In Deuteronomy 6 Moses tells the children of Israel what is the single, greatest commandment in all of God’s law. It is a declaration known as “Shema” or “Sh’ma Yisrael,” from the first words of verse 4, “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” And Moses continues by explaining that they are to obey the commandments themselves and teach them to their children to obey.
As the chapter continues, Moses says that there will come a day when they are in the land of Canaan, settled down in safety, and experiencing the prosperity promised in the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On that day, when they have eaten their fill of the vineyards and olives which Yahweh will give them, they must beware the temptation to forget Yahweh and all he has done in delivering them from bondage and bringing them up from Egypt. If they forget all that Yahweh has done, they will be inclined to worship the gods of the peoples of Canaan and the surrounding territories. This will arouse Yahweh’s jealousy and cause him to destroy them in his anger.
We would do well to consider these words. Not because we are recipients of those covenant promises made to the patriarchs, but because we are prone to the same kind of lazy forgetfulness that leads to unbelief and practical atheism. When things are going well, we tend to forget to pray, and only remember when we are faced with a sudden trial or hardship. We enjoy so many of God’s blessings in our own nation and homes, yet we often act as though our food and clothing and cars and houses are things which we have obtained through our own effort and skill instead of by his gracious hand. If we are not careful, we can begin to feel as though we are entitled to material blessings and even non-material things like respect, honor, and thanks.
How did the Lord expect Israel to avoid this kind of failure which would turn their hearts away from him? And is there any help here for us as we face similar, if not exactly the same, temptations?
Two observations from this chapter may be helpful. First, the very fact that Moses warned Israel about this ahead of time is important. In order for them to be on their guard, God graciously told them about the temptations they would face after they entered the land and experienced his goodness. He did not leave them to discover this for themselves or to be caught off-guard by dangers they could not possibly anticipate.
Since we are his creatures, the Lord knows exactly who and what we are. Nothing surprises him. And yet, we are often surprised by temptations and the inherent weaknesses they exploit. Have you ever been blindsided by temptation? Maybe something you saw unintentionally provoked your heart to lust after another person. Maybe you heard someone else’s good news, and your heart suddenly was filled with jealousy or a desire to “one-up” them. I think we have all experienced these kinds of unexpected temptations, and probably fallen into sin as a result of our unpreparedness. But Yahweh knows our weakness, and he speaks to it here by warning the Israelites about the danger that was ahead. If they would pay attention to Moses’ words, they would be able to see the temptation coming and be in position to respond properly by depending on God and his word rather than their own instincts.
But there is a second and often overlooked help offered in this chapter. In v.20 Moses describes a scenario where a man’s son asks him about the meaning of “the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Yahweh our God has commanded you?” If the Israelites were at least trying to be faithful to heed Moses’ warnings and resist the temptations brought on by their sudden prosperity, no doubt their children and grandchildren would have questions about the meaning and purpose of all the laws the Lord had given them to keep.
The Israelite fathers were to answer their sons by recounting for them Yahweh’s deliverance from Egypt, the great signs and wonders he showed them in that land, how he brought them through the wilderness, and gave them the land he had promised to the patriarchs. In short, they were to offer a personal testimony of God’s goodness, his salvation, and his abundant blessing in giving them all the good things they were enjoying. By recounting God’s blessings, they would be reminded of their inability to save themselves from bondage and the glorious redemption that was there’s by virtue of their relationship with Yahweh.
Just knowing the danger of the temptations ahead of time was not enough. The Israelites needed to actively teach these commands to the next generations and recount the mercies of God which they had experienced for themselves. By showing gratitude to Yahweh for their miraculous deliverance, the Israelite fathers would help guard themselves and their children from straying into forgetfulness and apostasy.
We, too, ought to regularly practice the discipline of giving thanks to God and of praising him before others, especially our children. In this way we can instill in them the foundation for faith in Christ, love for God and his word, and ample reason to hope in the Lord. As Warren Wiersbe wrote in the conclusion of his notes on this chapter: “An attitude of gratitude is a wonderful weapon against unbelief, disobedience, a hard heart, and a bitter spirit.”