Be careful, and watch yourselves closely. Deuteronomy 4:9
A man and several friends went through a ski resort gate posted with avalanche warning signs and started snowboarding. On the second trip down, someone shouted, “Avalanche!” But the man couldn’t escape and perished in the cascading snow. Some criticized him, calling him a novice. But he wasn’t; he was an “avalanche-certified backcountry guide.” One researcher said that skiers and snowboarders with the most avalanche training are more likely to give in to faulty reasoning. “[The snowboarder] died because he was lulled into letting his guard down.”
As Israel prepared to go into the promised land, God wanted His people to keep their guard up—to be careful and alert. So He commanded them to obey all His “decrees and laws” (Deuteronomy 4:1–2) and remember His past judgment on those who disobeyed (vv. 3–4). They needed to “be careful” to examine themselves and keep watch over their inner lives (v. 9). This would help them keep their guard up against spiritual dangers from without and spiritual apathy from within.
It’s easy for us to let our guard down and fall into apathy and self-deception. But God can give us strength to avoid falling in life and forgiveness by His grace when we do. By following Him and resting in His wisdom and provision, we can keep our guard up and make good decisions!
Obedience Commanded
4 Now, Israel, hear the decreesn and laws I am about to teacho you. Follow them so that you may livep and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not addq to what I command you and do not subtractr from it, but keeps the commandst of the Lord your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor.u The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taughtv you decrees and lawsw as the Lord my God commandedx me, so that you may follow them in the land you are enteringy to take possession of it. 6 Observez them carefully, for this will show your wisdoma and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”b 7 What other nation is so greatc as to have their gods neard them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and lawse as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9 Only be careful,f and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teachg them to your childrenh and to their children after them.
INSIGHT
- When do you tend to let your spiritual guard down?
- What will you do to follow God’s wisdom and remain alert to dangers to your faith?
The book of Deuteronomy (which means “second law”) is the final book of the Pentateuch—the five books of Moses. In Judaism, these books are referred to as Torah (literally “instruction, law”). In Deuteronomy, Moses repeated the law given to Israel at Sinai. Why the repetition? The generation that had first received (and agreed to) the law at Mount Sinai had died in the wilderness during their forty years of wandering. Now, the people were preparing to enter the promised land, and Moses repeated the law for this new generation so they’d accept it for themselves before they received the land.
PRAYER
Dear God, please help me to remain alert and follow You in loving obedience. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-9 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 3-4; Hebrews 11:20-40
