Bible Commentaries

The appeal of Moses was now elaborated in a great statement on the deepest value of the commandment and the corresponding responsibilities of the people Observe the peculiar form of the opening statement, "Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments." The very form suggested the unification of plurality and evidently was intended to do so, for it led to the statement, "Jehovah our God is one Jehovah." Here Jehovah was used as name and as title, its supreme value, of course, being that it postulated existence and revealed an attitude of grace.

Immediately following this announcement of the sublime and all­inclusive principle of the unity of Jehovah, Moses dealt with the resulting responsibilities. First, personal love for God and His commandments was insisted upon Second, the family was in mind, for the children were to be diligently taught these things. Third, these words were to be the subject of conversation in all the activities of life, sitting in the house, walking by the way, lying down, or arising. Moreover, they were to be kept in mind by outward manifestation, bound upon the hand, and between the eyes; written upon the door posts, and upon gates.

The great lawgiver proceeded to make certain applications of these responsibilities of the life they would live when they had come into possession of the land. Three perils would then threaten them. The first would be the peril of prosperity. Moses charged them not to forget their relationship to God. The second would be the peril of adversity. They were not to tempt the Lord as they had at Massah (Exodus 17:1-16). There they had committed the sin of murmuring and strife because of their difficulties. The third peril would be the neglect to keep their relation to God alive in the minds of their children He charged them, therefore, to take time to teach the children.