A Sermon on Deuteronomy 4

Hey guys and girls, here's the text from my sermon on Deuteronomy 4. It was a tough week of preparation - it's a chapter with lots going on, and it was hard to get a clear line through it. Gary Millar's lecture was helpful and formative, highlighting the fact that Israel's God was heard, but not seen. That's what I tried to play off in the way I structured the talk. There are plenty of flaws here, which is why I'm posting it. If you get the chance, why not highlight some in the comments. (Having said that, it's WAY better than the earlier draft. Dumping my original introduction was a great help. More on that later maybe.)

The God of Word
Deuteronomy 4

SLIDE – SEEN BUT NOT HEARD

Seen but not heard

In Victorian England it was often said that Children, like Domestic servants, should be SEEN, but NOT HEARD. In fact, not just VICTORIAN ENGLAND. When I was growing up, which was in an era SLIGHTLY LATER THAN THAT, when I was growing up and mum and dad were having a DINNER PARTY AT HOME, my younger sister and I were always BUSTING to be allowed to STAY UP. And be PART OF IT. At which point I would be reminded that we could stay up ON THE ONE CONDITION that we REMEMBERED THE RULES. We could HELP WITH SERVING THE CHRISTMAS DRINKS. We could even NIBBLE ON THE CASHEWS. But DON’T BUTT IN on the ADULT CONVERSATIONS. Children… should be SEEN BUT NOT HEARD. Which very much kept us in our place.

Well, children these days get it much better. But as we come to Deuteronomy this morning, Moses is keen to warn the people of Israel about the kind of idol worship that was ABSOLUTELY COMMON ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. That very conveniently let you MAKE YOURSELF A NON INTERFERING, NON SPEAKING GOD. A good looking god, as you carved out its features and you inlaid it with gold and propped him up in his temple. But WON’T TROUBLE YOU BY SPEAKING. Or TELLING YOU HOW TO LIVE. Domesticated gods. Which the bible calls IDOLS.

So here in Deuteronomy 4, we’ve got this interesting interplay. The decision before Israel as they STAND ON THE BRINK OF THE PROMISED LAND. The choice between their TRUE GOD… WHO SPEAKS BUT HAS NO FORM. Or the IDOLS. Who have FORM. But DO NOT SPEAK.

The God who is HEARD BUT NOT SEEN. Or domesticated, well behaved and convenient idols. Who are SEEN… BUT NOT HEARD.

Show slide - map

If you were here last week, you’ll remember that in Deuteronomy we’re looking at the FINAL SPEECH FROM MOSES, Israel’s great leader, who’s brought the descendants of Abraham, the people of Israel, out of SLAVERY in Egypt, who’s brought them to Mount HOREB where God’s given them his law, who’s LED THEM THE ELEVEN DAY JOURNEY to Kadesh Barnea, where they sent SPIES INTO THE PROMISED LAND. And when the GOD WHO SPEAKS SAYS TO THEM, I’m GIVING YOU THE LAND, GO IN AND TAKE IT… they say, WE CAN’T, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THERE ARE TOO BIG.

And so now, after a GENERATION IN THE DESERT, after 40 years of WILDERNESS WANDERING, they’ve come around to the EAST SIDE OF THE JORDAN RIVER. And they’re READY TO CROSS. And maybe THIS TIME… take the land. Which reminded me of the old Sunday School Song that’s still stuck in my head. And it’s got to be one of the advantages of a good kid’s program. Here’s what I learned in St Andrews Inverell Junior Sunday School in 1965, and if you never went to Sunday school, here’s what you missed out on… because there was a song that said THERE’S ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS, and THAT’S THE RIVER OF JORDAN, one more river, there’s one more river to cross.

That’s EXACTLY WHERE WE’RE AT. They’ve IGNORED GOD’S WORD the FIRST TIME at Kadesh Barnea, they’ve had their WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE. And now as they’re PREPARING TO CROSS THEIR FINAL RIVER, there’s ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS. As Moses has a FINAL WORD WITH THEM. About their ATTITUDE… to the WORDS OF GOD WHO SPEAKS BUT IS NOT SEEN.



Pick it up from verse 10. And notice what he’s saying. Because the DEFINING THING these Israelites experienced, the DEFINING MOMENT in their history, was the time when as CHILDREN THEMSELVES, they stood there with their parents at Mount Horeb AS GOD SPOKE TO THEM FROM THE FIERY MOUNTAIN. The thing that THEIR EYES HAVE SEEN, the thing that should be IMBEDDED IN THEIR HEARTS… is on that day 40 years ago back at the mountain, GOD SPOKE. TO THEM.



