The Lord’s Word Our Understanding

And he’ll help you see things you’ve not seen before, remind you of things that you have seen before, or see different facets of it. And when he does that, let me encourage you to write it down. Get yourself a dedicated notebook if you prefer to write things down by hand. And just write down, these are my devotion notes, and just write them down. I don’t use notebooks a whole lot. I use my computer.

But I have a running commentary just from my reading where I’ll put notes down. And let me encourage you to do that. Take 10 minutes, take 15 minutes, and think about what the Lord’s teaching you and write it down in such a way that you might be able to give it to somebody else at some point. Give a devotion or preach a sermon or be an encouragement or something like that to somebody else.

Because when you write it down, it really helps you to understand it better and helps you to think through it. And it also preserves it. That’s one of the things about Bible reading and Bible study that really can be a hindrance, is the Lord teaches you things. And then because we don’t do anything, we don’t actually commit it to paper or to some medium that preserves it, we forget it and we have nothing to refer back to.

And so let me encourage you to do that. Get yourself a notebook. Get yourself a Word document, a file, whatever suits you best. And do that. Because tonight in Deuteronomy chapter 4, this is the fruit of that very thing that I want to share with you. As I was reading, just in Deuteronomy, I’m in Deuteronomy, and as I was reading I came across these verses, just a couple of verses tonight, really verses 6 and 7.

And I just want to share with you the things that the Lord taught me. And so let’s go to Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse number 5. Verse number 5. We’ll read through verse number 7. The Bible says this, Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? Would you pray with me? Our Father, as we look at your Word tonight, First of all, we want to give you thanks that you give us nuggets and you teach us by your Spirit as we read your Word. Help us to be faithful students of your Word, to read the Scripture and to learn from it.

And thank you for how that you teach us. I pray, Lord, as we look at these verses, that you would further teach this truth to us tonight and help it to profit us and edify us, that we might live for you in a way that is pleasing in your sight. Because Lord, we’re aware that this world is watching us. And so Lord, help us to learn from these things, just like you taught it to Israel, so you would teach it to us tonight in Jesus’ name.

Amen. The verse I want to concentrate on is verse number six in particular. And so this is Moses. Now verse number five, Moses is speaking. He’s talking about how he taught Israel the things, the statutes and judgments and commandments that the Lord had commanded him. And so verse number six is not exactly clear if God is speaking or if Moses is speaking, but Moses might be just quoting the Lord here.

Verse number six, notice what it says. Speaking, now you’ve got to get the context of verse six. Keep therefore and do them. Now the them that he’s referring to are the statutes and the judgments in verse number five. Now the statutes and the judgments to the children of Israel at this time are the equivalent to what we would think of in our time. It would be the equivalent to God’s word, right?

Because the God’s word that they had was the statutes and the judgments. That’s what had gotten committed to them up to that point. And now we have of course the completed canon of scripture, and so we have not only what God commanded them, but a whole lot more that came afterward. And so just like they have the word of God, so we have the word of God.

Now here’s what I want you to see about verse number six. The Lord tells them to keep and do God’s commandments, God’s word. Okay now notice what he says after that. For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations. What is their wisdom and their understanding in the sight of the nations? The answer to that is he is not referring, the Lord is not referring to their own inherent wisdom in this verse.

Verse six, the Lord is not saying that they are wise people. The Lord is not saying that they are understanding people. The Lord is saying that the wisdom of Israel was the commandments that God gave to them. That is what made them wise. And so I have four statements I want to give you if you want to write them down. The first one is this, Israel had no wisdom inherent in them.

Israel had no wisdom inherent in them. Because the verse says, for this is your wisdom and your understanding. So if we take the word of God, the statutes and commandments that God gave to them away from them, and those statutes and those commandments are themselves the wisdom that they have, what are they left with? What are they left with? What they become, they become silly and ignorant and foolish people, just like the nations that are all around them who did not have God’s statutes and God’s commandments.

Because within them, inherent in them, was no wisdom and no understanding and none of the things and descriptions we see in verse six and verse seven. Because that all came from God’s word. And as I think about it, if they have no wisdom and understanding inherent by nature in them, and all of their wisdom and understanding comes from the fact that God has given them his word, then without God’s word, they would also, like every other nation, be subject to all the dangers and hazards and sin and iniquity that all of the other nations that surrounded them were practicing.

