1 And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you. 3-4 You saw for yourself what the Lord did to you at Baal-peor. There the Lord your God destroyed everyone who had worshipped Baal, the god of Peor. But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today—every one of you.

5-6 Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, “How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!” 7-8 For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?

9-10 But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, “Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.” Deuteronomy 4:1-10

Moses was about to teach the people all that God had revealed to him. What was the purpose, and does that tell us something about who the Bible is for? (vs 1)

Compare your answer to what Paul told Timothy about the Bible. He said: “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true - and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17.)

So the Bible's message teaches how people can be saved - but it's further purpose is also so we can know God better and grow in our understanding of how He wants us to live. Those Israelites were already saved out of Egypt, but what did God want their lives to show to others in the land He was bringing them to? (vs 5-8).

As the moon reflects the sun and brings some light into the night, so our lives should reflect God and bring a glimpse of His ways and wisdom to the world. And because of this, what is the important thing Moses tells them in verses 2?

Vs 3-4 refer to a sad incident when the Israelites thought they knew better than God and disobeyed His word and did their own thing, and many of them died in a great plague.

Vs 9-10 show that the Bible's message is for children too. We should teach them what God has revealed so that, like Timothy, they too can come to salvation and a godly fear. But what’s the most important thing when it comes to remembering all God has done and the message He has given us. (vs 1 & vs 9).

The New Testament puts it like this: “Don't just listen to (or read) God's word - you must do what it says. Otherwise, you're only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it's like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and do what it says, and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (James 1:22-25) We need to hear and read God's word with prayer, with sincerity, and with desire to remember it and put it into daily use. God's word is for God-fearing people.