After citing various ways in which our nation has drifted incredibly far from America's Constitution (and from its other founding documents), Judge Michael Luttig said this: "America can withstand attacks on our Constitution ... from without, but she is helpless to withstand them from within."¹ And he pointed to some of the ways that our own people have undermined the liberties originally gained by America's founding documents. It's really not been our external enemies that have made our nation a mess; it has been American citizens who have undone our nation. And I started with that illustration, not because of how important our Constitution is, but to illustrate how disintegration of a nation often comes from within.

And that was certainly true of Israel in relation to its founding document, the Bible. In this passage, Moses points out that Deuteronomy (probably more so than any other Old Testament book), constitutes a law-code designed to bring liberty and success to the nation - if that nation would continue to value it. And we will see hints even in this section, that Moses believed that this book provided the foundations for liberty in any nation. That's why even in New Testament times, the book of James calls God's Old Testament law-code the "perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25). Do we really believe that the Old Testament law-code is the Perfect Law of Liberty? If it is perfect as written, to take away from it is to diminish its perfection and erode our liberties. Yet it has been Christians who have come up with all kinds of reasons why we don't need to take seriously the laws of Deuteronomy. It has been Christians that have constituted the most danger to America's liberty and success. And these first few verses of chapter 4 are designed to motivate us to value every jot and tittle of this wonderful book. To the degree that we abandon God's beautiful blueprints in this book, to that degree we are losing the life and liberty this book promises to every individual and every culture that embraces it by faith. Well, let's dig into the text.

Deuteronomy is a manual for kingdom living (v. 1)

Verse 1 is one of numerous verses in this book that say that the whole book of Deuteronomy is a manual for kingdom living. It is far more important than any man-made Constitution or document. Indeed, over time, nations should try to bring their legal documents more and more into alignment with God's "Perfect Law of Liberty." To the degree that any individual, family, church, or nation deviates from God's Law, it is deviating from true Liberty.

Verse 1 says, "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you." Going through the Hebrew words may not be the most interesting of lessons that I will give in this book, but let me at least introduce you to the ideas expressed in some of the Hebrew words that Moses gives in this introduction to God's law.

Moses' teaching (מְלַמֵּ֥ד) constitutes practical training in and application of the law

The Hebrew word for "teach" is milamade, a word that deals with practical training in and application of God's law. In the next section we will see that God's Law is the ten commandments, and the statutes and judgments show very practical ways to apply those ten commandments to various areas of life. And here's how Moses will do that. In chapter 5, Moses will give the ten commandments, and then the rest of the book will give a detailed application of each of those ten commandments in the order in which they were given. So the bulk of the book shows us examples of how God's law can be applied. And those applications become a paradigm for success in every area of life - from our inner life to our outer behavior; from our individual activities to national activities.

It gives us instructions for successful living (חָיָה)

And it was not intended to just be an academic exercise. This verse says that the book is designed to "teach you to observe, that you may live." It's a book giving all the instructions needed for successful living. For example, this book will show us how to approach the law by grace. Law without Gospel loses its power. But Gospel without Law loses the purpose of the Gospel - which is to conform us to the image of Christ. The Gospel shown in this book empowers believers to live out the law in ways that make us successful. So even though chapter 4 is only a small introduction to the law, it is a very important introduction that gives pivotal themes needed for understanding the rest of the book.

It gives us instructions for successful inheritance/dominion (יָרַשׁ)

The next phrase indicates that this book is designed to give instructions for successful inheritance of the earth. The word yarash refers to possession, inheritance, conquest, and taking dominion. God doesn't want us to take dominion of any aspect of life without the guidance of His Word. Recently Stephen Wolfe wrote the book, Christian Nationalism, which substitutes natural law for Biblical law. But if you study what the Bible says about natural law, it is identical to Biblical law. It's just that natural law is much more fuzzy, since our sinful hearts tend to obscure what God has written there, whereas Biblical law is clear and objective. But Wolfe's idea of natural law is different than Biblical law and even contradicts the laws of God. True natural law is the basics of Biblical law written on the heart. It's not something different. And if you want to have the tools needed to take dominion, you need to take this book of Deuteronomy seriously.

The various words used in Deuteronomy for "law"

And even the Hebrew words used as synonyms for the law give us hints of why that is important. Verse 1 gives two of the various words used to describe God's law.

Statutes (חֻקִּים֙- 4:1) - decrees of the King

The Hebrew word for "statutes" in verse 1 is defined as the decrees of a king. So God's statutes are the decrees of God as King. Every statute in this book is a decree from our heavenly King. God manifests His rule over us by His statutes. If you toss out one of the statutes in this book, you are rebelling against God's Kingship. A King without statutes is a contradiction. There is no such thing.

