Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

[20] And when thy son  asketh  thee in time to come,  saying,  What mean the testimonies,  and the statutes,  and the judgments,  which the LORD  our God  hath commanded  [21] Then thou shalt say  unto thy son,  We were Pharaoh's  bondmen  in Egypt;  and the LORD  brought us out  of Egypt  with a mighty  hand:  [22] And the LORD  shewed  signs  and wonders,  great  and sore,  upon Egypt,  upon Pharaoh,  and upon all his household,  before our eyes:  [23] And he brought us out  from thence, that he might bring us in,  to give  us the land  which he sware  unto our fathers.  [24] And the LORD  commanded  us to do  all these statutes,  to fear  the LORD  our God,  for our good  always,  that he might preserve us alive,  as it is at this day.  [25] And it shall be our righteousness,  if we observe  to do  all these  commandments  before  the LORD  our God,  as he hath commanded  us.

What does Deuteronomy 6:20-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God explained more fully here the teaching of children that He had hinted at previously ( Deuteronomy 6:7). We can learn from these verses how to maintain and transmit a realistic consciousness of the true God from one generation to the next. This whole chapter deals with the first commandment in the Decalogue.
"Later Judaism wrongly concluded that covenant keeping was the basis for righteousness rather than an expression of faithful devotion. But true covenant keeping in the final analysis is a matter of faith, not merely of works and ritual. Thus the central feature of the covenant stipulations is their providing a vehicle by which genuine saving faith might be displayed (cf. Deuteronomy 24:13; Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Romans 4:1-5; Galatians 3:6-7)." [1]
In view of God"s grace to His people, believers should respond with love for God. We should express that love in obedience to His revealed will, and we should perpetuate the knowledge of God in the next generation.