#3 God’s grace, our obedience, for our good

reading this morning is from Deuteronomy chapter 4 verses 44 through to chapter 5 verses 33.

That can be found on page 254 of the Bibles.

This is the law Moses set before the Israelites.

These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan in the land of Sion king of the Amorites who who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt.

They took possession of his land and the land of Og, king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan.

This land extended from Aroah on the rim of the Anon Gorge to Mount Sirion, that is Hermon, and included all of the Araba east of the Jordan, as far as the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah.

Moses summoned all Israel and said, Hear Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today.

Learn them and be sure to follow them.

The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

And he said, You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them.

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.

Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do." Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Honour your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.

You shall not set your desire on your neighbour's house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness.

And he added nothing more.

Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

And you said, but now why should we die this great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the lord our god any longer for what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living god speaking out of fire as we have and survived go near and listen to all that the lord our god says then tell us whatever the lord our god tells you we will listen and obey The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, I have heard what this people said to you.

Everything they said was good.

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.

Go, tell them to return to their tents, but you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees, and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you.

Do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.