And you might think, "Well, God has changed His statutes." But Psalm 119:112 says that God's statutes are forever. And verses 6 and 8 indicate that God's statutes were designed not just for Israel, but for the Gentile nations around them as well. Later we will be seeing that the case laws themselves are temporal examples of how to apply the universal principles of the law. So if you don't plow with cattle, the unequally yoked case law may not be binding as written on you, but Paul shows how that case law can be applied much more broadly to things like being married to an unbeliever. In other words, even the statutes in this book that were culturally bound, continue to have the binding authority of God's Kingship. They still show us how to live. And in African cultures that are similar to ancient Israel's, that case law would be literally applied. But we will get to how to use those laws when we get to the actual case laws. The point is that the case laws reflect God's Kingship over us. If God's Kingship continues, then His statutes continue.

Judgments (מִשְׁפָּט - 4:1) - judicial judgments or decisions of a Judge

The next Hebrew word is mishpat, and refers to the judicial judgments or decisions of God as Judge. To ignore God's judgments is to fail to submit to Him as the Judge of all the earth. To the degree that America's courts have dismissed God's judgments (which they have), to that degree they are failing to submit to the judgments of the Supreme Court of the Universe. You see, Psalm 119:160 says that His righteous judgments endure forever. They don't pass away. And many passages insist that Gentile nations must not rebel against the judgments of His law (Jer. 4:2; Ezek. 5:6,8,15; etc.). If God continues to be Judge (as the New Testament affirms) then the laws that reflect His judgments continue to be binding.

Words (דָּבַר - 4:2,10) - God's objective revelation (including promises, prophecies, laws, warnings, etc.). Even His promises carry authority.

The next description of God's law is "words," and focuses upon the fact that God's Law is His objective revelation to man. This includes the laws, warnings, promises, and prophecies included in this book. And since God is not a God of contradictions, His natural revelation in our hearts will not contradict His inspired revelation in the Bible. That's why verse 2 emphasizes that no one should subtract a single word from this book or add to it. Even the ceremonial laws that were fulfilled in Christ continue to teach us about sin, grace, and Christ's work on our behalf. They have incredible value because they are God's infallible revelation to us.

Commandments (מִצְוָה - 4:2) - commandments or instructions of authority figures to those under their authority.

Verse 2 has another word for the law of God - commandments. This refers to any order from God that men and even nature must obey. It shows God to be an authority figure. Do you stand under God's authority? Well, if you ignore His commandments, then you are rejecting His authority. And you can only have authority yourself as you stand under His authority. (I can't get into detail on any of these words today, but I want to at least introduce you to the concepts that these words exemplify.)

Testimony (עֵדוּת - 4:45) - "a formal written copy of the precepts and stipulations of a covenant" (Kohlenberger). God's testimony stands against the testimony of other law orders.

Another synonym for the Law of God is testimony, which Kohlenberger's dictionary defines as "a formal written copy of the precepts and stipulations of a covenant." To break the Law is to break covenant with God. And some Christians think that the New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant. But that's not accurate. The New Covenant fulfills the Old Covenant and showcases that Christ alone could keep the Old Covenant perfectly. The New Covenant also shows us how to keep the Old Covenant laws. We keep them by grace, and by grace alone. That's why Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). Jeremiah 31 prophesies that in the New Covenant Christ will empower us to internalize and keep God's laws. After giving an exposition of the Gospel in Romans, Paul says "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Grace establishes the law and makes law-keeping possible and joyful. Hebrews 8 says that the ceremonial parts of the Old Covenant are obsolete because the Christ they pointed to has come. But Hebrews shows us how to benefit from and live out the ceremonial law in a Christocentric way. And the New Covenant affirms over and over again that the moral law continues into the New Covenant and is enabled to be a blessing by New Covenant grace. But the point of this word "testimonies," is that without law there is no covenant.

Law (תּוֹרָה - 4:8,44) - divinely revealed law code, regulation, instruction, and direction.

The word torah, or "law" can refer to the entire Pentateuch, or to the laws, regulations, or instructions contained in it.

Ways (דֶּרֶךְ - 5:33) - road, direction, way of life, conduct, behavior, prescribed course for man's life.

And the last synonym is "ways." Deuteronomy 5:33 says, "You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." Thus, the laws of Deuteronomy show us the direction we should go. It gives us a way of life, conduct, behavior, or prescribed course for a person's life. They give us direction.

Each of those words drills down into the various facets of the Law of God which was given to instruct us. I won't spend more time on that today.

