The archeologist’s spade has revealed that the book of Deuteronomy follows a literary pattern used in the ancient Near East for treaties between rulers and their vassal nations. With Israel, of course, the Lord had conquered their enemies and set the Jews free, and they were His special people, but as they entered their land, this freedom involved responsibilities. They were a covenant people and Deuteronomy defines the terms of the covenant. Like the ancient vassal treaties, Deuteronomy has a preamble (1:1–5) and a review of the history behind the treaty (1:6—4:49). Then it lists the ruler’s stipulations for the conduct of his subjects (chaps. 5—26) and what would happen if they disobeyed (chaps. 27—30). It closes with an explanation of how the treaty would operate in future generations (chaps. 31—34).
Moses began by calling Israel to hear God’s covenant, learn it, and do whatever it commanded (5:1). As we have seen, “to hear” means much more than to listen casually to words that somebody is speaking. It means to listen attentively, to understand, to heed and obey. When God made this covenant, it included every generation of the nation of Israel from that day on and not just with the generation that gathered at Sinai. Moses was addressing a new generation and yet he said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb” (v. 2). Just as God’s covenant with Abraham included the Jewish people of future generations, so did His covenant at Sinai, for God was their “dwelling place in all generations” (Ps. 90:1). Most of the people who had been at Sinai died during the wilderness wanderings, but the covenant of God stood fast.
Moses was the mediator between Jehovah and Israel because the people were afraid to hear the voice of God (Deut. 5:23–27; Ex. 20:18–21; and see Gal. 3:19). If we are believing and obedient people, hearing God’s voice means blessing and encouragement, but if our hearts are not right with God, His voice could mean judgment.
The law of God (vv. 6–21; Ex. 20:1–17). The Lord opened the proclamation of His law by reminding the people that it was He who delivered them from the slavery of Egypt (Deut. 5:6; see Neh. 9:9–11; Ps. 77:14–15; 105:23–38; 136:10–15; Isa. 63:11–14). This great act of redemption should have been motive enough for the people to listen to God’s law and obey it, just as the redemption we have in Christ should motivate us to obey Him. Each year at Passover, the Jews were reminded of God’s great act of salvation, and each time the church celebrates the Lord’s Supper, we’re reminded that Christ died for us that we might be saved from our sins and belong to Him. The Lord wants us to obey Him, not as slaves cringing before a master, but as grateful children who love their heavenly Father and appreciate all He is to us and has done for us.
The first four commandments had to do with Israel’s relationship to God personally: acknowledging that there is but one Lord (Deut. 5:6), abstaining from worshipping idols (vv. 8–10), honoring God’s name (v. 11), and observing the Sabbath (vv. 12–15). The first commandment (vv. 6–7) is expressed in the Shema (6:4–5), and the second commandment (vv. 8–10) is the logical expression of the first. If there is but one true God, then the making and worshipping of idols is not only illogical, but it’s a denial of Israel’s confession of faith. Israel was “married” to Jehovah at Sinai, and idolatry was a breach of that marriage covenant and the equivalent of adultery. Keep in mind that in the East in that day, idolatry could involve sexual intercourse with temple prostitutes.
We have already noted that the Lord doesn’t punish the children and grandchildren because of their ancestors’ sins (Ezek. 18), but He can permit the sad consequences of those sins to affect future generations, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Children are prone to imitate their parents, and Eastern peoples lived in extended families, with three and four generations often in the same home. It’s easy to see that the older members of the family had opportunities to influence the younger ones either for good or for evil. But the Lord also blesses successive generations of people who honor and obey Him. My great-grandfather prayed that there would be a preacher of the gospel in every generation of our family, and there has been. I minister today because of godly ancestors who trusted the Lord.
In the third commandment (Deut. 5:11), God’s name represents God’s character and reputation, and to honor His name means to make Him “look good” to the people around us. All parents want their children to bring honor to the family name. We pray, “Hallowed be thy name” (Matt. 6:9), and then we live and speak in such a way that we help to answer that prayer. Using God’s name under oath to defend a dishonest statement, as well as cursing and swearing, are ways of dishonoring the Lord’s name. Bearing that name and living like a Christian will honor God’s good name before a watching world (1 Peter 4:12–16).
Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament epistles for the church to obey; the exception is the fourth commandment (Deut. 5:12–15) about the Sabbath Day. Why? The Sabbath Day was a special sign between Israel and the Lord (Ex. 31:12–17; Neh. 9:13–15; Ezek. 20:12, 20) and wasn’t given to any other nation (Ps. 147:19–20). The Sabbath had its beginning in creation (Gen. 2:1–3) and for that reason was a part of Israel’s religious life even before the law was given at Sinai (Ex. 16:23, 25). But at Sinai, Sabbath observance became a part of God’s covenant with Israel and was associated with their deliverance from Egypt (Deut. 5:15). Canaan would be Israel’s place of rest (3:20; 12:10; 25:19), and the weekly Sabbath would give them a foretaste of that rest. Believers today have their rest in Christ (Matt. 11:28–30; Heb. 3—4) and look forward to eternal rest in heaven (Rev. 14:13). Unfortunately, Israel didn’t honor the Sabbath Days or the Sabbatical Year, and the Lord had to discipline them (2 Chron. 36:14–21; Ezek. 20; Isa. 58:13–14; Jer. 17:19–27).
Many well-meaning people call Sunday “the Christian Sabbath,” but strictly speaking, this is a misnomer. Sunday is the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, and the Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. The Sabbath symbolizes the old covenant of law: you labored for six days and then you rested. The Lord’s Day commemorates the new covenant of grace: it opens the week with rest in Christ and the works follow. Both the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day emphasize the importance of devoting one day in seven to the Lord in worship and service. Every day belongs to the Lord and it’s unbiblical to make the observance of days a test of spirituality or orthodoxy (Col. 2:16–17; Rom. 14:1— 15:7; Gal. 4:1–11).
The fifth commandment (Deut. 5:16) moves us from our relationship to the Lord to living out that relationship with other people, beginning in the home. Both the divine and human aspects of the law are important and must not be separated, because we’re commanded to love the Lord and also love our neighbors (Mark 12:28–34). Piety begins at home with honoring one’s father and mother, a law that was very important in Israel (Deut. 27:16; Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 19:3, 32; Prov. 1:8; 16:31; 20:20; 23:22; 30:17) and is still important in the church (Eph. 6:1–3; 1 Tim. 5:1–2). Too many people in today’s society worship youth and resent the idea of getting old, and for this reason the aged are often neglected and abused and, in some nations, legally killed (euthanasia— “assisted suicide”).
This leads logically to the sixth commandment (Deut. 5:17), which requires that we honor human life and not commit murder. God is the giver of life and only He has the right to take it. Because we’re made in God’s image, murder is an attack against God (Gen. 1:26–27; 9:6). The Bible doesn’t forbid self-defense (Ex. 22:2), but only the state has the right to take human life in cases of capital offense (Rom. 13). Jesus warned that murder often begins with anger (Matt. 5:21–26), and that while murder is far worse, anger is the moral equivalent of murder. It’s worth noting that the law was given to Israel to restrain people and punish them for their crimes, and not to reform them. While the law can’t change the human heart (Heb. 7:19), it can restrain and punish those who defy its authority and refuse to obey its precepts.
The seventh commandment (Deut. 5:18) calls for sexual purity and the honoring of marriage as God’s appointed way for the proper use and enjoyment of human sexuality. In ancient Israel, adultery was considered a capital crime (22:22), while in today’s society, it’s hardly considered a sin, let alone a crime. God can forgive sexual sins (1 Cor. 6:9–11) but He doesn’t promise to interfere with the painful consequences (2 Sam. 12:13–14; Prov. 6:20–35; Gal. 6:7–8; Heb. 13:4). It’s disgusting the way the media glorify sex and turn fornication and adultery into entertainment.
God is concerned not only about the way we treat other people but also about the way we treat other people’s property. The eighth commandment (Deut. 5:19) simply says, “Neither shalt thou steal.” Brief and to the point, it covers a multitude of offenses: stealing property, stealing a person’s good name (slander), cheating on an examination, and even stealing people (slavery, kidnapping). Ephesians 4: makes it clear that there are only three ways to get property: work for it, receive it as a gift, or steal it. Only the first two are acceptable to the Lord.
