By Pastor Bruce Oyen
“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to show you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (ESV)
This article is a simple study, and it is my goal to present practical lessons from these verses. The Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV), unless otherwise noted.
The verses are an introduction to the 10 commandments. This introduction differs from that found in Exodus 20, where we read of the original giving of these commands. In both these chapters we read about the revelation of these words from God to Moses, who then gave them to the people of Israel.
But why the differences between the two accounts? Perhaps what the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says will answer the question. This commentary’s introduction declares:
“DEUTERONOMY, the second law, a title which plainly shows what is the object of this book, namely, a recapitulation of the law. It was given in the form of public addresses to the people; and as Moses spoke in the prospect of his speedy removal, he enforced obedience to it by many forcible appeals to the Israelites, concerning their long and varied experience both of the mercies and the judgments of God. The minute notices of the heathen people with whom they had come in contact, but who afterward disappeared from the pages of history, as well as the accounts of the fertility and products of Canaan, and the counsels respecting the conquest of that country, fix the date of this book and the time of its composition by the hand of Moses. The close, however, must have been added by another; and, indeed, it is supposed by some to have formed the original preface to the Book of Joshua.”
So, then, the well-known fact that Deuteronomy means “the second law” because it is a recapitulation of the original giving of the law gives the primary reason for the difference between Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
With that in mind, let us consider some lessons from 5:1-6.
1. The first lesson is this: to properly interpret the Bible, we must follow the important principle of determining if a Biblical statement has more than one application.
This lesson comes from the first part of verse 1, which says: “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel ...” In this case, it is easy to determine to whom this statement had primary application, for the text plainly says Moses summoned the people and said to them: “Hear, O Israel.”
Israel was a nation among many nations. At this time it did not yet have its own homeland, but it was, nevertheless, a nation distinct from others. It was a traveling nation, with Moses as its earthly leader, and it had its own laws. Now, since the Ten Commandments and the other parts of the law of Moses were given to govern that nation, we need to keep in mind that those laws were specifically designed for them.
But did they always have a secondary application? Though we must unhesitatingly affirm the truth of II Timothy 3:16, which says “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable …” for all of us, we next must try to determine if it has a secondary application.
Not all Biblical statements have secondary applications. If they do, to whom does God’s promise to elderly Abraham and Sarai that they would have a son in their old age also apply? If they do, to whom does/did God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son also apply? There are many examples of this kind that we could take from Scripture and ask the same question about whether or not they have secondary applications.
There is a popular song sung by church kids that illustrates the fact that too often we don’t make the necessary distinction between the primary and secondary applications of Biblical statements, if there are secondary applications of them. The song says: “Every promise in the Book is mine; every verse, every chapter, every line.” That song is melodic and memorable. That song is also both true and false. It is true, because of what we read in II Timothy 3:16: all Scripture is inspired and profitable. It is false, because it does not take into consideration the important principle about which we have been thinking.
2. Our second lesson also is found in Deuteronomy 5:1. The lesson is this: Biblical truth is to be put into practice, not just memorized.
The King James Version words the verse in this way: “And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”
This looks like Moses gave three reasons why the people of Israel were to listen to what he had to say: to learn those things, keep them, and do them. But did He give them three commands? Modern English translations will help us answer this question.
The New King James Version says: “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.”
The New American Standard Version, updated edition, says: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking to you today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully.”
The English Standard Version says: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.”
What these modern English translations help us to see is that Deuteronomy 5:1 has two commands, not three, after the initial statement that they were to hear them. The two commands were: “Learn them and be careful to observe them” (New King James Version).
Those were demanding commands about the statutes and judgments. The command to learn them was itself demanding, for this was required of persons who lived long before the printing press had been invented. They did not each have a copy of those laws, printed or hand-copied. It is not even likely that every family had its own copy to read. And if they did, it would have required a great deal of discipline to make sure each family member who could read would have time to learn the contents of it.
Since copies of these laws were not readily available, it is likely that they were learned by listening as they were read to groups, maybe to large groups, as well as by passing them on to individuals by word of mouth. However it was done, Deuteronomy 5:1 says they were obligated to learn them.
But remember the lesson to be learned from this is what Moses said was not only to be memorized, but also, and more importantly, put into practice. As the ESV says, the people were to be “careful to observe them.”
This same point is emphasized in many other places in the Bible. Consider some examples. In Joshua 1:8 we read that God told Joshua: “This Book of the law shall not depart from of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”
James 1:22 says: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Matthew 7:24 gives this statement of Jesus: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Now, since Biblical truth must be learned in order to be put into practice, how might we learn it?
