Deuteronômio 4
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Deuteronômio 4
Morris - Many forms of government have been employed by tribes and nations throughout history, but the theocracy described by God through Moses would have been the best if it had ever been truly implemented. Our modern libertarian emphasis in government relations might recoil at the strictness and severity of God's law, as set forth in the Mosaic writings. It would however, truly have assured national righteousness, justice and happiness as no other system has ever done. (Defender's Study Bible) Righteous (adjective) (06662)(saddiq from sadaq = to be just or righteous) is an adjective with describes one as upright or just. The Mesopotamian term comes from a river reed which was used as a construction tool to judge the horizontal straightness of walls and fences. God chose the term to be used metaphorically of His own nature. God’ righteousness is the standard or ruler by which we are measured. He is the "straight edge" (ruler) by which all things are evaluated. This idea basically connotes conformity to an ethical or moral standard. And so saddiq pertains to a person being in accordance with a proper (right) standard (God's standard being the ultimate arbiter of what defines righteousness acceptable to God). Bible Background Commentary - The laws are presented here as an evidence of wisdom and righteousness that will distinguish Israel from the other nations. In a number of the collections of laws known from the ancient Near East there is a prologue and epilogue explaining that the collection of laws will demonstrate how wise and just the king is. Likewise Solomon's wisdom was evidenced by how he was able to make just decrees and rulings. The kings of the ancient Near East usually counted on their collections of laws to convince the gods that they were wise and just rulers. Here the Lord is revealing his own wisdom and justice to his people and the world. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary) Gary Hall - In the ancient Near East the kings bragged about giving out righteous laws, for the king was wise, not the people. But in Israel the people were wise and the law was righteous because it came from God, not the king. Righteousness assumed a natural standard to which all behavior and laws were to conform. For Israel that standard was God, and his standard was the highest of all (Ps 119:7,62,144,160,172). (College Press NIV Commentary – Deuteronomy) Henry Morris - The critics of the early nineteenth century argued that the Mosaic law was far too advanced in moral structure and complexity to have been composed in Moses' time, and therefore dated from many centuries later. The discovery of other law codes, however, such as the Code of Hammurabi, the Hittite Code, and the Assyrian Code, all dating from the same period of history as the Mosaic Code, has made such views obsolete. (The Defender's Study Bible) Common Standards Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-10 | What great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments? —Deuteronomy 4:8 In the frenzied early days of the Internet, Web developers were making up their own rules. The result was confusion. Among the problems was that what looked good on one computer was unreadable on another. This caused developers to refer to the Internet as the wild, wild Web, an allusion to the days of the wild, wild West in the US when law and order were pretty much nonexistent. To bring order out of chaos, Web developers started calling for others to agree on common standards. Their plea reminds us of why it was important for the Israelites to have laws to live by when they left Egypt (Deut. 4:1). Without them, there would be anarchy. With them, however, they would have a system that was so superior that it would demonstrate to other nations the greatness of their God (Dt 4:8). Today, to bring order out of the chaos of our sinful, selfish world, believers submit to the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), who Himself is the fulfillment of the law (Matt. 5:17). When we submit to the standard established by Christ and love others as God loves us, we will live in peace with one another and thus provide a witness to the world of how great God is. Let us go forth, as called of God, Redeemed by Jesus’ precious blood; His love to show, His life to live, His message speak, His mercy give. —Whittle The world will know by our love for God and others that He is great. R C
Deuteronômio 4
