Deuteronomy 4:8, commentary and pictures

Moses set before Israel that day the righteous statutes and judgments God had commanded him to teach them to do in the land they were to possess, asking what other nation was so great as to have law like it. No other nation has statutes so righteous, just, holy and true, for they bear the stamp of God's own wise, compassionate and impartial character, unlike cruel human and idolatrous laws. Keeping and doing them is Israel's wisdom and understanding before the nations, who hear them and acknowledge Israel as a great, wise and understanding people reflecting God's purity, goodness and benevolence. Israel was lifted from slavery to be a holy, peculiar treasure entrusted with this sacred trust, that by obedience they would shine light into a dark idolatrous world, show the advantages of heaven's principles in health, prosperity and honor, and make known the living Creator. That charge to hearken without adding or diminishing, to obey carefully, to remember and to teach it diligently to sons and sons' sons echoes with accumulated force to God's people today, upon whom the ends of the world are come, bringing blessing and life to the obedient and sure judgment to the rebellious.

Law's Words and Setting

The question asks what nation is so great as to have statutes and judgments as righteous as all this law set before Israel that day. That law was set before the people by God through Moses and taught just as God commanded him for them to do in the land they were going to possess. It belongs to Moses' instruction about the law God gave at Sinai and calls Israel to keep it without altering it. Keeping and doing it would be their wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations, who hearing all these statutes would recognize their wisdom and call Israel a wise and understanding great nation. Its exceptional righteousness, justice, and wisdom set Israel apart among the nations, distinguished the nation from others, and made it an example before other peoples. These laws are noble, pure, and just, are to be perpetuated through time, form God's people after His character, provide protection, and are to be remembered and passed on to children and grandchildren. Their history and commands also warn God's people in later times to hold fast to the faith, since truth safeguards those who remain faithful, and the promises joined to them can be claimed only by obedient children who glorify His name as His representatives.

The law was spoken by the infinite God from Sinai through the cloud that covered the mount, with a voice that made the people tremble. The words were spoken by Jesus Christ enshrouded in the cloud, communicating His will through Moses whom He appointed and instructed to give instruction of highest importance to a vast multitude of more than a million people. At Sinai God proclaimed the law He had given in Eden and wrote it on stone. The law reveals His character and will. It is sacredly preserved though hidden now, to be brought forth in the great day when every case is judged and settled between obedience to God and transgression of His law.

The greatness in righteous law is joined to having God so nigh unto Israel in all things they call upon Him for. That nearness proves God hears when they call, and with God so nigh in all they call upon Him for the nations hearing the law would say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. It is part of God's instruction on separation from the world, requiring hearkening to His statutes and judgments without adding to or diminishing from His word in order to live and possess the land, with diligent heed to self and soul lest what was seen be forgotten and depart from the heart, and with teaching them to sons and sons' sons. The charge requires fearing the Lord, walking in all His ways, loving Him and serving Him with all heart and soul, and keeping His commandments and statutes for good. This privilege to receive every spiritual advantage according to God's promises now belongs to the Christian churches, with obedience bringing rain in due season, corn and wine and oil, and grass in the fields for cattle so that they eat and are full, from the God who is God of gods and Lord of lords, who regards not persons, executes judgment for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger in giving food and raiment.

As obedience to His natural laws for culture of the soil would restore the land to fertility and beauty and make it produce its treasures, so obedience to His moral law would cause hearts to reflect the attributes of His character, making the whole land under God's control an object-lesson of spiritual truth that even the heathen would recognize as superior to idolatrous worship, in contrast to Eden lost and the earth cursed through disobedience and sin. That solemn charge to take heed, keep the soul diligently, never forget the things seen nor let them depart from the heart, comes echoing down the ages with accumulated force to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. They are under greater obligation because they have the record of Israel's experiences to avoid errors, departures, backslidings, murmurings and sins and to profit by mistakes, with God's judgment in destruction of the guilty as warning and His rich rewards and blessings on the obedient as encouragement. The verse commends the faithful and shows God highly appreciates those peculiar in character because they render perfect obedience to His holy laws, whose spiritual excellency is manifested in words and works as branches of the living vine and partakers of the divine nature. The law given to Israel was a divine institution, not something to despise or ridicule.

