Deuteronomy 5:1-22 NKJV
5 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. 4 The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. 5 I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:
6 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.
8 ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
12 ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
17 ‘You shall not murder.
18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.
19 ‘You shall not steal.
20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’
22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
As you know by now Deuteronomy is a repeater of what was conveyed by God in the books that preceded it. This section repeats the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:7-20. How appropriate to be reminded of what was conveyed in that devotion back in December. So… understanding the Commandments in their biblical and historical context matters.
The first thing to note is that the Ten Commandments were not dropped down from heaven to all men; they were given specifically to the nation of Israel in the context of their recent delivery from slavery in Egypt. Those are actually the first words spoken by God to the people gathered in fear and awe at the foot of Mt. Sinai: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Certain parts of the Ten Commandments applied only to Old Testament Israel, while large parts reflect the eternal, unchanging will of God for all mankind. Studying the Law of Moses involves distinguishing between God’s eternal will for all men (often referred to as the “moral law”) and His temporary commands for Israel only (referred to as “ceremonial law” and “civil law”).
The second thing to note is that, as Jesus makes clear in the Sermon on the Mount, that the Ten Commandments govern not only our actions but also our words and the thoughts and desires of our hearts. Those that forbid coveting make this especially clear. God commands not only outward obedience that flows from genuine love for God and for our neighbor.
Third, note that the Ten Commandments never empower obedience. Many of the same people who heard God thunder down His commandments would soon flagrantly disobey the very first one. Such disobedience reveals the utter depravity of sinful man and the need for sinners to be saved in a different way than by keeping the commandments, namely, through faith in the fully atoning merits of Christ Jesus (who is the way)!
Let us pray: Lord, grant that we who trust in Jesus alone for salvation may walk in the way of Your commandments. Amen.