Deuteronomy 4:25-31 – Never take God for granted

In the previous nine verses, Moses vehemently told the Israelites not to make the formless God into the likeness of His creation. For when God spoke to them at the foot of Mount Sinai, they only heard His voice but did not see His form. Therefore, they did not have any clue as to how God looked like. So they must not make Him to look like any of His creatures. As a follow-up to that call, Deuteronomy 4:25-31 went on to forewarn them of what would happen if they violated what he had told them. Here we sense that Moses wanted to ensure that they would keep faith in God. So he warned them of what could happen should they emulate the pagans to fashion, worship, and serve their own hand-made gods. So he admonished the children of Israel to be watchful over their lives in the promised land.

Here he painted a scenario of what could happen after they had lived long in the land and had children and grandchildren. If they were not watchful, they could unwittingly let their guard down and become acclimatized to the conditions of a pagan lifestyle. With that, they would soon forget God’s goodness. Then they would soon act corruptly and fashion idols and thinking that what they had made was God. When that happened, they would have done what’s evil in God’s sight and He would be provoked to anger. What Moses painted for them was not some far-fetched impossibility. What he painted here could happen to any generation. It is, therefore, needful for parents and church leaders to build a strong foundation in the rising generation to avert such a scene.

 

Moses  was dead serious so in verse 26 he called heaven to witness to what he had painted for them. Though they might be in the promised land, he guaranteed that if they violated what he had forewarned, they would not continue in the land. The nation would be destroyed. They would be scattered with very few remnants left. Then they would experience like the pagans, who called on the idols that they had made of wood or stone, and not have any response. For their handmade idols could neither hear nor respond. However, Moses also put out a lifeline here. He asserted that their faithful covenant-keeping God would still mercifully respond to them. When in their desperation and tribulation, they would repent and return to God, He would still attend to them. The point Moses was making is this: God is faithful, and He always keeps His part of the covenant even though His people have failed Him.  

Having a faithful God should challenge us to be faithful to Him. We must not spurn His love for us and take Him for granted. Don’t allow familiarity and complacency to entice us into a careless disregard for God. We must cultivate a deep passion for God and take time to build a disciplined life. Never take our eyes off God’s purpose and desire for each of us. He only wants the best for us.