And then all of the repercussions and fallout and death that would also come from that same sin. Now we know that the Lord tells us in Scripture that he would drive out the nations of Canaan, which is where they’re preparing to enter into, he would drive them out because of those nations were wicked and evil in his sight. And a lot of that had to do with the fact that they were devoid of God’s wisdom.

They did not have his word. But Israel, and Israel is in no way any different. And think about yourself, think about you, think about me, I think about myself. Absent God’s word, and kind of if we can extend that out, absent God’s grace, absent the Holy Spirit in us, absent God’s activity working in us, what would be left? He know what we would be? We would be a total wreck.

We would be in no way any different than everyone outside that is an unbeliever. We would be in no way different because in us there is no inherent wisdom in us either. There’s no inherent goodness in us. There’s no inherent grace in us at all. And the problem is, and I think this is true of people that have been saved, have been believers for quite some time, is we start to think that we’ve lived this pattern of life where we’ve wanted to live uprightly and we wanted to follow God.

We’ve lived that way for so long we start to be deluded into thinking that that is somehow inherent in us and it is not at all. What the Lord is reminding them of is the truth that the only thing, the only thing that was good in Israel was the statutes that God had given them. If there was any good that’s where it came from. Listen to Psalm 119 verse 98 and 100.

Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. So all of those things are true not because the person, the subject in the verses is somehow better or wiser. No, that wisdom comes from God’s Word.

And man, what does that say about the role of God’s Word in our life and what prominence it should have? Not only in our activity and our pattern of life or our habits, but the Word of God should be what drives our decisions. The Word of God should be what dictates and drives our decisions because you know what you have? In this world you have a philosophy of this world and then in contrast to that you have the philosophy that is dictated by God’s Word.

And those two things do not agree. And Christian people sometimes fall into the snare of leaning upon the understanding of the wisdom of this world and contradicting what God’s Word says. But here’s what we have to remember is that it is God’s Word. It is God’s Word that is our understanding and our wisdom. We neglect it to our own peril and detriment. Not only that, it is when you read verses 6 and 7, the Word of God is what made Israel distinct from the nations that surrounded them.

That’s what made the difference. The Israel was inherently better. In fact, in Deuteronomy chapter, I believe it’s chapter 9, God actually tells them, I’m taking you into the land of Canaan, I’m paraphrasing here, I’m taking you into the land of Canaan, not for your righteousness, but for the unrighteousness of the people of that land. And he says it three times. And then the very last time he says because you’re a stiff neck people.

You’re a stiff neck people. So Israel, like us, had no wisdom inherent in them. Whatever wisdom is found in them came from God’s Word. And whatever understanding they had came from God’s Word. And that’s true of us. But also the grace of God. And any goodness, any virtue that exists in us is only there because of God putting it there. Without that we would have nothing at all.

And the second thing I want you to see is this. It says verse 6, keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight, in the sight of the nations. So God gave them the law with the intention that the nations would see that distinction. In other words, it was on display. You see that? In the sight of the nations. So the second statement is this.

Other nations were observing Israel. Other nations were observing Israel. You see these nations had practices of their own. They had religious rights and they had laws and rules and regulations all their own. And they looked at Israel who came out of Egypt who basically just kind of felt like they came from another planet essentially because they weren’t native to Canaan. Remember, not even their ancestors were. For Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees and then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

That whole family in line were not native to Canaan. They were native of what we now call Iraq, Babylon, right? They were native of that area. And then they stayed for a time and sojourned in Canaan and then went down to Egypt. But they weren’t native to Egypt either. So here these freaks come out of Egypt that are completely unlike everyone around them and they’re coming into the land of Canaan and the Lord’s intention was to give them his word and his statutes and his commandments because he wanted those nations around them to see it.

And so it is today. You see, listen now, the world, this world is watching us. Listen, I know that’s cliche. Is it not? It is so cliche. The world is watching us. But this is a scriptural truth. It is God’s intention to put us on display. That’s why the Bible says, you are the light of the world. You’re the salt of the earth. It is God’s intention to put us on display.

It’s not just the world is watching us, it’s that God is saying, look. Right? God is saying, look at them. Just like in Israel, so with us. And here’s the thing, don’t think, and again, this is another kind of trap that we fall into after we’ve been saved quite a while, is we kind of lose touch with the way this world thinks. That’s why we need to interact with this world.