SLIDE – DT 4v10-12 – Words but no form

Verse 10. Moses says, 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to HEAR MY WORDS so that they may learn to REVERE ME as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children."
God said, ASSEMBLE THE PEOPLE, to HEAR MY WORDS. So they’ll REVERE ME. So they’ll HOLD ME IN HONOUR.
And so Moses says in verse 11… that’s what you did. You stood there. WHILE THE LORD SPOKE. Follow along. And picture it. How SPOOKY would this be? How much would this RAISE THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK. How this would’ve set the dogs off HOWLING AT THE MOON. Clouds of black smoke, and deep darkness and BLAZING FIRE. And in the midst of it all a BOOMING VOICE OF GOD HIMSELF. The SPEAKING GOD. STAND IN AWE!
But notice, in spite of the smoke, in spite of the fire, when it comes to God himself, there’s NOTHING TO SEE. This is the God who is HEARD BUT NOT SEEN. Verse 11…

11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the LORD SPOKE TO YOU OUT OF THE FIRE. You heard the SOUND OF WORDS but SAW NO FORM; there was ONLY A VOICE. 13 He DECLARED TO YOU HIS COVENANT, the Ten Commandments, which he COMMANDED YOU TO FOLLOW and then wrote them on two stone tablets.



For Israel, ABSOLUTELY FORMATIVE. Their DEFINING MOMENT. But NOTHING TO SEE. You heard the SOUND OF WORDS. But SAW NO FORM. Which is going to be the constant TEMPTATION at the core of the long battle for Israel’s hearts. Because everyone else has a TANGIBLE, VISIBLE GOD. Why can’t WE HAVE A GOD WE CAN SEE?

For us, I think, it’s WORDS verses FEELINGS. Christians by and large these days would rather have a FEELING FROM GOD than a WORD FROM GOD. Back then, the big thing was to have a god that was SOLID AND SUBSTANTIAL that you could SEE WITH YOUR EYES and HOLD IN YOUR HANDS.

But THE TRUE GOD isn’t like that. “Then the Lord SPOKE TO YOU OUT OF THE FIRE. You heard the SOUND OF WORDS… but SAW NO FORM. There was ONLY A VOICE. Who gave you his commands and decrees and laws.” And so that’s the question. Do you want a God who can be SEEN BUT NOT HEARD? Like the IDOLS? Or a God who is HEARD… BUT NOT SEEN?

Because all the nations around them, all the nations in the land they’re about to TAKE OVER, they’ve got VISIBLE GODS by the truck load. They MAKE THEM themselves, in a workshop. They fashion them out of wood, and stone, and silver and gold. And then… they BOW DOWN TO THEM IN WORSHIP, and they DANCE TO THEM around ASHERAH POLES and they SACRIFICE THEIR CHILDREN TO THEM IN THE FIRE.

And so ISRAEL’S GOING TO HAVE A CHOICE to make. Every day they live in the land. Every day of their lives. No matter how young, no matter how old. Which is the point Moses goes on to make more strongly in verse 15.

Slide - Verse 15-16 NO FORM SO NO FORMS

15 You saw NO FORM OF ANY KIND the day the Lord SPOKE to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore WATCH YOURSELVES VERY CAREFULLY, 16 so that you do not become corrupt and MAKE FOR YOURSELVES an idol, an IMAGE of ANY SHAPE.



GOD HAS COME TO YOU IN HIS WORD. So HONOUR THAT. Instead of making FORMS and BOWING DOWN TO THEM.



See it’s interesting, in the creation account in Genesis 1:26, God has made MAN as his IMAGE AND LIKENESS. And he’s made MAN to RULE over the ANIMALS OF THE EARTH and the BIRDS IN THE AIR and the FISH OF THE SEA or things that CREEP ON THE GROUND.



And now IDOLATRY turns everything exactly upside down. And instead of WORSHIPING THE CREATOR, and RULING OVER the animals of the earth and the birds in the air… people by nature do the EXACT REVERSE.



And they CREATE FOR THEMSELVES an IMAGE of an ANIMAL. They carve themselves a FISH. And they BOW DOWN TO THAT.



Moses says, WATCH YOURSELVES VERY CAREFULLY, verse 16, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an IMAGE of ANY shape whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.



