Deuteronomy 4:9-24 God is Jealous for You
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Read Deuteronomy 4:9-14
Read Deuteronomy 4:9-14
I. Vs. 9-14 Take Care of Your Soul
I. Vs. 9-14 Take Care of Your Soul
vs. 9 Be Careful about Your Soul
Moses has told the people to hear the word and obey it
He has warned them against idolatry and the lifestyle that went with it
Now he tells them to take care of their souls
The Hebrew word shamar, meaning “be careful,” that already appeared in verses 2 and 6 appears twice in this short expression of seven words in Hebrew
We are to be careful about being careful!
Actually in the Hebrew such repetition is a way to stress a point.
We need to be diligent in this endeavor lest we forget
1 Tim 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1 Tim 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
If we forget the Word departs from our hearts
vs. 9b Make them known to your children
Then he tells us to make them know to your children and grandchildren
This is interesting
The responsibility falls on the parent for their Spiritual knowledge
Children learn truths best through stories.
This shows us the priority of God’s Word in our lives
We need to study it, be taught it, and then in turn teach it
The Israelites were to remind the next generations of what God did at Horeb
This will teach the people to fear God
vs. 12 Lord spoke out of the midst of the fire
Moses then tells them how the mountain burned with fire, was wrapped in darkness and gloom.
It was at Mount Sinai when God descended in a cloud on the mountain top and spoke through the fire
The mountain burned and Israel heard the words but saw no form, or person
This was done to show Israel how mighty God was
vs. 13 Declared HIs Covenant thru 10 commandments
There God declared His covenant
The covenant was simply to obey the 10 commandments Moses would teach them so they would understand
If they obeyed God’s Word Israel would be the most prosperous nation in the world
Unfortunately that didn’t happen
There is still blessing for those who follow God’s Word
II. Vs. 15-31 Watch Yourselves
II. Vs. 15-31 Watch Yourselves
vs. 15 Another warning to watch yourselves carefully
Using the now familiar word shamar (meaning “pay careful attention to”),
Moses starts this paragraph by saying, “Therefore watch your souls
Leaders need to constantly warn themselves and others about the danger of drifting into unfaithfulness.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
vs. 16 Beware lest you act corruptly
The draw of idolatry is great but underneath that is a desire to be like everyone else
Christians fall for this every time
When people feel weak and vulnerable, they could be tempted to look to something tangible, something they could see and touch, like an idol
We are called to be set apart or sanctified but in fear of looking different we will conform to the world
vs. 16-19 are a description of all the different kinds of gods that were worshipped
Most were associated with nature like the sun or animals
Romans 1:22-23 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:22-23 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Following after these gods is to act corruptly
“idolatry not only corrupts God’s redemptive achievement for God’s people, but perverts and turns upside-down the whole created order
Pluralism keeps all the different ideologies as more or less equals.
The Old Testament prophets expressed this revulsion with thunderous rebukes and threats.
But when talking to the Athenians who did not have God’s special revelation Paul “reasoned” with them about idolatry and the gospel of Christ (Acts 17:17–31).
This gives a good guideline for dealing with idolatry. Within the church, we rebuke. Outside the church, we reason.
vs. 20 Brought you out of the iron furnace
Instead we need to remember that God brought Israel out of the furnace that was Egypt
“The iron furnace” probably recalls the way they suffered having to work in the burning heat of the day. How soon they forgot how much they’d suffered!
He set them free from slavery and made them His own and gave them the promised land as an inheritance
In his exhortation to encourage faithfulness, Moses next uses himself as a negative example.
It is interesting that Moses mentions this sin and its punishment several times (1:37; 3:23–26; 4:21, 22; cf. 34:4).
He must really have been sad about not getting to go into the land because of his sin.
Which he uses to remind the people to keep the covenant
vs. 24 The Lord is a consuming fire
After asking the people to take care not to forget the covenant, Moses reminds them of the wrath of God that they would face if they do forget
In yet another warning Moses tells Israel God is a consuming fire
The symbol of “consuming fire” is used here to communicate the idea of destructive punishment.
I know we like to sing this line in worship songs but Moses is being dead serious
If Israel wanders from obedience they will perish and the land will be taken from them
They will be scattered among the people of the earth with just a remnant in Israel
That remnant will be controlled by many different nations
vs. 24b a jealous God
God described as a jealous God thirty times in my ESV Bible.
Five of these references are in Deuteronomy.
In twenty of the thirty occurrences God’s jealousy is said to be over the sin of Israel.
In Hebrew the word for jealousy is the same as the word for zeal.
Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
The word used in verse 24 has been described as “an adjective or title used exclusively of God, focusing on his desire for exclusive relationships.”
God, who is zealous in his commitment to his covenant people, is also jealous to see them remain faithful to him.
The sense here is that God’s zeal for his people is such that he will not tolerate unfaithfulness or seeing his people dishonored.
This concept of exclusive commitment is difficult to understand in an age when commitment has gone out of fashion in society.
Many people do not see even the highest of exclusive relationships of commitment—the marriage tie—as absolutely binding.
Some people enter marriage with the idea that if it does not work they can always divorce.
Chris Wright says that “the fire of Yahweh as a jealous God is the fire of an exclusive commitment to his people that demands an exclusive commitment in return.”
Wright calls this “the fire of redeeming love that has brought them out of the fires of bondage (v. 20) and would therefore tolerate no rival.”
vs. 29 When it gets really bad you will seek the Lord and you will find him if you do it with all of your heart
vs. 31 The Lord is merciful
To show mercy means to have compassion on someone who is not able to help themselves
Jesus showed compassion several times in the Gospels
Moses promises 3 things in God’s Mercy
He will not leave you
He will not destroy youHe will not forget His covenant
III. Vs. 32-40 The Love of God
III. Vs. 32-40 The Love of God
When you’re raising small children, you use rewards and punishments to teach them to obey; but when they get older, you hope that character and love will motivate them to shun evil and do what’s right.
God doesn’t want His children obeying Him just to get blessings or to avoid chastening, but because they love Him from the heart.
The word “heart” is mentioned more than forty times in Moses’ speech, and the Shema (6:4–5) emphasizes love for the Lord.
When Moses gave the law to the older generation at Sinai, the emphasis was on the fear of the Lord (Ex. 19:10–25; 20:20), but his application of the Law to the new generation magnifies God’s love for Israel and the importance of Israel loving the Lord.
They were now to be a mature people who obeyed God from the heart.
The Lord is a merciful God (Deut. 4:31), but we shouldn’t tempt Him because He is also a jealous God (v. 24).
IV. Vs. 41-43 Cities of Refuge
IV. Vs. 41-43 Cities of Refuge
V. Vs. 44-49 Intro to the Law
V. Vs. 44-49 Intro to the Law