The kind of obedience that is pleasing to God (vv. 1-2)

But in verses 1-2, God gives some additional instructions that help to outline the kind of obedience that is pleasing to God. Attempted obedience without grace is not pleasing to God. These verses explain why the Pharisees were not pleasing to God, even though they had a rigid code of conduct. The Pharisees should have known better.

A listening heart that intent on obeying (v. 1a)

First, God wants obedience that comes from a hearing heart or a heart intent on listening - not making up our own laws. He says, "Now, O Israel, listen [there's a key word - "listen"] to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe... [there's another key word]" There is a kind of listening from a regenerate heart that enables us to observe the law without condemnation. This generation had that kind of listening; the previous generation did not.

And notice that it is both listening and observing God's Word. First, there is the importance of intent listening to God Himself. That's one of the early things we did with our children - quiz them after a sermon to see how intently they had been listening and what the Holy Spirit had been imprinting on their hearts. God doesn't want us guessing what He wants or making up new rules to please Him. He wants us to listen to His instructions. A person cannot obey the Lord until he knows what to obey.

On the other hand, listening without obeying makes for a hypocritical heart that becomes harder and harder. The previous generation knew God's law intellectually, but they did not have a desire to live it out. And the book of Numbers shows how they progressively became harder and harder in heart. Jesus emphasized the importance of not just hearing, but doing. He said, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matt. 7:24). You can memorize the Bible and listen to hundreds of sermons, but if you don't live out the Word, it is useless. Some people complain about how unhappy they are in their marriages, but they don't obey the Biblical principles of love, respect, communication, forgiveness, selflessness, or humility that Deuteronomy teaches us about. Listen-and-observe is a pattern that leads to joyful growth in Christ. Listening without obeying leads to more and more hypocrisy.

Knowing it is for our good (v. 1b)

Verse 1 goes on to say that Moses wanted them to know that obeying God's law had a good purpose - "that you may live." That’s a great purpose, isn’t it? Of course, believing that the law is good for life takes faith, doesn't it? The word for "live" means to keep alive, preserve life, to revive, recover, or to restore life. The man who is walking by grace in fellowship with the Holy Spirit does indeed find that the Word of God revives and strengthens his soul. But if we approach the law apart from the Gospel of grace, all it will do is condemn us since all of us fail to 100% keep God's law. But when we approach the law through the security of union with Jesus and because of His grace, we find these blueprints for life are indeed life-giving - even though we may only approximate living them out. But the Gospel gives us security while we imperfectly live out the law. Those words then revive us individually and they restore families, churches, and nations. It's a growth process. But we won't be motivated to grow if we don't see that it is for our good.

Knowing that it is essential for dominion and inheritance (v. 1c)

Verse 1 goes on to say that the Law is essential for dominion and inheritance: "that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you." When Israel stuck to God's law, they found God backing up their dominion. When they rejected God's law, they found God ruining their dominion and eventually disinheriting them. It is obvious to me that much of the church in America is not convinced that God's law is needed for their dominion and inheritance because they don't like God's law and certainly don't follow it. But the kind of obedience to God that is pleasing to Him is an obedience that values God's blueprints for life over against man's blueprints for life. It's a trust issue.

An obedience that sticks to Scripture alone (v. 2)

And verse 2 shows that God doesn't want us picking and choosing what we will follow and what we will reject. It says, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." And you might think, "Well, Israel couldn't add or subtract, but that's not true of us today. We can because we are in the New Covenant." But Isaiah 8:11-22 is a prophecy about Jesus and the New Covenant Church that He established and the closing of the canon. In that New Testament context it condemns any New Testament person who might try to add to God's laws. It says, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (v. 20). The kind of obedience that God is pleased with does not supplement the law of God with man's laws, or with supposed natural law, church tradition, or any other authority. It's so ironic that people who don't like God's law end up adding all kinds of legalistic rules. In any case, verse 2 says that God wants us to follow a sola-Scriptura authority. 2 Peter 1:3 does the same and tells us that the Bible gives us all that we need for life and godliness. That's a guarantee that the Bible is sufficient and we need not go beyond the Bible for ethics.

But having very briefly introduced us to the benefits of God's law, Moses moves on to teach us how to approach God's law properly.

How Biblical history teaches us the value of grace-filled law-keeping (vv. 3-4)

And the first lesson comes from history. Those at Baal-Peor who had not been transformed by God's grace found God's law burdensome rather than joyful. They were not able to say with David, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day..." The unregenerate man is hostile to the things of God and they cannot love God's law. Look at verse 3 here:

3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

Remember God's judgments at Baal-peor (v. 3)

At Baal-Peor the men committed harlotry with the women of Moab, who invited them to sacrifice to their false gods. They thought that Moab had a much more fun liturgy than God's liturgy. But when you abandon the God of the law, the law of God is no longer a blessing. All it brings is judgment for those who are outside of Christ.

Blessing on those who remained faithful (v. 4)

But he points out that those who survived and were here with him on this day had rejected such idolatry and had held fast to God. For them, the law brought blessing, life, and the fulfillment of the promises. So this brief reference to Numbers 25 was simply a reminder to Israel that it takes God's grace to love the law and to keep it. God is not interested in a formalistic adherence to law without adhering to the God of grace. God wants a relationship of love with His people, and His law helps to define the boundaries of that love. Several passages in the New Testament define this love relationship with God by His Law-Word. For example, Romans 13:10 says, "love is the fulfillment of the law." And those who love God love His Law-Word and God loves to bless them. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble." Praise God.

Further reasons why we should value God's laws (vv. 5-8)

But that's just the beginning. Verses 5-8 give further reasons why we should love and value God's laws.

They were revealed by a perfect God (v. 5a)

First, Moses says that the laws he gave to Israel are laws revealed by a perfect God. "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them..." This was not simply an issue of following Moses. It was an issue of following the God of Moses who had revealed these laws for their benefit. And Moses didn't go beyond what God had revealed. If a perfect God gave these laws, then these laws are perfect and are meant for our good.

Keeping them gives success to our dominion (v. 5b)

The last phrase of verse 5 gives one of those benefits: "that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess." This was to give success to their dominion. The Great Commission will never be fulfilled until both Gospel and Law are kept together like they are tightly kept together in the book of Deuteronomy. In Matthew 28 Jesus said,

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It's not just Gospel. It's Gospel first, then teaching them to observe all things that Jesus had commanded. And what did Jesus command? In Matthew 5:18-20 He said,

Matt. 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Christ commanded us to obey every jot and tittle of the moral law of the Old Testament. Jesus was the only human who perfectly kept it, but when we are bound to Jesus, even our imperfect adherence to the law brings increasing blessing. The Gospel makes law-keeping a joyful success because those who embrace Gospel and Law have both Christ's justifying righteousness (which gives security) and His sanctifying power abiding with them to the end of the age.

This in turn makes nations long to have the wisdom we gain from the law (v. 6)

And that the Gospel and Law contained in Deuteronomy was intended for more than just Israel is hinted at in verses 6-8. Each part of the Great Commission that I just read is highlighted here. Verse 6 says,

Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

By keeping all things that God had commanded them, they became a lighthouse to the Gentile peoples. This means that the law even had an evangelistic purpose. A lighthouse not only warns of the dangerous shoals and rocks that ships need to avoid, it gives those ships direction of what is a safe way to move forward. Israel’s obedience to God’s statutes was meant to function as a “beacon” to the surrounding nations in verses 6–8. Their lives were supposed to be a visible testimony to make Gentiles long to have what Israel had. And over the centuries of Old Testament history, many, many Gentiles became Jews because of it. Moses said that when other peoples “hear your statutes,” they will conclude, “Surely this is a wise nation.” In Romans 10-11 Paul quotes from Deuteronomy and concludes that when nations begin to consistently live out the Gospel and the Law it will provoke other nations to jealousy. In other words, they will want what we have. In America there is not much to be jealous about. We are a mess because we have abandoned God's Gospel and His Law.

It ensures God's nearness (v. 7)

But just as in the Great Commission, God's nearness was also promised in these verses - a nearness so obvious that the Gentile nations could not help but notice. Verse 7 says, "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?" God answers our prayers because He is near to us, and He is near to us because we value the Book that He values. When Israel was walking in fellowship with God by receiving His grace and following His law, other nations could become jealous of what Israel had. Why? Because Israel was being more and more characterized by the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible. In any case, the Law was not intended to be a burden. It was intended to drive people to Christ so that they could experience his daily empowering grace. And when we are walking hand-in-hand with God, this verse indicates that He is willing to answer our prayers, and all that we do can become a success. Again, this shows that God's law was not designed to be a curse. Certainly it is a curse to those who don't know God and who try only to earn God's salvation. But to those who are already saved, following God's laws ensures God's continued nearness, and He loves to answer our prayers. That's what the verse says. We will be seeing that this is an incredible book of blessing.

God's law-code is superior to any alternative (v. 8)

Next, verse 8 assured them that God's law-code was superior to any other alternative. "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?" The implied answer is that there is no other nation's alternative law-code that can even remotely compare to Deuteronomy's law-code. The Bible is the world's only inspired source of practical wisdom and understanding in all things.

