Objective

In this study, we’ll see that obedience to the law always comes from a heart that loves God.

Key Verse

Deuteronomy 6:5: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Introduction

We have come to the final book in the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy brings the first five books of the Bible to a powerful conclusion. The name “Deuteronomy” means “second law” or “second reading.” This is not because Moses is giving new laws, but because he is delivering God’s law to Israel for the second time. Forty years have passed since God first gave the law at Mount Sinai. Now a new generation stands at the border of the Promised Land, and they need to hear and understand what God expects of them.

Moses knew that his time on earth was ending. Soon he would die, and Joshua would lead the people into Canaan. Before that happened, Moses wanted to make sure this new generation understood something crucial: keeping God’s law is not just about following rules with your actions. True obedience comes from a heart that loves God completely. External behavior without heart love is empty religion. But when we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, obedience becomes the natural expression of that love.

Deuteronomy is structured like three great sermons that Moses preached to Israel as they camped on the plains of Moab. Each sermon focuses on a different aspect of Israel’s relationship with God. Moses wanted them to remember the past, understand the present, and prepare for the future. Through these sermons, we see that God’s relationship with His people has always been based on love, faithfulness, and the promise of blessing for those who walk in His ways.

In this lesson, we will explore these three sermons and discover how they teach us about the heart of true obedience:

• What God has done for Israel—remembering His faithfulness
• What God expects of Israel—understanding His requirements
• What God will do for Israel—trusting His promises

What God Has Done for Israel (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43)

Moses began his first sermon by reminding Israel where they were and how they had arrived at this moment. They were camped on the east side of the Jordan River, looking across at the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For forty years they had wandered in the wilderness because of their disobedience at Kadesh Barnea. Now, finally, they were ready to enter their inheritance.

Deuteronomy 1:8: See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.

Moses knew how easily people forget God’s goodness. When we face new challenges or difficult circumstances, we often focus on our problems instead of remembering how God has helped us in the past. That is why Moses spent time recounting God’s faithfulness to Israel. He wanted them to see clearly that everything good in their lives had come from God’s loving hand.

Moses reminded them of three great works that God had accomplished for them. First, God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They had been powerless prisoners under Pharaoh’s harsh rule, but God had brought them out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Second, God had provided for them in the wilderness. For forty years, He had given them food to eat, water to drink, and clothes that did not wear out. Third, God had protected them from their enemies. Nations far stronger than Israel had tried to destroy them, but God had fought for His people and given them victory.

Take time to read these words carefully and let them sink into your heart:

Deuteronomy 1:31-33: There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

What a beautiful picture Moses paints here! God carried Israel like a loving father carries his child. He went ahead of them to find the best places for them to rest. He showed them the way they should go. This was not the care of a distant, uncaring ruler, but the tender love of a perfect Father for His children.

Yet Moses also had to remind them of their failures. Despite all of God’s love and care, Israel had repeatedly disobeyed and complained. They had grumbled about the food God provided. They had been afraid to enter the Promised Land when God commanded them to go in. They had worshiped idols and broken the covenant God had made with them. Moses wanted this new generation to learn from the mistakes of their parents.

(Notebook Moment: Think about your own life for a moment. What are some specific ways that God has shown His faithfulness to you? How can remembering God’s past goodness help you trust Him in current difficulties?)

Moses warned them not to repeat these mistakes:

Deuteronomy 4:2-5: Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today. See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.

The lesson is clear: God blesses obedience and judges rebellion. Those who remained faithful to God were still alive to enter the Promised Land. Those who turned away from God to worship false gods had died in the wilderness. This is not because God is harsh or unloving, but because He is holy and cannot tolerate sin. Yet even His judgment comes from love, because sin destroys the people He loves.

What God Expects of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:44-26:19)

Moses’ second sermon is the longest section of Deuteronomy. Here he explained what God expected from His people. This was not just a repetition of the laws given at Mount Sinai, but a deeper explanation of what those laws meant and why they mattered.

Moses began by restating the Ten Commandments as the foundation of God’s law. These commandments were not arbitrary rules, but expressions of God’s character and guidelines for how His people should live. When Israel kept these commandments, they would experience the blessing and peace that come from living according to God’s design.

Deuteronomy 5:33: Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

But Moses went deeper than just repeating the commandments. He wanted Israel to understand that God cares most about the heart. The most important truth in all of Deuteronomy comes in chapter 6, where Moses teaches about the foundation of all true religion.

First, Moses reminded them that there is only one true God:

Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

This declaration, known as the Shema, became the central confession of faith for the Jewish people. In a world filled with many false gods, Israel needed to remember that only the Lord is truly God. He alone created all things, rules over all things, and deserves all worship and obedience.

