Deuteronomy 4:7–8

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).