Deuteronomy 4 explained: Remember the Voice, Make No Images

Keep the laws (vv. 1-8)

Moses tells the people not to add to or cut from God's commands, and reminds them of Baal Peor, where Israelites who worshiped a local god died while those who stayed loyal lived (Numbers 25). Keeping these fair laws, he says, will make other nations see Israel as wise and see its God as close and listening.

Remember Mount Sinai (vv. 9-14)

Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, where the people heard God speak out of fire and darkness and received the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. They must never forget that day and must teach it to their children and grandchildren.

No images to worship (vv. 15-24)

Because the people heard a voice but saw no shape, they must not make an image to worship in the form of a man or woman, an animal, a bird, a creeping thing or a fish, and must not bow down to the sun, moon and stars. Moses adds that he himself will die before crossing the Jordan, and calls God a consuming fire and a jealous God, meaning he will not share his people's loyalty with other gods.

Exile and return (vv. 25-31)

Moses warns that if later generations turn to idols, they will be driven from the land and scattered among other peoples. Yet if they seek God with all their heart even there, they will find a merciful God who keeps his promises.

There is no other God (vv. 32-40)

Moses asks whether any people has ever heard God speak from fire and lived, or been rescued from another nation by such wonders. He concludes that the LORD alone is God in heaven and on earth, and that keeping his ways will go well for them and their children.

Safe towns and a heading (vv. 41-49)

Moses names three towns east of the Jordan River where someone who killed a person by accident could flee and be safe from revenge. The closing lines set the scene for the laws that follow, given near Beth Peor in land taken from the kings Sihon and Og.

Key verse: Deuteronomy 4:39

Where Christians differ

Christians differ over whether this chapter's ban on images rules out pictures and statues in Christian worship, such as icons, or only forbids trying to represent God himself as an object of worship.

Something to think about

What experiences from your own life or family history do you think are worth passing on to the next generation, and why?