As we will see, this book gives us logic (or God's standards for thinking). Yes, every principle of logic is embedded in this book. It gives us principles that make for fantastic marriages, principles for child-rearing, education, godly warfare, financial success and investing, and many other areas of life. In Deuteronomy 31 God said that little children and even strangers in the land were supposed to learn the law (Deut. 31:9-13). And they were supposed to pass it on from generation to generation (Deuteronomy 32:46).

Did you realize that Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy more frequently than from any other book? Indeed, it is one of the most frequently cited Old Testament books in the New Testament writings (nearly two hundred times). Jesus obviously considered the book of Deuteronomy to be more important than many pastors do. In any case, Moses considered this message so important that he said, "Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe - all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life." (Deut. 32:46-47) If Deuteronomy is so important that it can be said to be "your life," we certainly ought to become familiar with it. And God says that Deuteronomy was intended for the life and well-being of every segment of society. According to Acts 20:27, Paul taught the whole counsel of God and expected the church to live in terms of "all Scripture" (2 Tim. 3:14-17). A portion of that passage says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." [Profitable for what? He says that it "is profitable] for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." If we neglect Deuteronomy, we will not be thoroughly equipped for every good work. If Deuteronomy is that foundational, surely we ought to familiarize ourselves with it.

The warning against forgetfulness (vv. 9-10)

But Moses knows human nature, so he reminds these Israelites that any of us can become forgetful. So in verses 9-10 he warns us that we need to be on guard against that forgetfulness.

It's easy to stop diligently guarding our hearts (v. 9a)

First, he says, "Only take heed to yourself [Literally, "guard yourself"], and diligently keep yourself [Literally, "diligently guard your soul"], lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life." It is very easy for any of us to grow dull and then to backslide. It often happens innocently enough. We may think that we are too busy to have devotions in His Word. And because God's Word is not convicting us on a daily basis, it's easy to begin to slack off on guarding our hearts. If you do that for very long, it is easy to take your need for God's grace for granted. This in turn can lead to small compromises, which can lead to bigger compromises in a snowballing effect. None of this downward drift of forgetfulness happens instantly. But it is the inevitable result of failing to diligently guard our souls from the attacks of demons and the temptations of our environment.

It's easy to fail to pass these on generationally (vv. 9b, 10b)

This in turn can lead us to become lazy in passing on our diligent pursuit of God and His Word to our children. The second part of verse 9 says, "and teach them to your children and your grandchildren." We have an entire generation of Christians who have disobeyed that command and have given that task of training their children to the pagans in the pagan government schools. So the next generation loses out on having a comprehensive worldview where the Bible is the foundation for every discipline. Just as a side note - I am hoping before I die to have a website called "The Great Axioms Project," where every axiom needed for around 60 disciplines are exegetically extracted from the Bible, and then for scholars from around the world to write textbooks based upon those Biblical Axioms. It may not get finished in my lifetime, but it would be cool if the next generation could see the sufficiency of Scripture for all of life. I'm convinced of it. I want others to be convinced of it. Please pray to that end.

It's easy to lose the fear of God (v. 10a)

In any case, verse 10 says that when we become forgetful of our need for Scripture, it is easy for both generations to begin to lose the fear of God. Verse 10 says, "especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’" He was talking about the importance of gathering together for worship and mutual accountability. That's a key component for not becoming forgetful and gradually backsliding. The people certainly feared God when they saw His presence on the mountain. That was scary for the moment. But even that fear was lost by many of the previous generation when Moses did not come down from the mountain. You know the story in Numbers. It was because their hearts were not really in it. It is so easy to lose the fear of God. By the way, Robert Morey wrote a wonderful book called Fearing God. I highly recommend it. Scripture indicates that the fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom, but it produces strong confidence (Prov. 14:26), leads to life (Prov. 19:23), produces humility (Prov. 22:4), and many other virtues. But the fear of the Lord can only be maintained when we walk in His presence every day, value His Word every day, experience His grace every day, gather for worship, are accountable to each other, and pass on those covenant realities to our children every day.

But when we do follow the principles we have looked at today, God powerfully meets with us through His Word and transforms us. Hebrews 4:11-12 gives a similar lesson, saying,

Heb. 4:11   Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

When you approach God's law by grace, it has that transforming power in your life. But when verse 11 is not true of us (in other words, when we lack God's grace and we fail to gather before Him), God's Word does not transform us from the inside out. It just becomes a formalistic thing; a dead letter. My prayer for each one in this church is that we would come to love God's law because we have come to love the God who gave that law and because we want to please Him and to be transformed by His Word. May it be so, Lord Jesus. Amen.