE of “the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath”? Does this refer to the covenant with the patriarchs as described in Genesis, the covenant made with the exodus generation at Sinai (as in v. 23), or the covenant renewed here on the Plains of Moab? While some argue in favor of the first,33 the weight of the evidence is elsewhere.

1. The distinction many make between the Abrahamic covenant as unconditional and the Israelite covenant as conditional is false. All covenants involve relationships, the health of which depends on the actions of each party vis-à-vis the other. As anticipated in Genesis 17:7, the Israelite covenant ratified at Sinai was the means by which the promise made within the Abrahamic covenant was fulfilled.

2. Although we read of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this covenant is never referred to elsewhere as “the covenant of your forefathers.”

3. Leviticus 26:45 explicitly associates the “covenant of the ancestors” (b^erît riʾšōnîm), used here, with those “whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God.”

4. In this chapter (esp. vv. 9–31), the central issue has been the covenant that Yahweh made with Israel at Horeb and that is embodied in the Decalogue.

5. Moses’ reference to Yahweh’s remembering his covenant with the forefathers deliberately contrasts his fixed memory with the Israelite lapse of memory (cf. v. 23).

6. Since Moses is speaking of the distant future (v. 30) and specifically refers to when “you have had children and grandchildren” (v. 25), “your forefathers” could refer to the exodus generation or even to the present generation.

7. While some cite the absence of an oath at Horeb as evidence for the Abrahamic covenant, we should note first that in the ancient Near East covenants would rarely have been made without an oath.34 Moreover, later prophetic tradition actually speaks of Yahweh’s commitment on oath to this covenant.35

8. Finally, borrowing heavily from Deuteronomy, Jeremiah explicitly identifies the exodus generation as the forefathers with whom Yahweh made a covenant (34:13).

In the end, there is no need to choose between the patriarchal covenant and the Israelite covenant. Rather than focusing on the land—as promised to the patriarchs—in verse 31 Moses’ attention is on Yahweh’s relationship with his people: “He will neither fail you nor destroy you” [pers. trans.]. Furthermore, the “return” spoken of in verses 29–31 is not to the land but to Yahweh.36 The issue in this chapter is much greater than land. Unlike the gods of the nations, who were primarily interested in territory and only secondarily concerned about people, Yahweh’s primary concern lies with his people and his relationship to them (cf. Gen. 17:7).37 The covenant he remembers is the one made with Abraham, extended to his descendants at Horeb, and about to be confirmed with this generation on the Plains of Moab.38

In Deuteronomy the covenant with the fathers is one.39 In the future Yahweh may suspend the benefits of the covenant (4:25–28; cf. Lev. 26:14–39; Deut. 28:15–68), but this will not affect the covenant itself.40 On the contrary, the judgments are written into the covenant, but so is the restoration; the judgment cannot be the last word. In the end, when God circumcises the Israelites’ hearts and they repent of their rebellion (Lev. 26:41; Deut. 4:30; 30:6–10), he will renew his covenant relationship with them and bring them back to the land he promised the ancestors.

In this paragraph Moses continues his attack on idolatry, portraying Israel’s worship of other gods not only as rebellion against Yahweh, but as foolish and futile. Finally Yahweh gives them up to the folly of their own minds. If the Israelites want to worship objects of wood and stone made with human hands, with eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, and mouths that do not eat, let alone speak, then let them—but not in Yahweh’s land! Echoes of this polemic are heard not only in Isaiah’s spoofs of idolatry in Isaiah 44:9–20, but especially in Psalm 115:3–11:

Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

But their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but they cannot smell;

they have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

You who fear him, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

Contemporary Significance

THE COVENANT AT SINAI represented a remarkable expression of God’s grace. Deuteronomy 4:9–31 makes a profound contribution both to Deuteronomy’s vision of the grace and the glory of God. First, the covenant made at Sinai represented a remarkable expression of God’s grace. Within God’s gracious redemptive-historical plan, his covenant with Israel plays an important role. It demonstrates what is true of all divine covenants: the privilege of relationship with God is available only to those whom he in his gracious sovereignty chooses and must be answered with grateful obedience to his will as revealed in the context of the covenant.

