17 Keep with care the orders of the Lord your God, and his rules and his laws which he has given you; 18 And do what is upright and good in the eyes of the Lord your God, so that it may be well for you and you may go in and take for your heritage that good land from which the Lord undertook by an oath to your fathers, 19 To send out from before you all those who are against you. 20 And when your son says to you in time to come, What is the reason for these rules and laws and decisions which the Lord our God has given you? 21 Then you will say to your son, We were servants under Pharaoh's yoke in Egypt; and the Lord took us out of Egypt with a strong hand: 22 And the Lord did great signs and wonders against Egypt, and against Pharaoh and all his house, before our eyes: 23 And he took us out from that place, guiding us here to give us this land, as he said in his oath to our fathers. 24 And the Lord gave us orders to keep all these laws, in the fear of the Lord our God, so that it might be well for us for ever, and that he might keep us from death, as he has done to this day. 25 And it will be our righteousness if we take care to keep all this order before the Lord our God as he has given it to us.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Deuteronomy 6:17-25
Commentary on Deuteronomy 6:17-25
(Read Deuteronomy 6:17-25)
Moses gives charge to keep God's commandments. Negligence will ruin us; but we cannot be saved without diligence. It is our interest, as well as our duty, to be religious. It will be our life. Godliness has the promise of the continuance and comfort of the life that now is, as far as it is for God's glory. It will be our righteousness. It is only through the Mediator we can be righteous before God. The knowledge of the spirituality and excellency of the holy law of God, is suited to show sinful man his need of a Saviour, and to prepare his heart to welcome a free salvation. The gospel honours the law, not only in the perfect obedience of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ; but in that it is a plan for bringing back apostate rebels and enemies, by repentance, faith, forgiveness, and renewing grace, to love God above all things, even in this world; and in the world above, to love him perfectly, even as angels love him.