Morris - This prophecy, given by Moses as Israel prepared to enter the promised land, apparently looks into the distant future, 3500 years or more, to the latter days when Israel will be in the "great tribulation" (Revelation 7:14). At that "time of trouble...thy people shall be delivered," (Daniel 12:1), and "immediately after the tribulation of those days...He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:29,31)." (Defender's Study Bible) Nelson Study Bible - The latter days simply means “in the future.” But the prophets developed this phrase into a more technical designation for a new era characterized by God's blessings, the age of Messiah. G K Beale has a lengthy discussion of the significance of latter days in Dt 4:30 (he also includes Dt 31:29) of which this quote is only from his concluding words. And so Beale writes that "since Israel’s restoration from Babylon after seventy years of exile did not eventuate in truly decisive and irreversible eschatological conditions of new creation, the end-time prophecy of Deut. 4 and Deut. 31 still awaited a future time when Israel would again do eschatological evil and then repent and turn to God. Accordingly, Israel’s sin, exile, and restoration would become a historical pattern pointing to the true eschaton, a perspective that, as we will see, is taken up by NT writers." (A New Testament Theology: The Unfolding of the OT in the New) The Pulpit Commentary - In the latter days; in the afterward of days (בְּאַחֲריִת הַיָּמִים; “end,” Dt 11:12)—a phrase used sometimes to designate the times of the Messiah (Isa. 2:2; Hos. 3:5; comp. Acts 2:17; 1 Pet. 1:20; Heb. 1:1; 1 John 2:18); but here, as generally, it simply indicates futurity, the time to come (cf. Gen. 49:1; Numb. 24:14; ch. 31:29, etc.). This, however, may include the far distant future, and so points to the time when Israel shall finally return to the Lord and be saved, through the acknowledgment of Him Whom they despised and rejected when He came as the Messiah promised to the fathers. As St. Paul grounds the assurance of the final redemption of Israel, as a whole, on their calling of God (Ro 11:26–29), so Moses here sees in God’s covenant the ground of the ever-watchful care and grace of God to Israel, and the security of their final restoration as a nation. (Bolding Added) Matthew Poole (Puritan writer in mid-1600's) on the latter days - In the latter days; either in general, in succeeding ages and generations; or particularly, in the days of the Messias, which are commonly called in Scripture the latter, or last days, as Isa. 2:2; Hos. 3:5; Micah 4:1; Da. 2:44; Heb. 1:2; 9:26. And so this may respect the conversion and redemption of the Jewish nation even in those times when their case seems most desperate, when they have forsaken their God and rejected their Messias for many ages, to wit, towards the end of the world. (So Poole, clearly not a dispensationalist, interprets the text literally as applying to the nation of Israel in the end of this present evil age which he calls "the end of the world.") Paul Tanner - This expression, “the latter days,” occurs ten times in the Old Testament (Deut 4:30; Dt 31:29; Isa 2:2 (= Mic 4:1); Jer 23:20; 30:24; 48:47; 49:39; Ezek 38:16; Dan 10:14.). It more often has in view the far distant future involving the events just prior to the messianic era, as well as the days when Messiah rules in his kingdom (see esp. Deut 4:30; Isa 2:2; and commentary at Dan 2:28). (Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary) Keil and Delitzsch commenting on Genesis 49:1 includes Dt 4:30 in the "Messianic Age of Consummation" writing - As Isaac in his blessing (Gen. 27) pointed out prophetically to his two sons, by virtue of divine illumination, the future history of their families; “so Jacob, while blessing the twelve, pictured in grand outlines the lineamenta of the future history of the future nation” (Ziegler). The groundwork of his prophecy was supplied partly by the natural character of his twelve sons, and partly by the divine promise which had been given by the Lord to him and to his fathers Abraham and Isaac, and that not merely in these two points, the numerous increase of their seed and the possession of Canaan, but in its entire scope, by which Israel had been appointed to be the recipient and medium of salvation for all nations. On this foundation the Spirit of God revealed to the dying patriarch Israel the future history of his seed, so that he discerned in the characters of his sons the future development of the tribes proceeding from them, and with prophetic clearness assigned to each of them its position and importance in the nation into which they were to expand in the promised inheritance. Thus he predicted to the sons what would happen to them “in the last days,” lit., “at the end of the days” (ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, LXX), and not merely at some future time. אַחֲרִית, the opposite of רֵאשִׁית, signifies the end in contrast with the beginning (Deut. 11:12; Isa. 46:10); hence אחרית הימים in prophetic