19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.



It might be TEMPTING TO BOW DOWN TO THINGS YOU CAN SEE. Like everyone else does. But the point is, the Lord YOUR GOD has MADE THAT STUFF. And not only that, he’s SPOKEN. To YOU. He’s brought you out of EGYPT, and he’s MADE HIMSELF KNOWN. And he’s VERY PARTICULAR… about WHETHER OR NOT YOU TAKE NOTICE OF HIM.



Which Moses LEARNED TO HIS PERIL. And so like the rest of his generation, he reminds them in verse 20, even MOSES HIMSELF is SHUT OUT OF THE PROMISED LAND.



SLIDE – v24-25 – A JEALOUS GOD…

So here’s what you’ve got to do. Don’t forget GOD’S COVENANT PROMISES; and DON’T MAKE YOURSELVES IDOLS. Because the LORD YOUR GOD, verse 24, is a consuming fire, a jealous God. He CARES ABOUT THIS STUFF. If he speaks and you IGNORE HIM, you DO IT AT YOUR PERIL.



And you can NEVER FORGET, verse 25, even in your old age, even when you’re a GRANDMA or a GRANDPA, there’ll never be a good time to TRADE IN the INVISIBLE GOD WHO SPEAKS for the VISIBLE gods who DON’T. There’ll NEVER BE A GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP ON GOD. There’ll NEVER BE A GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP ON HIS PROMISES. There’ll NEVER BE A GOOD TIME to trade in the GOD OF WORD for MATERIALISM.



Moses says to them, it’s as simple as this. Here’s your choice. TURN TO IDOLS, and you’ll be THROWN OUT OF THE LAND. Turn to idols, and you’ll be SMASHED. And SCATTERED. Turn to idols, and you’ll END UP WITH EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR. And instead of being God’s SPECIAL PEOPLE in God’s PROMISED LAND… you’ll live among the nations and you’ll BE EXACTLY LIKE THEM. And you’ll WORSHIP WHAT THEY WORSHIP. Verse 28:- “There YOU WILL WORSHIP MAN MADE GODS of WOOD AND STONE, which CANNOT SEE OR HEAR OR EAT OR SMELL.

Gods that YOU CAN SEE. But certainly can’t see you. Or hear you. OR SPEAK TO YOU.



Come on guys. They’re just made out of STUFF YOU’VE BOUGHT FROM BUNNINGS. They’re NOT GODS AT ALL.



So what’s it going to be? The GOD WHO SPEAKS? Who has GIVEN ISRAEL HIS LAW? Or idols. That are SEEN BUT NOT HEARD. Because they’re just lumps of wood.



You’d think the choice will be easy.

But the way the story’s going to play out, it’s clearly NOT SO EASY AT ALL.



SLIDE – V32-33,35 NO OTHER GOD

Verse 32, Moses says as you stand here and look across the Jordan at your PROMISED LAND, CONSIDER YOUR INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE. He says, there’s been NOTHING LIKE THIS since the VERY BEGINNING. Has anything SO GREAT AS THIS EVER HAPPENED, or anything like it ever been HEARD OF?



Verse 33, Has any other people HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING OUT OF FIRE, as you have, and lived?



Has ANY GOD, has ANY IDOL taken a nation for himself out of another nation, has ANY IDOL done the AWESOME THINGS THE LORD DID FOR YOU… as he brought you out of EGYPT?



Here’s the point. Here’s what Israel needs to know. That the LORD THEIR GOD is the ONLY GOD. And he’s SPOKEN TO THEM. To DISCIPLINE THEM. Because THEY ARE HIS PEOPLE.



Get the impact of this. Because it’s INCREDIBLY POLITICALLY INCORRECT. That Israel’s God, the GOD WHO HAS SPOKEN… he’s not just ONE CHOICE on the GOD MENU. One selection from the smorgasbord of gods and you can CHOOSE ONE YOU LIKE. You don’t CARVE YOUR OWN GOD IN YOUR OWN IMAGE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO. Verse 35. Take it in. “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD IS GOD; BESIDES HIM THERE IS NO OTHER. 36 From heaven he made you HEAR HIS VOICE to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you HEARD HIS WORDS from out of the fire.



It’s there again in verse 39. For good measure. “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD IS GOD in heaven above and on the earth below. THERE IS NO OTHER. And so… KEEP HIS DECREES AND COMANDS. So you and your children will be BLESSED. And live LONG IN THE LAND that the Lord your God is giving you.



