A Fresh Repetition of Gods Laws

Chapter 2:2-3: ^"You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough." The Lord told them that they were "going around in circles." does the Lord have to say that to any of us? If we are always in the same place spiritually, that is what we are doing.

Movement is not the same as progress!

We shouldn't be losing our temper or lusting like we did 10 years ago. If we are, then we are moving around in circles. The Lord is now calling us to move on.

Chapter 4:2 "You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it:" Do you know that even the small commandments in God's Word are important?

What are the the temptations that we face in relation to God's word? Not to ignore the important commandments, but the smaller ones.

There are numerous believers who say that certain commandments are minor and so we can afford to ignore them. But Jesus said "He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:19).

How do we test the obedience of our little children? Not in the big matters but the small ones. Suppose when your 5 year old son was going to school one day, you said to him, "Now son, on your way to school today, don't murder anyone, don't commit adultery with anyone, don't rob a bank." He will come back everyday from school and say, "Dad I obeyed all your commandments." Is that where you test his obedience-in all those major commandments? No. I'll tell you where you can test his obedience. It's when he is playing outside your house with his friends and you say, "All right , son, you have played enough now. Come in now and help your mother with some work in the house." His reply will invariably be, "wait, Daddy. Let me just finish this game." That's where you test his obedience. Now, how do you think God tests your obedience? In the small commandments in His Word.

What does it mean, 'to take away from the word of God?' It means to ignore the small commandments.

What does it mean to add to God's Word?

When Satan came to Eve and asked her what God had told them, Eve replied, adding to and subtracting from God's word. She said, "God has told us not to eat from and not to touch this tree, lest we die." God had never told them anything about touching the tree, but only about eating. But Eve tried to be more spiritual than god and added "touching" as well. What was the result? She both touched and ate! that's always what happens when people begin to add to God's word. They fall into sin.

Eve also subtracted the intensity of what God had said by saying, "lest we die"-implying that death was not certain but only a possibility! But God had said, "You will surely die." If we subtract or add to God's word, we thereby nullify it. (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:2-3)

In Chapter 4:24,31, we read two statements about God: "God is a consuming fire" and "God is merciful." God is love, but He is also a consuming fire. The glory of God was seen in Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). god is merciful and holy. A truly Godly man will be like God- holy and merciful. To be a spiritual leader, you have to be like a lion and like a lamb, for that is how Jesus was. Jesus' words are like a burning fire, and also tremendously compassionate. Don't think that a man who is full of compassion alone is a spiritual man either. Both are unbalanced. the glory of God is full of grace and truth.

In Chapter 4:29,

Moses said that the Israelites could find God if they searched for Him with all their heart and all their soul.

Jeremiah said the same thing in Jeremiah 29:13. Many people don't find God because they seek Him with as much earnestness as they would seek for a 50 cent piece. You may look for it for some time and if you can't find it, you move on. But if you had misplaced a bundle of 100 dollar bills some where, how long would you search for that? Do you seek for God like that?

God is a rewarder only of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

How eagerly do you seek for God? How eagerly do you seek for victory over sin? How keen are you to overcome your anger and your sexual lust? How eager are you to understand the Scriptures and to be useful in His kingdom? How eagerly do you seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit-not just once at your confirmation, but daily? How eager are you to be constantly  fresh in you Christian life? If you have not received these thing that I have just mentioned, all of which are the will of God for you, it must be because you have not sought God with all your heart. Jesus taught us to ask and seek and knock until our Father in heaven answered. It was the same principle that Moses was teaching here.