Reasons For Obedience (Deuteronomy 4: 20-43)

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Welcome:

Welcome to today's episode, where we look specifically Deuteronomy 4:20-43. 

In this episode, we explore Moses' plea to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He reminds them that they have been chosen by God, not because of their own greatness, but because of God's love and faithfulness. Yet, this chosen status comes with a heavy responsibility. The Israelites must remain faithful to God, resist the temptations of idolatry, and remember the covenant that has been established.

As we reflect on these verses, we are called to examine our own lives. How often do we stand on the edge of God's promises, only to be distracted by the allure of the world? Like the Israelites, we too must remember our identity in Christ and remain steadfast in our devotion to Him.

Join us as we unpack the reasons for obedience, the dangers of idolatry, and the hope that comes from seeking God with all our hearts.

Study Notes: "Reasons For Obedience" (Deuteronomy 4:20-43)

Key Themes:

1. Appeal to Obedience: Moses calls the Israelites to obedience, reminding them of the covenant with God and the consequences of disobedience.
2. Reminder of God's Faithfulness: God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, described as an "iron furnace," to be His special possession.
3. Warning Against Idolatry: Moses warns of the spiritual dangers ahead, urging the people to avoid the worship of other gods.
4. Consequences of Idolatry: Disobedience and idolatry will lead to severe consequences, including scattering among nations.
5. The Attractiveness of the Lord: Moses emphasizes the uniqueness of God's relationship with Israel, urging obedience based on God's character and deeds.

Twelve Reasons for Obedience:

1. You will live (Deuteronomy 4:1).
2. You will possess the land (Deuteronomy 4:1).
3. You have seen what the Lord has done (Deuteronomy 4:3-5).
4. You will be a witness to others (Deuteronomy 4:6).
5. The Lord is near you (Deuteronomy 4:7).
6. You have the Word of God (Deuteronomy 4:8-14).
7. The Lord saved you (Deuteronomy 4:20).
8. The Lord punishes disobedience (Deuteronomy 4:21-22, 25-28).
9. The Lord made a covenant with you (Deuteronomy 4:23).
10. The Lord is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).
11. There is only one Lord, and there is none other like Him (Deuteronomy 4:32-37).
12. Your children will be better off (Deuteronomy 4:40).

Reflection:

As we study this passage, we are reminded of the gravity of our choices and the importance of remaining faithful to God. The reasons for obedience are not just about avoiding punishment but about recognizing the incredible blessings and relationship we have with our Creator.

Let this be a call to live in a way that honors God, walking in righteousness, love, light, and wisdom, as we journey towards the promises He has

Transcript

Reasons For Obedience.  (Deuteronomy 4: 20-43)

Full Transcript:

Imagine standing on the edge of a vast, beautiful land—a place you've dreamed of, a place promised to you. The anticipation is electric, but before you can step into this new reality, there's a voice calling you to pause. This voice on this day belonged to Moses, and his words are not just ancient echoes; they are a powerful call to action, a divine plea that resonates through the ages until this day they are hearing it.

In Deuteronomy 4:20-43, Moses speaks to the Israelites as they stand on the brink of the Promised Land. He reminds them of a sobering truth: God has chosen them, not because of their greatness, but because of His love and faithfulness. Yet, with this chosen status comes a heavy responsibility. They must not forget who they are and who they serve.

Moses warns them about the dangers that lie ahead—not just the physical battles but the spiritual ones. The temptation to conform, to blend in with the nations around them, to worship other gods, is real and looming. But Moses’ message is clear: You are God’s special possession, refined and set apart. You must remain faithful to Him, remembering the covenant, the miracles, and the deliverance from Egypt.

As we look at these verses today, we must ask ourselves: How often do we stand on the edge of God's promises, only to be distracted by the allure of the world? Like the Israelites, we are called to remember our identity in Christ, to resist the pull of idolatry, and to remain steadfast in our devotion. 

Today’s passage is not just history—it’s a divine charge to each of us. Will we heed the call to stay faithful, to keep our eyes on God alone as we journey into the promises, He has for us?

Verse 20, Moses speaks

But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.