language denoted, not the future generally, but the last future (see Hengstenberg’s History of Balaam, pp. 465–467, transl.), the Messianic age of consummation (Isa. 2:2; Ezek. 38:8, 16; Jer. 30:24; 48:47; 49:39, etc.: so also Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30), like ἐπʼ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν (2 Pet. 3:3; Heb. 1:2), or ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις (Acts 2:17; 2 Ti. 3:1). Charles Ryrie commenting on Genesis 49:1 associates Dt 4:30 with the end of the tribulation - in the days to come refers to Israel's future in dual perspective: the period of their occupation of Canaan, and the time of the coming of Messiah. Sometimes the expression refers to Israel at the end of the tribulation period (Deut. 4:30; Ezek. 38:16), sometimes to the history of Gentile nations (Da. 2:28), and sometimes to the present church age in its entirety (Heb. 1:2) or at its conclusion (2 Tim. 3:1; James 5:3). Jacob's pronouncements in Gen. 49 included both prophecy (Ge 49:1) and blessing (Ge 49:28). Jamieson, Fausset, Brown (one of the more literal pre-1900 commentaries) on the latter days - either towards the destined close of their captivities, when they evinced a returning spirit of repentance and faith, or in the age of Messiah, which is commonly called “the latter days,” and when the scattered tribes of Israel shall be converted to the Gospel of Christ. The occurrence of this auspicious event will be the most illustrious proof of the truth of the promise made in Deuteronomy 4:31. Another older commentator Matthew Poole (1624–1679) on the latter days - "In the latter days; either in general, in succeeding ages and generations; or particularly, in the days of the Messias, which are commonly called in Scripture the latter, or last days, as Isa 2:2 Hos 3:5 Mic 4:1 Dan 2:44 Heb 1:2 9:26. And so this may respect the conversion and redemption of the Jewish nation even in those times when their case seems most desperate, when they have forsaken their God and rejected their Messias for many ages, to wit, towards the end of the world." (Bolding added) Robert Mounce in his "Complete Expository Dictionary" has this note on the Hebrew adjective rishon (07223) which means first or former (used in Dt 4:32) - The “former days” are in contrast to the “latter days,” which are yet in the future (Deut 4:30, 32)." So Mounce agrees that the "latter days" describe a time that is yet to come. Thomas
Deuteronômio 4
Morris - Israel was not God's chosen people because it deserved to be, but "because He loved thy fathers." God had made an unconditional promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because of their faithfulness, not that of their "seed after them." (Defender's Study Bible) Merrill makes an interesting comment on love - Though the word for love is the one for ordinary interpersonal affection ('ahab [TH 157, ZH 170]), in the covenant context of Deuteronomy it usually is a synonym for "choose" or "elect" (bakhar). That is, for God to love Israel is tantamount to saying that he elected Israel as his special people (TDOT 1.114-116). The passage that best demonstrates this connection, perhaps, is Dt 7:7-8: "The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations.... Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves ('ahab) you." The difficult idea that God loved Jacob but hated Esau (Mal 1:2-3-note) is alleviated by understanding love to be choosing and hate to be not choosing. (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary) Therefore He chose their descendants after them - The Hebrew for chose is bachar which always involves a careful, well thought-out choice. It was used for men choosing wives (Ge 6:2), for Lot choosing the cities of the Plain (Ge 13:11), of kings and generals choosing soldiers for their prowess (Ex 17:9; Jos 8:3), of Israel choosing a king (1 Sa 8:18; 12:13), etc. Bachar in Dt 4:37 describes the fundamental idea is of God choosing Israel to be His peculiar people. The Lxx translates bachar with the verb eklego (ek = out, out of, out from + légo = select, choose) means literally to select out, single out or choose out of. Eklego means to choose out for oneself, but not implying rejection of those not chosen. A H Strong explained that "Election and sovereignty are only sources of good. Election is not a decree to destroy, it is a decree to save. When we elect a president, we do not need to hold a second election to determine that the remaining millions shall be non-presidents." See also: What does it mean that the Jews are God’s chosen people? Why did God choose Israel to be His chosen people? When did the separation of humanity into Jews and Gentiles occur? He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power - The psalmist