SCRIPTURE: DEUTERONOMY 5
IMPORTANT VERSES:
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29)
“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. (Deuteronomy 5:32)
“Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:33)
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (vs. 1-33)
Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers hath the lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well wi8th you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
“You shall not murder.”
“You shall not commit adultery.”
“You shall not steal.”
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
These are the commandments the lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and y8our elders came to me. And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”
The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”
“Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”
“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you, do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
THOUGHTS: Let us memorize The Ten Commandments in a simple way:
- No other gods. (No)
- No idols. (No)
- Don’t misuse God’s name. (No)
- Keep the Sabbath day holy. (Yes)
- Honor your father & mother. (Yes)
- Do not murder. (No)
- Do not commit adultery. (No)
- Do not steal. (No)
- Do not give false testimony. (No)
- Do not covet. (No)
The first 4 commandments involve our relationship with God. The last 6 commandments involve our relationship with people. The first 4 commandments start with 3 negatives and 1 positive while the last 6 commandments start with 1 positive and 5 negatives. In the New Testament, the Ten Commandments are being consolidated into two: The first one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength” . And the second one: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. These are found in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27.
THOUGHTS: (From Life Application Study Bible)
The people had entered into a covenant with God and Moses commanded them to hear, learn and follow his regulations. Christians also have entered into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ and should be responsive to what God expects.
Moses’ threefold command to the Israelites is excellent advice for all believers.
- Listening is absorbing and accepting information about God.
- Learning is understanding its meaning and implications.
- Obeying is putting into action all we have learned and understood. All three parts are essential to a growing relationship with God.
Many worship other gods by joining cults or strange religions. However, many of us worship other gods by building our lives around something other than the one true God. If your greatest desire is for popularity, power, prestige or wealth, you are devoting yourself to something other than God. The only way to have only one God is by putting God first in your life. Your priority is to love God in everything you do and have a genuine relationship with Him.
Instead of misusing God’s name, we should use God’s name to praise him and ascribe to him glory.
One way of honoring parents is to obey them and provide for them in times of financial need or when they are ill and unable to care for themselves. The best way to honor them is to pass on their godly values to our children. Are you showing respect to your parents? Are you living in a way that brings honor to them?
Jesus explained that hateful anger is equivalent to murder in our hearts. If you are angry with someone who mistreated you and you want to take revenge or wish that someone died, you are morally guilty of murder and need to ask God’s forgiveness. Instead we should commit ourselves to the opposite of hatred and anger – love and reconciliation.
To covet is to desire another person’s prosperity. We must not desire anything that belongs to someone else. Such desires can make us miserable and lead us to other sins such as adultery and stealing. To stop coveting, we need to practice being content with what we have. Instead of thinking about what we don’t have, we should thank God for what he has given and strive to be content.
God told Moses that he wanted the people to incline their hearts to fear him – to want to respect and obey him. There is a difference between doing something because it is required and doing something because we want to. God is not interested in forced religious exercises and rule keeping. He wants our hearts and lives completely dedicated to Him. If we love him, obedience will follow.