(Deuteronomy 4: 20)

Moses reminds us that the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, which he calls an "iron furnace." What a vivid image! He describes Egypt as a place of intense suffering, like a fiery furnace, from which God delivered His people. Moses emphasizes that God did this to make Israel His inheritance, as they are on this day. 

Now, they must avoid idolatry. As stated in verse 19, the Lord brought them out of Egypt, a land full of false gods, so that they could become His inheritance.

Did you catch that? The focus isn’t just on Israel receiving an inheritance—though that’s certainly true, as they were to inherit the Promised Land. But here, Moses is saying that they are the inheritance. 

It’s a profound thought: Did you know that the New Testament also speaks of believers as God’s inheritance? In Ephesians 1:18, it says, 

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

(Ephesians 1: 18)

Incredible! We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are God’s inheritance, just as Israel is.

Now, Moses turns to a personal note.

"The Lord was angry with me for your sakes and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan, nor enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance."

(Deuteronomy 4: 21)

In verse 20, Israel is God’s inheritance, and in verse 21, the land is their inheritance. 

Then, suddenly, Moses brings up the fact that God was angry with him, saying,

 "You won’t enter the land." It’s almost abrupt. He was talking about how the Lord brought them out of Egypt and made them His inheritance, and then he quickly shifts to his own failure and the consequence of not being able to enter the land.

Moses continues in verse 22: 

But I must die in this land, I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess that good land.

Perhaps the memory of Egypt—the iron furnace, the idolatry, and the disobedience of the Egyptians—triggered in Moses a reflection on his own sin and its consequences. Remember, Moses is urging the people to obey the Lord, using his own life as a cautionary tale.

He continues in verse 23:

Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you.

(Deuteronomy 4: 23)

What he’s saying is simple: Be careful not to forget the covenant, because in doing so, you might do something foolish, like making a carved image, which the Lord has explicitly forbidden.

Israel should learn from Moses’ personal failure. Unlike Moses, they should remain completely loyal to the Lord. Verse 24 is critical:

“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

This means God will not tolerate Israel’s allegiance to any other god. 

We sometimes think of jealousy as a petty emotion, but in the context of Scripture, God’s jealousy is rooted in the fact that we are His inheritance. If we misrepresent Him by creating idols, His jealousy is righteous, and He will act as a consuming fire against anyone who worship idols.

Moses just reminded them, "Look what happened to me. I’m not going to enter the land because I disobeyed." So, if even Moses was barred from the Promised Land due to disobedience, how much more should they avoid idolatry? The whole point is clear: avoid idolatry, because God is a jealous God.

To sum up verses 15 to 24: it is about being de diligent in not making idols. When the Lord spoke at Sinai, they did not see Him physically. When He brought them out of Egypt, they did not see Him physically. He punished Moses for his disobedience, made a covenant with them, and He is a jealous God—so do not disobey.

Moses knew all too well the natural tendency of the human heart, so he earnestly charged the people to pay close attention. 

The fourth point Moses makes in this message is about the aftermath of idolatry. After warning them not to engage in idolatry, he emphasizes the severe consequences. In verse 25, he says:

“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger,  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not [h]prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

(Deuteronomy 4: 25-26)

This passage begins with the phrase, “When you beget children,” which could be translated as “if” or “when” they do it. And indeed, they did. In verse 27, Moses warns:

"And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you."

Deuteronomy 4: 27)

Sure enough, they fell into idolatry, and as a result, the Lord scattered them. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, and the Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom. Moses’ warning came to pass. He continues in verse 28:

"And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell."

They acted corruptly; they sinned by participating in idolatry. Consequently, Moses says, the Lord will scatter them, and when they reach foreign lands, they will continue to serve idols. But in verse 29, Moses offers hope:

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

God will not leave them in their scattered state. He says, “If you seek Me, you will find Me.” In verse 30, he adds:

When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

(Deuteronomy 4: 30-31)

Moses makes it clear: if they disobey the Lord and make idols, He will scatter them. Yet, even in their disobedience, if they seek the Lord, He will be merciful. The Hebrew word translated as “merciful” refers to the tender compassion a mother has for her helpless infant. Even if Israel forgets God and abandons Him morally, like helpless children, He will still have mercy on them because of His covenant with Abraham, confirmed with Isaac and Jacob.

