Why does Moses tell Israel to remember the Lord’s words and guard against making images for worship?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

At Horeb they heard the Lord speak from the fire but saw no form. Moses tells them to keep his commands without adding or subtracting, teach what they saw to their children and grandchildren, and avoid forbidden images and worship of the heavenly bodies. He warns of destruction and scattering if they turn away, while promising that those who seek the Lord with their whole heart and afflicted soul will find him.

Chapter breakdown

Moses tells Israel to hear the commands and judgments he teaches and carry them out, so they may live, enter, and possess the land the Lord, the God of their fathers, will give them. They must not add to or subtract from the word he speaks, but keep the Lord’s commands. Their own eyes saw what the Lord did against Beelphegor: he destroyed all its worshippers among them. Those who adhere to the Lord are all alive that day. Moses has taught statutes and justices as the Lord commanded, for them to practice in the land. Keeping them will show wisdom and understanding to the nations. On hearing these commands, the nations will call Israel a wise and understanding great nation. Moses asks what other great nation has gods so near as their God is present to all their petitions, or ceremonies and just judgments like all this law set before their eyes that day.

Moses tells them to guard themselves and their souls carefully. They must not forget the words their eyes have seen or let them leave their hearts all their lives. They must teach them to their sons and grandsons. At Horeb, the Lord told Moses to gather the people so they could hear his words, learn to fear him for all their time on earth, and teach their children. They stood at the mountain’s foot. It burned toward heaven amid darkness, cloud, and obscurity. The Lord spoke from the fire. They heard his voice but saw no form. He showed them his covenant, commanding them to keep the ten words he wrote on two stone tablets. At that time he commanded Moses to teach the ceremonies and judgments they must perform in the land they would possess.

They must guard their souls because they saw no likeness on the day the Lord spoke at Horeb from the fire. Moses warns against being deceived into making a carved likeness or image: male or female, a beast on earth, a bird flying under heaven, a creeping thing on earth, or a fish in the waters under the earth. They must also beware of looking up at the sun, moon, and all the stars and being led astray to worship and serve them. The Lord created these for the service of all nations under heaven. He brought Israel out of Egypt, from the iron furnaces, to be his people of inheritance, as they are that day.

Moses says the Lord was angry with him for the people’s words. He swore that Moses would not cross the Jordan or enter the excellent land he would give them. Moses must die in this land and will not cross, while the people will pass and possess the excellent land. They must beware of forgetting the covenant the Lord made with them and of making any carved likeness he forbade. Moses calls the Lord a consuming fire and a jealous God. The chapter gives the people’s words as the cause of anger here; it does not retell an event at Meribah.

Moses warns that after they have children and grandchildren and remain in the land, they may be deceived into making a likeness, doing evil before the Lord and provoking his anger. He calls heaven and earth as witnesses that day: they will quickly perish from the land they are crossing the Jordan to possess, will not remain long, and the Lord will destroy them. He will scatter them among all nations, and few will remain among the nations where he leads them. There they will serve gods made by human hands from wood and stone, which cannot see, hear, eat, or smell. If there they seek the Lord, they will find him, provided they seek him with all their heart and all the affliction of their soul. After all the things foretold have come upon them, in the latter time they will return to the Lord and hear his voice. The Lord is merciful: he will not leave them, altogether destroy them, or forget the covenant he swore to their fathers. The warning of destruction and the later assurance against complete destruction are both retained.

Moses asks them to inquire about past days, from the day God created man on earth, and from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything like this ever happened or been known? Has a people heard God’s voice speaking from fire and lived? Has God taken a nation from among nations by trials, signs, wonders, fighting, a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and horrible visions, as the Lord did for them in Egypt before their eyes? These things were shown so they would know that the Lord is God and there is no other beside him. From heaven he made them hear his voice to teach them. On earth he showed them his great fire, and they heard his words from its midst. Because he loved their fathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought them out of Egypt before him with his great power.