Perhaps the most effective way for us to do so is by regularly reading the Bible. We would do well to make it a habit to read the whole Bible at least once a year. This can be done by reading only four chapters a day. If we read at a moderate speed, we will be able to do this more easily than we might think. It might take us only 20 minutes.
First, read the chapters, and then meditate on what was read.
Another means of learning the contents of the Bible is to regularly attend a Bible-believing church that teaches the Bible in its Sunday school classes, and in its sermons, and in its home Bible studies. The human mind is like a sponge, and it will soak up a lot of Biblical content when it is exposed to it.
There are other ways to learn Biblical content, such as from reliable radio and TV preachers, from Christian magazines and books, and from internet websites.
But remember this important fact: our goal in learning Biblical content is to apply it to daily life. To fail to do this is to fail to do the most important thing with what we learn.
3. Our third lesson is this: just as God rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, so He has rescued believers in Jesus Christ from enslavement to the world, the flesh, and the devil.
This lesson comes from Deuteronomy 5:6, which says: “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
What we read in the historical accounts of the Old Testament present to us great lessons for the Christian life. The apostle made that point in Romans 15:4, which says: “For whatever was written in former days” (and he meant in the Old Testament), “was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
He made a similar point in I Corinthians 10:6 and 11. Verse 11 says: “Now these things happened to them (the Old Testament Hebrews) as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
While Paul might not have had Deuteronomy 5 in mind when he wrote Romans 15 and 1 Corinthians 10, the point he made can be applied to those events, too. Therefore, the God-given rescue from Egyptian bondage can picture the Christian’s rescue by Jesus Christ from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The Lord H imself said this in John 8:34: “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” And in John 8:36 he said this: “So, if the Son (referring to himself as the Son of God) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
It took almighty power, wisdom and love to rescue those Hebrews of long ago from slavery. And that is what it took for the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
4. Our fourth lesson is this: the blessings we receive from God are accompanied by great responsibilities and indebtedness to him.
This lesson is derived from verse 6, which says: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
The fact that immediately after God reminded the Hebrews of their miraculous deliverance from Egypt He then gave them the Ten Commandments teaches the lesson that blessings received from God are accompanied by great responsibilities and indebtedness. His blessings indebt us to Him, just as the blessings we receive from other humans indebt us to them, even if they do not think of it in those terms.
The goodness of our parents indebts us to them. The goodness of our spouse indebts us to him or her. The goodness of friends indebts us to them. The goodness of the United States indebts American citizens, or those aspiring to become American citizens, to this great nation.
I know of children who have been adopted into loving homes where their needs and more have been met. Those children have become adults filled with gratitude to their adoptive parents for the love they received from them, and this gratitude has motivated them to be a blessing to their adoptive parents. Theirs is a debt of love.
Yes, this a great lesson to be learned from Deuteronomy 5:6. But it is something to be learned from the New Testament as well. We who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ have been saved. Notice the certainty of this fact as it is brought out in just a few of the many verses that could be quoted to support this claim. Ephesians 2:8 tells Christians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.“ Titus 3:5 tells Christians, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (KJV). Second Timothy 1:9 tells Christians that God “hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
This blessing of salvation indebts us to God the Father for sending his Son to die for us. It indebts us to the Lord Jesus Christ for having done so. It indebts us to the Holy Spirit who helps us become Christians, and who takes up residence in us when we do.
That we Christians are indebted to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for our salvation is brought out by a number of New Testament statements. Consider a few of them.
Romans 12:1, 2 says: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The basis for this appeal is the salvation Paul had written so extensively about in chapters 1-11.
Our indebtedness for salvation is illustrated by I Corinthians 6:19 and 20, which says: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
First Peter 1:17-19 exhorts Christians to godly living based on the fact that they “have been redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ.” Such blood-bought redemption indebts us to our Redeemer.
The last illustration of my point that we are indebted to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the blessings of salvation comes from Luke 17:11-18. Rather than quote all the verses, let me summarize the story for you. The Lord Jesus Christ had miraculously healed ten lepers of their awful disease. But only one thanked him for the blessing. The Lord was understandably offended by the ingratitude of the other nine. Verses 17 and 18 tell us: “Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’”
The Hebrews of Moses’ day had been told: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” And then God gave them the Ten Commandments.
Their emancipation from slavery to the Egyptians was accompanied by great responsibilities and indebtedness to their God. As we have seen from the New Testament, we who are Christians have responsibilities to carry out and a debt of gratitude to pay to the Lord. May we be faithful to do so, always.
This article can also be read in Dr. Robert Sumner's paper, The Biblcal Evangelist. Here is a link to it:
http://biblicalevangelist.org/index.php?id=1206
This article can also be read in Dr. Robert Sumner's paper, The Biblcal Evangelist. Here is a link to it:
http://biblicalevangelist.org/index.php?id=1206
