Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Deuteronomy chapter 5 as we continue our study through the Word of God. This evening we are in the second of three sermons that Moses gave to the children of Israel before he died, his farewell address you might say. And this second sermon and the longest of the three, began in Deuteronomy 4:44 and will continue through Deuteronomy 26:19. In this section Moses is dealing with the moral and legal aspects regarding their walk with the Lord in the Promise Land. So with that said, let’s begin reading in Deuteronomy chapter 5, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word.
VERSES 1-5
This call is not only for the children of Israel, but it is also for us today. Moses is instructing the children of Israel, as they prepare to enter the Promise Land, that they need to hear the things of God, they need to learn the things of God, they need to keep and do the things of God, not for salvation, but for blessing, for fellowship, out of love for Him. This is not just information; it is also application of these truths to our lives, living what we say we believe!
Moses is going to go over the Ten Commandments that God gave the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. Keep in mind that this generation was young back then, many not old enough to understand what transpired at Mount Sinai, and they all were not old enough to go to war, thus, they were under the age of 20. And yet, Moses tells them that these commandments given at Mount Sinai were not for their parents, but for them. Why did Moses say that? Because their fathers have all died in the wilderness in unbelief and it was this generation who would enter by faith. It was a covenant to the living not the dead!
As God spoke to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, they were afraid, why? Because they saw the holiness of God, not face-to-face but He communicated to them His Words and they recognized their sin, their failure and asked Moses to listen to God and report back to them.
VERSES 6-7
Before God gives His Commandments to them, He tells them who He is and what He has done for them. That is an important foundation to have for if you don’t, chances are you won’t listen to what He is telling you! And now that this has been established, He will review the Law that was given back in Exodus chapter 20, the Ten Commandments!
We are to have no other god’s before us or before Him. That makes sense to me. Since we know God, who He is and all that He has done for us, we should not worship any other god’s, He alone is to be worshiped! It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).” I think that is very clear!
VERSES 8-10
The second Commandment is that we are not to make any carven images to worship God by. Now some freak out about this but look at what is being said. If you bow down to worship an object, then that is a sin. If you serve these idols, that is a sin. These images God forbid them to make as an “aid” to worship Him by, the very thing we see happening in the church today!
Clarke makes these interesting remarks to what has been done to justify this sin. He tells us, “To countenance [or to approve] its image worship, the Roman Catholic Church has left the whole of this second commandment out of the Decalogue, and thus lost one whole commandment out of the ten; but to keep up the number they have divided the tenth into two.” That is adding to and taking away parts of God’s word to justify sin!
How can a holy and righteous God be jealous, that does not seem right? Listen to what Redpath had to say and I think you will understand God’s jealousy for us. He wrote, “God’s jealousy is love in action. He refuses to share the human heart with any rival, not because He is selfish and wants us all for Himself, but because He knows that upon that loyalty to Him depends our very moral life . . . God is not jealous of us: He is jealous for us.”
One last point here and that is this foolish idea of generational curses that some believe. There is no such thing and I believe not only do we see that here, but also Ezekiel 18:20 puts this idea to rest. We are told, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” You are guilty for your own sin; it is not passed on to your children. If they do follow in your footsteps, if you are wicked they can be wicked, but it is their choice to make. You see, Deuteronomy 5:10 tells us, “but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” In other words, it does not matter how bad your parents were, if you love the Lord you will not be condemned! Clarke once again reminds us that, “This necessarily implies - IF the children walk in the steps of their fathers; for no man can be condemned by Divine justice for a crime of which he was never guilty.”
VERSE 11
This third Commandment of not taking the Lord’s name in vain is more than profanity or cursing using the name of God. It also speaks of using His name foolishly or in a superficial way as well as claiming the name of the Lord and yet acting in a way that is contrary to what you say you believe, disgracing Him. I’m sure we are good with the first one, not using God’s name in a profane way, but what about the other two?
God says that you are accountable for your actions; so don’t use the Lord’s name in vain. Now, for some Jews, they won’t even write the name “God” on a piece of paper or say it because of this fear. In fact, I knew one gentlemen who wrote like this, G-D so he wouldn’t write down God’s name, keeping the Law, but that is not what it is saying here, as we have seen.
VERSES 12-15
God required a Sabbath’s days rest, a time to refresh after working hard for six days, a time to fellowship with God, a time to spend with family and share the things of God with them. But for the Jew, they took this way too far and instead of a day of rest, it became a day of heavy burdens as they had all these rules and regulations of what you could and couldn’t do on the Sabbath. Let me give you a few examples:
For example, in Luke 6:1-2, in the mind of the Jewish leaders, the disciples were guilty of four violations of the Sabbath every time they took a bite of grain out in the field, because they reaped, threshed, winnowed, and prepared food.