I know there’s a tendency, listen, I know there’s a tendency in Christian circles to get inside of a bubble, a Christian bubble. And there’s whole structures that are built to be inside of a bubble where you work among Christians and you live among Christians and you hardly ever interact with anybody that actually looks at you from the outside. And that can be a danger. There’s a danger in that.

There’s a risk that you kind of lose touch with what people are actually thinking. And here’s what the world is thinking. This world does recognize that there is a difference between those who call themselves Christians and those who live as Christians. There is a difference between those that call themselves Christians and those that live as Christians. They do not take it face value just because you say you’re a Christian.

Because remember all of their group calls themselves Christians too. This world doesn’t mean secular, this world just means all the world is religious. It’s always been that way from the time of Cain. All of them call themselves Christians too of some form or fashion. And then there comes along someone who is an actual Christian who lives for God and is serious and whose the truth is those who just call themselves Christians are just nominal, they’re just Christians in name.

And then there comes along someone who actually has God in them, who is a true believer in Christ and they note the difference. This world notes the difference. They take note of the real thing and they start to pay attention. I have seen this personally with my own eyes. I have observed they’re making distinctions between Christians and real Christians. I’ve seen that. And so what do they do?

They start paying attention. They watch what that Christian does and doesn’t do. They observe what that Christian’s values are. They listen to how that Christian talks. They notice what’s on that Christian’s social media. The world is paying attention to true Christians. Whether they say it out loud or not, they are watching. How can you not watch it? You see the Lord wants us just like he wanted Israel.

He gave them his laws and what did those laws do? You know what they did? They made Israel odd. The laws caused Israel to be different and odd, perceived as odd by those around them. Is that any different than us? Now I’m not saying we go out of our way to be odd, but if you follow God’s word, listen now, if you follow God’s word, you are going to stand out in the crowd and not necessarily in a good way.

I may view it as in a good way, but that’s not exactly how it will always be perceived. It will stand out to such a degree that people will notice and take note and they’ll start watching. They absolutely do. And this is by design. You see God has given us his word and by living by and obeying his word, he makes a difference between us and them and it is a difference that God intends on this world to see.

It’s one of his purposes is to provide a testimony to those who are watching. This is not just a New Testament truth, this is in the verse. The third thing is this. It says, keep, verse 6, keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall hear all these statutes. The third statement is this. Other nations were hearing of God’s statutes.

Now those nations that surrounded Israel, they did not do God’s statutes, but they did hear them. And oftentimes those people, those nations would hear God’s statutes and maybe they would even think those statutes were weird and awkward and unusual and well outside the ordinary. But yet nevertheless they are drawn to them. You see the Lord wanted other nations to hear about Israel’s law which was God’s word.

And by hearing it they would, even if they didn’t agree, even if they didn’t follow those things, yet they were somehow by God drawn to them. And you’ve got to remember it is by the word of God, by the statutes and the commandment of God that any person can know God. That’s the only way to know him is by his statutes. And so you have this dynamic and it’s true of us as well.

You have this dynamic where the Lord is working on us by his word and he’s making us distinct and different. The Bible uses the word sanctifying us. Now I know sanctification goes both ways. It’s unto God and it’s away from sin. I get that. But that sanctification process is what draws a distinction. What makes us different? Otherwise we do the same things that everyone else does. We talk the same, go to the same places, have the same values, have the same kind of marriages and the same relationships and the same children and everything would be the same and there would be no distinction.

It is God’s word that makes that distinction. And so those people around us hear about that. And by observing God’s people who are influenced by God’s word and then by hearing of God’s statutes a person in the world that is an unbeliever begins to see himself and his own shortcomings in that light. In other words he has something to compare it to. Not that this world is where the standard but it provides an alternative to everything that is around him.

Because most people in this world, here’s the way they live. Just like I live. Before I knew Christ I was like everybody else. Nobody was much worse or much better than me. I was just kind of an average guy, an average Joe. But the problem is the average Joe is sinful and wicked. And so what the Lord does is he by means of his statutes brings one of his people into that person’s orbit who is distinctive.

You should be distinctive. I should be distinctive. Not distinctive for distinctive sake but it should be a byproduct of your walk with God and the influence of God’s word and God’s grace in your life. It should make you different. It should make you honest. More honest than everybody, the average honesty, right? It should make you more kind. Kinder than the average. You know one of the chief ways that I see kindness manifested on a regular basis is when you’re standing in line somewhere.

