The Ten Commandments (5:1-33)
Neal Pollard
Having reviewed the last forty years of wandering, Moses takes them back to Mt. Sinai (here, he identifies Horeb in verse 2). He is going to review the Ten Commandments and help them grasp its importance to them as they go forward. He wants them to hear, learn, and observe (1). The ears, mind, and hands all would need to be involved in receiving the law.
The background to the giving of the law (1-5). The focus is decidedly on “the Lord” (verses 2-4 begin by referencing Him, and He is mentioned 24 times in the chapter). He made a covenant with these people and spoke to them in dramatic fashion. They were afraid because of the divine fireworks while Moses was receiving this law up on Sinai.
The content of the law (6-21). Moses reiterates what is first recorded in Exodus 20 and was first shared with the fallen generation, the parents of these listeners. In addition to restating the decalogue:
- You shall have no other gods before me (7).
- You shall not make for yourselves an idol (8-10).
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (11).
- Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy (12-15).
- Honore your father and mother (16).
- You shall not murder (17).
- You shall not commit adultery (18).
- You shall not steal (19).
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (20).
- You shall not covet… (21),
Moses gives reasons why. There was God’s deliverance (6). There’s God’s perfect jealousy and justice (9). There’s God’s perfect mercy (10). There’s God’s promise of punishment to the disobedient (11). There’s God’s sovereign commandments (12). There’s God’s deliverance (15). There’s God’s blessings (16). Woven into the fabric of the laws is the law-giver, just one of many examples of how God connects our relationship with Him to our relationship with His Word. In the New Testament, Jesus will continue this thought process when He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
The response to the law (22-33). Given this connection, we are not surprised that the people are filled with awe (22-24), but even more than that dread (25). They asked Moses to intercede for them as God spoke (26-31). Yet, God wanted their unswerving loyalty and obedience to the law. He wanted them to depart neither to the left nor right (32). He wanted wholehearted obedience for their own good (33).
God wanted them to remember where they had been, what He had communicated, and how they should react to His instructions. That is a helpful approach for us to make to Scripture today, looking back and letting it be our present and future guide. We cannot anticipate the specific challenges ahead, but we can know that wholehearted obedience will render the same result: “that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess” (33).
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