Ancient Rabbis taught that on the Sabbath, a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder. But he could carry something with the back of his hand, his foot, his elbow, or in his ear, his hair, or in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. Or, on the Sabbath, you Israelites were forbidden to tie a knot - except, a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, an Israelite could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and pull it up from the well.
In observant Jewish homes today, one cannot turn on a light, a stove, or a switch on the Sabbath. It is forbidden to drive a certain distance or to make a telephone call - all carefully regulated by traditions seeking to spell out the law exactly.
- David Guzik
Now some like to argue that we are to keep the Sabbath day and if you want to, that is great, but it is not for us. Paul, in Colossians 2:16-17 tells us, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ.”
You see, even the Sabbath was a picture of Christ, He is our rest and you can worship Him on any day you want, it doesn’t have to be the Sabbath. In fact, we should worship Him every day! But since the substance, Jesus has come, why go back to the picture?
VERSE 16
The first table of the Law dealt with man’s relationship with God and until that is established, you will not be able to fulfill the second table of the Law or man’s relationship with his fellow man, the last six Commandments!
This fifth Commandment focuses on honoring your father and mother and apart from that in a society, it will be unhealthy, it will be unstable, it will be like what we see today in America! Now, why would keeping this Law prolong your life? And if you are a teenager it is not because your parents won’t kill you! The idea is this. Rebellion is costly and in the end you will lose! It is a hard life!
VERSE 17
The sixth Commandment is that we shall not murder, which just makes sense, but I guess we need to be reminded about this one. We have been created in the image of God and God holds the sanctity of life dearly. This isn’t to say we are not to go to war because that is exactly what the children of Israel are preparing to do. It is speaking of premeditated murder and it is a sin, it is a capital crime!
Jesus tells us that this is truly a matter of the heart and if you hate someone, you may have not physically murdered them, but in God’s eyes you are doing just as bad. (Matthew 5:21-26).
VERSE 18
The seventh Commandment is that we are not to commit adultery! “Come on Joe, lighten up! Get with it. Loosen up! Remember the 70’s and free love?” Really, tell me what good comes out of adultery? There is none and there are only broken lives, broken families and if you can’t be faithful to your spouse, how then are you going to be faithful to God?
VERSE 19
The eighth Commandment is that we are not to steal. Today, we don’t call it stealing, but people think it is their right to have something that does not belong to them! Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” The solution to stealing is to get a job, work for a living and thus, buy what you need and help others in need!
VERSE 20
The ninth Commandment is that we are not to bear false witness against another. How is that done? Through gossip, slander, tale bearing, giving false impressions, judging someone’s motives and-so-on. Before we think we are okay, these words from Redpath may hit us pretty hard, but he is right. He wrote, “What a startling revelation it would be if a tape recording could be played of all that every church member has said about his fellow members in one week!” Something for us to think about, something for us to pray about and seek direction from God about!
VERSE 21
And the tenth Commandment is that we shall not covet. That word “covet” means “to pant after.” And this is dealing with dissatisfaction in what you have, what God has given you. We are not happy at work, we want Bob’s job. We don’t like the ministry we are in; it is not fair that so-and-so is in that position and-so-on. What are you panting after that is not yours? Paul put it like this in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” You see, our satisfaction needs to be in the Lord and if it is, we will not covet because God has given to us all we need. He has a plan for our life!
In The Amplified Bible we are told of this verse in Hebrews, “Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] [Josh 1:5.]” It is as Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “ . . . ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’” May we not only know this, but also apply it to our lives!
Now, are we to keep these Laws, these Commandments today? Some would argue, “No, we are under the New Covenant!” True, but not completely. You see, we are to honor our parents, we are not to murder, or commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness, or covet. And we are to love God, not have idols and-so-on. Even the Sabbath we keep as we rest in the Lord, not a literal day but a way of life! And please understand that we don’t keep the Law for salvation, it never was meant to save anyone but to show us our sin and drive us to our Savior, to Jesus. Even back in Genesis 15:6, in regards to Abraham, we are told, “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
And Paul expounds on this in Romans 4:1-8 as he wrote, “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.’” We keep the Law out of love and obedience to the Lord and not for salvation!
VERSES 22-27
What was the message God was giving to them at Mount Sinai? He was telling them, “Stay away from Me for I am holy!” And they understood that and were fearful. They asked Moses to listen to God and then report back to them. Paul speaks of this in Hebrews 12:18-24 as he wrote, “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: ‘And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.’ And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.’) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” You see, at Mount Sinai there was a command to stay away but now, under the covenant that is based in the shed blood of Jesus, the command is to “come unto Me!” It is an invitation to all to come, and thus, where do you want to live, at Mount Sinai or Mount Zion?
VERSES 28-33
Here we see the covenant of God for His people, that they would obey His voice. Yes, God was pleased with their response, but He knew their hearts and what they would do, just as He knows what we will do. Thus, the encouragement from God is to HEAR, LEARN, KEEP AND DO the things of God so that you would be fruitful in your walk with Him!
VERSES 1-3
Now what are these commandments, statutes and judgments we have been reading about? The commandments speak of the Ten Commandments. The statutes were the rules that they were to approach God by and they did include the Ten Commandments. And the judgments speak of the decrees issued out by the judges. But here it is “the commandment” and in the Hebrew it is emphatic. It is speaking of a singular commandment. What is that all about? I believe it is talking about how all the Laws can be boiled down into just one, as we will see.
VERSES 4-9
These verses are also known as the SHEMA, which means to “hear.” And they would say these verses, this prayer in the morning and in the evening, they would teach it to their children; it was an important part of their lives!
Now in saying that, I want to show you something here that you may not expect. I want to show you that the idea of the Trinity is not a New Testament idea, but it is spoken of in the Old Testament, even in the book of Genesis. But here in Deuteronomy 6:4 listen once again to what we have read, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!"
During worship at the temple the worshipers would cry out over and over again, "SHEMA YSRAEL YAHWEH ELOHIM ECHAD YAHWEH." Over and over they were affirming the oneness of God, which was the foundation of the Hebrew religion, they were of course monotheistic in their beliefs!
Now you may be wondering why I would use this passage to show the Trinity when it seems to be speaking of only one God and not the Tri-unity of God. What we miss in the English translation of this verse, the Hebrew makes very clear. We start out with “LORD” and that is YAHWEH, the covenant name of God used by the Jews and when you see it in all capitals, that is what it is referring to. Then we go to the word “God” and that is the Hebrew word, ELOHIM. Now this is where it gets interesting to me. El is the singular form, Elo is speaking of two and Elohim is speaking of three or more. Now this is a problem, are we saying that there is more than one God, a polytheistic belief? Absolutely not and I will show you why.
Next we are told that the LORD or YAHWEH is “one” or ECHAD. Once again this is confusing. First we say that there are 3 Gods, then here it is saying one God, what in the world is going on? This word “one” speaks of a compound unity, not a singular unity. Let me give you an example. When God created Adam and Eve He said, “And they shall become one [ached] flesh” (Genesis 2:24) or a compound unity.
Now that may not sound too important, but it is. You see, if you were to speak of a singular unity, the Hebrew word would be YACHAD, but that is not what the Holy Spirit used here. If he did, we would have no basis for the Trinity. But when you have the plural form, Elohim paired with eched, then you are speaking of one God manifested in three distinct persons! Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD”
In this verse we are told that God is one. However, when we examine the Hebrew word “echad” translated here as “one” we discover an interesting meaning. The Hebrew word “echad” comes from a Hebrew root “achad” which means, “to unify” or “collect together”. The word literally means a “united one” or “compound unity”. The LORD our God is one (united one - Trinity) LORD!
Another interesting Old Testament verse that speaks of the Father and the Son is found in Isaiah 44:6, which reads "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’" Also, in Isaiah 48:16 we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit spoken of. We read "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me." I love this verse for it speaks of the eternal existence of Jesus and that He was sent by the Father and the Holy Spirit to become flesh and die for the sins of the world.
Again, in dealing with the tri-unity of God, let’s look at Matthew 3:13-17 to give us a New Testament perspective on this issue. We read "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’" You see, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all seen at the same time. And as much as the “Jesus only” sect like to tell you that Jesus is all three, it would be very difficult to come to that conclusion after reading this verse!
In Exodus 26:6, 11 the fifty gold clasps are used to hold the curtains together so the tent would be one, ached. It is a unity, (one) which is made up of a plurality or the many parts of the tabernacle. Also, we are told in Ezekiel 37:17 that the LORD tells Ezekiel to join together two sticks, which prophetically speaking represented Ephraim and Judah, the Northern and Southern kingdoms of Judah, into one, ached. This again is speaking of a unity of one stick that is made up of a plurality of the two sticks!