Then Moses gave them the greatest commandment:

Deuteronomy 6:5-6: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

Here is the heart of true obedience: love. God does not want people to obey Him out of fear alone, or because they feel forced to follow rules. He wants our obedience to flow from hearts that love Him completely. When we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, keeping His commandments becomes a joy rather than a burden.

Jesus later quoted this passage when asked about the greatest commandment:

Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Moses also emphasized that God’s people should teach His law to others. This responsibility begins in our own families:

Deuteronomy 6:7: Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

God wants His truth to be passed down from generation to generation. Parents have the privilege and responsibility of teaching their children about God’s character, God’s works, and God’s ways. This should not be something that happens only during formal teaching times, but should be woven into the fabric of daily life.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that this principle still applies to us today:

Hebrews 10:23-24: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

(Notebook Moment: Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 slowly and carefully. How does Moses describe the way God’s people should live with His word? What practical steps could you take to make God’s truth more central in your daily conversations and relationships?)

The rest of Moses’ second sermon goes through many specific laws that God gave Israel to keep. These covered everything from worship and sacrifices to justice and family relationships. Each law revealed something about God’s character and showed Israel how to live as His holy people in the world.

What God Will Do for Israel (Deuteronomy 27:1-34:12)

Moses’ third and final sermon focused on the future. He wanted Israel to understand that their relationship with God would determine their destiny. They were about to enter the Promised Land, but their experience in that land would depend on whether they remained faithful to the covenant God had made with them.

Moses reminded them that God had revealed His will to them clearly:

Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

God does not expect us to understand everything about His ways, but He has revealed everything we need to know in order to live according to His will. We are responsible for what God has made known to us.

Moses also assured them that obeying God was not an impossible task:

Deuteronomy 30:11-14: Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

God’s law was not hidden or mysterious. He had spoken it clearly through Moses, and He had written it on their hearts. They had everything they needed to live in obedience to God.

The apostle John echoes this truth when he writes:

1 John 5:3: In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

Then Moses presented Israel with the most important choice they would ever make. He set before them two paths, and he urged them to choose wisely:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20: See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The choice was clear: obedience leads to life and blessing, while disobedience leads to death and destruction. Moses urged them to choose life by choosing to love and obey God.

(Notebook Moment: Consider the two paths Moses describes in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. How do you see these same choices playing out in your own life and in the world around you? What does it mean practically to “choose life” in your daily decisions?)

Jesus spoke about this same choice when He said:

John 14:6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Colossians 3:4: When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Moses concluded his sermon by assuring Israel that God would always be their refuge and strength:

Deuteronomy 33:27: The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, “Destroy them!”

What a wonderful promise! No matter what challenges or enemies they might face, God would be their protection and their strength. His everlasting arms would hold them up and carry them through every difficulty.

The Death of Moses

Deuteronomy ends with the account of Moses’ death. After delivering these three sermons, Moses climbed Mount Nebo and looked out over the Promised Land. God showed him the land that Israel would inherit, but Moses himself would not enter it because of his disobedience at the waters of Meribah.

Deuteronomy 34:5-7: And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

The book concludes with this summary of Moses’ greatness:

Deuteronomy 34:10-12: Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Moses was called “the servant of the Lord”—a title that perfectly captures the faithfulness of his long ministry. For eighty years he had served God and served God’s people with remarkable dedication and humility.

Joshua must have written these final verses about Moses’ death, as Moses could not have written about his own death and burial:

Deuteronomy 34:9: Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

What Do We See of Christ in Deuteronomy?

Deuteronomy holds a special place in Jesus’ life and ministry. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded three times with quotations from Deuteronomy. This shows us how much Jesus valued the teachings in this book and how perfectly He embodied the heart obedience that Moses preached.

Luke 4:1-12 tells us the story of Jesus’ temptation, where He quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13, and 6:16. Each time Satan tried to get Jesus to disobey God, Jesus responded with Scripture that emphasized the importance of loving and obeying God completely.

Deuteronomy teaches that true obedience comes from the heart, and this is exactly what Jesus taught during His earthly ministry. He rebuked the Pharisees for focusing on external religious activities while their hearts remained hard toward God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that God’s law is all about what is in the heart:

Matthew 5:21-22: You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

Jesus taught that God sees not just our actions, but the attitudes and motivations behind our actions. Murder begins with anger in the heart. Adultery begins with lust in the heart. True righteousness is not just about avoiding certain behaviors, but about having a heart that loves God and loves others.

