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Chapter introduction

The generation that stood before Moses had been children when the Israelites were at Mt. Sinai.  The youngest would be in their forties with no memory and the oldest would be in their sixties with pretty good memory of the mountain of God.  Either way, they would have been under the care of their parents.  They would not have understood that they were accountable to God, by way of the law. 

Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments before this generation.  They needed to understand them.  These were their laws now.  Yahweh revealed His righteousness to them through the law.  They would all find they needed Yahweh’s grace and mercy because they would constantly fail at keeping the law.

Deuteronomy 5:1-5

The statues at the regulations from God.  The judgments are the customs or habitual practices for walking before the Lord.  Moses called for them to hear these things, learn them and observe them.  The Lord made a covenant at Mt. Sinai.  The covenant wasn’t just with their fathers but with the nation, from generation to generation. 

The presence of God was to terrifying to the people.  Moses stood in the place of the people before God.  God spoke to him face to face and it was as though he spoke to every generation through Moses.  The covenant was to Israel.  

Deuteronomy 5:6

The basis for the giving of the law is that Yahweh proclaims Himself as their God.  His proof of that is that He brought them out of Egypt, delivering them from bondage.  This identifying work was bringing a couple million people out of bondage from the world’s superpower.  It would have decimated Egypt’s workforce and crushed their economy. 

The first commandment is the gatekeeper of commandments.  If you can’t get past this one, there is no reason to go on.  He’s a jealous God because He is the only God.  He isn’t just one of the many choices.  The Israelites were without hope in their bondage.  There was no other god working on their behalf. 

It is a right response to trust in the Lord alone.  He alone is God.  This command calls for complete loyalty to Him.

Deuteronomy 5:7-10

The second commandment has similarities to the first.  Part of complete submission to Yahweh is to worship Him only in the prescribed way.  The Lord is not like the nations around them that made wooden, silver or golden idols of animals, birds or other things.  They weren’t to look to the heavens and worship the sun, moon or starts.  The nations would worship their idols.  They would speak spells and incantations before their idols in an effort to extract blessings, health, wealth or other well-being.  Yahweh is like no created thing because He is the creator of all things.

The iniquity visiting to the children isn’t a generational curse.  The guilt of the sinful father would remain on the father while the next generation was born and raised and under the father’s guidance and counsel.  The grandchildren born under the idolatrous grandfather and father would be afflicted by their sin.

But Yahweh isn’t to be characterized by judging sin effecting the living generations, but by His mercy bestowed upon thousands of those who love Him and keep His commandments across a thousand generations.

Deuteronomy 5:11

The context of the third commandment is the legal use of the name of the Lord.  The name of Yahweh should not be used vainly.  This is to say, man shouldn’t speak the name as though it had no value, power or worth. 

A person’s name is intimately connected to their being.  It is part of their identity and not just a label.  In those days, to give your name to a stranger was a matter of trust.  It was to make yourself vulnerable to them.  The cultural belief was that if you possessed the name of a person, you could control them through magic or manipulate them.  Yahweh could not be manipulated and would not allow His children to attempt it. 

In a similar thought, using the Lord’s name to manipulate others would fall under this category.  Have your ever heard someone say, “God told me to tell you….”  This kind of manipulation is particularly present in false teachers and word faith movements.  However, it also happens subtly in the church.

In addition, vows and oaths made in the name of the Lord, we to be taken seriously.  Using the Lord’s name to impress another with a vow was a violation of this command.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

The Sabbath day was instituted from the beginning.  It is found in creation.  The Lord rested on the seventh day.  No Sabbath rest is not found in any other culture.  A day of rest is not found among the pagans.  Rest from work could not be counterfeited by the devil because it goes against his principles.

The command was not so much a command to rest or do nothing as much as it was a cessation of one’s normal occupation.  We can see from Moses’ exposition that this included their animals and slaves.  Man wasn’t to take the day off and make someone else work. 

Jesus added so many thoughts to this, particularly the idea that this day was created for man.  We simply need that day to cease from work.  Part of that cessation was to renew or remember the Lord is our hope and provider, not the work of our hand.  We work as stewards of what has been entrusted to us, but the blessing comes from the Lord.  The provision and opportunity for us to earn a living is a gift from God. 

The letter of the law was expanded to a list of addendums where the purpose of Sabbath is barely recognizable.  Jesus challenged these things in His walk, particularly the idea of mercy, healing, love, care and kindness on the Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 5:16

Commandments five through nine deal with life in covenant community.

Honor of your father and mother was a command coming with a promise.  Honoring your parents brought long and abundant life in the land.  It should be stated that presence in the Promised Land would be threatened by disrespect for parents. 

