See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as Jehovah my God commanded me, that ye may do so in the land into which ye enter to possess it.
Moses speaks to a new generation standing at the edge of the land they are about to enter. He has taught them laws he did not invent but received from God, and the verse gives the reason: so they would do them in the land.
The words in this verse reach wider than the ten commandments. Older translations read "statutes and judgments" where the ESV has "statutes and rules." One writer shows how much this covered — and that nothing in it could be changed:
In Deuteronomy 4 Moses makes further moving appeals to the people. He urges them to obey the law God had given them, and to keep it whole. They were neither to add anything to it nor take anything away. This command is repeated at the end of Deuteronomy 12, and applied also to the revelations God has given, in the closing words of the New Testament. The law given to Israel included "statutes and judgments," as verse 5 states, as well as the ten commandments. All of these were binding on them.
Moses taught only what God commanded him. That left Israel no room to pick and choose:
Their conduct was to be ruled and shaped, in all things, by the divine commandments. An immense principle for them, for us, for all!
One commentator says it takes few words to see what God is after here:
This again makes it too plain to need many words from us. What Moses, or rather God Himself, has in view in all these chapters is obedience. Their own eyes had seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor. He destroyed every man who followed the Baal of Peor, while those who held fast to Him were all alive that day. So Moses uses this fact too. The LORD had cut down the former generation for their disobedience.
Israel's wisdom lay in the doing, not in clever talk about the text:
Let us give these words special weight. Their wisdom and their understanding were to consist in one thing: keeping and doing the divine statutes and judgments. They were not to display their wisdom by learned discussion or argument, but by child-like, unquestioning obedience. All the wisdom was in the statutes and judgments, not in their thoughts and reasonings about them. The profound and marvellous wisdom of God shone out in His word, and this was what the nations were to see and admire.
Because the laws were to be practised in a land surrounded by other peoples, the watching nations were part of God's purpose in them:
To obey the Word of God would be Israel's wisdom and their understanding in the sight of other peoples who would hear of these statutes (v.5). When they would see the effect God's Word had on Israel, others would recognise that Israel was a wise and understanding nation.
The hope of this verse was not realised. The nation that held God's words became the reason His name was slandered:
How little the nations of the earth learned about God and His word from the actions of Israel! Instead, their ways led people to blaspheme His name again and again. They should have held the high, holy and happy ground of loving obedience to the divine commandments. Instead they sank to the level of the nations around them. They took up their habits, worshipped their gods, and walked in their ways. So those nations never saw the lofty wisdom, purity and moral glory of the divine statutes. They saw only the weakness, folly and moral degradation of a people who boasted in holding oracles that condemned themselves.
Israel never reached the wisdom Moses held out here. One writer points to where it is found today:
Moses tells them in verse 6 that keeping and doing these statutes would be "your wisdom and your understanding." That wisdom they never had, nor have we ever had it. But the believer today is "in Christ Jesus," and He is "made to us wisdom," as 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us. Here is perfect wisdom indeed!
- Taught — Moses passed on statutes and rules just as God commanded him. He added nothing and took nothing away, and the whole law bound Israel, not just the ten commandments.
- Given — the commands were to rule and shape conduct in all things: an immense principle for them, for us, for all.
- Done — they were taught in view of the land: obedience, not discussion, was the whole point of Moses' appeal.
- Seen — the doing was their wisdom, and the nations were to see and admire God's wisdom shining in His word.
- Failed — Israel copied the nations instead. Those nations saw only the shame of a people who held oracles that condemned them. Perfect wisdom is found in Christ, who "is made to us wisdom."
And ye shall keep and do them; for that will be your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples that shall hear all these statutes, and say, Verily this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
Moses has given Israel God's statutes. Now he tells them what keeping those statutes will do: it will make the nation look wise to every people watching. Two questions follow. Where does that wisdom sit? And what happens to a people's witness when they stop obeying?
The verse ties wisdom to two verbs: keep and do. But where does the wisdom itself live?
Their wisdom and their understanding were to consist in simply keeping and doing the divine statutes and judgements. They were not to show their wisdom by learned discussion or arguments, but by childlike, unquestioning obedience. All the wisdom was in the statutes and judgements, not in their thoughts and reasonings about them. The profound and marvellous wisdom of God was seen in His word, and this was what the nations were to see and admire.
The greatness in view here does not come from schooling:
Notice here that "wisdom and understanding" consist simply in having the commandments of God treasured in the heart. This, moreover, was to be the basis of Israel's moral greatness in view of the nations around them. It was not the learning of the schools of Egypt, or of the Chaldeans. No — it was the knowledge of the Word of God and attention to it. It was the spirit of unquestioning obedience in all things to the holy statutes and judgments of the Lord their God. This was Israel's wisdom. This was their true and real greatness. This was their unbreakable defence against every foe and their moral safeguard against every evil.
The verse gives the statutes an audience. What the peoples concluded was meant to point past Israel to Israel's God:
If they could have been established under the law as a holy people to the Lord, the nations around would have learned two things from them. First, what a blessed people they were. Second, what a God their Jehovah was. Their history records how everything broke down for them once it rested on their own responsibility.
What the nations said in the end was the opposite of the admiring words Moses hoped for:
How differently it turned out! How little the nations of the earth learned about God and His word from the doings of Israel! In fact His Name was blasphemed continually because of their ways. They should have held the high and holy and happy ground of loving obedience to the divine commandments. Instead they came down to the level of the nations around them. They took up their habits, worshipped their gods, and walked in their ways. So those nations never saw the lofty wisdom, purity, and moral glory of the divine statutes. They saw only the weakness, folly, and moral degradation of a people who boasted in holding the very words that condemned them.
That failure does not lower the standard the verse sets:
Still, blessed be God, His word must stand for ever, however much His people fail to carry it out. His standard is perfect, and therefore must never be lowered. If the ways of His people do not show the power of His word, it will shine in the condemnation of those ways. And it will always remain for the guidance, comfort, strength and blessing of any who want to walk the path of obedience, however weak and unsteady their steps.
What Israel never produced under law, God will yet do Himself:
Moses urged them to keep the statutes and judgments God had given them. He said this would be their wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations, because it would mark them out from others. We know, however, that they failed completely. But God will take them up again according to the new covenant. Then it is said, "The LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (Isa. 60:2-3).
The same principle holds now, but the reaction it draws is not admiration:
So the one who walks by divine wisdom is counted a fool — told he will be easy prey for the world. For the world counts on evil after all. It looks to its own cleverness as its resource — knowing more evil, and making plans to get around it. But obedience to the word is divine wisdom, because divine wisdom, which knows all things, has formed the path.
- Word. All the wisdom lay in the statutes themselves, not in Israel's thoughts or reasonings about them.
- Obedience. The wisdom became theirs only by doing it — childlike obedience, not learned discussion, was how it showed.
- Witness. The nations were meant to learn two things by watching: what a blessed people this was, and what a God their Jehovah was.
- Failure. Israel came down to the level of the nations. The watching world saw only the folly of a people condemned by the words they boasted in.
- Grace. God never lowered the standard. What the law could not produce, He will produce Himself, and the nations will come to that light.
For what great nation is there that hath God near to them as Jehovah our God is in everything we call upon him for?
Moses stakes Israel's claim to greatness on one thing: not size, not army, not wealth, but a God who stays close enough to call on. So what did that nearness mean for Israel, what did it demand, and is anything like it open to us today?
Moses is not pointing to something Israel once saw. He is pointing to a God who took a personal interest in them.
Next he presses their singular privilege in His presence with them. What nation had such a wonder as God Himself in their midst — God Himself near the least of them? … It was not merely a sight of God, but One who was pleased to take the liveliest and most intimate interest in His people Israel.
The words "whenever we call upon him" carry the practical heart of the verse. One writer spells out the privileges they cover, and they are not limited to a nation.
Here is true moral greatness, at all times and in all places, for a nation, for a people, for a household, or for an individual. It is to have the living God near to us. It is to have the sweet privilege of calling upon Him in all things. It is to have His power and His mercy always at work toward us. It is to have the light of His blessed face shining on us with approval, in all our ways. It is to have the moral effect of His righteous statutes and holy commandments seen in our daily conduct. It is to have Him showing Himself to us, and making His home with us.
The same writer adds a caution. Nearness is open to all of God's people, but something decides who lives in it.
And yet they are placed by infinite grace within the reach of every child of God on the face of the earth. We do not mean to say that every child of God enjoys them. Far from it. They are reserved for those who, through grace, are enabled to render a loving, hearty, reverent obedience to the divine word.
The warnings that follow show the other side of the privilege. Nearness to God carried a weight with it.
His voice had spoken to them; they had heard His words. They were privileged above all other nations… Therefore they had great responsibility. Three times Moses told them to take heed (verses 9, 15 and 23). He warned them to beware of idolatry.
Israel's story is not proof that they were worse than other people. It shows what closeness to God does to a heart that will not judge itself.
They are exceptional only in this: God brought them into a closer visible relation to Himself than any other nation… Sadly, what was their greatest privilege was also what searched out to the very bottom everything in their heart. "God is light," and whatever makes things visible is light. Without full self-judgment, and without yielding ourselves to Him whole-heartedly, the more we feel His presence the more unbearable it becomes.
Moses' question assumes a real gap between Israel and the nations. One writer traces where that gap ends.
The Gentiles were far off, without God and without hope in the world. The Jews were, in point of privilege, near. … But the Jew could not boast, for he needed the death of Christ as much as the Gentile. Grace has reconciled both Jew and Gentile by the cross.
