Deuteronomy chapter 5 begins with Moses calling the whole assembly of Israel together. He says to this new generation, “Hear… the decrees and laws I declare to you today. Learn them and follow them.” Learn them and follow them- this is more than an academic exercise; this is a call for this new generation to live out their faith. Moses then tells them, “It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us that are alive here today“. Don’t miss this point: our God is a very personal God. It does not matter what your parents were like; each of us must individually accept Christ as our Lord. Next Moses explains his role, “I stood between the Lord and you because you were afraid.” Moses was the lawgiver, appointed to reveal God’s standard of perfection but Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Law. Hebrews 3:5 explains, “Moses was faithful… as a servant… but Christ was faithful as a Son“. HebrewsH 1 Timothy 2:5 reminds us that, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus“. Each of us can speak the truth of God’s word, but Christ alone paid the price of our sins.
Moses tells the people God’s commands. “I am the Lord your God… you shall have no other gods before Me“. “You shall not make for yourself an idol… I am a jealous God.” This is a term of intimacy and exclusivity. We must guard against just adding God to our “things to do list”. He desires a relationship, not a passing tip of the hat. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord.” Any time we misrepresent God’s loving nature by our words or our actions we abuse His name. “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” I believe we were created with a need for a day of rest. Symbolically, the early church chose to worship on the first day of the week since as Christians we believe Jesus did all the work necessary for salvation. Thus we restFIRST, then we work 6 days. Ultimately we should keep every day holy. Moses explains, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there“. Remembering where we came from allows us to rejoice in God every day!
Moses continues, “Honor your father and your mother… so you may live long and that it may go well with you“. This verse does not ONLY apply to the teen years! Then he gives the next four commandments without additional comment. “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony.” There are no situational ethics discussed, these are God’s standards period. Finally Moses gives the final commandment, which in some ways is the starting point for all of the commandments. “You shall not covet.” When we want what someone else has badly enough, we act by breaking one of the previous commandments. The opposite of coveting is contentment and I know of no contentment outside that which comes from God. This time after hearing God’s commandments the Israelites cry out “We will listen and obey“. God’s reply should ring in our ears today, “Walk in the way the Lord your God has commanded so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days“. Amen!