Thursday: Your Wisdom and Your Understanding
Deuteronomy 4:1-9, as we saw, was a powerful expression of not merely the nation’s special status but of its missionary calling, as well. Woven all through those verses is the idea that they need to obey, to follow, to do what the Lord commanded them to do.
Read again Deuteronomy 4:6. What specifically does the Lord say is their “wisdom” and “understanding” in the eyes of these nations?
Image © Mary Rumford from GoodSalt.com
At first glance it might seem as if the statutes and judgments themselves were what contained the wisdom and understanding. But that’s not what the text says. The Lord had taught them statutes and judgments, yes; but their wisdom and understanding came from their keeping them, from their obeying them. Their obedience — that was their wisdom and understanding.
Israel could have had the most wonderful system of law and rules and regulations the world had ever seen (in fact, it did), but what good would it all be if Israel didn’t follow it? Instead, their wisdom, their understanding, came from the real-time manifestation of God’s laws in their lives. They were to live out the truths that the Lord had given them, and they could do that only by obeying them. All the light and all the truth wasn’t going to do them or the pagans around them any good if Israel didn’t live out that truth. Hence, over and over again they are called to obey, because their obedience to the statutes and judgments, not the statutes and judgments themselves, was what mattered, in terms of being a witness to the world.
“Their obedience to the law of God would make them marvels of prosperity before the nations of the world. He who could give them wisdom and skill in all cunning work would continue to be their teacher, and would ennoble and elevate them through obedience to His laws. If obedient, they would be preserved from the diseases that afflicted other nations and would be blessed with vigor of intellect. The glory of God, His majesty and power, were to be revealed in all their prosperity. They were to be a kingdom of priests and princes. God furnished them with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth.” — Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 288.
Read Matthew 5:13-16. In these verses, what is Jesus saying to us that reflects the same thing He had said to ancient Israel? How, especially, should this apply to us as Seventh-day Adventists?
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Physics is one of those sciences that is filled with laws. Often the laws are written as mathematical expressions. There are those who see the mathematical expressions as the final word on the situation. However, each law is really a summary of a physical reality. True understanding comes when we can visualise or perceptualise (I put that in for non-visual thinkers) what the law describes. For example, modern gravity theory is expressed in some rather daunting differential equations that most people would find difficult to understand, but pictures offering a visual representation of a curved space help us to understand the raw mathematical laws.
In essence, the Law of God is really like the mathematical law. It is when you understand what the law is about that it starts to make sense. And what is that understanding? The big picture I get from the law of God is that our survival really depends on love. And that love is best expressed in collaboration, and care, not competitiveness and conflict. One of the big tenants of evolution is that our best interests are served by competition and conflict. On the other hand, God's way is the very antithesis of this approach. God's way is to help the weak and suffering, to tolerate and understand our differences, not discard them as a hinderance to our survival.
There is only one way that true life actually can and does work. And that way involves all members of creation uniting with The Creator to use the gifts bestowed daily by The Creator for the benefit others rather than self.
Despite Satan's suggestions to the opposite, the sad and sorry history of our world between Genesis 3 and Revelation 21 is evidence that speaks for itself that nothing else works. There is no other way. This is what Moses is trying to help the Israelites see and learn from their own history. This is what God would have Seventh-day Adventists learn from their history. And this is what God would desire that you and I learn from our own personal history. And in learning from our history, God desires that we would choose Him today and choose the way of life by living to benefit those we come across today (Matthew 6:33). This is our applied understanding and our wisdom. This is the 'salt' and the 'light' we have to share in the way we live and treat others every moment of our day today (Matthew 5:13,16).
Phil - I might be 'splitting hair', but I am sure you will agree that "choosing the Way of Life" is applying God's Wisdom and Understanding, living His Wisdom and Understanding is Salvation.
I do not think the creature man has anything inherent within itself able to express "our own applied understanding and our wisdom" as/when we 'agree' to engage in service to others, since this is also God's expression of Wisdom and understanding.
Would you agree that all we can do is step aside/die to self and let God's Wisdom and understanding become effective within us; 'it' becoming the 'salt' and 'light' and so attract others to Christ's Faith?
Ours is a call to faith - I understand our new nature to become/live/express more and more the Wisdom and Understanding of God's Living Word of Wisdom.
Hi Brigitte
Yes, I would agree with what you are saying. The wisest and most understanding thing we can do is acknowledge, accept, embrace and apply God's wisdom and understanding.
Thank you, Phil - I count myself among those who still struggle with living/full faith in the Power of God. May all of us who believe humbly ask our Heavenly Father to graciously deal with our weakness and increase our trust in the Power of His Love.
Hi Brigitte
We are all works in progress. That is the reality of the Christian journey of redemption this side of our mortality being replaced by immortality at the second coming. God understands this far better than we do and therefore has a lot less of an issue showing abundant grace and compassion towards us than we typically believe or portray Him to have. Paul personally understood this and hoped and prayed that others might come to understand it too. When we understand the extent of God's compassion and mercy towards us, it progressively helps us to better extend that to others too (1 Timothy 1:13-17; Hebrews 4:15-16).