In verses 30 and 31, Moses also alludes to the “latter days.” While this may refer to the time when Babylon and Assyria conquered Israel and they were eventually restored, the phrase also points to an even later time in scripture—the time just before the Lord returns, when Israel will turn back to Him. This expression is significant because the writers of the Old Testament, especially the prophets, often picked up on the phrase "latter days."

So far in this chapter, we’ve explored Moses’ appeal to obedience, his reminder of the Lord’s appearance at Sinai, and his lengthy discussion on idolatry. His main appeal is for them to obey, especially by avoiding idolatry. He not only warns them to avoid it but also explains the consequences for those who fall into it.

Moses has one more point to make. In this passage, he talks about what I’m going to call the “attractiveness of the Lord.” In verse 32, he says:

“For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard."

Moses asks, “Has anyone ever seen anything like what the Lord has done?” In verse 33, he continues:

Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great [j]terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

(Deuteronomy 4: 33-34)

Moses uses a series of rhetorical questions to emphasize that Israel’s experience with the Lord is utterly unique. No other nation can claim to have heard the voice of God speaking out of fire. No other nation can point to a God who created them by redeeming them from a stronger nation. No other nation has witnessed the miraculous signs that Israel has seen.

God has done all of this so that the mere appearance and appeal of the Lord should motivate them to obedience. Moses then says.

"To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him."

(Deuteronomy 4: 35)

He doesn’t want them to just know this intellectually but to experience it. He wants them to know that the Lord is God and that the Lord alone is God. He continues.

Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day.

(Deuteronomy 4: 36-38)

Now, what Moses is doing here is talking about what I’ll call the attractiveness of the Lord. He’s highlighting what God has done, things no one has ever seen before. But take a closer look at verse 37: 

"Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them." There is no question that God sovereignly chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

Why did He do that? Was there something in them that made God choose them?

This touches on one of the most debated doctrines in all of the Bible: divine election. I believe the Bible is very clear that God chooses us, but that doesn’t diminish or discredit free will in any way. Both are true: God chose me, and yet I had to choose to believe. Though I cannot fully reconcile the two, I believe both these statements are true.

So, why did God choose us? This verse says God chose Israel because He loved their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is profound. God’s choice wasn’t based on something inherently special about them; it was rooted in His love. Now, look at verse 39:

Therefore, know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that [l]it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may [m]prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

(Deuteronomy 4: 39-40)

Once again, the appeal is to obedience. Moses is urging them to obey because of God’s magnificent grace. Look at what He has done: He loved Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and chose their descendants. Therefore, they ought to obey.

Now, there’s an interesting closing section to what we are going to look at today in verses 41 through 43, in which we see Moses set apart three cities on the east side of the Jordan as cities of refuge, naming them specifically.

Then Moses set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

(Deuteronomy 4: 41-43)

At first, it seems out of place—why mention this here? 

Well, as I mentioned earlier, they had just conquered that land and were beginning to settle it. It was necessary to designate certain cities as cities of refuge. When they crossed into the Jordan and into the Promised Land, they would establish more cities of refuge. 

Perhaps this is why Moses included this detail here. 

Some suggest it serves as a kind of intermission, marking the end of the first sermon in Deuteronomy, which reaches an emotional climax with the message: "This is the Lord; look at what He has done. Obey Him." Then, almost as an aside, Moses adds the need for three cities of refuge.

Thinking about all we have covered so far as I’ve mentioned, this is one sermon that spans four chapters. The central idea is that the people need to observe God’s word faithfully. Faithfulness is one of the greatest revelations of God’s character, possibly in all of the Old Testament. 

The message Moses gives now builds to a climax, as a great sermon does, leaving the people in awe of God and Moses’ message.

This part of the chapter is the climax of that sermon, and it’s fascinating to see that Moses, also, preached long sermons. (That makes me feel better)!