The idea of this respect is that a religious heritage would be passed on.  As the generation Moses spoke to heard his words, they would, in turn, pass them to the children and children’s children.  Within the covenant teaching, the children would hear the command to respect their parents teaching. 

Parents act as God’s agents in passing along His covenant relationship as well as testimony of His care, provision and mercy.  Failure to honor our parents is a violation as well as removing the parents from speaking into the life of the child.

Deuteronomy 5:17

The idea of this sixth commandment is the respect for life and the restriction of murder of another human.  This particularly speaks to intentional, premeditated or not, taking of life.  Great care should even be taken to not bring on accidental death.  Human irresponsibility resulting in accidental death could fall in this category.

The question arises; is man suited to determine who lives or dies in any circumstance?  Certainly, we could answer a firm no if they are not under the Lord’s counsel.  Consider war or punishment for heinous murder.

Jesus extended this commandment to search the heart and intent.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Deuteronomy 5:18

Commentaries say that the law is concerned about paternity, not sexual ethics.  The purpose of the commandment was to ensure that the husband’s bloodline would continue through his children.  The law was to give him the confidence that the children of his wife were his own.  This establishes an integrity of the family.

A man having an affair with an unmarried woman was not considered adultery.  The offender had to pay damages to the father.  This was because of polygamous marriages.  The wife was an extension of the husband.  Perpetuation of his family and bloodline were critical.  Some of the practices were not acceptable in culture, or preferred, but they were not adultery as defined by the law.

However, Jesus came along much later and looked to the heart.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)

Deuteronomy 5:19

The eighth commandment is the restriction on theft.  The word used to describe theft puts no restriction on quantity or value.  Theft is simply taking possession of something that doesn’t belong to you.  The idea conveyed is that of cheating someone out of something.  This extends from kidnapping to dignity, respect, freedom and rights.

You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:9-10)

Deuteronomy 5:20

The ninth commandment restricts false witness.  A man’s value was to be seen in his word and testimony.  A thing was established by the testimony of two or more.  This gives us a hint that false witness was prevalent among fallen man and always would be.  We swear an oath in our day when we give testimony.  However, when the Lord is removed from the oath, can we rely on any testimony.  Man can so quickly use his word to get what he wants.  If there is no fixed point of reference – if there is no set truth, then we tend to create gray areas to operate in. 

A society that bears false witness suffers greatly.  Who is trustworthy?  Everyone seems to have their own truth?  Are our teachers trustworthy?  Who do we listen to?  We can see the moral decay of our time is tightly linked to false witnesses.  (Nixon, “I am not a crook.”  Clinton, “It depends on what the definition of “is” is.)

Deuteronomy 5:21

The word translated to covet speaks of obsession or craving leading to theft or violating another person’s body or property.  The idea of coveting is sometimes expressed in the phrase “to lift the eyes.”  Violation of this command can only be detected when the obsession is acted upon.

Deuteronomy 5:22-27

The commandments were spoken by God to the assembly.  The thunder and lightning, along with the sound of the trumpet and sight of the smoking mountain and flames of fire, brought great fear to the people (Exodus 20:18-19).  The people heard His voice from the fire.  They were afraid to hear from God for fear of dying.  They believed no one could hear His voice and live, let alone see Him. 

The Lord wrote the commandments on two tablets of stone.  This would have been two copies of the commandments.  Stone inscriptions often had writing on both the front and back.

He added no more.  This is fascinating that such a vast and almighty God might sum up his requirements for the created in just ten commands.  In these we find guidance around fellowship with God and community.  The commands provide a sketch of God’s perfection and righteousness.  The people saw and heard the glory and greatness of Yahweh.  In them we find our need for a Savior.  The commands are a fence around God’s people.

The people volunteered Moses to go and hear from the Lord so they wouldn’t have to.  Then, when Moses told them all the Lord had said, they would do it.  They would soon forget Moses’ role as their priest as well as forget all the Lord told them.

Deuteronomy 5:28-31

The Lord heard the words of the people.  The Lord desired that they would truly have a heart to always fear and obey Him.  This obedience and fear of the Lord would bring an abundant life in the land.  The Lord sent them away and called Moses to come near and hear the remaining statutes and commands that would be critical when they came to the land.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Now, that command to fear and be obedient came to this generation that would enter the land.  It would go well with them if they did as the Lord commanded.  If they walked in all His ways, they would:

1. Live
2. It may be well with them
3. They would prolong their days in the land they possess.

©2007, 2023 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater