Deuteronomy chapter 6

vs 13

Interesting that this gets cancelled by Jesus - oaths are no longer to be taken, not even sworn by God. I'm assuming that oaths are somewhat like divorces - allowed for by the law as a part of grace.

vs 14

I used to think that if Israel had done what they were told and driven out all the foreigners in their land, they wouldn't have fallen into idolatry. But the truth is that they were always going to have foreign neighbours, so at best it might have delayed the inevitable.

vs 15

And here is that inevitable I was talking about.

vs 16

Massah is the site of the first rock-striking, where water was given from the rock. The people tested God there by grumbling against Moses because they were thirsty.

vs 17

If you haven't gotten the general flavour of this book by now it's that you should follow God's laws.

vs 18

Once again, this is couched in the positive terms of wellness being their goal - a good life in the promised land.

vs 19

It is also interesting that this verse suggests that keeping God's commands will assist them in securing the land for themselves. We of course see the truth of this in Joshua with Aichan's sin. More generally, though, the people must be faithful to God to receive God's assistance in driving out the bad guys.

vs 20

Is this an admission that the laws aren't really as easy to understand as we might suppose? I think it's more a question "Why do we have these laws?" considering the answer.

vs 21

This salvation from slavery is the defining moment for Israel. This is what they are to remember - when God claimed his people from domination.

vs 22

Showing that God is above even the ruler of a mighty land, who is meant to even be a kind of deity.

vs 23

This explains both why the Israelites aren't still in Egypt, but also that God is faithful to the promises he made all that time ago to Abraham etc.

vs 24

"Kept alive" is an interesting term. I wonder if this means that all aspects of life are available to Israel, their daily regimen of life, is only available to them because God allows it. It's certainly true, but is this the truth they were passing to their kids? It sounds like it to me. But I guess it could also be a more specific "protection from enemies etc".

vs 25

It's hard to know what exactly is meant by this - so little time is spent by Israel obeying God's laws. But when you look at someone like Boaz, you see that not only is he a righteous man in doing everything that he does (following the laws), but also in attitude (mercy, kindness, respect) and a desire to serve God's purposes. So it is not a righteousness that comes from the actions of following the law only, but also from an attitude that the laws instil, as well as a desire to follow the laws stemming from a respect for God.