OK. Let me sum all of this up and make an observation.

Throughout the opening section of the book I’ve identified five key themes: 

1.     There is an appeal to obedience.

2.     A reminder of the Lord’s appearance at Sinai. 

3.     A warning to avoid idolatry.

4.     A discussion of the consequences of idolatry.

5.     And finally, the attractiveness of the Lord.

I also think through this opening passage there have been twelve reasons why we should be obedient. Though I didn’t spell them out in detail as I went along, I do believe they are embedded in the passage. 

Let me list them:

1.     Because you will live (Verse 1).

2.     Because you will possess the land (Verse 1).

3.     Because you have seen what the Lord has done (Verses 3-5).

4.     Because you will be a witness to others (Verse 6).

5.     Because the Lord is near you (Verse 7).

6.     Because you have the Word of God (Verses 8-14).

7.     Because the Lord saved you (Verse 20).

8.     Because the Lord punishes disobedience (Verses 21-22, 25-28).

9.     Because the Lord made a covenant with you (Verse 23).

10.   Because the Lord is a jealous God (Verse 24).

11.   Because there is only one Lord, and there is none other like Him (Verses 32-37).

12.   Because your children will be better off (Verse 40).

Notice how many times I mentioned that each of these is a reason to obey.

The reasons are plentiful: because of what the Lord has done for you, because of what He will do for you, and even because of what the Lord is—His character and His deeds. 

The best motivation to obey the Lord comes from recognizing who He is and what He has done. Moses even appeals to self-interest: "that it may go well with you and your children, and that you may live long in the land."

The bottom line is this: because of who God is, what He has done for you, and what He will do for you in the future, you should obey Him.

Now, what does all of this have to do with us today? 

Suppose I told you that this same principle is embedded in the New Testament...

As a matter of fact, the principle I’ve been discussing is echoed in several places in the New Testament, even though the details may change. 

For example, consider the book of Ephesians. 

Paul begins Ephesians by saying , “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you’ve been blessed with every possible spiritual blessing that God can give. Think about that. Some have compiled lists of these blessings, with numbers ranging from 33 to even longer lists. 

But the point is, God has richly blessed us.

If you look carefully at the book of Ephesians, Paul states this truth in the opening verses. Then, in the latter part of chapter 1, he prays that you would understand your calling—this is found in chapter 1, verse 18.

Moving forward to chapter 4, verse 1, Paul urges, "Now walk in your calling." 

I

 believe the overarching theme of Ephesians is our calling. (My book) 

The first half of the book outlines the blessings we have received and the calling to which we have been invited.

We’ve been called to a personal relationship with Him. It’s in this context that Paul says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." 

This means we are personally called to a relationship with Him. Then, beginning in the middle of chapter 2 and continuing through the rest of that chapter and half of the next, Paul discusses how we, both Jew and Gentile, have been united into one body—the Church.

Some people come to Ephesians and focus on the Church as the primary theme, but I believe it’s broader than that. Based on chapter 1, verse 18, and chapter 4, verse 1, it’s about our calling—both to Him and to one another within the Church.

So, what does this mean for us?

In chapter 4, Paul says, "Therefore," because of all the blessings you have received, "walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called." But what does it mean to "walk worthy"? 

Well, Paul gives us specific instructions on how to do this. Here are four ways:

1.     Walk in righteousness (Ephesians 4:24).

2.     Walk in love (Ephesians 5:2).

3.     Walk in light (Ephesians 5:8).

4.     Walk in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15).

Please note, I’m not reading anything into Ephesians that isn’t there; this is exactly what Ephesians says. The term "walk" is used as a metaphor for how you live your life.

So, here’s the idea: Why should I obey the Lord? 

Answer, Because of all that He has done for me. 

What does that mean? 

It means living out these commands, not as burdens, but as a natural response to the blessings we’ve received. 

To walk in righteousness, love, light, and wisdom is to walk worthy of the calling we’ve received.

In conclusion, because of the immeasurable blessings that God has showered upon us, we should be obedient. And that means living lives that are righteous, loving, wise, and full of the light of the love of God.