How could the laws of God be written on doorframes, gates, and foreheads?

Binding these laws as a sign on Israel's hand is not literal, but rather speaks of applying these laws to the works of their hands. As frontlets between their eyes speaks of their seeing everything from God's viewpoint, consistently (v.8). Writing them on the doorposts of the house and on their gates is intended to keep Israel reminded of the law whether going out or coming in (v.9).

Strictly speaking something to be worn on the forehead and, as the passages say, between the eyes. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the law were to be constantly before them as a token upon their hand and frontlets between their eyes. Ex. 13:16; Deut. 6:8; Deut. 11:18. It is also said they were to lay the words up in their hearts, so it seems evident that being worn as frontlets was meant in a figurative sense. It was to be ever before them that they were a redeemed people. In the N.T. we find that it was taken literally, and the articles worn were called PHYLACTERIES, q, v.

Verses 6-9 are literally carried out by orthodox Jews. They write these words on parchment and put them in little boxes, which they bind with strips of leather to their foreheads and upon the hand. These are the phylacteries. They also put them in tin-boxes and nail them on the doors of their houses. All His words are worthy to be constantly remembered. The Word must be hid in the heart. It is to be in the family. It is never to be forgotten, whether we sit in the house, or walk, or rest, or rise up. Such a true spiritual remembrance of His words will increase and constantly produce devotion and obedience to the Lord. How solemn the warning not to forget Jehovah in the days of blessing and prosperity! (verses 10-15) How often they did forget Jehovah in the days of peace and earthly blessing.

Deuteronomy says, "bind them for a sign upon thine hand"; your service is to be governed by what you read in the word of God. "Bind them...... be as frontlets between thine eyes"; what you look upon is to be governed by the word of God. "And shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up"; your whole day it to be governed by the word of God. "And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates"; there is to a testimony to those outside, that the people in this home love the word of God, they are governed by it, they follow it, they believe that this is the most important instruction that they can have. So you can see from Deuteronomy 6, and emphasised again in chapter 11, that the word of God is to have a pre-eminent place in the home. I ought to have said that verses 4 and 5 are so necessary for the fulfilment of this, that you "love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might", and all that follows is complimentary; God first, and then His word. That reminds us of what Paul said to the Ephesian elders "I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

What mean the following words to Israel, "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart, and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes!" The "heart" — the "soul" — the "hand" — the "eyes" — all engaged about the precious word of God. This was real work. It was to be no empty formality, no barren routine. The whole man was to be given up, in holy devotion, to the statutes and judgements of God.

"And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates." Do we, Christians, enter into such words as these? Has the word of God such a place, in our hearts, in our homes, and in our habits? Do those who enter our houses, or come in contact with us in daily life, see that the word of God is paramount with us? Do those with whom we do business see that we are governed by the precepts of holy scripture? Do our servants and our children see that we live in the very atmosphere of scripture, and that our whole character is formed and our conduct governed by it?

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

All this is perfectly beautiful. The word of God hidden in the heart; flowing out, in loving instruction, to the children, and in holy conversation, in the bosom of the family; shining out in all the activities of daily life, so that all who came inside the gates or entered the house might see that the word of God was the standard for each, for all, and in everything.

Thus it was to be with Israel of old; and surely thus it ought to be with Christians now. But is it so? Are our children thus taught? Is it our constant aim to present the word of God, in all its heavenly attractiveness, to their young hearts? Do they see it shining out in our daily life? Do they see its influence upon our habits, our temper, our family intercourse, our business transactions? This is what we understand by binding the word as a sign upon the hands, having it as a frontlet between the eyes, writing it upon the door posts, and upon the gates.

Reader, is it thus with us? It is of little use attempting to teach our children the word of God, if our lives are not governed by that word. We do not believe in making the blessed word of God a mere school book for our children; to do so is to turn a delightful privilege into a wearisome drudgery. Our children should see that we live in the very atmosphere of scripture; that it forms the material of our conversation when we sit in the bosom of the family, in our moments of relaxation.

To accomplish this the word of God is not too large; though that of course, does not imply but that it will always be beyond us. It is plain that He means us to be busy with it, — would not let us off thinking, — would not leave any vacuity with us for the thorn and thistle-seed always floating in the air, to plant themselves in and spring up. To His people of old He spoke earnestly about this: "And these commandments that I command thee today shall be in thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them as a sign upon thy hands, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes; and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and upon thy gates" (Deut. 6:6-9). All this implies a constant keeping the words of God before themselves and others, constant confession of them and meditation upon them. And how thoroughly a saint of old could respond to this, the delight he could have in it, and the fruit he could find, the 119th Psalm alone is sufficient to assure. Is it to be supposed that God would have us less fully occupied or give us less joy or profit from the occupation?

But besides this we need instruction and direction for our daily walk, and this we have in the Scriptures as well as doctrine. Jehovah, through Moses, said to the children of Israel, "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up; and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." It was not only that they might be read by such as happened to pass by, but that in the light of them these might see a life concordant therewith. It is what the world expects from the Christian, and rightly so. Where the eye is single, the body is full of light. Let it not be said, in truth, of any of those who profess to know Christ and to keep His word, "They say, and do not."

or, "be wholly in them" (New Trans.), for in so doing, shall we not be giving ourselves completely to Christ? Truth is only valuable to us in so far as we come under its influence, or, in other words, as we are subject to it as a controlling power in our lives. Hence the desire of the Lord that we should give ourselves wholly to these things which speak of Himself. A summary of the comprehensive effects that God's truth should have upon His people is given in Deut. 11:18-20, these, no doubt, prefiguring the way in which Christ today desires to mould and develop those who believe in Him. The commandments, being the manner and extent of the revelation of God's truth for that dispensation, having been given through Moses, the children of Israel were exhorted to lay up these words in their hearts, and in their souls (v. 18). Thus "the soul," was to be governed by the truth given, and the affections to be developed by it. Their members also were to be controlled by the words received, for they were to bind them for a sign upon their "hands," so that they should be as frontlets upon their "eyes." The truth set before them had also to form the subject of their conversation at all times, and be taught to their children (v. 19). Lastly, the words had to be written upon their gates and door posts so that a testimony to the truth went out to all (v. 20).