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And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you (Deuteronomy 4:1).

What do we hear (or read) when we open the Bible? Hit pause for a moment so you can reflect on that question. What are the words in the Bible to you? What is their value?

Deuteronomy 4 is a kind of intro to what is coming. The whole book is about what God speaks to Israel. Moses tells the people that they ought to have a two-fold response to God\u2019s speech: listen\u2026obey. Immediately, he tells them if they do this they will \u2018live\u2019. Thus, we sometimes refer to God\u2019s words as the \u2018words of life.\u2019 Jesus himself said to the devil, \u201cPeople do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God\u201d (Matthew 4:4).

When we hear Moses say, \u2018so that you may live\u2019, we may tend to spiritualize these words. By that I mean, we hear them as the means of getting into heaven. There is a common mistake that Israel had to obey the law, but we must believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that is all we hear than we will miss much.

Egypt is equated with death. Hitler, in his determination to exterminate the Jews, was imitating Pharoah. Israel had been in Egypt for 400 years. All they knew was the way of death. But now, God gives them his law. They were to listen to it and obey it, so that they might live. Certainly, part of the law had to do with personal relationship with God. But a great part of it was how to live together in the land in such a way that the entire nation would live, would flourish, and foreigners too.

The law explored family relations, business practices, and agricultural principles. It taught Israel how to enjoy the blessing and favour of the Lord in the ordinary affairs of life. As such, the law that Moses gave was not primarily a set of rules: do this or incur the wrath of God! Rather, the law was God\u2019s gift of grace to his people. He had redeemed them from Egypt, from slavery yes, but also from the Egyptian lifestyle which was rooted in fear and domination. Having set them free, God now teaches them how to live in such a way that they can fully enjoy that freedom.

The Israelites were not to act like the Egyptians. They were to act like Israelites, people set free, belonging to God.

When we hear the Bible, what do we hear? Do we simply hear words we have heard dozens of times before? Do we hear laws that must be obeyed?

Jesus first words to his disciples were, \u201cCome follow me\u201d (Matthew 4:18). Then he showed them the kingdom (23-25) and taught them about it (Matthew 5-7). He wanted his disciples to know how to live in the Kingdom. When we listen to the Bible, we hear the ways of the Kingdom of God; we hear Jesus say, \u2018Come follow me\u2026let me show you the way of life.\u201d Listen\u2026obey\u2026live!