Deuteronomy 5:1-22
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. 4 The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. 5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: 6 “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. 4 The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. 5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: 6 “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
7 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.’
22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
These sayings or words of God are commandments and not suggestions or mere conversational ideas. Matthew 5:17-19 puts this in perspective by using the Greek word ἐντολή (entolē) which definitely carries the meaning of authoritative command or prescribed rule. Even the Hebrew here, מִצְוָה (miṣwâ), carries that meaning, though some seek to lessen the imperative of the authority by translating to soften the meaning to mere ‘sayings’ of God. These commands give us the boundaries of the knowledge of good and evil for us to learn from God by His Spirit (Hebrews 5:14), which the Jews who here before Christ came in the flesh failed to do in their own efforts of power and wisdom, because they can only be followed by God’s enabling work in us (Ezekiel 11:19-20, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Philippians 2:12-13). These ten commandments begin with knowing God and acknowledging who He is, then worshipping and serving no other as our God. We are to honor His name for who He is and all His will does for His glory, not ascribing evil intent to Him (James 1:13). We rest from our works in Christ (Hebrews 4:4, 9-10) to honor God’s work in the first creation and our re-creation (Galatians 2:19-21) of a new life in Christ. We then show honor to those placed over us by His wisdom and order, to include parents first of all (Ephesians 6:2), as well as authorities He ordains (Romans 13:1). We do not hate, knowing that is intentional murder (Matthew 5:21-22), nor lust in our hearts as misplacing the commitment of marriage with the fleeting self-seeking pleasures of adultery as the desire of our flesh (1 John 2:15-17) - these are the heart of the commandments. The command also includes not taking away from others what has not given by God’s grace and provision to us, or lying to protect ourselves from the consequences of our actions. Wanting anything or anyone who He has not given us is likewise offensive to our Lord and Master who loves us and has designed these rules as the best for our good and His glory of holiness. These commands were written on tablets of stone and kept in the ark of the Testimony, but were intended to live in regenerated hearts on tablets of flesh which are living and powerful words (Hebrews 4:12), to the testimony of our new life now in Christ Jesus. Let us then follow Him in loving obedience from our hearts and not obligation, in grace and at peace with our God (Romans 5:1). Amen!
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