Listen!

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children. (Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV) Moses calls a new generation to listen to all the commands and statues of the Lord and to hear again of the wondrous acts He used to redeem His people from a land of slavery to a home of freedom. With these words, we at International Lutheran Church dedicate our Sunday School teachers and ourselves to the task of hearing and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with another generation!

After pleading one last time with God to allow him to lead the people into the promised land but to no avail (Deuteronomy 3:23-39), Moses rehearses again the Torah, the Law of God, His Word and His Instruction, that the people of God would listen to the Lord and follow him all their days through all generations. But Deuteronomy is the more than just a “second” giving or rehashing of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5); the statues concerning the worship of God; the instructions concerning major festivals; laws concerning daily living; and instructions concerning the sacrifices. Deuteronomy, like all of God’s Word, is an invitation for us all to hear again both God’s evaluative point of view as well as His actions to bring us into harmony with that point of view. We see in this passage from Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 three key ideas that help us to see that Salvation is of God.

Listen. Moses reminds us that the posture of a student, a disciple, a follower of God’s Word is that of a hearer, one who waits and listens to God’s Word. God is a communicative God, who spoke and from nothing, created all things. Not only does He call His people to Himself, but He sends His prophet to speak, and finally as the Book of Hebrews reminds us, He sends even His own Son. No wonder that Jesus often addressed His own disciples with this word of invitation to listen to His voice. It is a posture of humility and willingness to receive what God uses to bring us into a right relationship with Himself, not by our deeds and righteous actions but by His own actions to make us pure and holy. As Mark’s Gospel reminds us, it is not what we put into our bodies that makes us holy or unholy, but rather what God puts into us, His Holy Spirit that make us righteous (Mark 7:18-19).

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding. God’s Word, for those who listen, is a treasure, a possession that shapes and directs our lives in such a way that it calls others to seek its influence and becomes a beacon not only of the dangers in this life, but more importantly the very personal presence of God in our midst. In attempts to tame the Word of God, we sometimes are tempted to find the “real life benefit” of following God’s demands, rather than recognizing that His Word’s action in our life is meant to be incarnational, salvific and sacramental - bringing us into the very presence of God by forgiving our sins. This real presence of God in His Word is what makes us speak like the Psalmist who says in Psalm 119:9 “I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.”

Make them known to your children and your children’s children. This generational admonition speaks to us today as we see the very nature of God’s work to save and deliver, and as we witness how He enlists you and I, who have heard His Word and been transformed by His saving presence, that we would be the ones to teach it to the next generation. This is in fact the very heart of Deuteronomy and God Himself. He wants all people, all generations to know His love for them. What better way to speak to them than through each generation. And so again today, this day we dedicate ourselves and pray for God’s Spirit to be upon all His people, that we would be used by Him in our homes, our schools, in our place of work and recreation, to share with another generation, the amazing love and grace of God that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord. For He is a very shield and weapon for our struggle against the powers of this dark world. Like Paul we pray for one another, “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 6:19)

Pastor Carl