VI. IT IS REQUIRED THAT
GOD’S PEOPLE RESPOND TO GOD
WITH THEIR LOVE IN A WAY THAT FITS IN
WITH GOD’S GOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION
Because of the foregoing, it is required that God’s people respond to God with their love in a way that fits in with God’s governmental administration. The inheritors needed to match the Giver of the inheritance, so that He could be with them both in their living and in their fighting. This is not a requirement of the law but a condition requiring God’s people to match what God is. God is sanctified, and we also must be sanctified. In order to match the Giver of the inheritance, we need to be holy as He is holy. If we do not match God, He may be with us in our living, but He will not be with us in our fighting.
VII. WITH A REVIEW OF THE PAST,
THIS BOOK POINTS OUT
GOD’S LEADING AND MAN’S FAILURE
With a review of the past, on the one hand, this book points out God’s leading that man may know the heart and the hand of God, so that man may trust in God and fear God. God’s heart is loving and His hand is righteous. On the other hand, this book points out man’s failure that man may know himself, so that man may condemn himself, humble himself, and have no more trust in himself. The intention of this book is not to point out man’s history but to point out man’s past errors that man may be adjusted.
VIII. WITH A VIEW OF THE FUTURE,
THIS BOOK EXPECTS THAT MAN MAY KNOW
THE LOVE AND GOVERNMENT OF GOD
AND ALSO KNOW HIS REAL CONDITION
With a view of the future, this book expects that, on the one hand, man may know the love and government of God and that, on the other hand, man may know his real condition, so that he will not trust himself. Hence, the intention of the book of Deuteronomy is that we would know God and also know ourselves. We need to know God. In particular, we need to know that God is loving and that He is righteous in dealing with us. We also need to know that we ourselves are a failure. If we know this, we will no longer trust ourselves but put our trust in God, the One who is faithful.
(Life-Study of Deuteronomy, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