Moses said this with the cruel laws of the surrounding nations in view. Those were laws made by men whose hearts were not softened by divine grace. In them debasing crimes were passed over lightly while a small offense brought cruel punishment. Superstition taught that more valuable offerings bought divine favor and national prosperity, and human beings were sacrificed to gods of their own choosing. By contrast God was a wise, compassionate, impartial lawgiver and judge, and the justice of His statutes distinguished Israel among the nations.

Uniquely Righteous Law

No other great nation has statutes and judgments so righteous, just, holy, and true as all this law set before Israel, and its exceptional righteousness, justice, and wisdom set Israel apart and distinguish God's people from every other nation. It was a distinctive privilege and sacred trust given by God through Moses in His instruction about the law given at Sinai, marking Israel as a great nation and calling Israel to keep His commandments and live as a holy people belonging to Him. Keeping and doing it would show the nations that Israel was wise and understanding, for other nations hearing all these statutes could recognize the greatness, wisdom, justice, and goodness of the teaching.

The statutes are more noble, pure, and just than the laws of any other nation, surpassing even the wisdom of the Egyptians in which Moses was educated and the laws of the most civilized nations. No other source gives such strength or such ennobling science, and the book holding that instruction gives wonderful history, teaches men best how to love, fear, and obey God, clearly portrays righteousness, and foretells the consequence of disloyalty to the law of Jehovah. These laws are to be perpetuated through time, form God's people after His character, and provide protection in obedience.

The law bears the stamp of God's divine character and shows Him as a wise, compassionate, impartial lawgiver and judge, unlike human laws shaped by the weaknesses and passions of the unrenewed heart and unlike cruel and corrupt idolatrous laws. In contrast with heathen laws and customs that excused serious crimes yet inflicted cruel punishment for lesser offenses, God's law was wise, righteous, just, and merciful, and its justice distinguished Israel among the nations. It is wiser and more humane because it bears the divine stamp rather than the marks of human weakness and passion.

Obeying it leads people to respect one another's rights and privileges, to look after neighbors, to be friendly, to put away all wickedness without disregarding one precept, and to deal righteously with one another. Its rules against oppressive lending show God's concern for the poor and afflicted, while Christ as Israel's invisible leader in the wilderness taught the people to obey every requirement of God's law in both teaching and conduct as the clear way to do right on which life and prosperity depended, whereas human-made religious rules confused people and set God's law aside. The law is truth and righteousness itself, of heavenly origin and sacred, the living Word of God given with His power and glory at Sinai whose specifications express His mind and never lose their force. It is to be cherished in every word, studied and obeyed as a trustworthy guide, kept in mind and followed throughout history including the last days, and acted out in religious service toward God and others in love, fairness, liberality, tenderness, compassion, and courtesy, since those who depart from God's word in action misrepresent His character.

Wisdom Before Nations

Keeping and doing these statutes and judgments is Israel's wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations. No other nation has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law set before Israel, and its righteousness, nobility, purity, justness and greatness mark Israel as great. The nations, hearing all these statutes, recognize the greatness, wisdom, justice and goodness of the teaching. They call Israel a wise and understanding great nation, discerning wisdom by hearing the law. This law is a distinctive privilege and sacred trust given through Moses belonging to instruction about Sinai, to be remembered, kept in the heart without forgetting what was seen, and taught to sons and sons' sons.

When the precepts are practiced, hearts reflect the attributes of God's character. Lives then display His purity, goodness, benevolence and superiority as a people who love, fear and serve the living God. Obedience brings elevation of life and character and prosperity under God's control, making the land an object lesson of spiritual truth and manifesting the principles of His kingdom in goodness, mercy, justice and love. That ennobling influence is recognized, admired, commended and respected rather than disparaged, even by the heathen world and even by enemies, who acknowledge the superiority of those who worship the living God and the excellence and blessedness of His principles. Lifted from a race of slaves to be exalted above all peoples as a peculiar treasure separated to guard priceless truth, Israel by keeping and doing the law would become a praise and a glory.

Israel's greatest prosperity came when the people acknowledged Jehovah as king and regarded His laws and government as superior to other forms of rule. While loyal, obedience and dependence made Israel a light and model to surrounding nations, and submission would have long settled them in Canaan as a prosperous, holy, happy people displaying power, glory and faithfulness. When the people became proud, rebellious and disobedient they lost their distinctness and became like the idolatrous nations. Such distrust, unbelief, pride, impatience, rebellion and transgression dishonored God before the nations, detracted from His glory, and produced the opposite of the character the law was meant to shape, making the holy law feel like an unbearable weight though it was not burdensome while they remained loyal.

