Deuteronomy Chapter 5
As you read through this chapter you will quickly realize that the Ten Commandments are given a second time by Moses to the people. Moses is rehearsing God’s commandments to the new generation, laws that they will need to keep close to their heart if they want to strive to please God. The Ten Commandments are the essence of all of God’s law; that all who benefited from His covenant would be expected to keep. Keep in mind that God was going to keep His covenant regardless of the people’s actions. And sadly, His people were never able to keep all His commandments. To this day the only one who ever kept the whole law and lived a sinless life is Jesus Christ.
Moses made it clear that the covenant that God made with His people was the same covenant that He made with them the present generation who were about to inherit the bounty of God’s blessing in the promised land. And because they were the recipients of the covenant they needed to learn and to keep all of God’s commandments. To learn these commandments, they would need to rehearse them over and over until they became a transformational part of their being. The very word of God changes lives!
Let's Reflect
1. What reminder does God continually bring before the Israelites to remind them who they are to be loyal to?
2. The first four commandments have to do with their relationship with whom?
3. Moses recalls how the people reacted when God came to the mountain in thunder and power and fire. How did the people react to the awesomeness of God?
4. God said their response was the correct response. Why? See verse 29.
5. The opposite response to God, the one talked about in verses 8-9, show a total disregard for God. A person who turns their back on God and passes that hatred on to their children will see the judgement of God passed on nationally to the next generations. What commandment is to be kept so that a nation is not judged by God for generations to come?
6. The third and fourth commandments are evidence of how we view God and the importance of Him in our lives. As you read through these two commandments what comes to mind right away as something that you hear God calling attention to in your life?
7. The last 6 commandments deal with our relationship with other people. It probably does not need to be said, but if we could learn to keep the first four commandments then the last 6 would come naturally. These commandments were not just mere suggestions for how to live a good life but were commandments from God. Verse 22 describes how serious God was about His commandments. How did God present His commandments to His people?
8. Fear of getting too close to the mountain was a correct response of the people. They were afraid of the awesomeness and holiness of Him. What did they fear would happen to them if they got too close?
If they followed God’s commandments and did not turn to the right or to the left, what benefits or blessings did God promise them?
