Obedience Over Knowledge
As the Israelites prepare to enter and take possession of the promised land, Moses makes it clear that there is a difference between knowing and doing. Deuteronomy 4:5- 6 reads:
“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’”
Moses had taught the statues and rules over and over again throughout their 40 years in the wilderness. Moses wasn’t concerned that they knew the law; his concern was about their willingness to do the things that God had instructed his children to do. As we read through the story of God in the Bible, this continues to be an issue for Israel. And we will soon discover that in Matthew Jesus had the same concerns as he finished his sermon on the Mount. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
After the baptism of Jesus at the end of Matthew 3, we learn that Jesus went straight into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Here we see the difference between the Israelites, who knew what the law said but consistently failed to obey, and Jesus, who knew the law but also obeyed the word that came from God and was delivered through Moses.
Matthew records three instances when the devil tempted Jesus, and each time Jesus quoted the word of God back to the enemy and did not give in to the temptation. Two of these times Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy. As we read Deuteronomy, we hear the continued warning to not follow the ways of the nations who did not worship the God of heaven but instead worshiped various idols.
The contrast between the Israelites’ lack of obedience and the full obedience of Jesus in dealing with temptation and in trusting fully in the promises of God is relevant for us today. In every situation God’s word is to be trusted. He is fully reliable. Yet so many times in moments of temptation or duress we think that someone else might be a better option for us than leaning into all that we know from scripture.
Remember, the enemy is subtle and seeks to confuse and distort God’s word. Whatever temptation, crisis, or burden we face next, our best path forward is to read the word of God, pray the word of God, and trust the word of God. When we do, we will find that time and time again the enemy will flee, and that our Heavenly Father will meet every need.
Father, soften our hearts to not only take your word in through our eyes but to obey your word in our hearts and by our actions. Thank you for the perfect example of our Savior Jesus, who shows us daily how to live. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Deuteronomy 4:5-9, 15-24, 6:16, 8:3; Matthew 4:1-11 ESV
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
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