See, the SPEAKING GOD… is the ONLY GOD. Which in our multicultural, multi-faith world, it’s just NOT THE THING PEOPLE SAY, is it. When you’re a tourist looking up at the GIANT GOLDEN BUDDHA in Japan, or the GIANT GOLDEN KRISHNA in Kuala Lumpur; when you see whole CULTURES devoted to that stuff, the SPEAKING GOD says, the ONE TRUE GOD says, they’re just stuff you can buy from the HARDWARE STORE. And they CAN’T HELP YOU AT ALL. Of course, our WESTERN IDOLATRY is maybe a little bit more SUBTLE. We’ll be looking at it a bit closer in the next few weeks. An idolatry the New Testament calls GREED. Which draws our hearts away from the GOD WHO HAS SPOKEN.



God’s word to us…

Now from this point on, as we’re going to see over the next few weeks, Moses goes on to SPELL OUT the DECREES and COMMANDS God has SPOKEN TO ISRAEL. LAWS for LIFE IN THE LAND. Laws that are designed to SHOW THE WORLD what RIGHTEOUSNESS looks like. With a STRICT PENALTY CODE to go with it. Regulations for EVERY PART OF LIFE, ways for Israel to STAND OUT AS BEING DIFFERENT. Which Moses says back in verse 6 is going to mark them out as a WISE AND UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE. And their SERVICE of the GOD OF WORD, their RESPONSE TO THE GOD WHO HAS SPOKEN… the way they’re going to SHOW THEY TRUST HIM…. Is very simple. They’re going to REMEMBER WHAT HE’S SAID. And as they live in the land they’re going to KEEP HIS DECREES AND COMMANDS. Because THE SPEAKING GOD SAID SO.

I want to take a moment thinking forward to where WE ARE. And ask the question HOW HAS THE SPEAKING GOD SPOKEN TO US? And how do we respond?

You might be inclined to say, well, I haven’t SEEN A FIRE on a mountain, or HEARD ANY VOICES. Which is maybe why you feel the GRIP OF MATERIALISM is so attractive. Best to spend your time and energy on SOMETHING TANGIBLE. On STUFF YOU CAN SEE.

On the other hand, you might be one of those Christians who feels they hear VOICES ALL THE TIME.

But that’s not actually the NEW TESTAMENT MODEL EITHER.

Because the fact is, the New Testament wants to tell us that God has both BEEN SEEN AND BEEN HEARD… in the PERSON OF JESUS. And so WE … LISTEN TO HIM.

It’s an idea that’s UNPACKED in John’s gospel. And especially in chapter 1. Page?

SLIDE – John 1

Because God is the GOD OF WORD. There’s something DEEPLY PHILOSOPHICAL going on here that I can never quite GET MY HEAD AROUND. But John chapter 1 verse 1 says IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD.

This is the SPEAKING GOD. This is the God who SPOKE CREATION INTO BEING WITH A WORD. This is the God who SPOKE A NATION INTO BEING… with a PROMISE TO ABRAHAM. This is the God who SPOKE HIS LAWS TO MOSES… for LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND.

In the beginning was the Word, John 1 verse 1, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

SLIDE – JOHN 1:14

And now, John chapter 1 verse 14, STUNNING WORDS. “The Word BECAME FLESH… and made his dwelling among us.” THE INVISIBLE GOD… is now TANGIBLE. Not as an IDOL. But in the person of HIS SON. And so now, “ WE HAVE… SEEN HIS GLORY… the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

SLIDE – JOHN 1:18

And to verse 18. “No one has ever SEEN GOD… but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, HAS MADE HIM KNOWN.”

In other words, THE CLOSEST you can ever get to SEEING THE FORMLESS GOD… is in THE WORD BECAME FLESH. Jesus Christ. The BEST YOU CAN EVER KNOW GOD… is in JESUS CHRIST. The WORD BECAME FLESH.

And so the God who was HEARD BUT NOT SEEN has now been both SEEN AND HEARD. In the person of his SON.

SLIDE – MARK 9

Same idea in MARK CHAPTER 9. Jesus has taken PETER and JAMES and JOHN up a HIGH MOUNTAIN. A reminder of MOUNT HOREB. Where GOD SPOKE BEFORE.

Well, he’s GOING TO SPEAK AGAIN. There’s cloud. There’s blinding light. And THEN THE VOICE. This is the SPEAKING GOD. And here’s what he says.