The ninth commandment (Deut. 5:20) forbids all forms of lying, whether on the witness stand in court or over the back fence (see 17:6–13). Truth is the cement that holds society together, and things fall apart when people don’t keep their promises, whether contracts in business or vows at the marriage altar. This commandment also prohibits slander, which is lying about other people (Ex. 23:1; Prov 10:18; 12:17; 19:9; 24:28; Titus 3:1–2; James 4:11; 1 Peter 2:1). God’s people should be known for speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
The focus of the tenth commandment (Deut. 5:21) is covetousness, the sinful desire in the heart for anything that rightfully we shouldn’t have. This commandment and the first commandment (v. 1) deal with inward attitudes rather than outward actions, but breaking either of these two commandments could lead to breaking all the rest of them. Because of covetousness, people have robbed, committed adultery, lied, and even murdered. If we obey the first commandment and truly love God and worship only Him, then covetousness won’t be a problem (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:16; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5).
Christian believers who depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22–26) and live by the law of love (Rom. 13:8–10) don’t have to strive to obey these commandments, because the life of God will flow through them and enable them to fulfill the righteousness of God (8:1–17). The old nature knows no law, but the new nature needs no law. There’s probably a law in your city that requires parents to care for their children, but how many parents think about that law? Parents care for their children because they love them, not because they’re afraid of going to jail.
Because we’ve been born again into God’s family and have received God’s divine nature within, we are enabled by the Spirit to obey God’s law and live godly lives (1 John 3:1–9).
The God of the law (vv. 22–33). The purpose of the law of God is to reveal the God of the law, and when you focus on Him, you find it a delight to obey His commands (Ps. 40:8). Moses closed his review of the Ten Commandments by reminding the new generation that at Sinai God revealed His glory and His greatness. The God of Israel is not to be trifled with because He is a holy God. Israel would never again go to Sinai and see the fire, the cloud, the darkness, and the lightning, and hear the awesome voice of God speak from the mountain, but they needed to remember the majesty of their God and the authority of His Word.
Many churches today have lost the biblical concept of the majesty and authority of God as expressed in His law. This deficiency has cheapened our worship, turned evangelism into religious salesmanship, and converted the Bible into a self-help book that’s guaranteed to make you a success. A.W. Tozer was right when he said that “no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.” He also said, “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.” If that’s true, and I believe it is, then many evangelical Christians are guilty of idol worship.
In his appeal to Israel, Moses urged them to remember the majesty of God and respect the Word of God. He quoted Jehovah’s own words, “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always” (Deut. 5: niv). Obedience is always a matter of the heart, and if we love the Lord, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15, 21–24). There’s no conflict between the greatness of God and the grace of God, His transcendence and His immanence, for we can love the Lord and fear the Lord with the same heart (Ps. 2:10–12; 34:8–9). The fear of the Lord is a major theme in Deuteronomy (6:2, 13, 24; 10:20; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12), but so is the love of God for us (7:7; 10:15; 23:5) as well as our love for Him (6:5; 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 19:9; 30:6, 16, 20). The immature believer with a shallow theology sees a contradiction here, but the mature believer rejoices in the balance revealed in the Word: “God is love” and “God is light” (1 John 4:8; 1:5).
Even though God’s children live under grace and not under the Mosaic law (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:1), it’s important for us to know the law of God so that we might better know the God of the law and please Him. Christ has fulfilled the types and symbols found in the law, so we no longer practice the Old Testament rituals as Israel did. Christ bore the curse of the law on the cross (Gal. 3:10–13) so that we need not fear judgment (Rom. 8:1). But the moral law still stands and God still judges sin. It’s as wrong today to lie, steal, commit adultery, and murder as it was when Moses received the tables of the law at Mount Sinai. In fact, it’s worse, because we have today the full revelation of God’s will through Jesus Christ, and we sin against a flood of light.
“I will delight myself in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (Ps. 119:16).