summarizes God's great deliverance of the Chosen People was "hands of". Notice the phrase "He personally brought you" -- In English the personally conveys the meaning of without the help or intervention of others. Ps 136:10-15 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 11 And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Brian Bell - Their loyalty to God should not be based on fear but on gratitude for His Great Goodness. B. “Do it...because I said so!” - sound familiar? This approach isn’t very effective for parents to use with their children & it isn’t used by God with His children either. a) God’s approach is relational. He says, “I love you, I made you, I’ve done great things for you, & I care for you every day, so I also know what’s best for you.” Deuteronomy 4:38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. driving out: De 7:1 9:1-5 11:23 Ex 23:27,28 Jos 3:10 Ps 44:2,3 as: Dt 2:31-37 3:1-16 8:18 Deuteronomy 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries NLT He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today. NET to dispossess nations greater and stronger than you and brought you here this day to give you their land as your property. KJV To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. CSB to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as is now taking place. ESV driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, NLT He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today. GWN He forced nations greater and stronger than you out of your way to bring you into their land and give it to you. This land is your own possession today. NAB driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today. NIV to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. NJB dispossessing for you nations who were larger and stronger than you, to make way for you and to give you their country as your heritage, as it still is today. YLT to dispossess nations greater and stronger than thou, from thy presence, to bring thee in to give to thee their land -- an inheritance, as at this day. THE PROMISED LAND: NATIONS OUT AND ISRAEL IN Driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you - The point is that He has shown His faithfulness and His sovereign power up to this point with the implication that He will continue to demonstrate it as they go into the promised land. The Hebrew word for mightier (atsum) is translated in the Septuagint with the adjective ischuros which means strong, powerful, mighty (describes the Lord in Rev 18:2). The Hebrew verb for driving out is yarash which means to take something from someone else and possess it for one's self (occupy, take possession of, dispossess, inherit). Yarash is translated in this verse in the Lxx with the verb exolothreuo (only Acts 3:23+ in NT) which means to utterly destroy, to eliminate by destruction, to root out, or to completely cut off. In other words the effect of God's power on Israel's behalf was to essentially "wipe out" the nations allowing Israel to take over their land. Mightier (mighty)(06099) (atsum from verbal root atsom = to be strong, mighty or numerous) an adjective that means strong, mighty, numerous. Atsum describes the power and influence of a person, a people, a nation, or military forces. The first use in Ge 18:18 says "Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation (as occurred in Ex 1:9)." In other contexts atsum emphasizes the size of a group as in Pr 7:26. Other senses include emphasise on the influence and power of individuals (Pr 18:18; Isa. 53:12). It is used of "exceedingly large number of livestock" (Nu 32:1); or indicates " strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates" (Isa. 8:7). Atsum - great(1), large number(1), mightier(6), mighty(14), mighty men(1), mighty ones(1), numerous(1), strong(5), stronger(1). Gen. 18:18; Exod. 1:9; Num. 14:12; Num. 22:6; Num. 32:1; Deut. 4:38; Deut. 7:1; Deut. 9:1; Deut. 9:14; Deut. 11:23; Deut. 26:5; Jos. 23:9; Ps. 10:10; Ps. 35:18; Ps. 135:10; Prov. 7:26; Prov. 18:18; Prov. 30:26; Isa. 8:7; Isa. 53:12; Isa. 60:22; Dan. 8:24; Dan. 11:25; Joel 1:6; Joel 2:2; Joel 2:5; Joel 2:11; Amos 5:12; Mic. 4:3; Mic. 4:7; Zech. 8:22 To bring you in -God personally brought Israel from Egypt (Deut 4:37) to bring them in to the land He was giving them based on the stipulations of the Abrahamic Covenant. To give you their land for an inheritance - God's gift of grace. At first glance this suggest God is being unjust, taking someone else's land and giving it to Israel. However, God is never unjust and since He is the Owner of the land and is sovereign over the nations of the earth, He can do whatever He chooses to do. In this case, He has chosen a nation and is giving them the land, not because they deserve it, but because He is