Deuteronomy 4:3, commentary and pictures

Your eyes have seen means Israel saw with their own eyes the Lord destroying from among them every man who followed Baal-peor in the vale of Shittim near the close of the wilderness wandering.
Everyone who held fast and remained faithful and loyal to the Lord was left alive to that day, showing that God distinguishes between obedience and disobedience with judgment on the disobedient and mercy on those who obey.
That witnessed judgment is the ground for hearkening to and doing His statutes and judgments without adding or diminishing, for obedience was the condition to live and go in and possess the land while disobedience brings destruction and death.
Keeping those statutes and judgments is wisdom and understanding before the nations, giving God's presence and an elevating influence that the nations themselves will discern.
What happened is written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, to be remembered, taken heed to, and taught to sons and grandsons, so that he who thinks he stands takes heed lest he fall.

Baal-peor Setting and Sin

The verse looks back to Israel's stay in the vale of Shittim, the wide plain by the Jordan opposite Jericho named for its many acacia trees, where tropical shade and climate encouraged ease and inaction and weakened mental and physical activity. That rich country was defiled by idolatry and licentiousness, with Baal as chief god and Beth-peor on the heights above the valley as a place of degrading and iniquitous worship where men and women did vile acts as part of worship. The evil there was more deadly than armed men or wild beasts, because the polluting surroundings familiarized minds with vile thoughts, and a life of ease had a demoralizing effect, so that Israel gradually and almost unconsciously departed from God and became an easy prey to temptation.

The sin occurred near the close of the wilderness wandering on the very borders of the promised land, where many fell prey to subtle temptation while those who remained faithful renewed their vows of allegiance. Israel joined himself to Baal-peor and placed himself on a level with idolatrous nations and experienced the sure results of his own choice. The sin kindled the Lord's anger, and the guilty leaders and the men joined to Baal-peor were ordered to be slain and hung up before the Lord. A man brought a Midianite woman into the camp while the congregation wept, Phinehas thrust the man and the woman through with a javelin, and the plague was stayed after twenty-four thousand had died. God approved Phinehas as zealous for His sake, turning away wrath so Israel was not consumed, and gave him and his seed a covenant of peace, even an everlasting priesthood, because he made atonement for Israel.

The destruction is also presented as the result of self-sufficiency, in that the offenders thought they could carry Israel without Moses, without Aaron, or anyone in charge. They raised a counterinfluence against appointed leadership, and in that counterinfluence came their destruction when the earth swallowed them up. The Baal-peor judgment is verified in the wider wilderness judgment in which, because of disobedience, only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan and the rest died in the wilderness.

Witnessed Destruction and Life

Your eyes have seen means Israel saw with their own eyes what the Lord did because of Baal-peor, that the Lord destroyed from among them every man, all the men, who followed Baal-peor. That witnessed destruction is a fact of departure from the Lord's commandments commanded to be repeated lest it be forgotten, and the hearers could affirm it with a hearty yes. Everyone who cleaved to the Lord, who held fast and remained faithful and loyal to Him, was left alive, every one, to that day. Those who remained faithful and loyal were still alive while the followers were cut off, and the survivors' preservation teaches heed to His commands in entering the promised land.

The contrast shows that God keeps account with His people and makes every difference between obedience and disobedience. He distinguishes between them, judging and restraining disobedience while showing mercy to those who obey. Those who are obedient and walk in humility before God have His eye over them, with His angels guiding and protecting them, and God in heaven watches and guards those who follow His will. Those who cleaved to the Lord and kept His commandments were preserved alive with no harm befalling them, proving the blessedness and prosperity of obedience.

The destruction of the followers was an act of mercy because their influence would otherwise have corrupted the congregation. It served as a warning not to dishonor God or disregard His law. God does not execute His judgments at once but gives time to come back to a knowledge of the truth before punishment falls. The destruction was the result of transgression, not proof that the commandments are a yoke of bondage or impossible to keep. The commandments were not grievous but the people's delight while they held firm allegiance to God, and only when they separated from Him to serve evil and follow idolatry did they lose His love and power and fall under disaster, curse, disease and death.

Call to Keep Commandments

What their eyes had seen at Baal-peor — the Lord destroying from among them every man who followed Baal-peor while everyone who cleaved to the Lord was left alive to that day — stands as the ground for hearkening to and doing the taught statutes and judgments. The call is to add nothing to the word commanded and diminish nothing from it, but to keep the commandments of God so as to live and go in and possess the land the God of their fathers gives. Disobedience to those statutes and judgments brings destruction, while cleaving to the Lord preserves life to possess what God gives, and God does not execute His judgments at once but gives time to come back to a knowledge of the truth before punishment falls. That departure to Baal-peor placed Israel on a level with idolatrous nations and brought the sure results of his own choice, kindling the Lord's anger so that the guilty leaders and men joined to Baal-peor were ordered to be slain and hung up, until after a man brought a Midianite woman into the camp while the congregation wept, Phinehas thrust the man and woman through with a javelin and the plague was stayed after twenty-four thousand had died. God approved Phinehas as zealous for His sake, turning away wrath so Israel was not consumed, and gave him and his seed a covenant of peace, even an everlasting priesthood, because he made atonement for Israel.

