John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 4
John Calvin Commentary
Deuteronomy 4
John Calvin Commentary
Deuteronomy 4
"And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, giveth you." — Deuteronomy 4:1 (ASV)
Now, therefore, hearken, O Israel. He requires the people to be teachable, so that they may learn to serve God, for the beginning of a good and upright life is to know what is pleasing to God.
Thus, Moses begins by commanding them to be attentive in seeking direction from the Law. He then admonishes them to prove by their whole life that they have duly profited in the Law. The promise inserted here only invites them to unreserved obedience through hope of the inheritance.
The main point is that they should neither add to nor diminish from the pure doctrine of the Law. This cannot be the case unless people first renounce their own private opinions and then shut their ears against all the speculations of others. For no one is to be regarded as a (true) disciple of the Law except those who obtain their wisdom from it alone.
It is, therefore, as if God commanded them to be content with His precepts; because in no other way would they keep His law, except by giving themselves wholly to its teaching. Consequently, only those who depend on His authority alone obey God, and only those who receive nothing opposed to its natural meaning pay the Law its rightful honor. This passage is a remarkable one, openly condemning whatever human ingenuity may invent for the service of God.
"Your eyes have seen what Jehovah did because of Baal-peor; for all the men that followed Baal-peor, Jehovah thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee." — Deuteronomy 4:3 (ASV)
Your eyes have seen what the Lord did. This further explanation more clearly shows that so obvious was the example given in the punishment, that it could not be hidden even from the most ignorant. For Moses does not here address those of refined judgment, but the common people generally, who had only been spectators. Certainly, if God’s vengeance had been less evident, he would not have so confidently appealed to them as witnesses. Therefore, their dullness was all the less excusable if they were blind to so plain and obvious a fact.
I understand his praise of their constancy to refer to this present situation alone, for it is abundantly clear that they did not persevere in clinging to God. The meaning is that there was an evident distinction in this divine chastisement, so that the death of the ungodly multitude would preserve the pure worship of God among the survivors.
"Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." — Deuteronomy 4:6 (ASV)
Keep therefore, and do them. So that they might more cheerfully commit to keeping the Law and proceed more steadily in this effort, he reminds them that nothing is better or more desirable for them. For God is not properly honored, except with ready minds and voluntary obedience, to which we are attracted more by pleasure than forced by rigor and violence. Now, since all desire to excel, he says that this is the chief excellence of Israel: that they have God for their Lawgiver and Master.
If anyone objects that what he says can be refuted by two arguments—first, because the Law of God was unknown to Gentile nations, and second, because the form of God’s worship prescribed in it, and the whole Jewish religion, were not only despised but also hated by them—I reply that other nations are not presented here as absolute judges or arbitrators. Instead, the words must be understood to mean that no nation, if it were to achieve a right understanding, would dare to compare itself, much less prefer itself, to you. For by that very comparison, it would acknowledge the great dignity to which God has raised you.
Therefore, although the doctrine of the Law might remain neglected, indeed, even detested, by almost the entire world, Moses still truthfully declares that since God has seen fit to give the Jews a rule of life, a stage was erected before other nations, on which the nobility of that one people would be conspicuous. For it was unreasonable that God’s glory should be tarnished or extinguished by the ignorance of the blind.
But we gather from this passage that we are truly wise when we depend on God’s words and submit our own understanding to His revelations.
Where I have translated the words, “Surely (certo) this people,” the Hebrew particle, רק,226 rak, is used. This particle is often used in an exclusive sense, so that it would appropriately carry this meaning: “Only this people,” etc. Unquestionably, this refers to the eminent condition of the people on account of their gracious privileges.
226 Only; at least; surely. — Nold. Concord. partic. —— W.
"For what great nation is there, that hath a god so nigh unto them, as Jehovah our God is whensoever we call upon him?" — Deuteronomy 4:7 (ASV)
For what nation is there so great? Moses now repeats in his own name what he had previously presented as spoken by others, as if to show by additional reasons that there was good cause for the Jews to be celebrated throughout the whole world, because it would become evident that no one was their equal.
He mentions two points: first, God would be ready to provide them help whenever they called upon Him; and secondly, He had instructed them in perfect righteousness, beyond which nothing more could be desired.
For when he says that God is nigh unto them, I understand this to refer to the presence of His power, which had been abundantly demonstrated by many miracles. He rightly denies that the Gentiles had ever experienced such help from their gods, since their prayers and cries were offered to deaf and dead idols.
"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children`s children;" — Deuteronomy 4:9 (ASV)
Only take heed to yourself. The same particle, רק, rak, about which I have just spoken, is used here. Its meaning in this place is as if Moses had said that this only remained, unless it is preferred to translate it nevertheless.
What follows means literally, Guard yourself (custodi), and guard your soul. In this, Moses advances by degrees, reminding them that they needed no common heedfulness, but rather that they must beware with extreme vigilance and diligence, lest they should fail for lack of these.
For the slothfulness of the flesh must be spurred on by such promptings as these; at the same time, our weakness must be fortified, and we must take measures against our unsteadfastness. For nothing is easier than for all our zeal to be suddenly forgotten or to gradually grow cold.
God had established the certainty of His law, as far as was necessary, for the grateful and attentive. Yet, not without reason does He desire the people to remember how great is the carelessness of men.
Nor does He command only those who were eyewitnesses to remember, but also to hand down what they had seen to their sons and grandsons, that the memory of such remarkable things might be preserved.
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