The Lord brought them out to destroy nations greater and stronger than they were at their coming, bring them in, and give them those nations’ land as a possession, as they see that day. They must know and consider in their hearts that day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, and that there is no other. They must keep his commands that Moses gives them that day, so it may go well with them and their children after them, and they may remain a long time in the land the Lord will give them.

Moses then sets apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the east. Their purpose is to give refuge to someone who kills his neighbor unwillingly and was not his enemy a day or two before, so he may flee to one of these cities. The cities are Bosor in the wilderness and plains of the tribe of Ruben, Ramoth in Galaad of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Basan of the tribe of Manasses. The setting apart is recorded, while the chapter gives no case of a person arriving, no trial, and no account of how the cities later operated.

This is the law Moses sets before Israel, with the testimonies, ceremonies, and judgments he speaks to them when they come out of Egypt. They are beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite the temple of Phogor, in the land of Sehon the Amorrhite, king of Hesebon, whom Moses slew when Israel came out of Egypt. They possess his land and that of Og king of Basan, the two Amorrhite kings beyond the Jordan toward the rising sun. The extent runs from Aroer on the bank of Arnon to mount Sion, also called Hermon, and includes all the plain beyond the Jordan eastward, as far as the sea of the wilderness at the foot of Phasga. The chapter names a valley here and calls the water the sea of the wilderness.

The story inside

Moses joins the command to remember with a specific warning about worship. At Horeb the people heard the Lord’s voice from fire but saw no form. They must keep those words in their hearts and teach their sons and grandsons. Moses then warns them against making the named kinds of images and against worshipping the sun, moon, or stars. He recalls the Lord’s rescue from Egypt and the fact that they heard God speak and lived. These deeds are given so they may know that the Lord alone is God. The chapter also warns that turning to images will bring destruction and scattering, and states the full condition for finding the Lord there. It supplies those reasons and consequences without adding a theory about God’s form or inventing the later history of the refuge cities.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Memory is a duty to the next generations. What the people saw must remain in their hearts throughout life and be taught to their sons and grandsons.
2
The image warning is tied to Horeb. They heard the Lord speak but saw no form; Moses then names the images and heavenly bodies they must not worship.
3
The warning includes both judgment and mercy. Scattering and few survivors follow turning away, yet those who seek the Lord with all their heart and afflicted soul will find him; he will not forget the covenant with their fathers.