Chosen Witness to World

Israel was lifted from a race of slaves to be exalted above all peoples as a peculiar treasure, a holy people belonging to God, a nation of kings and priests with God nigh whenever called upon. Separated from the world, Israel received the exceptionally righteous statutes and judgments as a sacred trust and distinctive privilege, to act as depositaries guarding priceless truth so the knowledge of God would be preserved among men. Keeping and doing that law was to be wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations, making them great in the eyes of surrounding peoples.

Through Israel the light of heaven was to shine out into a world enshrouded and dark with idolatry, with a voice appealing to all peoples to turn from idolatry to serve the living and true God. By obeying the commandments Israel was to show the principles of true righteousness and serve as a model to the surrounding nations and to the church, remaining distinct from idolatrous peoples and from the customs, habits, and practices of the world while brought nearer to God to make known His will. In life and character the people were to manifest the principles of His kingdom and give the world a representation of His goodness, mercy, justice, and love, revealing Him as the only true Creator whose power and majesty as Creator are displayed through a faithful channel of light. The order and harmony of the religious arrangements were meant to make that witness visible and to show what God desires His people to be.

Through obedience God intended to demonstrate the advantages of living by heaven's principles, caring for soul and body with health, prosperity, honor, and distinction among the nations. Obedience to the natural laws for culture of the soil would restore the land to fertility and beauty to produce its treasures, while obedience to the moral law would cause hearts to reflect the attributes of His character, making the whole land under God's control an object-lesson of spiritual truth in contrast to Eden lost and the earth cursed through disobedience and sin. Submission would long ago have settled them in Canaan as a prosperous, holy, happy people, displaying His mighty power, glory, and faithfulness before all surrounding nations. That promised care includes rain in due season with corn and wine and oil and grass in the fields for cattle so they eat and are full, from the God of gods and Lord of lords who regards not persons but executes judgment for the fatherless and widow and loves the stranger in giving food and raiment.

Christ as Israel's invisible leader in the wilderness taught the people to obey every requirement of God's law in both teaching and conduct, on which their life and prosperity depended. His statutes and judgments provided the clear way to deal righteously with one another, while human-made religious rules confused people and set God's law aside.

Obedience Blessing Judgment

Moses’ chapter is a call to careful attention to the Lord’s charge, to hearken to His statutes and judgments without adding to His word or diminishing from it in order to live and possess the land, to observe carefully from the greatest command to what may seem least, to heed diligently and openly and never cover up, hide, or set aside the righteous law of Jehovah. It urges fearing the Lord, walking in all His ways, loving and serving Him with all heart and soul, taking heed to self and soul, remembering without forgetting what was seen, keeping it in the heart, diligently remembering it, and neglecting nothing important in His Word. The truth of that instruction will triumph despite Satan’s efforts to mislead the people back from the true platform of God’s instruction.

Keeping God’s statutes and commandments brings well-being to the people and their children and prolongs their days in the land God gives them. Obedience to the Word brings all possible blessings and is eternal life, gives the right to ask God for His blessing with assurance He will give it, guards against calamity, suffering, death and loss of property, keeps God’s keeping and blessing upon the obedient, and makes perfection of Christian character attainable. God blesses those who obey His statutes, judgments, and commandments.

Departing from the commands brings sure consequences, for Israel’s disobedience was followed by the death of all but two of the adults who left Egypt before they entered Canaan, showing that God’s word is upheld. Leaders who turn from His commandments and mislead the world to transgress should expect Him to vindicate it and will give account to God. Transgression brings the sure result of disease and suffering, and because of it God’s curse has come upon the earth itself, upon cattle, upon fish, and upon all flesh, growing until at the close of earth’s history the whole world becomes a lazar house of disease. Guilt for imitating heathen iniquity is as much greater than that of idolatrous nations as privileges were greater, and rebellion that does as it pleases forfeits blessing and brings judgment.

