Deut. 4-- Take It to Your Heart

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4

In the first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses recounted the events of Israel's sojourn through the wilderness. As we saw, this was important for Israel to hear; it's easy to lose faith and hope, and remembering can be healing for the soul. 

Chapter 4 starts a transition. Because the purpose of this monologue is to prepare Israel to enter the promised land, it will soon feature a second giving of God's law for His people. Moses starts heading in that direction here in the fourth chapter with a barrage of admonitions against idolatry.


Idolatry is one of those acts that if taken literally (as the physical worship of a representative image of a god) seems entirely antiquated and obsolete, but if understood in principle (as the lifestyle worship of anything other than God) is extremely relevant to our lives today.

Here are some of the reasons Moses gives to not commit idolatry (in the old, literal sense, so we'll have to do a little work to contextualize):

• No other gods respond to or speak to their people, so why would Israel worship any of those gods instead of the God who does? (4:7-8 and 4:33-34)
• God has revealed that He has no physical form; therefore, worshiping a physical form makes no sense (4:15-18)
• God created all physical objects, such as the celestial bodies, so worshiping them makes much less sense than worshiping Him, their Creator (4:19)
• Man-made idols aren't alive; God is (4:28)

All these reasons build to and flow from these truths:

To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other beside Him. (4:35)

Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. (4:39)

While we don't worship wooden idols anymore, we've certainly made our own gods. So when we're tempted to worship Romance, Prestige, Money, Security, Entertainment and all the rest, may we remember Moses' warnings. Those gods aren't alive; God created all of them; His existence far surpasses them all.

And those gods don't love us back.