Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen… I. THE EVIL ANTICIPATED — forgetfulness of their own past experience of God's gracious dealings. "Lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen," etc. 1. We cannot suppose that Moses thought it possible they should so far lose all traces of these events as that they should not, by any circumstance, be brought to remembrance. 2. But these things might be so forgotten — so little and so lightly thought of, as to depart from "their hearts," so as to have no influence there. No correcting influence; error might be corrected by a heart-affecting remembrance of God's distinguishing judgments and mercies (vers. 3, 4), but such remembrance would be necessary. No chastening influence, such as that intended in vers. 5-20; consequently no cheering influence, such as vers. 36-40 might impart. In short, "the things which their eyes had seen" might be so forgotten as to produce no saving effect. 3. And Christians are as liable to this calamity as the Israelites were. 4. The greatness of the evil may be inferred from the greatness of the punishment threatened — the loss of God's gracious presence for direction, defence, etc. (ver. 7); the loss of Canaan (ver. 27); and the heaviest of temporal calamities (ver. 26, and 28:16). II. THE PREVENTIVES RECOMMENDED. "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul," etc. The text suggests the necessity of — 1. Holy jealousy. "Take heed; keep thy soul." Nothing is more dangerous than self-sufficiency and presumption; a vain confidence in what is called "a good heart." Moses intimates that the soul needs watching and keeping. 2. Holy vigilance. Only take heed, and keep thy soul diligently. This advice is necessary because of our natural disposition to wander, and because of the allurements to which we are exposed. Grace may raise and sustain us. The soul may wander on wicked things; and such is its weakness that no man can say into what sin he may not fall. David fell into adultery and murder. Therefore "keep thy soul diligently." Resist beginnings. But we are, perhaps, in greater danger from things which do not shock our sense of propriety, etc., but which serve, nevertheless, to divert our minds, and so to prevent a steady attention to "the one thing needful," such as business, company, amusement, literature, etc. Therefore "keep thy soul" within proper bounds. Watch her motions, and check them ere they become irregular or excessive. 3. Holy exercises. Indolence is at once disgraceful and injurious. Satan finds the idle employment. What has been already advised includes much of exercise. But in addition we may say, Diligently meditate on God's gracious dealings with you in former days, and examine what progress you make (Deuteronomy 8:2, 11-18). Diligently pray for a continuance and increase of His favours. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.) Parallel Verses KJV: Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; |
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