Deuteronomy 4 begins and ends with the call to understand how special Israel is in the sight of God, and in the history of the world. “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?”
The answer?
There is no nation like Israel.
Near the end, Moses asks: “Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking our of fire as you have and lived?”
The answer, again, is “no.”
Israel has a special, unique, closer relationship with God than any other people. And this God is not known for how He looks, for Israel has never seen Him. He is known for what He does. Israel should remember that and not be making gods in the images of what she sees and knows. She should, instead, worship the God who has acted in her behalf.
Many New Testament texts underscore how special Christians are in the sight of God. We are a “chosen people” (Colossians 3:2), the “people who belong to God” (1 Peter 2:9). Because we are unique and chosen, God should be our God, and, because He has acted in our behalf and no one else, our devotion and dedication should be solely to Him.