Search for commentaries – Deuteronomy 4

An Exhortation to Obedience
This chapter concludes Moses’ review of Israel’s wilderness journey. Moses stops talking about Israel’s past and emphasizes the present. He wanted to make sure that the people did not soon forget all they had seen God do. At the same time, he wanted Israel to know the importance of ...

Worshiping Other gods is Forbidden
Moses wanted to make sure that the people did not forget all they had seen God do, so He urged parents to teach their children about God’s great miracles. While the mountain burned with fire the Lord spoke out of the midst of the fire (vv. 11-12). The nations around Israel worshiped many ...

The Consequences of Neglected Warnings
After a strong warning against idolatry (v.v. 15-20), Moses for the third time refers to the Lord’s refusal to let him cross the Jordan and enter Canaan (v. 21; Deut. 1:37; Deut. 3:26-27). Certainly, his repetition of the Lord’s prohibition points out his deep disappointment. Since the people were ...

The Lord is God
It is so easy for us to look everywhere else but to God for our guidance and leadership. We trust financial advisors, news commentators and medical doctors, but do we really trust God? It seems that Moses is trying to get the Israelites to see that their trust needs to be in God and not in man ...

Three Cities of Refuge
In this passage we find Moses setting apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River, where anyone who had accidentally killed someone without having any previous hostility could flee for safety. These cities were: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in ...