Even so, all covenants are grounded in and made possible by the finished work of Christ (1 Peter 1:13–21). When Jesus instituted what we call “the Lord’s Supper,” he declared to the disciples, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).41 This statement echoes Moses’ words of institution in the context of the covenant ratification at Sinai: “See the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you” (Ex. 24:8 [pers. trans.]). Through Christ the vast gulf between the gracious but holy God and sinful human beings is spanned. Based on his work, the benefits summarized in the new Israelite covenant were granted to believers in Israel and have also become ours: (1) the Torah written on our hearts; (2) covenant relationship with God; (3) the knowledge of God; (4) forgiveness of sins.42

The covenant made at Sinai represented a remarkable expression of God’s glory. God does indeed condescend to speak with mortals, but he does so without sacrificing any of his glory. In fact, only the cloud and the deep darkness spared the Israelites from God’s lethal radiance. And to this day, those who have been drawn to God in covenant relationship will give expression to their gratitude, meager as that expression may be. In 1867 W. Chalmers Smith attempted to capture the glorious enigma of God as revealed at Sinai in his famous hymn:

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, the great name we praise.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see—

’Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee.43

More recently, with powerful rhetorical flourish, a sermon easily accessible on the Internet has captured a measure of the indescribable glory and grace of God:44

He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!

He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!

He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.

He always was, He always is, and He always will be. . . .

Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing! He was pierced and eased pain!

He was persecuted and brought freedom! He was dead and brought life!

He is risen and brings power! He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can’t understand Him, the armies can’t defeat Him,

The schools can’t explain Him, and the leaders can’t ignore Him.

Herod couldn’t kill Him, the Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him,

and the people couldn’t hold Him!

Nero couldn’t crush Him, Hitler couldn’t silence Him,

The New Age can’t replace Him, and Donahue can’t explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.

He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.

He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right, His word is eternal,

His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me. . . .

He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and every way.

He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.

So, if you’re wondering why I feel so secure, understand this. . . .

He said it and that settles it.

God is in control, I am on His side, and that means all is well with my soul.

Everyday is a blessing, for GOD Is!

The covenant made at Sinai testifies to God’s right to our exclusive devotion. Calvin asserted that human nature is “a perpetual factory of idols.”45 The urgency of Moses’ warning testifies to the truth of this assertion. While we who read this text today may be shocked at how quickly the Israelites would abandon Yahweh in favor of other gods, this problem is common to all humanity. Paul may have had Deuteronomy 4:15–24 in mind when he wrote Romans 1:18–23. When people forget the grace of God in redemption, revelation, and covenant, they become ungrateful, have no fear of God (asebeia, rendered “ungodliness” by the NIV), and act corruptly (adikia, rendered “unrighteousness” by the NIV).

In our text idolatry involves reverential acts of homage and submission to objects other than God—objects made either by human hands or by God’s own hands. While modern Westerners tend not to create concrete objects to be worshiped, we are constantly crafting new substitutes for God. Indeed an idol may be defined as anything (whether concrete or abstract) that rivals God—anything to which we submit and which we serve in place of God himself. The stuff of idols is not necessarily bad. The sun, moon, and stars are good; they govern the universe. Wood and stones are good and useful for limitless projects and tasks. But when we pervert their function and treat them as ultimate things on which our well-being and destiny depend, they rival God—and that makes them an idol.

Ask Job. He had a clear idea of the forms and the seductive power of idols (Job 31:24–26). Idols are not necessarily physical. Many have identified money, sex, and power as pervasive idols in our day.46 However, the same may be true of our spouses, our children, our hobbies, our books. If we are unwilling to give them up for the sake of the kingdom, they have become idols and God is robbed of the exclusive worship he deserves.

The covenant made at Sinai served as a call to worship. The privilege of covenant relationship with God calls for humble submission and homage to the divine Suzerain, demonstrated in grateful and unreserved obedience, as acts of reverent worship. God’s invitation to Israel to the mountain was an invitation to worship—with fear and trembling. We may live on this side of the incarnation, but echoing the sights and sounds of Horeb, the author of Hebrews reminds us that God still seeks worshipers who will worship him in fear (Heb. 12:18–29).

Original Meaning

The Grace of Covenant Present: The Essence of Yahweh’s Covenant with Israel (4:15–24)

THIS SECTION SUBDIVIDES INTO three main parts. Moses begins the first (vv. 15–19) and last (vv. 23–24) with strong appeals to the Israelites to “watch [guard]” themselves against abhorrent behavior, while the center (v. 20) functions as the rhetorical fulcrum. In verses 21–22 Moses inserts a parenthetical personal note, dividing this section into two almost identical halves and linking this chapter with the preceding recollections (cf. 1:37–38; 3:26).16 While this section (as well as the rest of vv. 9–31) obviously serves as a warning against idolatry, the inverted word order in verse 20 places this warning within the broader context of Yahweh’s grace in rescuing Israel from Egypt and taking them as his covenant people. Moses reinforces this conclusion with a climactic appeal not to forget the covenant (vv. 23–24), reminding the people of Yahweh’s passion/jealousy and drawing expressions from the preamble and the first command of the Decalogue: Yahweh will not tolerate rivals.

