Thru the Bible - #156-Deuteronomy 5- The Ten Commandments Repeated

Transcript

Welcome And Settle In

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Bereen's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a tea, and let's get into today's lesson. All right, welcome back and thank you for joining me. Open your Bible to Deuteronomy chapter 5. The title of today's lesson is The Ten Commandments Repeated. Remember that this is Moses' last go-around. This is Moses' last message to the new generation that is going to go into the promised land. Moses isn't going in with them, but he is giving the younger generation a recap, if you will, of things that happened in the past. So as always, we will do our reading and then we will get into the lesson. Deuteronomy 5, let's read.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Deuteronomy 5. Moses summoned all Israel and said, Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them, and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire, and did not go up the mountain. And he said, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Observe the Sabbath day, by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long, and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. These are the commands the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there, on the mountain, from out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness, and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me, and you said, The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire as we have and survived? Go near and listen to all the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you, we will listen and obey. The Lord heard you. When you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children for ever. Go, tell them to return to their tents, but you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees, and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess. So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Covenant Is Personal And Present

Salvation Before Obedience

No Other Gods And No Idols

God’s Name Must Carry Weight

Sabbath Rest Then Work

Honor Parents And Value Life

Truth Purity And Contentment

Fear That Creates Distance

Stay Straight And Don’t Drift

Final Charges And How To Respond

Subscribe Share And Reach Out

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Now, let's start this out like this. No matter what you're trying to do in life, whether it's school, a job, sports, or anything else, anything in general, you always have to go back to the basics. You know, if let's say you're trying to learn a new language, you start with the alphabet. If you're in the military, you go through basic training. If you're, you know, trying to learn a skill, you start with the fundamentals, you know, like if it's uh let's say basketball, for an example, you know, you start with uh things like the proper way to dribble the ball. You learn the rules, you know, you learn the fundamentals. And that's exactly what's happened here in Deuteronomy chapter 5. Now, this is a new generation of Israel, and they're about to step into the promised land. As I mentioned before, you know, Moses is trying to get them right, if you will, so they can be ready for you know what is ahead, and so they can take the reins. And then uh Moses, he does something powerful. He takes them back to the basis, as I mentioned, because they're going to experience the blessings of God. They need to hear it, learn it, and they also need to live it. Now, God's people must carefully hear, learn, and obey God's word if they want to experience a blessed life. And there are several reminders that we get in this chapter. Uh, the first is God made a covenant with Israel. Uh, notice verse 1. Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing that you may learn them and absorb them carefully. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. God made a covenant with you. And this is what Moses reminded them. Now, that's a personal pronoun. God made a covenant with you, not just anyone, not every nation. This was personal and it was specific to Israel. They were chosen by God, and that matters because everything that follows is based on that relationship. The second reminder is this covenant is for you. Notice verse 3. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. This is interesting what Moses said. This wasn't for your fathers, this is for you right now. In other words, don't live off someone else's relationship with God. You need your own. So this wasn't about times past, this was about the very moment or the very people at that time. The next reminder is God spoke directly to you. Look at verses four and five. The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, while I was standing 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 did not go up to the mountain. God didn't send a message through ten or different people. That is what is the powerful message uh given here. He spoke directly. There was fire, there were patience, there was power, but the people were afraid. So Moses stood in as the mediator. If you all remember when we went through that back in Exodus, when the Lord was speaking, what did the people say? They said, Oh, Moses, you know, uh you go and speak to the Lord for us. You know, the Lord is powerful. You know, uh they saw the fire and they said, You know, we're afraid you speak to him for us, and that's what Moses did. He stood as their mediator, if you will, at that time. Which brings us to the next reminder. God gave his word. We see this in verses 6 through 21. Now, Moses walks through what we know as the Ten Commandments, but he expands on them. And before we even get into that, don't miss this. God saved them first, then gave them the commands. Salvation comes before obedience. That's something that we need to remember. And we will go through that and look at the key messages from God. The first message is I am the God who saved you. Look at verse 6. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. God reminds them, I brought you out of Egypt. Before anything else, he is a deliverer. The second message, no other gods. Look at verse 7. You shall have no other gods before me. God must be first, not second, not competing, but he must be first. And we have talked about this before. When the Lord said, No other gods, he's not just talking about false gods that some people serve, but he's talking about anything in your life that you put before him. Your sin, your uh your earthly commitments. The Lord is to be first, and he wants to be first, and he deserves to be first. Uh, the third and fourth message messages are uh no idols. Look at verses eight and nine. You should not make for yourselves an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me. Don't create anything to replace God and don't worship anything but God. And we uh talked about that uh a little bit earlier. God is jealous for you, not of you. That's what you need to remember. I know once I heard someone say, You know, I can't believe that you know God is you know jealous of me. No, he he's jealous for you. The Lord the Lord wants you. That that's what he wants, and he doesn't want you to create an idol or anything that you put before him. That brings us to the fifth message. Obedience brings mercy. Notice verse 10. But showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments, when you love and obey him, he shows you favor. The sixth message: respect God's name. Look at verse 11. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. Don't treat God lightly, don't treat him lightly, and don't treat his name lightly. That includes uh your profanity, joking around, uh hypocrisy. God's name should carry weight in your life, and that is what that's about when he says to respect his name. If you're going around using his name, and that's a lesson for all of us. I know we're talking to Israel here, but this is for all of us, his name carries weight. So if you're going around and you're carrying his name, you know, don't be a hypocrite with it. Carry it with uh with meaning and carry it with reverence, which brings us to the seventh message the Sabbath. Notice verse 12 observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you. This was for Israel nationally. For us today, Christ is our rest, but during this time, speaking to Israel, this was for national Israel to keep the Sabbath. Now, there are some people who can like that, they cannot like that, but the word of God is very clear. This is why we go through the Bible in order and we go through it chronologically and we go verse by verse so you don't miss it. If you look at the end of verse 12, you see the pronoun you. This was for Israel. For us, our rest is in Christ. Messages eight and nine, work and rest. Look at verses 13 to 15. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your ox, or your donkey, or any of your cattle, or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Israel worked first, then rested. We rest in Christ first, then work. Message 10. Honor your parents. Verse 16. Honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you. This isn't passive, it means actively valuing and respecting your parents. God says, if you want a blessed life, that's where you start. And that's a lesson to the youth today. You know, obey your parents. That is the beginning of your blessing of you know, of you being blessed by the Lord and for the Lord blessing you, the people who brought you into this world world through the Lord. Message number 11, do not murder. Look at verse 17. You shall not murder. Now, we need to uh remember that murder uh is different than killing, uh, uh, because we need to remember life belongs to God, no one has the right to take it. And the reason why I'm bringing that up is because in other versions of the Bible it says, thou shalt not kill. When you look into the Hebrew, it says, You shall not murder, because there's a difference between killing and murder. Killing is something that happens when you, for example, go to war and you have to defend your country. Killing is something that happens when you have to defend, if you uh you know having to defend your family from, let's say, an intruder. But murder is something that's more intentional. Murder is uh uh the things that you read about in the news when you hear about, you know, uh uh there was a a drug uh war going on, there was gang violence, uh, there was a robbery. Uh, you know, those things are are murder, and that's what the Lord is referring to when he says, Thou shalt not murder. And I like to bring that up because there are those who like to try to get cute and say, Well, what about what people do in the military? That is not what the Lord is talking about here. There's a difference between killing and murder. Murder is something done intentionally. Message number 12, do not commit adultery. Notice verse 18, you shall not commit adultery. God takes purity seriously. Sin in this area will lead, uh, will never lead to being blessed. The Lord wants you to be pure because that is something that you do with your body. Message number 13, do not steal. Look at verse 19, you shall not steal. Three ways to get things steal, work, receive. God honors the second and the third, not the first. God wants you to work for the things that you want. And sometimes you've been receiving things, but he does not want you to steal. Message number 14, do not lie. Verse 20, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. God's people are truth tellers, they are not manipulators, they are not uh uh silent liars or white lies. The truth matters, and that's what the Lord wants from his people. Which brings us to message 15. Do not covet. Verse 