More Than Decorative Bible Verses

One of my favorite shows to watch with my son is “Bluey”. It is about a family of blue heelers who play and do life with their daughters Bluey and Bingo. If I were to take the show out of context, I would think the creators are trying to tell me that dogs can talk. But in reality, it is just about the goofiness and wholesomeness of a family. Similarly, one might interpret Deuteronomy 11:18-23 wrongly, but when we look at the historical and scriptural context, we are able to see God’s grace on our families. 

Someone once told me that Dueteronomy 11:20 was about how we should hang Bible verses in our houses, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”. Decorative Bible verses can play a much larger role than aesthetic purposes. A child could memorize the verse he sees everyday in the kitchen. A conversation could spark with an unbelieving houseguest. Or it could be a great encouragement to a believer. However, hanging Bible verses is not necessarily the medicine that is being prescribed in Deuteronomy.

Historical Context

Deuteronomy literally means second law. Nevertheless, it is not the new nation’s obedience to the law that saves them. God already rescued Israel from slavery, which established them as children of the one true God. Thus, Deuteronomy is a collection of laws that Israel should follow as they are entering pagan land. God wants them to be set apart and not fall into worshiping false gods like they have previously done. 

Moreover, in the Ancient Near Eastern culture that Dueteronomy derives from; people lived in tents and were mostly illiterate. These tents were used to easily travel with, so it is unlikely they were decorated much (nonetheless with words they could not even read). When Moses mentions “doorposts” and “gates” in verse 20, he is likely also referring to the doorpost of the temple and entry gate of the city. Therefore, teaching our children God’s word is not only to be done inside the home, but also in a community.

Scriptural Context

However, Moses is truly emphasizing how we should live out scripture. We do not take verse 18 literally and bind words on our hands and between our eyes. As Jews have done later in history with leather boxes known as phylacteries, which Jesus condemned in Matthew 23:5. Accordingly, verse 20 should not have the same literal interpretation.  

The verses we are analyzing are so nice, Moses had to say it twice. He is echoing what he already said in chapter 6:4-9, also known as the “Shema”. Following this, Moses reminds Israel of their disobedience and how they served other gods instead of the one true God. He then instructs Israel on what it means to be obedient and the great promise that was reserved for them. Now that Israel is reminded of the true goodness of God, they are taught again in the way they should live for God. 

This pattern is repeated many times in the New Testament and especially in Ephesians 2:1-10. We are reminded that we were once dead in our sins, God’s grace is good so he saved us, and as a result we should be Christ-like. This is the same pattern we should live out and the manner in which we raise our children. As Warren W. Weirsbe says, it is much more than displaying Bible verses:

"It's much easier to wear a gold cross on our person than to bear Christ's cross in daily life, and to hang Scripture texts on the walls of our homes than to hide God's Word in our hearts. If we love the Lord and cleave to Him, we will want to know His Word and obey it in every area of our lives." (Be Equipped (Deuteronomy), 90, ebook).

Instructing our children God’s word indicates living it out ourselves. That means constantly being reminded of how we were once disobedient and slaves to sin, but God’s grace is greater. We are now set apart and should not fall into the many false idols the world presents, but live a holy life by walking with other believers.