In fact, Rabbi Simeon ben Joachi, commenting on the word Elohim: “Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim; there are three degrees, and each degree by itself alone, and yet notwithstanding they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other.” Clarke adds: “He must be strangely prejudiced indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of a Trinity, and of a Trinity in unity, is expressed in the above words.” And lastly, Leupold quoting Luther on Elohim: “But we have clear testimony that Moses aimed to indicate the Trinity or the three persons in the one divine nature.”
The Bible clearly teaches that though there is only one true God, He is revealed or manifested in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is independent of each other, but never do they act independently. In the very first verse of the Bible we see the Triune God (Trinity) presented, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 The word God is “Elohim” in the Hebrew. Elohim is a plural noun, but the verb “created” is singular in the Hebrew. This is grammatically incorrect, but it is God’s way of communicating to us His tri-unity (three in one). We do not worship three Gods, we are not polytheistic, but we worship one God who is manifested in three distinct persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we are monotheistic and that is what Moses is teaching us here.
What is the greatest Commandment, the one that summarizes all the Commandments of God? Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” We are to love God with our entire being and the only way you can do that is by knowing Him and thus, since you do, you can love Him with your whole being. You can rest in Him because you trust Him and you trust Him because you know Him!
In Matthew 22:37-40 we are told, “Jesus said to him, ‘”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” This is how this flows. First God loves us as John tells us, “We love Him because He first loved us.” I John 4:19. Then we love Him and as we love Him all the other Commandments fall into place, we will love our fellow man as God has called us to do! And all this, all that Jesus said hangs on the cross of Calvary for apart from His finished work, we would not be able to do any of this!
And notice that it first begins in our hearts and as God’s Word fills our hearts it will overflow outward, changing us and touching the lives of others. And this was not just to be for them, they were to teach it to their children, not only by teaching them the Word of God, but living it! By putting into practice what they say they believe! Your children are watching you and thus, with your victories and your failures, teach them lessons that God is showing you. Let them see that your faith is real!
Now binding the Word of God on your forehead and your hand was taken to the extreme, and not in a good way by the Jews. They made these phylacteries and in it they placed the Word of God, specifically Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41. They also had these boxes placed on their doorposts of their homes containing these verses and they called these boxes Mezuzah. Now, if this is what God intended, why did Jesus say this in Matthew 23:5, “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” He rebuked them for making these phylacteries and making them even bigger so everyone could see them. I believe the idea here is that the Lord wants us to have His Word written on the fabric of our houses and minds. That it is part of our life from the time we get up in the morning till we go to bed in the evening!
Let me share with you some verses out of Psalm 119 regarding the Word of God. David wrote, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. . . . Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. . . . How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! . . . Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. . . . You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. . . . Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! . . . Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.” Psalm 119:9-11, 18, 103, 105, 114, 127, 133. That is God’s Word to us, it should be upon our mind and it should be reflected in our actions, and it should fill our homes!
VERSES 10-12
With the blessings of God as they entered the land, there was also a danger in those blessings, that they would forget about God. If you don’t believe that this can happen, look at America today. God has blessed us for years and America has forgotten God and we are reaping what we have sown!
The French writer Alexis de Tocqueville said the following after he visited America back in 1831. He said:
“I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests – and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning – and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.
America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!”
May we understand that truth, that what God is speaking to the children of Israel He is also speaking to us individually and as a nation. Don’t forget about God, especially in times of prosperity!
VERSES 13-19
Yes, those that don’t know God should fear Him, but for us that know the Lord, this fear is more of a reverential fear for who He is, Almighty God! And in this relationship with God, as Israel was obedient, they were blessed and when they disobeyed God, they saw His judgment. Now, in Jesus we are blessed but we can also move out of the blessings that God has for us if we are not walking with Him. God is pouring out His blessings all the time, thus, stay under the spout where the blessings flow out, be in His will!
VERSES 20-25
Here is the tragedy that often takes place. When a generation goes into apostasy because of prosperity, it doesn’t affect them as much as it will their children. Thus, the solution is to teach your children so they will not fall prey, even if you do! And they would do this by recounting to them their history, how God delivered them and brought them into this land of promise. Folks, we can do the same with our children. We can share with them how God saved us, what He has done in our lives, is doing and will do to help strengthen their faith, to help them walk with the Lord!
Now, how can they obtain true righteousness from the Law? You can, all you have to do is keep it perfectly, not falter in any point and then you can be righteous before God. Don’t hold your breath, you can’t do it! The only way you can do it is through Jesus as Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].” You see, He gives to us His righteousness and He took our unrighteousness with Him to the cross and paid in full the penalty that was due. Thus, we can stand before God, not in our own righteousness but in the righteousness that has been imputed to us by faith. We can be righteous before God, not by the Law but through Christ!