Deuteronomy 4:34
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
God did what had never been done or heard before, taking to Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, Israel from out of Egypt, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all He did before their eyes, and the people witnessed it. It was showed to them so they might know that the Lord He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath and there is none else beside Him. Out of heaven He made them hear His voice to instruct them, and upon earth He showed them His great fire. Because He loved their fathers He chose their seed after them and brought them out with His mighty power, to drive out nations greater and mightier than they and to give them their land for an inheritance in fulfillment of promise. Moses recalled the deliverance as evidence of God's love and mercy and as a reason for Israel to obey His law.
The verse belongs to the account of the Lord's mighty dealings with Israel, which stands alongside the Lord coming down on Mount Sinai, giving Israel His law, and promising blessings if they obeyed His commandments. The chapter calls for observing the law God proclaimed at Mount Sinai, including the true Sabbath, and shows the sacredness of God's law. It contains directions spoken by the voice of God from the pillar of cloud telling the people what to do and what not to do, which are the same principles expressed in James 3 and are the principles of the law of God, sacred truth and expressions of the mind of the infinite God that never lose their force. Therefore they are to know and consider in their heart that the Lord is God, to remember His covenant and make no graven image, because He is a consuming fire, a jealous God. They are to turn and obey His voice in tribulation in the latter days, when He will not forsake nor destroy nor forget the covenant, and to keep His statutes and commandments so it may go well with them and with their children after them and they may prolong their days upon the earth forever.
The word spoken was verified in that the generation that witnessed the deliverance disobeyed, and only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan while the rest died in the wilderness, proving that the Lord will vindicate His word today if the leaders of His people depart from His commandments. Every word is to be cherished, preached, and acted out in principle in all religious service toward God and toward one another by those who love as brethren, do no injustice, and always show liberality, tenderness, compassion, and true courtesy, for God is to be represented by His people through correct principles in everything, and all who depart from His word in their actions misrepresent the character of God. The passage shows that we are the people of God's care, and God wants us to build upon the great sacrifice He made in giving Jesus, His only begotten Son, whom He sent to come up in humanity so humanity might grasp the divinity of Christ and have no excuse for sin, so that every sinful soul can repent and, by humanity grasping divinity, humanity and divinity combined work out all the corruptions in the world, with lust unable to overcome those who connect humanity with divinity, and this is the very work before us.
The chapter should be carefully studied as a whole by those who would be counted among God's covenant-keeping people as a way to understand God's claims. It shows what God required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people unto Himself, and its words are to be read with profit now, when the world is nearing God's great final review before the Judge of all the earth to answer for deeds, in the time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity. It is to be read as specifying the work to be done in these last days, the same practical sowing and reaping shown at the well, where faith is combined with works in medical missionary service, educating students to serve the Lord, walking in the light given, and correcting neglect and failure to set a right example in order to receive the Spirit and favor of God.