A heartfelt 'thank you' for your encouragement, Phil! Your kind words reach my heart and replenish its resolve to keep the faith onward to immortality; one victory of and by faith at a time! 🙂
What are the majority of the commands?
I discovered that most of them are in respect of what it means to love, worship and serve the LORD, and then some are how to treat your neighbour.
In fact we could call Deuteronomy the Book of Love.
It lays out what the LORD means when He says He loves us, what it means for us to love the LORD, and lastly what it means to love our neighbour.
So it is not really a book of rules and regulations but a manual of LOVE!
Deu 6:1-6 ISV "Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the LORD commanded me to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess, (2) so that you, your children, and your grandchildren may fear the LORD your God. Keep all his decrees and commandments that I'm giving you every day of your life, so you may live a long time. (3) "Listen, Israel! Be careful to obey, so that life may go well for you and that you may increase greatly. Just as the LORD God of your ancestors told you, you'll have a land flowing with milk and honey. (4) "Listen, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. (5) You are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (6) "Let these words that I'm commanding you today be always on your heart.
Deu 7:9-10 ISV "Know that the LORD your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands. (10) But for the one who hates him, he will repay him by destroying him. He will not delay dealing with someone who hates him.
God is love.
what do you think people call you now?
I want to have a audio sabbath school quarterly lesson.
https://ssnet.org/study-guides/audio-video-braille-resources/
I think this advice from Moses is still applicable for us today who are seeking the true promise land. Oh how I want to enter!
This lesson highlights some vital applicable points:
E.g. Currently, ongoing in my country, St. Lucia, lockdown is on a Sunday. This is not coincidence because as Christians we know that the Sunday law has to take effect. This suggests the beginning of changing the true day of worship "as everyone is already forced to stay home on a Sunday. This just makes it so much easier to come to pass.
From the beginning, God has given us the free will of choice. But now governments are taking away this freedom of choice to mandate the "Covid-19 vaccine" which doesn't protect you from getting the virus neither does it prevent you from transmitting the virus. In their defense, the virus is not as severe if one is vaccinated but if vaccinated you become a silent carrier how would you know in order to not spread it? Yet health professionals promote early detection = early treatment.
Be observant, as soon as the US fully adopts this mandating the vaccine, do observe how quickly this will be implemented worldwide.
Based on the reading "The vilest of criminals, when thrown into prison for their offenses, are often made the recipients of gifts and attentions as if they had attained an enviable distinction. Great publicity is given to their character and crimes. The press publishes the revolting details of vice, thus initiating others into the practice of fraud, robbery, and murder; and Satan exalts in the success of his hellish schemes (Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 582-585)
This is so true. In St.Lucia, the (adult) prisoners are now able to do their CSEC exams while in prison. Why can't this help be offered to unfortunate kids who are struggling to pay for these exams during their school life?
Also some of us fall trap into this even by watching the local news. If there's no killing (homicide), fatal accident, suicide, etc. the news does not catch our attention, right? Or we simply say there's "nothing" on the news tonight.
I love how the lesson points out that obedience is the key. The emphasis was not on the statutes and judgement, it was on the obedience to them. There was a reason for this. How else would the other nations see Gods wisdom? Do what I say not do what I do would not and never does work. My life lived in obedience to Gods law is the only thing that will make a difference in someone else’s life. Deuteronomy 4:1-6 makes the clear and simple.
"Live your life according to His commandments", or "obey His commandments" - which would be more palatable to the 'ears' of the hearer? Obviously the first one, but the wording does not change the value of the message. I do not think it wise to focus on the delivery of the message. It is better to keep the value of that which is being conveyed as the 'Wisdom and Understanding of the LORD' in mind.
Deut.4:6 admonishes the listener to 'be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes'. It took me a little while to come to see what the lesson writer's understanding is. I can agree with his point, though I still think that it is also God's Wisdom and Understanding inherent in His Word which is being addressed in this passage.
I can see that, in the eyes of the nations around them, they would be considered 'wise and understanding people' because they prospered; though the foreigner did not know/understand the spiritual relationship between Israel and its 'nationally' adopted God, that this God was the LORD of all things pertaining to the nation's as well as their personal life. Their relationship reached beyond warfare, worship, and prosperity - theirs was a spiritual relationship based on Love and trust; their God's statutes and ordinances was their blueprint for righteous living.
I also can see that "in their obedience was their wisdom and understanding"; though 'blessings' remain inherent in the Wisdom of God regardless of obedience or disobedience.
Deut.4:7-8 - Moses highlights that every nation has laws, but none given by the God who is Lord of Heaven and earth. The Lord of Israel established His Nation by His "statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law", leaving nothing out; it encompasses all of life!
Love, Faith and Trust will release Wisdom and Understanding of the Living Word of God to become a blessing to anyone who believes.