What A Great Nation!

Deuteronomy 4 declares the importance of the child of God remaining faithful to the word of God. Moses commanded the children of Israel to remain faithful so that they would live, go in and possess the land of Canaan. To receive the blessing from God, there were conditions. They were to hold fast to the Lord (v.4), not adding to or taking away from the commandments of the Lord (v.2). By sticking to the will of God, they would have wisdom and understanding and the people of the land would see the Israelites as a great nation. Moses said:

“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deut. 4:7-9).

There are several wonderful lessons the New Testament Christian can learn from this powerful passage. The Christian in like manner is a part of a special nation: “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore we have several blessings that the world does not have.

We are able to draw near to God (Deut. 4:7). The Christian is one who draws near to God, avoids friendship with the world, resists the devil, submits to God, and humbles himself before God (James 4:4-10). As we draw near to God, He draws near to us.

Christians receive the blessing of being able to draw near to God in prayer. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). We can approach the throne of God to receive help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:7).

Christians are blessed in that we have the governing law of God to guide us. The Old Law has been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). But we are under a new and better law: the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Romans 8:1,2); the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25); the royal law (James 2:8); and the new covenant, the testament of Christ (Hebrews 9:15-17).

Because we have a relationship with the One True God and can draw near to Him, can call on Him in prayer, and have a law that guides our way in this life (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalm 119:105), we also have many responsibilities. Every citizen must do his part to make the kingdom be a success.

We must take heed to ourselves and watch out for the temptations that may come our way. We must examine ourselves and make sure we are walking the straight and narrow. As Paul instructed Timothy, we must take heed to ourselves so that we may save our souls and others we may influence through preaching and action (1 Timothy 4:16).

We must diligently keep ourselves. Paul wrote, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). We must fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith if we want the reward of eternal life in heaven (2 Timothy 4:6-8). We must “press on toward the goal” for an eternal reward (Philippians 3:14). Be diligent!

Moses warned the Israelites that they must not forget the things their eyes had seen (Deut. 4:9). They had first hand knowledge of God’s power and the utter failure of the idolatry of other nations. They had ample warning. Brethren, we must not forget the past. We must learn from the Scriptures so that we can live in a way that is pleasing to the sight of God. We must avoid the sin and error that has occurred within the religious world in days gone by. It is said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Do not forget this lesson!

Failure to draw near to God, pray to God, live by His law, take heed to ourselves, keep ourselves with diligence, and remember the lessons from the past will result in a horrible condition: the way of God will depart from our hearts. In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on the wayside was trampled down and the birds devoured it...Satan came and take it away. These had the word of God taken from their heart when they should have believed and been saved (Luke 8:15-18). Others had no root because they did not study and grow into maturity (Luke 8:13). Still others were choked out by the cares, riches and pleasures of life (Luke 8:14). Don’t let God’s law depart from you.

We are a special and great nation. We can continue the progress of the nation by being good teachers of the gospel to a lost and dying world. We need faithful, able teachers who will impart the word to others (2 Timothy 2:2). We need parents and grandparents who will teach their family the gospel (Deuteronomy 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:5). We can live a prosperous life in Christ when we follow the ways of God and help others to do the same.

Brethren, if we will do our part to promote the kingdom of God by living the word and teaching it, growth will occur! We echo the words of Moses: What a great nation!