29 August 2021

So 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. You 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.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8, NRSV

As they were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses set a choice before the people of Israel. They needed to decide whether or not they were to heed the Law that had been laid down for them. For some, the mention of “law” carries negative associations of oppression and curtailment of freedom. The Law of which Moses spoke was intended to achieve the opposite of this – it was to give life to the people. The Mosaic Law came from God’s love for a people he wanted to protect and save. It upheld the dignity of each person and emphasised the rights of the poor. This made it unlike other laws of the time which gave more rights to some than others. Moses went on to explain that by their observance of the Law Israel would become the envy of other nations and become a witness for God.

• • Why do you think Moses chose this occasion to remind the Israelites of their need to follow the Law?
  • What are the laws or rules by which Christians should live?

Reflect on the Ten Commandments (a core part of the Mosaic Law) and their meaning for your life.