Deuteronomy 4:44-49

Deuteronomy 4:44-49

[44] And this is the law  which Moses  set  before  the children  of Israel:  [45] These are the testimonies,  and the statutes,  and the judgments,  which Moses  spake  unto the children  of Israel,  after they came forth  out of Egypt,  [46] On this side  Jordan,  in the valley  over against  Bethpeor,  in the land  of Sihon  king  of the Amorites,  who dwelt  at Heshbon,  whom Moses  and the children  of Israel  smote,  after they were come forth  out of Egypt:  [47] And they possessed  his land,  of Og  king  of Bashan,  two  kings  of the Amorites,  which were on this side  Jordan  toward the sunrising;  [48] From Aroer,  which is by the bank  of the river  Arnon,  even unto mount  Sion,  which is Hermon,  [49] And all the plain  on this side  Jordan  eastward,  even unto the sea  of the plain,  under the springs  of Pisgah. 

What does Deuteronomy 4:44-49 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

These verses are similar to Deuteronomy 1:4-5. They summarize and introduce with historical references what follows. In a larger sense these verses summarize all of chapters1-3. These verses contain narration about Moses, not a discourse by Moses.
"This address, which is described in the heading as the law which Moses set before the Israelites, commences with a repetition of the decalogue, and a notice of the powerful impression which was made, through the proclamation of it by God Himself, upon the people who were assembled round Him at Horeb (chap. v). In the first and more general part, it shows that the true essence of the law, and of that righteousness which the Israelites were to strive after, consisted in loving Jehovah their God with all their heart (chap. vi); that the people were bound, by virtue of their election as the Lord"s people of possession, to exterminate the Canaanites with their idolatrous worship, in order to rejoice in the blessing of God (chap. vii.); but more especially that, having regard on the one hand to the divine chastisement and humiliation which they had experienced in the desert (chap. viii.), and on the other hand to the frequency with which they had rebelled against their God (chap. ix1-x11), they were to beware of self-exaltation and self-righteousness, that in the land of Canaan, of which they were about to take possession, they might not forget their God when enjoying the rich productions of the land, but might retain the blessings of their God for ever by a faithful observance of the covenant (chap. x12-xi32). Then after this there follows an exposition of the different commandments of the law (chap. xii-xxvi.)." [1]
The Law ( Deuteronomy 4:44, Heb. torah) here refers to the covenant text itself rather than to the Pentateuch, its more frequent referent.
"The law given at Sinai is properly a suzerainty treaty rather than a legal code, and Deuteronomy is a covenant-renewal document. Consequently it has some modification or modernizations of the code given originally." [2]
". . . there is no distinctive anthropology in Deuteronomy because in this covenant text the individual is of relatively little significance. It is Israel, the vassal, that is highlighted in the book whose purpose is to show the Sovereign"s redemptive, covenantal claims on and relationship to a people through whom He would manifest His saving will." [3]
Note that God gave this Law, ". . . to the sons of Israel." As I have pointed out previously, the Mosaic Law had a double purpose. God gave it primarily as a revelation of Himself, mankind, and the essential requirements for their relationship. He has preserved it in Scripture for all believers because it still has this revelatory value. However, God also gave the law to regulate the life of the Israelites religiously, governmentally, and domestically. This regulatory purpose is what ended with the death of Jesus Christ. The law of Christ ( Galatians 6:2) has replaced the Old (Mosaic) Covenant by specifying new regulations for believers since Jesus Christ died.
"Testimonies denoted covenant stipulations. Statutes were laws that were written down or inscribed on some suitable medium. Ordinances were the decisions of a judge." [4]