Israel stood near compared with the nations. Compared with what believers have now, that nearness still had a boundary.
As a nation, Israel was near to God compared with the Gentiles, "who were far off." The priests were nearer still, since they could enter the holy place. But even the priests were shut out of God's immediate presence. That privilege belonged only to Moses, and to the high priest on the day of atonement. Through the coming of the Lord Jesus, and His work on the cross, God brings the Christian right to Himself, with boldness to enter the holiest place by the blood of Jesus. Yet, as believers, though God has brought us to Himself (1 Peter 3:18) and given us access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18), we may not be living in the good of the blessings He has given us. These blessings can only be known and enjoyed in nearness to Christ.
- Near — Israel's greatness was not their size. It was their God's closeness. He did not just appear to them; He took a deep interest in them.
- Called — that closeness showed itself in prayer. God was there for anything they called on Him about, whether a nation, a household, or one person.
- Kept — the privilege is within reach of every child of God. Those who obey His word are the ones who enjoy it. Three times in this chapter Moses tells them to take heed.
- Exposed — nearness works like light. It searches the heart to the bottom. Without self-judgment, God's presence turns unbearable.
- Nearer — Israel was near compared with the nations, yet shut out of God's immediate presence. The cross reconciles both Jew and Gentile and brings them right in.
And what great nation is there that hath righteous statutes and ordinances, as all this law which I set before you this day?
Moses ends his appeal with a challenge to the whole world: name another nation with laws like these. Israel's greatness lay in a law that came from God, not in anything the people produced themselves. So what was that gift for, and what became of it?
The verse comes as a question. One writer points to what the law required, and to the challenge no nation has answered:
Property always stayed in the family. No man could buy up and build a large estate. Care for the poor, consideration for others and love for a neighbour were all enforced by law. All through human history, against every race, the challenge has gone out unanswered — "What great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law?" Deuteronomy 4:5-10. Who but an all-wise, all-time foreseeing, all righteous Creator-God could give and record such laws?
Israel's wisdom was not their own. They were to become wise by obeying, and the nations were to notice:
Their wisdom and their understanding were to consist in simply keeping and doing the divine statutes and judgements. They were to display that wisdom not by learned discussion or arguments, but by child-like, unquestioning obedience. All the wisdom was in the statutes and judgements, not in their thoughts and reasonings about them. The profound and marvellous wisdom of God was seen in His word, and this was what the nations were to see and admire.
Had they obeyed, the watching nations would have learned two things at once:
If they could have been established under the law as a holy people to the Lord, the nations around would have learned two things from them. First, what a blessed people they were; and secondly, what a God their Jehovah was.
The law is as good as Moses says, yet it never made Israel good. The fault was not in the statutes:
If the true God chooses to give a law to man, it must be an unquestionably wise and worthy law. It must suit the condition of man as far as a law can. And such is God's law — holy, just, and good. But the difficulty is this: man, being a sinner, is as far as possible from being able to meet God's law. How can there be any real, stable bond between a bad man and a good law? That difficulty was once impossible to overcome. But now grace perfectly meets it, and meets it in a way that shows both the goodness and the wisdom of God.
The display never happened. Israel copied the nations who were meant to learn from them.
How little the nations of the earth learned about God and His word from the actions of Israel! Instead, His Name was blasphemed continually because of their ways. They should have held the high, holy and happy ground of loving obedience to the divine commandments. Instead they came down to the level of the nations around them. They adopted their habits, worshipped their gods, and walked in their ways. So those nations never saw the lofty wisdom, purity and moral glory of the divine statutes. They saw only the weakness, folly and moral degradation of a people who boasted of holding the very words that condemned them.
Their failure changed nothing about the word itself:
Still, blessed be God, His word must stand for ever, however His people may fail to carry it out. His standard is perfect, so it must never be lowered. If His people's ways do not show the power of His word, it will shine in the condemnation of those ways. And it will always remain for the guidance, comfort, strength and blessing of anyone who wants to walk the path of obedience, however weakly or unsteadily.
One writer carries the comparison into the present:
God had given Israel His own statutes and judgments. In truth and righteousness they were far superior to those of any other nation (v.8). This was true of the law as God gave it. God's provisions of grace to the Church today are far more superior still. That grace brings out a response of godly devotion and faithful action from believers (Titus 2:11-12).
- Gift. Israel's greatness was borrowed. An all-wise Creator gave them laws they could never have invented.
- Display. God meant the gift to be seen, not just owned. The wisdom sat in the statutes, and obedience was the only way to show it.
- Failure. Israel showed the nations the opposite — a people boasting in the very words that condemned them.
- Standard. The word stays perfect anyway. Where a people's life does not show it, it shines in condemning that life.
- Grace. Commentators point past the law to grace. Grace does what the law could not: it produces the obedience God asks for.