W. Robert Godfrey

But a good preacher knows that not everyone is paying attention all the time.

and that therefore there's a value to repetition.

There's a value to reiterating what you're saying, and Moses is certainly doing that here.

But again, notice the word is to be in your heart and in your soul.

It's to live in you.

I hope that's why you're here today studying Deuteronomy, because you long to have the Word living in your soul.

That's why Protestant churches have devoted so much time and energy historically to the preaching of the Word and to the teaching of the Word and to the learning of the Word, because

It really is our life, as Deuteronomy will say at its end, and is so important for us.

So verse 32 of chapter 11 summarizes this sort of general introduction to loving God with this very familiar word, "...you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the rules that I am setting before you today."

that theme of carefulness returning to again and again.

And it's preceded immediately by a statement about how the day is coming when you'll stand on Mount Ebal and on Mount Gerizim, and you'll hear curses and blessings, and that will remind you of the obligation to serve the Lord faithfully, carefully.

And that's a hint of what then will be described in more detail in Deuteronomy 27.

So this book is very carefully put together.

It's carefully put together to encourage us to be careful.

I wish every Christian knew about Deuteronomy, that it's a single sermon.

and that Moses has a very specific point that he's aiming at with the book of Deuteronomy to help us understand how the Lord leads us as his people.

It's a book about the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua.

Moses is about to die.

Joshua is about to take over.

That's how the book begins and ends.