6/4/18 – Deuteronomy 4:15-49, Deuteronomy 5 Luke 11:5-32 Proverbs 8:32-36

Deut 5:1

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.

Haven’t I just read all this?

It’s funny, the word Deuteronomy means “repetition of the Law’ – which is actually a mistranslation of what it should be called, which is “copy of the law”. But actually, it is a repetition of the law we’ve already read.

This is a sort of halt in the story – and is part of Moses’ final messages to the people. It’s a bit like his sermon notes – as he emphasises the law for them.

Luke 11:27-28

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Isn’t this a strange thing to shout out of a crowd? I’m mean they were different times but… it seems an impolite was of saying either “your mum must be very proud of you” or “your mum must be very special!”

An their is an interesting point here. It’s been a folly of the church for many years to overly focus on Mary. True, she was a good woman, chosen by God and called blessed above all women. She was given the greatest gift anyone could be given, to bring up the saviour of all mankind. But – it’s not just incorrect to label her as special or divine, it’s idolatry. And she was a good woman, she wouldn’t want that.

Jesus deflects this strange complement by taking the focus back off his mother and putting it on the real important issue. Hearing the word of God and keeping it.

Mary was blessed, yes. But so are people who listen to the words Jesus spoke and obey Him – that’s where real blessing is to be found – we too are blessed above all people because we follow the word of God.