Distrust, unbelief, pride, impatience, rebellion, and transgression of His holy requirements forfeited His favor, kindled His wrath, dishonored Him and detracted from His glory in the sight of the nations. They made it impossible for Him to manifest His power in protecting Israel and driving out the wicked inhabitants of Canaan, since Israel had to be free from the sins of those nations and maintain a high standard of purity and holiness. God was not chargeable for their misfortunes and delay, was more grieved than they, pardoned their transgressions when they truly repented and still retained them as His people, revealing Himself not as a stern, relentless judge but as a loving, compassionate father.

Keeping and teaching the law includes honoring the true Sabbath God proclaimed at Sinai and gave to be kept holy, which those who would belong to His covenant-keeping people are to study carefully and observe. It means parental education in strict observance of the very day observed today, handing the righteous law down from father to son for generations, with the charge belonging to every human being living today to take heed individually. Sending children to school on the Sabbath treats it like an ordinary workday and fails to uphold the law, while Sabbath obedience is a public sign of loyalty to God and testimony to the truth even when it requires sacrifice. The Sabbath command marks a separation between loyalty and disloyalty and bears witness to the world of allegiance to the Creator by a distinctive, privileged people who keep it faithfully and teach it to children and descendants.

Obedience is the only condition on which God’s promises to Israel would be fulfilled, and the law of heavenly origin remains binding, including the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. To disregard it, vindicate error, or treat the Sabbath as of little importance dishonors God and takes a position with those opposing Jesus Christ. Christ died on Calvary to redeem men and women from the penalty of transgression and make it possible to return to loyalty, God accepted the sacrifice of His Son, and by accepting Jesus men receive pardon for sin and power to become sons of God. That refutes the assertion that a man once in grace is always in grace and all teaching on justification that turns souls away from a plain Thus saith the Lord, showing such theories have no foundation in the Word of God and will finally oppose the truth God has given His people for these last days.

Teaching Generations Today

The righteous statutes and judgments are to be diligently remembered, kept in memory and kept in the heart without forgetting what was seen, framed into song and sung lest they be forgotten. They are to be taught to sons and sons' sons, passed on to future generations from childhood and babyhood and youth. Parents are to keep and do them themselves, and to begin humbly and devotedly in the home to bring children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, watching, guarding, guiding and encouraging their hearts with God's words. Those who supervise children in schools share this duty to live under allegiance to God, and the obligation to remember and teach belongs to every human being just as much now as then.

Listening to God's Word and submitting to heaven's will is the highest and only safe education for humanity. Every house as a church is to educate and train father, mother and children to fear God and keep His commandments. The Bible is to be made the textbook and the Scriptures searched, with the fear of the Lord taught from earliest babyhood, childhood and youth as the beginning of wisdom. Keeping the commandments is wisdom and not ignorance, making those who obey representatives who glorify His name.

The solemn charge to take heed, keep the soul diligently, never let what was seen depart from the heart, and teach it to sons and sons' sons echoes down the ages with accumulated force to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. Those living now are under greater obligation because they have the record of Israel's experiences, to avoid their errors, departures, backslidings, murmurings and sins and to profit by their mistakes. God's judgment in the destruction of the guilty, when all but two of the adults who left Egypt died, stands as warning that His word is upheld, while His rich rewards and blessings on the obedient stand as encouragement. The Old Testament instructions are living requirements for a people to obey throughout history including the last days, and keeping begins with each person for the soul's highest interest until Christ comes.

Walking in that light in the last days means joining faith with works and acting out its principles in religious service toward God and others with love, fairness, liberality, tenderness, compassion and courtesy. It includes medical missionary service and training others to serve the Lord, thereby setting a right example before others. Doing this work brings God's Spirit, favor, keeping and blessing, with assurance He will give blessing when asked and with guarding against calamity, suffering, death and loss of property, while neglecting this light leaves the specified work undone. Those who depart from God's word in action misrepresent His character.

God's purpose for His people today is the same He had for Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. He desires to separate them from the customs, habits and practices of the world and bring them nearer to Himself to make known His will, that by beholding the goodness, mercy, justice and love of God revealed in His church the world may have a representation of His character. When the law of God is thus exemplified in life and its principles manifested in life and character, even the world recognizes the superiority of those who love and fear and serve God above every other people. God desires the world to say the same about His obedient people today, that keeping and doing His righteous statutes is their wisdom and understanding in the sight of the surrounding nations and makes them great in the eyes of the nations.