Deut. 4:1 - Introduces the subject of taking possession of the promise land. Moses instructs the people on how to live. This was imperative that they understand God's final instructions that Moses had given them. They must get this right as the first generation so future generations could look back to reference their faithfulness to God's commands.
Deut. 4:2 - "Do not add to what I command you, and do not subject from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you."
ADDING AND SUBTRACTING
Right is conforming to the truth. Right can also be defined as correct. Math, for example, is defined as the science of numbers.
If I add 2+2, how close would I have to come to 4 before I can get a smiley face on my report card? Suppose I overshot by just one digit and answered 5? Then, again, if I answer 3 and come up one digit short, it would still be incorrect, but would that be better? Would one wrong answer be better than another wrong answer? Now if I answer that 2+2=10, I would immediately stand out as someone who does not have an understanding of math. Would anyone say, "Well, answering 2+2=3 or 5 is a lot better than 10?" All three answers are still wrong. Now before I am accused of being over simplistic with this illustration, stop and consider this. If we do not get 2+2=4 right, all mathematical equations are wrong. Would you want your house built by people who cannot get 2+2 right, or board an airplane designed by those who are off only one digit off on the infrastructure? Mathematics is so important to all developing countries that societies insist that we get it right. Coming close will only take you as far as the carwash.
ISRAEL THE LAND AND 613 LAWS
"Hey man, keeping all 613 laws under this system is a whole lot harder than doing math problems. What if I mess up and just do one wrong thing? What happens? Is it off with my head?"
"No, don't get too excited - not all the laws require the death penalty. For instance, if you steal an ox or a sheep and sell it, all you have to do is pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the one you stole. Do that, and you're back on the street."
"Yeah, the math is easy enough, but what if I don't have that kind of cash? What happens then?"
"Relax, man, you're still covered, it's not off with your head. All you have to do if you don't have the resources is sell yourself into slavery. Seven years is the most you can get; you know it's not like it's a life sentence."
"Well, I'm not a cattle rustler, so that is not a problem for me. But, I do have another problem that I am really nervous about. My girlfriend told me that her Father wants to see me this afternoon, and she said a couple of the Elders will also be there."
"So why are you nervous? You haven't done anything wrong, have you?"
"Well, her Father found out we had sex out in the cornfield last week, and I think he wants to kill me. With those two Elders there, it sounds pretty official."
"Nothing to worry about, as long as she is not married or engaged the law says he can't kill you. If he did, then he would be breaking one of the 613 commandments."
"That is really a big relief! So, I guess they will look at this as something done between consenting adults, and I'm home free, right?"
"Not exactly! This is not an 'if it feels good, do it' Democracy. Israel is a Theocracy with laws built on mutual respect for God and those around us."
"OK, so give me the bottom line, what can I expect when I get over there?"
"You better hope her Father is a nice guy, because right now he is holding all the cards. Her Father has two options. If he says that you must marry her, pay the dowry of 50 pieces of silver and you can never divorce her. That is what the Law of Moses says you must do. So you are looking at a bow-n-arrow wedding, with a lifetime bride at a cost of 50 pieces of silver.
"Do I have any options or anything to say about this?"
"No, unfortunately you left all your options in the cornfield. The whole thing is now in her Father's hands."
"So what is the second option he might choose?"
"Her Father can refuse to let her marry you, but you still have to pay the 50 pieces of silver."
"OK, what if I can't get the 50 pieces of silver, what happens then? Will I be stoned to death?"
"Not to worry, you can always go the slavery route; you would be surprised how quickly seven years go by when you are shoveling cow manure from dawn to dusk."
"There you go again with this 'you can always sell yourself into slavery' stuff. I thought Moses lead our people out of slavery. How come we still practice this barbarism?"
"Hey, man, you need to stop and think about this. In Egypt, slavery was imposed on us. Our people didn't break any laws or give cause for the Egyptians to throw us into slavery. The only way you go into slavery in Israel is to sell yourself into it. I think the idea is that it acts as a deterrent to make knuckleheads like you to stop and think about the consequences of breaking God's law."
"OK, I get the message, but it seems to me we are still slaves to Moses' Law. I thought he set us free from slavery. I just don't get it!"
"Let me see if this makes any sense to you. Moses delivered our people from slavery in Egypt and put us under strict obedience to the law. What Moses did only takes us from here to the grave, and until then we are shackled to the Law of Moses."
"Alright, Mr. Know-It-All, then we are still slaves, so what did Moses accomplish? It seems to me all he did was change the rules of slavery."
"Think about this. Our people were already slaves long before Moses came on the scene to lead us out of Egypt. It was only after the Exodus from Egypt that he gave us the law. Listen up, the law points out our disobedience to God and tells us that we are still slaves. So we are not set free by the law, but it is through the law that we are set free."
"Now let me see if I got this straight. The law was not instituted until after our people were freed from Egypt. Therefore, the law did not save them from slavery. So does that mean that the Law of Moses points to freedom?"
"Hey, you're not as dumb as you look! Moses' job does not complete God's plan of redemption. Moses tells us that a Prophet will come after him, and by one perfect sacrifice he will fulfill all the demands of the law and complete our final Emancipation."
"That's sure a lot to think about. Well, I guess I better get going over to my girlfriend's house. It's been nice talking to you. By the way, what's your name?"
"Tola, and yours?"
"Sami. I hope we can talk again sometime."
References:
Exodus 22:16-17
Deut. 18:15
Deut. 22:16-17
John 1:45
John 8:36
Rom. 3:20
Rom. 6:14
Rom. 7:1
Rom. 10:4
Gal. 2:16
Gal. 3:24-25
Heb. 10:14
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