Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 5

• Deuteronomy 5:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 

God was not just giving good advice here. These were commandments that meant the difference between life and death. They could have been a prosperous nation that would have been blessed of God above all nations but alas, sin crept in later as we read in later books of the Old Testament. Statutes, judgments given by God through Moses were to instruct and teach them how to live once they come into the land that God has granted to them. It is heartbreaking to read of their backsliding in later years causing them to be sold to Babylon. 

• Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 
• 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 
• 4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 

The sad part of this is that they were afraid of the voice of God and desired that He use Moses or an intercessor instead of speaking to them face to face. 

Actually aside from Moses and a few faithful prophets, God could not find an intercessor that was faithful enough to trust with His word until Jesus Christ. 

After Jesus' death and resurrection, He and He alone became the intercessor between God and man. Now prophets, teachers and such are to bring forth the word of God. We are not to intercede by praying in place of someone praying themselves. We can pray and intercede for people but they must pray themselves to reach God. We can't have faith for someone else or save someone else. 

• Deuteronomy 5:5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, 
• 6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 
• 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 
• 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 

I've spoken on the evil of idolatry in previous chapters but it is so serious that its worth mentioning again. Idolatry is an insult to God. We are not to make images to use in worship as representatives even of the real God. We are not to make images of anything on earth or in Heaven. That would include statue of Jesus, Mary or the apostles. We are not to use them to pray. We are to pray with faith, not with sight. Those idols cannot do any good or evil. 

The greatest danger from false worship, false religion or idolatry is the substitute religious feelings that people will mistake for the presence of God. It is sensual and makes us feel religious but there is no conviction of sin and no salvation from sin in any false religion even if that false religion is one that is supposedly a form of Christendom. 

• Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 

Iniquity and sin will influence our descendants up until the fourth generation. The effects of it is visited upon descendants. 

• Deuteronomy 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 

Mercy is shown to those that love God. When we keep God's commandments, that confirms our love for God. If we claim we love God and ignore His commandments, that would show that we do not love Him at all. It may be possible to keep His commandments without loving God but very unlikely. To love God is to love His word and follow his ways. I guess to be brought up strickly and obey commandments because of how one has been taught is possible but sooner or later we would fail and break at least one. Doing things out of our love for God always works better living by the spirit of the law or the intent of the law rather than strictly legal. 

• Deuteronomy 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

This reminds us of the reverence and holiness of God. We are never to take God lightly or enter His presence in an irreverent manner. We are not to use His name in the wrong manner like cursing or without reverence. 

• Deuteronomy 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 

This is one commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament. I believe it is because Jesus fulfilled this one and our worship now is not limited to a time or place but we worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now we worship all 7 days a week and not just on Saturday. Still though since God did make it for our good both for spiritual refreshment and physical, I wouldn't dismiss it and take it lightly nor would I change the Sabbath to a Sunday. I don't think we have a right to change the day. Through Christ we have a daily fellowship with Him that is holy and good.

In saying all this though, our bodies need rest and we need spiritual refreshing. We neglect our bodies and our soul when we do not take a day of rest and worship that is apart from everything else. We need one day to give ourselves totally to worship and rest from physical labor. The Sabbath also gives us a glimpse of our eternal rest from our time here on earth to eternity in heaven. Since the church I attend meets the 1st day of the week, that is when I ago. If they ever changed it to a Saturday, I would go then.

• Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 
• 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 

This is another reason for keeping one day of rest. Those that serve and have hard labor need to rest. Our bodies are not made to work 7 days with no rest. Even the animals need a break.

• Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 

If God had not have given us a Sabbath rest, servants, and those that work for hire would never get any rest because of the greed and lack of compassion in human nature. Some lords and masters do lack compassion.

• Deuteronomy 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 

This commandment has a promise of a long life to those that honor their parents. Notice it doesn't say just the father but also the mother. They are to be respected and taken care of in their old age. This promise of a long life if one respects his or her parents usually comes to pass literally although it is promised in general. There are always exceptions when one dies prematurely even if they honored their parents but as rule this verse is true. 

My own dad lived until the age of 95 and his history is one in which his parents were honored and respected by him. This does not mean that when one dies young, he or she did not honor the parents but as a general rule, we reap what we sow and long life results when we are obedient and honor parents.  

• Deuteronomy 5:17 Thou shalt not kill. 

We must not kill either by physical killing or by hating them so much we wish them dead. This does not mean that the law of the land cannot put to death those that kill and are a threat to society because God later gives laws concerning those that kill. 

• Deuteronomy 5:18 Neither shalt commit adultery. 

This is one commandment that is totally ignored today or taken very lightly. Adultery and fornication has become a way of life. Divorce has become the norm. This is not good. As a society we still recognize stealing and murder as evil but we accept adultery and fornication in many cases. We justify it and think nothing of sleeping around outside of marriage. As a result children are confused, sexual sin is rampant and society as a whole is defiled. We are slowly destroying ourselves. Disease will result. 

• Deuteronomy 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal. 

So far this is still outlawed in most places but it is done in other ways. False advertising, cheating, defrauding, robbing people of their hard earned money by high taxation, misrepresenting and lying. 

• Deuteronomy 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

This is lying but it involves lying to the point of making another person look bad. False accusation, assuming someone's guilt when he may not be, or just blaming someone else for our own sins. 

• Deuteronomy 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. 

Covetousness is another form of idolatry. The love of material things so much so that we want what our neighbor has or want better than they have or what they have. Desiring their wife (husband) is really committing adultery in the heart. 

• Deuteronomy 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
• 23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 
• 24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 
• 25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 
• 26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 
• 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. 
• 28 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 
• 29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 
• 30 Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. 
• 31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. 

Mankind has always wanted someone else to do their praying, their seeking God and even worship for them. That is why we have so much false religion. Religion has always been used to control people and take advantage of their spiritual laziness. 

We need to seek God for ourselves and receive His salvation through the only mediator between God and man and that mediator is Jesus Christ. I keep thinking how luckly they would have been if they would have asked to hear from God Himself and not through an intercessor. When God sent Jesus, that is exactly what can happen but only to those that seek Jesus. Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we all can receive after coming to Jesus Christ for our salvation, we can commune with God ourselves.

• Deuteronomy 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 
• 33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. 

This would assure them of long life and a strong nation. God's commandments are good and for our good. He never desires our destruction. It is His will for all of us to find salvation. It is not His will that anyone should perish but have eternal life. These commandments are given to put a hold on iniquity until Christ came to give us power over sin and write the commandments on our hearts. 

• Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
• 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

This is what Jesus Christ is all about. He puts the law in our hearts instead of trying to keep the commandments by will power. When we simply believe in Him and turn away from sin, we are born again by the spirit of God. The commandments become part of us. From within we begin to live for God from a heart of love that has been cleansed and renewed by the Spirit of God. DC

Deuteronomy 6