Obedience to God's law was the condition for receiving His promises, to live and enter and possess the promised land given by the God of their fathers, to have well-being and long life and to prolong days, with the Lord alone as God. The destruction of those who followed Baal-peor warns of the consequences of disobeying God's commandments, while those who remained faithful and loyal to the Lord were still alive. That word was verified in judgment on disobedience when only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan and the rest died in the wilderness, and the same warning applies to people being tested by sacred truth who each day choose whether to obey God or transgress and face death and being blotted out of existence. There is no sin of adultery or fornication that God will not visit with His wrath, while faithful obedience to the law ensures His presence and gives an elevating and ennobling influence over the nations.

Israel's life and prosperity depended on obeying God's laws, and Israel could not be sustained by God in transgression. The commandments are given for instruction in righteousness, and obedience to them is a matter of life, with Israel's history to be recalled so the people would not forget the results of abandoning God's commands. The warning teaches keeping the Lord's commands and remaining distinct from the world and separate from surrounding nations, worshiping God alone and not turning to other gods or false worship. True wisdom in the sight of the nations is not gaining favor by close association with worldlings but keeping all of God's commandments, which the world itself will discern and call wisdom and understanding. This means God's people must come out from the world and be separate, providing their children thorough lessons in Bible truth apart from the corruption found among many children in the public schools.

Wisdom Before the Nations

Keeping the statutes and judgments taught to Israel is wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations. The nations have God near them and possess righteous laws, and they themselves will discern this obedience and call it wisdom and understanding. True wisdom before the nations is not gaining favor by close association with worldlings, but keeping all of God's commandments. Disobedience to those statutes and judgments brings destruction, while cleaving to the Lord preserves life to possess what God gives.

Faithful obedience to the law ensures His presence with His people. That presence gives an elevating and ennobling influence over the nations of the earth. Walking in that law promotes a people's reputation for wisdom and understanding.

The chapter particularly emphasizes that the Lord alone is God. Keeping His commandments brings well-being and long life. These words are counsel to be studied as words of truth and righteousness and true science.

Warning for Later Readers

What happened at Baal-peor is a departure from the Lord's commandments that was commanded to be repeated from time to time lest it be forgotten, to be remembered and taken heed to and taught to sons and grandsons. Israel's history was to be recalled so the people would not forget the results of abandoning God's commands, and the hearers could affirm the witnessed fact of destruction to the followers and life to those who cleaved to the Lord with a hearty yes. It teaches their relation to God so they would learn and do His statutes in coming into possession of the blessed land they sought, which was their only hope.

All these things happened for examples and are written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, so that he who thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall. No temptation is uncommon but God is faithful to make a way of escape that it may be borne. The whole chapter is an important lesson for later readers and part of Old Testament instruction for a people to obey God throughout history, including in the last days, emphasizing that the Lord alone is God and that keeping His commandments brings well-being and long life, with the wilderness deaths showing that His word against disobedience is carried out. It shows the very work the Lord has specified should be done, to be read and obeyed in these last days.

God will today vindicate His word if the leaders of His people depart from His commandments, so the whole chapter is to be studied with special heed to keeping His statutes and commandments that it may go well with them and with their children after them and that they may prolong their days. It is to be read diligently to bring the people back to the true platform, to resist Satan's deceptive influence, with assurance that truth will triumph. The verse warns against turning from God and supports holding fast to His word rather than letting human rules replace or divert people from it. That warning belongs to the instruction in Deuteronomy that those carrying responsibility in sacred work must take seriously, calling them to heed His directions and remain faithful to Him.

Every person must search the Scriptures diligently to see and obey the Word of the living God instead of being careless, keeping the fear of God before them and letting His goodness and mercy and love move them to serve the Lord with full purpose of heart and to stand in right relation to God. The warning applies to people being tested by sacred truth who each day choose whether to obey God or transgress and face being blotted out of existence. Those who keep the word of the Lord are preparing for the heavenly courts above and for entrance into the kingdom where there is no going out and no danger, watched and guarded by God.

In these last days the chapter calls for faith and works combined, active medical missionary service and educating students to do service for the Lord, and walking in the light God has given instead of carelessly neglecting it and failing to set a right example. God's people must come out from the world and be separate, providing their children thorough lessons in Bible truth apart from the corruption found among many children in the public schools. As the people renewed their covenant vows, the event warned them to resist future temptation, remain separate from surrounding nations, and worship God alone.