Moses elaborates on the general prohibition of idolatry by listing four classes of forbidden creaturely representations of divinity: large land creatures, flying creatures, crawling dirt creatures, and creatures of the sea, categories borrowed directly from Genesis 1. By worshiping them humans violate Yahweh’s formlessness (v. 15) and displace him with creatures, but they also challenge his rule by submitting as vassals to the creatures they were to govern.17 Whereas idolaters worship forms that have mouths but do not speak, the Israelites worshiped the One who has no form but who speaks and calls on the Israelites to serve as his representatives.

Moses then turns to a second form of religious perversion: the worship of the sun and moon and stars (v. 19; cf. 2 Kings 21:3; 23:5). Ancient Near Easterners generally perceived these as representations of divine beings who governed earthly existence. Moses uses five expressions to describe worshipers’ relationship to them: they raise their eyes heavenward; they gaze devotedly at “all the heavenly array”; they are seduced by them; they prostrate themselves before them; and they submit to the gods as vassals.

Theologically the last clause of verse 19 may be the most difficult in the entire book of Deuteronomy. Many take the verse to mean that Yahweh allotted these heavenly objects to the other nations as objects of worship, while reserving himself for Israel’s worship. However, this interpretation flies in the face of the Old Testament’s consistent antipathy toward idols of any kind18 and reads too much into this verse. The text is silent on the allotment, and the assumed purpose, “as objects of worship,” must be supplied from outside. Furthermore, this explanation excludes Israel from “all the nations under heaven” and assumes this nation has no relationship to the heavenly bodies.

Finally, this interpretation of verse 19 misses the links between this passage and Genesis 1. Having borrowed the categories of creatures from Genesis 1:20–23, Moses moves back to day four of creation, when God created these heavenly bodies. His comment that they were apportioned “to all the nations under heaven” represents a legitimate interpretation of Genesis 1:14–19. These objects were not created as objects to be worshiped but as instruments of divine providence, governing the world, and guaranteeing the annual rhythm of life for all its inhabitants. Even if the objects function as ciphers for heavenly beings, this passage does not identify them as legitimate objects of worship by anyone.19 If Israel is sidetracked and worships them, they will deny divine election and their special covenant standing with Yahweh.

Verse 20 represents the focal point of this passage, highlighting the utter treachery and perversion of idolatry. Moses highlights Israel’s special relationship with Yahweh with three statements: (1) they are the product of Yahweh’s gracious saving actions;20 (2) they were rescued from the furnace specifically to be Yahweh’s covenant partner;21 (3) they have been claimed by Yahweh as his own “special possession.” By referring to Israel as his naḥ^alâ, Moses highlights Yahweh’s loving and caring relationship with this nation.

In verses 21–22 Moses digresses momentarily to express his frustration over Yahweh’s refusal to let him enter the land. As in 1:37 and 3:26 he recognizes that this prohibition arises from Yahweh’s anger toward him, but he blames the people for that anger. His bitterness is reflected in complaining that he will die outside the Promised Land, characterized as a “good” land that Yahweh has given to the Israelites as their special “possession” (naḥ^alâ).22

If verse 20 is the fulcrum of this passage, then verses 23–24 represent the climax. Once more Moses charges his people to guard themselves against forgetting “the covenant of the LORD your God” that he made with them, and against manufacturing any images that would supplant Yahweh in this relationship. He grounds this warning with two clauses, each of which contributes significantly to Deuteronomy’s vision of God: “Yahweh is Consuming Fire; he is Impassioned El” (pers. trans.).23 On the surface, the first expression extends the visual metaphor of Horeb (Exod 3:2–3; 24:17), except that there, remarkably, the fire did not consume. Here the fire represents not merely the personal presence of Yahweh, but his burning fury in the face of covenantal infidelity, expressed specifically in idolatry.24

Moses’ characterization of Yahweh as El Qannaʾ (Impassioned El) is equally dramatic. The usual interpretation of qnʾ as “jealous” is misleading because we commonly view jealousy as an illegitimate disposition akin to envy or covetousness.25 However, in the Old Testament, this term usually speaks of the legitimate passion that is aroused when interference from a third party threatens a proper relationship, particularly a marriage relationship when another “lover” enters the picture. Yahweh is an impassioned God, who treasures Israel as his covenant people. This love is fueled, not by an exploitative need to dominate, but by ardor for the well-being of the object.