Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 (NRSV)
Read Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 4So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Verse 2You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. Verse 6You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!" Verse 7For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? Verse 8And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? Verse 9But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children-
Devotion
Like many of you, I worry about my children. It’s one of the major job descriptions of parents. Will our children cherish and pass on the faith and traditions dear to us. It seems this has been going on for thousands of years. Moses too worries about his children, the children of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. Will they remember and cherish the great gift of wisdom that God has entrusted to them—one of the richest treasures in Scripture and a marvel to those who observe it—that is, to know that they have a God who dwells so near to them, who cares so much for them, that this God gives them wise statutes by which to live. Such wisdom is a matter of life, a matter of God’s blessing for us too. Is it too much to hope that we too will want to treasure it and pass it on!
Prayer
God of gracious wisdom, help us to know and treasure your words of guidance and regard them as a blessing and sign of your presence and the depth of your love for all your people. Amen.