Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Deuteronomy
Book: Deuteronomy
Chapter: 4
Overview:
Earnest exhortations to obedience, and dissuasives from
Idolatry.
(1-23) Warnings against disobedience, and promises of
Mercy.
(24-40) Cities of
Refuge appointed.
(41-49)
1-23 The power and
Love of
God to
Israel are here made the
ground and reason of a number of cautions and serious warnings;
and although there is much reference to their national
Covenant,
yet all may be applied to those who live under the
Gospel. What
are laws made for but to be observed and obeyed? Our obedience
as individuals cannot merit
Salvation; but it is the only
evidence that we are partakers of the
Gift of
God, which is
eternal
Life through
Jesus Christ. Considering how many
temptations we are compassed with, and what corrupt desires we
have in our bosoms, we have great need to keep our hearts with
all diligence. Those cannot walk aright, who walk carelessly.
Moses charges particularly to take heed of the
Sin of
Idolatry.
He shows how weak the
Temptation would be to those who thought
aright; for these pretended gods, the
Sun,
Moon, and
Stars, were
only blessings which the
Lord their
God had imparted to all
nations. It is absurd to
Worship them; shall we serve those that
were made to serve us? Take heed lest ye forget the
Covenant of
the
Lord your
God. We must take heed lest at any time we forget
our religion. Care, caution, and watchfulness, are
Helps against
a bad memory.
24-40 Moses urged the greatness,
Glory, and
Goodness of God.
Did we consider what a
God he is with whom we have to do, we
should surely make
Conscience of our duty to him, and not dare
to
Sin against him. Shall we forsake a merciful
God, who will
never forsake us, if we are
Faithful unto him? Whither can we
go? Let us be held to our duty
By the bonds of
Love, and
prevailed with
By the mercies of
God to cleave to him.
Moses
urged
God's authority over them, and their obligations to him.
In keeping
God's
Commandments they would act wisely for
themselves. The fear of the
Lord, that is
Wisdom. Those who
enjoy the benefit of Divine
Light and laws, ought to support
their character for
Wisdom and honour, that
God may be glorified
thereby. Those who
Call upon
God, shall certainly find him
within
Call, ready to give an answer of peace to every
Prayer of
Faith. All these statutes and judgments of the Divine
Law are
just and righteous, above the statutes and judgments of any of
the nations. What they saw at
Mount Sinai, gave an
Earnest of
the
Day of
Judgment, in which the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed
in flaming
Fire. They must also remember what they heard at
Mount Sinai.
God manifests himself in the
Works of the
Creation,
without speech or language, yet their voice is heard, Ps
19:1,3; but to
Israel he made himself known
By speech and
language, condescending to their weakness. The rise of this
nation was quite different from the origin of all other nations.
See the reasons of free
Grace; we are not beloved for our own
sakes, but for
Christ's sake.
Moses urged the certain benefit
and advantage of obedience. This argument he had begun with,
ver. 1, That ye may live, and go in and possess the land; and
this he concludes with, ver. 40, That it may go
Well with
thee, and with thy children after thee. He reminds them that
their prosperity would depend upon their
Piety. Apostasy from
God would undoubtedly be the ruin of their nation. He foresees
their revolt from
God to idols. Those, and those only, shall
find
God to their comfort, who seek him with all their
Heart.
Afflictions engage and quicken us to seek
God; and,
By the
Grace
of
God working with them, many are thus brought back to their
right mind. When these things are come upon thee, turn to the
Lord thy
God, for thou seest what comes of turning from him. Let
all the arguments be laid together, and then say, if religion
has not reason
On its side. None cast off the government of
their
God, but those who first abandon the understanding of a
Man.
41-49 Here is the introduction to another discourse, or sermon,
Moses preached to
Israel, which we have in the following
chapters. He sets the
Law before them, as the rule they were to
work
By, the way they were to walk in. He sets it before them,
as the
Glass in which they were to see their natural
Face, that,
looking into this perfect
Law of liberty, they might continue
therein. These are the laws, given when
Israel was newly come
out of
Egypt; and they were now repeated.
Moses gave these laws
in charge, while they encamped over against
Beth-
Peor, an
Idol
place of the Moabites. Their present triumphs were a powerful
argument for obedience. And we should understand our own
situation as sinners, and the nature of that gracious
Covenant
to which we are invited. Therein greater things are shown to us
than ever
Israel saw from
Mount Sinai; greater mercies are given
to us than they experienced in the
Wilderness, or in
Canaan. One
speaks to us, who is of infinitely greater dignity than
Moses;
who bare our sins upon the
Cross; and pleads with us
By His
dying
Love.