using the nation of Israel to accomplish His grand plan of redemption for the world. That is not injustice, but mercy! Inheritance (05159)(nachalah) was used in Dt 4:20 to describe Israel as God's possession and in Dt 4:21 to describe Israel's inheritance of the land. As it is today - (CSB - "As is now taking place.") They are standing East of the Jordan opposite the land they will soon go in to posses. ESV Study Bible on as it is today - Expressions like this occur regularly in Deuteronomy (Deut. 4:20, 38; 6:24; 8:18; 10:15; 29:28) to give Israel confidence in God’s power and faithfulness. Nelson Study Bible - The Scriptures have two different ways of regarding the size of the nation of Israel at the time of the Exodus. God is praised for the miraculous growth of Israel's family during their sojourn in Egypt (Ex. 1:7, 9, 10). On the other hand, the nation of Israel is described as small in number compared to the other nations around her. Hence, God deserves the glory for Israel's victories. Eugene Merrill - A major element of the ancient Abrahamic covenant was the promise of land. God had told Abraham to "go to the land that I will show you" (Gen 12:1), the land of Canaan, as it turned out. There the Lord instructed the patriarch to "go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you" (Gen 13:17). Finally, God told Abraham in unmistakable terms, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River" (Gen 15:18+). The Exodus deliverance now made it possible for that aspect of the promise to come to fruition. Already, powerful nations (the Amorites and their kinsmen; cf. Dt 2:31-3:11) had been defeated and their lands possessed by Israel (Dt 4:38; cf. Dt 3:12-17). (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary) Deuteronomy 4:39 "Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. know: De 32:29 1Ch 28:9 Isa 1:3 5:12 Ho 7:2 take it to heart: De 4:35 Jos 2:11 1Ch 29:11 2Ch 20:6 Ps 115:3 135:6 Da 4:35 Deuteronomy 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries NET Today realize and carefully consider that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below– there is no other! KJV Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. CSB Today, recognize and keep in mind that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other. ESV know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. NLT "So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. GWN Remember today, and never forget that the LORD is God in heaven above and here on earth. There is no other god. NAB This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. NIV Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. NJB 'Hence, grasp this today and meditate on it carefully: Yahweh is the true God, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other. YLT 'And thou hast known to-day, and hast turned it back unto thy heart, that Jehovah He is God, in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath -- there is none else; GOD'S GREATNESS AND UNIQUENESS: A MATTER OF THE HEART Know...and take - Yes, know the truth about God in your head, but let it saturate your heart that it my control your life. Head knowledge without heart impact is arrogance at best, hypocrisy at the worst. Take to your heart - The state of Israel's heart is repeatedly emphasized in Deuteronomy - Dt 4:9, 29, 5:29, 6:4-6; 7:17; 8:2, 5, 17; 9:4-5; 10:12, 16, 11:13, 16, 18, 13:3. In Malachi 2:2 God warned he would curse those who did not take it to heart and give honor to His Name, something He was in process of doing. The English description "take to heart" is to pay attention to; to take seriously, to internalize or live according to something. Heart (03820) (leb - note that this discussion also includes the closely related noun lebab -03824) sometimes refers to a literal heart (Ex 28:29, 1 Sa 25:37, 2 Ki 9:24), but most often is used figurative to refer to what I term the "control center" of our being. Think of an Air Traffic Controller and how dysfunctional, even destructive it is when the controllers fail to function as they should. Just as a healthy human heart is at the center of the body and absolutely essential for physical life and health, so too a healthy spiritual heart (intellect, emotion, will) is at the center of one's inner being (soul) and is vital for a healthy soul, serving as the "fountain" of all moral attitudes and actions. Our spiritual heart thus controls out actions and our actions determine our habits, which in turn determine our character. When God measures the ''worth'' of a man's life He puts the measuring tape around his heart, not around his head. Be a man after God's Own heart (Acts 13:22) We must continually "post a guard" at the doorway of our heart, so that every avenue for sin's entry is blocked. John