Read it from verse 7. “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a VOICE CAME FROM THE CLOUD: “This is my son, whom I love. LISTEN TO HIM.”

I don’t know if you ever think much about why we DO WHAT WE DO HERE AT CHURCH. But it’s ALL ABOUT THAT.

See, KNOWING GOD is not going to be all about HOW YOU FEEL, or WHAT YOU FEEL GOD IS TELLING YOU at any particular point. Knowing God is not all about FEELING LED. Or LISTENING TO AN INNER VOICE. Knowing God is about LISTENING TO JESUS.

If Jesus is God’s WORD BECAME FLESH, and if we’re meant to LISTEN TO HIM, it means SOAKING UP HIS EVERY WORD. It means WATCHING WHAT’S REPORTED OF HIS EVERY ACTION. Moses says, GOD SPOKE, SO I TEACH. And the APOSTLES OF JESUS did the same. And we’re meant to HOLD ON THEIR TEACHING ABOUT JESUS. And as generations come and go, NEVER FORGET.

Responding to the God of Word

SLIDE - RESPONDING

On the outline there in the final point I skipped through Deuteronomy 4 and I picked out all the words that described how ISRAEL WAS MEANT TO RESPOND to the GOD OF WORD. Here’s how Israel’s meant to respond to the LAWS and the STATUTES that God gave at Mount Horeb. Here’s how Israel’s going to SHOW THAT THEY TRUST HIM. And for us, they’re going to be words that describe HOW WE RESPOND TO JESUS.

Moses says, HEAR O ISRAEL. LISTEN UP TO GOD’S LAW. In our case, it’s LISTEN UP TO JESUS. Pay attention. One of our CORE COMMITMENTS as a church is that we MAJOR ON CLEAR, CHRIST CENTRED BIBLE TEACHING. But it’s up to YOU to LISTEN.

Moses says, Learn. I’ve TAUGHT YOU THE DECREES OF GOD, So LEARN THEM. It’s up to you to LEARN.

Moses says, KEEP THE COMMANDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD I GIVE YOU, verse 2. And DON’T WANDER OFF. So in our case, KEEP HOLDING ON TO THE LORD JESUS. The WORD BECOME FLESH. And OBEY HIM.

Moses says, Observe God’s commands CAREFULLY verse 6, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” Jesus says, THEY WILL KNOW YOU’RE MY DISCIPLES BY YOUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. Do people HEAR ABOUT THAT and MARVEL AT IT?

Moses says, Teach this stuff to your children. And REMEMBER. Verse 9. “Only BE CAREFUL, and watch yourselves closely so that you DO NOT FORGET the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Friends, are you doing your best to pass on to YOUR CHILDREN what it looks like to SERVE THE LORD JESUS. Are you teaching them what it means to PRIORITISE GATHERING WITH GOD’S PEOPLE to HEAR FROM GOD’S WORD? Because THAT’S WHAT WE DO HERE, WEEK AFTER WEEK. That’s why we gather. That’s what we’re doing in KIDZBIZ, that’s what we’re doing RIGHT NOW. And more than that… as YOU GET OLDER… don’t let it go.

And one more proviso. TAKE IT TO HEART. The laws GOD SPOKE TO ISRAEL, the REASON HE SPOKE… it wasn’t just to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOUR ON THE OUTSIDE. It wasn’t just to FILL THEIR HEADS with knowledge. It was to SHAPE THEIR HEARTS. Verse 39. Moses said, “Acknowledge and TAKE TO HEART this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

There’s no point LEARNING ABOUT THE LORD JESUS… if you’re never going to TAKE IT TO HEART. Friends, you can sit on the fence for a VERY LONG TIME. And I know SOME OF YOU HAVE. But if you don’t TAKE IT TO HEART, if you don’t OWN THE IMPLICATIONS that the ONE AND ONLY GOD has MADE HIMSELF KNOWN TO US IN HIS SON, if that doesn’t PUSH ALL OTHER FALSE GODS OUT OF YOUR HEART AND YOUR AFFECTIONS… then you might KNOW LOTS OF STUFF. But the journey’s going to go NOWHERE.

That’s the challenge facing ISRAEL on the edge of the promised land. There’s ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS, and that’s the RIVER OF JORDAN. But if they’re not going to LISTEN TO THE SPEAKING GOD and TAKE HIS WORDS TO HEART, they’re really NOT GETTING ANYWHERE. And neither are you.