What is the context?
Moses turns from remembered events to a call to hear and obey the Lord’s statutes. Israel must neither add to nor subtract from the command. The contrast between death at Peor and those still living underscores the seriousness of holding fast to the Lord.
The law is to show wisdom and righteousness to other peoples. Israel must remember and teach its children what happened at Horeb, where they heard the Lord’s voice without seeing a form. The covenant and its commandments are to shape life in the land, not fade from memory.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley emphasizes that a nation’s greatness is seen in righteous laws rather than mere size or display. He also stresses the absence of a visible representation of God at Horeb. The passage joins careful preservation of God’s command with practice and teaching; remembering the event is not a substitute for following what was said.
What is our position?
Our Returning to the Word study directly uses Deuteronomy 4:2 to establish that we must not add to, subtract from, or alter what God has said. That is the position we apply here: preserve His words and read them in their context rather than replacing them with our own assumptions.