4:23,24
Moses reminds them not to forget the covenant of the Lord. The covenant that God made with Israel is the only grounds that they had for having hope. It was the basis for their existence. Likewise, the covenant that Jesus made with His blood is the only grounds that we have for our hope. And a very stable and reliable ground it is too! Following on from this Moses warns them against idolatry. Idolatry would lead the people away from the Lord. They are then reminded that God is a consuming fire. This is something that is still true (Heb 12:29)!
4:25,26
Moses foresees them living in the land for a long time, but also knows that their failure to keep the commands given in the previous two verses is almost inevitable. Afterall, Moses had had many years of leading the Israelites and knew all too well what was in their hearts. They would become corrupt and would make idols, and a lot of the rest of the Old Testament testifies to this. Moses gives them a very severe warning. If they do forget the Lord and turn to idols, then they will be ejected from the land and would be destroyed. This happened under the Babylonian conquest.
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