Test your recall

What did the people hear and fail to see at Horeb, and how does Moses use that fact in his warning about images?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 18959–18993
Deuteronomy Chapter 4 Moses exhorteth the people to keep God’s commandments: particularly to fly idolatry. Appointeth three cities of refuge, on that side of the Jordan. 4:1. And now, O Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach thee: that doing them, thou mayst live, and entering in mayst possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers will give you. 4:2. You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 4:3. Your eyes have seen all that the Lord hath done against Beelphegor, how he hath destroyed all his worshippers from among you. 4:4. But you that adhere to the Lord your God, are all alive until this present day. 4:5. You know that I have taught you statutes and justices, as the Lord my God hath commanded me: so shall you do them in the land which you shall possess: 4:6. And you shall observe, and fulfil them in practice. For this is your wisdom, and understanding in the sight of nations, that hearing all these precepts, they may say: Behold a wise and understanding people, a great nation. 4:7. Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath gods so nigh them, as our God is present to all our petitions. 4:8. For what other nation is there so renowned that hath ceremonies, and just judgments, and all the law, which I will set forth this day before our eyes?
Lines 18995–19016
4:9. Keep thyself therefore, and thy soul carefully. Forget not the words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and to thy grandsons, 4:10. From the day in which thou didst stand before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord spoke to me, saying: Call together the people unto me, that they may hear my words, and may learn to fear me all the time that they live on the earth, and may teach their children. 4:11. And you came to the foot of the mount, which burned even unto heaven: and there was darkness, and a cloud and obscurity in it. 4:12. And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all. 4:13. And he shewed you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, and the ten words that he wrote in two tables of stone. 4:14. And he commanded me at that time that I should teach you the ceremonies and judgments which you shall do in the land, that you shall possess.
Lines 19018–19038
4:15. Keep therefore your souls carefully. You saw not any similitude in the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire: 4:16. Lest perhaps being deceived you might make you a graven similitude, or image of male or female, 4:17. The similitude of any beasts, that are upon the earth, or of birds, that fly under heaven, 4:18. Or of creeping things, that move on the earth, or of fishes, that abide in the waters under the earth: 4:19. Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of all the nations, that are under heaven. 4:20. But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the iron furnaces of Egypt, to make you his people of inheritance, as it is this present day.
Lines 19040–19051
4:21. And the Lord was angry with me for your words, and he swore that I should not pass over the Jordan, nor enter into the excellent land, which he will give you. 4:22. Behold I die in this land, I shall not pass over the Jordan: you shall pass, and possess the goodly land. 4:23. Beware lest thou ever forget the covenant of the Lord thy God, which he hath made with thee: and make to thyself a graven likeness of those things which the Lord hath forbid to be made: 4:24. Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Lines 19053–19077
4:25. If you shall beget sons and grandsons, and abide in the land, and being deceived, make to yourselves any similitude, committing evil before the Lord your God, to provoke him to wrath: 4:26. I call this day heaven and earth to witness, that you shall quickly perish out of the land, which, when you have passed over the Jordan, you shall possess. You shall not dwell therein long, but the Lord will destroy you, 4:27. And scatter you among all nations, and you shall remain a few among the nations, to which the Lord shall lead you. 4:28. And there you shall serve gods, that were framed with men’s hands: wood and stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 4:29. And when thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet so, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy soul. 4:30. After all the things aforesaid shall find thee, in the latter time thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and shalt hear his voice. 4:31. Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: he will not leave thee, nor altogether destroy thee, nor forget the covenant, by which he swore to thy fathers.
Lines 19079–19102
4:32. Ask of the days of old, that have been before thy time from the day that God created man upon the earth, from one end of heaven to the other end thereof, if ever there was done the like thing, or it hath been known at any time, 4:33. That a people should hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, as thou hast heard, and lived: 4:34. If God ever did so as to go, and take to himself a nation out of the midst of nations by temptations, signs, and wonders, by fight, and a strong hand, and stretched out arm, and horrible visions according to all the things that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before thy eyes. 4:35. That thou mightest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him. 4:36. From heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might teach thee. And upon earth he shewed thee his exceeding great fire, and thou didst hear his words out of the midst of the fire, 4:37. Because he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them. And he brought thee out of Egypt, going before thee with his great power,
Lines 19104–19115
4:38. To destroy at thy coming very great nations, and stronger than thou art, and to bring thee in, and give thee their land for a possession, as thou seest at this present day. 4:39. Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other. 4:40. Keep his precepts and commandments, which I command thee: that it may be well with thee, and thy children after thee, and thou mayst remain a long time upon the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
Lines 19117–19126
4:41. Then Moses set aside three cities beyond the Jordan at the east side, 4:42. That any one might flee to them who should kill his neighbour unwillingly, and was not his enemy a day or two before, and that he might escape to some one of these cities: 4:43. Bosor in the wilderness, which is situate in the plains of the tribe of Ruben: and Ramoth in Galaad, which is in the tribe of Gad: and Golan in Basan, which is in the tribe of Manasses.
Lines 19128–19148
4:44. This is the law, that Moses set before the children of Israel, 4:45. And these are the testimonies and ceremonies and judgments, which he spoke to the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt, 4:46. Beyond the Jordan in the valley over against the temple of Phogor, in the land of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, that dwelt in Hesebon, whom Moses slew. And the children of Israel coming out of Egypt, 4:47. Possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Basan, of the two kings of the Amorrhites, who were beyond the Jordan towards the rising of the sun: 4:48. From Aroer, which is situate upon the bank of the torrent Arnon, unto mount Sion, which is also called Hermon, 4:49. All the plain beyond the Jordan at the east side, unto the sea of the wilderness, and unto the foot of mount Phasga.