But how can we have the kind of perfect heart that God requires? Only when Christ lives within us through faith. We cannot make ourselves righteous, but Christ gives us His righteousness when we trust in Him:

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Deuteronomy also contains one of the great prophecies about the coming Messiah. Moses promised that God would raise up another prophet like himself:

Deuteronomy 18:15-18: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for you a prophet like them from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.”

The New Testament clearly identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy:

Acts 3:22: For Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.”

Acts 7:37-38: This is the Moses who told the Israelites, “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.” He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.

Hebrews 2:17: For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

In what ways was Christ like Moses? Both were prophets who spoke God’s words to His people. Both were redeemers who delivered God’s people from bondage—Moses from slavery in Egypt, and Jesus from slavery to sin. Both were mediators who stood between God and His people. Both were intercessors who prayed for God’s people when they deserved judgment.

Yet Jesus is greater than Moses in every way. Moses delivered Israel from physical slavery, but Jesus delivers us from spiritual slavery to sin. Moses gave God’s law to show us our need for salvation, but Jesus perfectly fulfilled that law and provides the salvation we need. Moses interceded for Israel when they sinned, but Jesus gave His own life as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Conclusion

Deuteronomy teaches us a truth that runs throughout the entire Bible: we can live in the blessings of God, but only through genuine obedience that flows from a heart of love. External compliance with religious rules can never satisfy God or bring us the joy and peace we long for. What God desires is hearts that love Him completely and lives that reflect that love through willing obedience to His Word.

Jesus expressed this same truth when He said:

John 15:10: If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

1 John 5:2-3: This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

As we finish our study of the Law of Moses, we can see that these five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—all point us to the same glorious truth. God created us for relationship with Himself. Sin broke that relationship and brought death and separation. But God, in His amazing love, provided a way for us to be restored to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. When we trust in Christ, we receive His righteousness, His Spirit comes to live within us, and we find that obeying God becomes the natural expression of hearts that love Him.

The choice that Moses set before Israel is the same choice that stands before every person today: life or death, blessing or curse, obedience or rebellion. Moses urged Israel to choose life. The same loving God who spoke through Moses now urges you to choose life by putting your faith in Jesus Christ, the Prophet greater than Moses, the Redeemer who delivers us from sin, and the perfect sacrifice who makes us right with God forever.

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💭 REFLECT

Moses emphasized that God carried Israel “as a father carries his son” through all their wilderness wanderings. Think about your relationship with God as your heavenly Father. How does seeing God as a loving Father who carries you through difficulties change the way you respond to His commands and guidance in your life?

✅ APPLY

Deuteronomy 6:7 instructs parents to teach God’s truth to their children throughout daily life—”when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Whether or not you have children, consider how you can make God’s truth more naturally part of your daily conversations with family, friends, or coworkers. Choose one specific relationship and one practical way you will seek to share God’s truth more naturally in your interactions this week.

🔍 EXPLORE

Compare Moses’ description of the choice between life and death in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 with Jesus’ words about the narrow and wide gates in Matthew 7:13-14. What similarities do you see in how both Moses and Jesus describe the fundamental choice every person must make? How do these passages help you understand that this choice is not just about one decision, but about the ongoing direction of our lives?

Check Your Understanding

Take this 5-question quiz to check your understanding of this lesson.

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Go Deeper

This optional section is designed to guide you deeper into some of the topics from this lesson. You can complete this now or return to it later. Have your notebook ready to write down your thoughts as you work through these questions.

[Perhaps have one question deal with Jesus’ use of Deuteronomy during His temptation.]

1. Study the Heart of the Law. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-25 carefully, paying special attention to verses 4-9. This passage contains what Jews call the “Shema,” the central confession of their faith. Now read Matthew 22:34-40, where Jesus quotes from this passage. What does Jesus say about the relationship between loving God and loving others? How does understanding that all of God’s law is based on love change the way you think about obedience to God’s commands?

2. Explore Moses as a Picture of Christ. Reread Deuteronomy 18:15-19 about the prophet God would raise up like Moses. Then read Acts 3:17-26, where Peter explains how this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. Make a list of the similarities between Moses and Jesus mentioned in this lesson (prophet, redeemer, mediator, intercessor). Now think about how Jesus is greater than Moses in each of these roles. How does understanding Jesus as the greater Moses help you appreciate what He has done for you?

3. Consider the Choice Before You. Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20 again, focusing on the choice between life and death that Moses presented to Israel. Now read John 5:24 and John 10:10, where Jesus speaks about life and death. How do Jesus’ words help you understand what Moses meant by “choosing life”? In what practical ways do you face this same choice between life and death, obedience and disobedience, in your daily life? What would it look like for you to more consistently “choose life” in your relationship with God?