21 says, You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Now, this is internal. No one sees this, but God does, and it can cost you more than you think. So those are the little things that you have inside of your mind that you're thinking about. You might think, well, I'm not hurting anything, no one's hearing this, but God is hearing this. You are not to want something or to, you know, like, you know, uh desire things that others have. Worry about the less the uh blessings, excuse me, that God has given you. Which moves us on to the fifth reminder. Uh, you responded to God. We see this in verses 22 to 27. These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and he added no more, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. And it came about when you heard the voice, the the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders, and you said, Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Now then, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire as we have and live? Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says, then speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it. Moses reminds them how they reacted. You saw God's greatness, you heard his voice, you feared him, but then fear turned into a distance. Instead of going closer, they stepped back, and that's the thing. Uh, they heard his voice and they got afraid. And you know, Moses, you go speak for us, but when they really should have been drawn closer to the Lord. Which brings us to reminder number six. God heard your response. And we see this in verses 28 through 30. The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all they have spoken. Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever. Go say to them, Return to your tents. God heard everything. This is what he said, that reverence is good. Then it came to these key uh to this key verse. I wish they had a heart to fear me and obey me. That right there was the issue. It wasn't hearing, but having a heart to obey. So they heard the Lord, they actually heard his audible voice, but they did not obey the Lord. And if you all remember, you remember what uh uh these the generation that Moses is talking to now, you remember what their fathers did even after hearing the Lord's uh words and uh not keeping his his commands, which brings us to reminder number seven. God gave clear instructions. Look at verses 31 to 33. But as for you, stand here by me that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess. So you shall observe to them just as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. Moses says, God told me, Teach you the word, tell you how to live, show you what to do. And here's the key: don't turn to the right or to the left, stay focused. And that's how you stay focused. You uh let me give you an example. You know, if you uh if you watch horse racing, and if you notice that uh the horse has, I can't think of the name of what it's called, but it's kind of like these uh these binders on uh the uh next to the horse's left and right eye. The reason that those are there is because the horse is in the race and the goal is to stay straight, is to stay on the line and to get to uh and to get to the end, to get to the finish line. And those binders are there so the horse doesn't look to the left or to the right, so they don't get distracted. That's what the Lord is telling them here. You know, don't look to the left or to the right, but look straight ahead and stay focused. And this is the promise. If you obey, you will live, you will be blessed, you will have a long life. I mean, it's pretty much that simple. It's a short, powerful message, but it's a simple message. Now, let's bring this whole thing home. This message is not complicated, it's basic. Now, basic doesn't always mean easy, but it means that it's basic. You can hear God's word and ignore it. You can know truth and not live it, but if you actually apply it, it will change your life. And that is something that we all are challenged to do is to apply this and watch it change our life. Now, my final thought on this is that you know, God doesn't need You and I to be perfect. But what he does need us to do is he needs us to be consistent, he needs us to be focused, he needs us to be obedient because the blessings of God are not random. He doesn't pass his blessings out randomly. They are connected to how you respond to his word. If you obey the Lord, the Lord has said many, many times before, if you obey me, watch me shower you with blessings. And that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 5. As always, I hope that you got something out of this lesson. I hope that it touches you in a way, and I hope that you are continuing to put this puzzle together as we go to the Bible chronologically. As I always ask, continue to pray for me to stay in the scriptures and to stay steadfast and to stay on the short and narrow path. And I am praying for you as well. Wherever you are in the world, I appreciate you greatly. I appreciate you for taking time out of your morning, afternoon, and evening to go through the word of God with me. That brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 5. That's all for now. God bless. Thank you for listening to Berean's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and seek biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Bereen's Corner on BuzzSprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. Let's stay connected. If you have questions, comments, or prayer requests, reach out to us at Bereans Corner.buzzprout.com where you can follow along with show transcripts and leave a message in the fan mail slot. Also follow us on YouTube at Berean's Corner and don't forget to subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep searching the scriptures like a Berean. Stay discerning, stay faithful, and God bless.