YOUTH STS LESSON 131 SUNDRY WARNINGS AND EXHORTATIONS
MEMORY VERSE: “Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them” (Deuteronomy 7:3,4).
TEXT: Deuteronomy 7:1-26; 8:1-20; 9:1-29; 10:1-22; 11:1-32
As Moses continued in his farewell message to Israel, he charged, counselled and gave commandments of the Lord to them. As a father, a leader and a shepherd, his concern was how the children of Israel would get to the Promised Land. His passionate desire was how they would dispossess the inhabitants, inherit the land and preserve it for their descendants through holy living. He warned them of the danger of compromise with its grave consequences.
The love of God for the children of Israel was expressed in His plan and purpose. From our text, God stated reasons for giving them His commandments. He, therefore, expected that the benefits expressed in His word should motivate them to obey all the commandments given to them by Moses the man of God. These benefits include preservation, protection and provision (Deuteronomy 8: 4-13).
Question 1: State the commandment we must first obey, in order to serve God acceptably?
The commandment we need to obey, which will further enable us to obey other commandments acceptably is the command to repent (Acts 17:30). Repentance means turning away from sins. It involves a change of mind, direction and attitude towards sins. This is necessary to receive salvation in Christ by faith. This divine change brings grace into our heart and helps us to obey God’s commandments. Unlike the children of Israel who rebelled against the word of God, attitudes of godly youths should be that of obedience. In our text, Moses reminds the children of Israel of God’s promise to give them victories in various battles ahead of them.
He did not want them to claim the glory for the victories neither did he want them to ascribe it to their righteousness. He encouraged them to always remember God and His Word. He did not want them to repeat what they did in Horeb that brought God’s wrath upon them. Then, Moses prayed for them and for Aaron who should have died. Despite their rebellion, God practically demonstrated His longsuffering toward His people.
1. THE DANGER OF EVIL ASSOCIATION (Deuteronomy 7:1- 26; 2 Corinthians 6:17,18; Proverbs 1:7-15; 1 Corinthians 15:33).
“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly” (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4). Moses warned the Israelites against compromise, irregularity and deviation in their walk with God. He realised that they were often unstable in nature. Therefore, he cautioned them against the temptation to go into compromise in marriage. He did not only warn them; he made them know what the reaction of God would be if they get involved in evil association.
Question 2: What are the major areas of evil association Moses warned the children of Israel against?
The two areas Moses warned them against were: marriage (verse 3, 4) and idolatry (verse 25, 26). They were warned not to get involved in marriages with their ungodly neighbours. This is because “they will turn away thy son from following [God], that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly” (verse 4).
Question 3: In what ways are Christian youths warned against evil association today?
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10). God is interested in the progress of youths and wants all unsaved youths to be saved and thereafter desist from evil associations. However, some youths are still engaged in evil enticement, murder, immoral friendship, robbery, smoking, drunkenness, gangsterism, cultism, etc.
God’s command is: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Friendship with corrupt youths will “corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). The command of God is: “...Be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17,18). The Israelites did not understand that what made them peculiar, precious and special people than other nations is the law of God they had. Ignorance of this fact brought chastisement, rejection and dejection anytime they forsook God’s law. To obtain and retain God’s love and favour, youths must surrender and submit to His commands.
2. OUR DECISION TO LOVE AND OBEY THE WORD OF GOD (Deuteronomy 8:1-20; 11:1-32; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:4-6,61,86,115,128,172; Ephesians 6:1-3; Deuteronomy 30:6;Numbers 14:1-12; 16:1-31; 25:1-9; Hebrew 2:1-3).
“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 8:1). The word of God is a spiritual food that strengthens, satisfies, stabilises, sanctifies and activates conviction, commitment and consecration which builds our spiritual lives (verse 3). Therefore, we are to obey this word. The Lord called the children of Israel to obey all the commandments He gave them. Simply, the whole Bible contains the commandments of God. We should pray for grace to obey its contents because the “commandment is exceeding broad” (Psalm 119:96). The Lord also wanted the children of Israel to remember that all that happened to them during the forty years of wandering were to prove their obedience and humility. “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The goodness of the Lord was great towards the children of Israel. He fed them for forty years with manna (angels’ food) (Psalm 78:24,25). However, He wanted them to know that as physical body requires physical food, the soul also requires spiritual food. This spiritual food is the word of God that nourishes the soul. We should desire and study it. “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food“ (Job 23:12). It is our responsibility to read, study, hear, accept, meditate, believe and practise the word regularly. In summary, youths should always recognise God in their pursuit of prosperity in order not to deviate from Him.
Question 4: What are the consequences of forgetting God?
Individuals or a group of people who forget God end up being consumed by God (Deuteronomy 4:9,23,24), living without hope in God (Job 8:11-14), in eternal punishment in hell (Psalm 9:17), being destroyed by God (Psalm 50:22), lacking provision and satisfaction (Isaiah 65:11-14), being forgotten, forsaken and reproached (Jeremiah 23:39,40) and being rejected by God (Hosea 4:6).
The Lord said as He punished those nations that lived in the land before them, so will He do to those who forget Him and disobey His word. They were implored to remember the faithfulness of God to the promise made to their fathers. Moses reminded Israel of the severity of the judgment of God on the disobedient (Deuteronomy 11: 2-7). His aim was not to scare them but to remind them that, despite God’s love for His children, He still does not tolerate disobedience (Proverbs 11:22).
3. DIVINE PLAN DESPITE ISRAEL’S SETBACK (Deuteronomy 9:1-6; 10:1-22; Genesis 17:1-8; Psalm 78:32-39;Exodus 32: 1-23; 17: 1-7; Numbers 11: 1-3; 13: 28-32)
Moses rehearsed to the children of Israel the challenges facing them from the enemy who they were to dispossess as they took over the Promised Land. The enemies, at this time, were the children of Anak and the nations surrounding them. They were described as “A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!“ (Deuteronomy 9:2).
Question 5: Why did God still fulfil His promise of giving the children of Israel the Promised Land despite their failures?
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). God keeps His promises if the conditions attached to them are met by man. God had promised Abraham the land (Genesis 17: 1, 2, 8). The children of Israel possessing the land was, therefore, in fulfilment of the promise God gave to Abraham.
Abraham fulfilled his own part (Hebrews 11:8). God, therefore, needed to fulfil His part of giving Israel the land of Canaan and its environs as a possession. Moses explained this to the children of Israel, so that they would not think they were given the land because of their righteousness. This plea and pardon did not stop Israel as they coveted the things they had left behind in Egypt. This made God decided that none of those who came out of Egypt from twenty years old and above, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, would see the Promised Land.