Everybody in line from start to finish is a Christian. Just so you know. Everybody is a Christian and they are rude and unfeeling and calloused and insulting. For no reason whatsoever. Just because there’s a line somebody’s not going as fast as they think they ought to go. And they just huff and puff and da da da da. You know how that goes. You might be tempted to do that.

I know sometimes I am. And then you have something just as simple as you step up to the cashier to make your purchase and you’re just nice. You’re just kind. Even though you’ve had to wait like everybody else, you’re just kind. They notice that. And I know that might sound trivial but people notice that kind of stuff. And remember that’s the distinction that among all the Christians there’s one who’s the real deal.

And so sometimes people in this world when they interact with a believer they look at themselves and they know they’re like everybody else and they see this guy and they think wow there’s something that’s different. And that immediately leads them to look at themselves in that light because now there’s a way to compare. And that alone can often be a conviction producing experience.

The last thing I want you to see is this. In verse number, end of verse number six. He says, I’ll just read the verse again. Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall hear all these statutes. Now here’s what the nations will say. The nations surrounding Israel. Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

Let me ask you a question. My last statement is this. Other nations would praise Israel. Let me ask you a question. Why was Israel wise and understanding? Help me out. Help me out. It was the influence of the word of God, the statutes and commandments. Remember there was nothing in them that was there. It didn’t just give them wisdom. It was their wisdom. And so when these nations say wow this nation is wise and understanding that is not in Israel.

That is not in Israel. They are wise and understanding because they had the commandments of God. In other words that wisdom and that understanding was not in them. It came from God’s commandments alone. Yet it was Israel that was perceived as wise and understanding by those nations.

And you see in verse number six. Do those nations praise Israel or do they praise the Lord? Not a trick question. They should be but they’re not. They’re praising Israel. There’s no praise from those nations saying well they have a great God. They’re not saying that. Not at least at this point. They’re praising Israel. And that’s the way it is with believers in Christ. You know when people in this world perceive these kind of virtues I’ve been talking about that are the product of the spirit and grace of God and the word of God in our lives.

They see these virtues in Christians. They praise those virtues. They think man that’s great. You’re a great guy. You’re an honest guy. You’re such a sweet lady. And they see those virtues. And they praise you. And they should. Let me just go a step further here. If you’re living a life and nobody ever praises any virtues in your life at all ever. Now we don’t do anything for praise.

And I’ll get back to that in a second. But if nobody ever notices any godly virtue in us. I mean that’s part of the purpose. Alright. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your, what’s it say? Good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. But if they’re not seeing anything. Right? That’s what the good works are for. It’s not to save you.

Christ save you. They’re designed to be a testimony to others. To do all that we’ve been talking about. But men do see those virtues or should. And they praise the Christian. And they say man that’s a wonderful and that’s an honest person. And he’s such an incur whatever they might say. Or maybe their children are just so, they have such good attitudes. Or they have such good relationships with this or that or whatever.

He’s such a hard worker. Whatever the virtue is that god is working in you. But we know indeed that no believer has any grounds to glory. Because remember the wisdom and the understanding is not in us at all. It never was. It is god’s word in us. That’s what this whole verse is describing. So even though the praise comes to us. We dare not. We cannot take any credit or glory for it.

So why then would people praise us? Like we see in verse 6. Why then would people praise us? Those virtues were put there by Christ and by his spirit. Because they’re not native to us at all. Romans 7, 18. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. If there’s any good in us at all, it belongs to the Lord. Men don’t know that though.

And so they direct praise to us. And so when we hear these words like Israel would, we must redirect them to the truth. Of the source of any virtue found in us. And that is Christ. Because without him there is none. You say that to somebody and I know I have. They have no idea how to interpret that. It’s actually kind of funny a little bit. But what else are you going to do?

This is all by design. God wants people to see a believer’s life as distinctive and holy and good and upright and kind. And he knows they will tend to praise you. So that you then have the opportunity to tell them what the source of that goodness is. You see the Lord’s intent is not our praise but his. And you know what? He deserves it all anyway. Because he put it there.

Which is what verse 6 says, right? Whatever good there is in us is good that he put there. And it belongs, the praise for that belongs to him. Let’s pray.