WHAT IS THE LAW? DEUTERONOMY 5:1-33

Transcription

1 1 WHAT IS THE LAW? DEUTERONOMY 5:1-33

2 2 WHAT IS THE LAW? Purpose: To affirm that the Ten Commandments provide the best guidelines for an effective, fulfilling life. Text: Deuteronomy 5:1-33, 1. Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3. It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5. (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: 6. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 7. You shall have no other gods before me. 8. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9. 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 parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

3 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 11. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 12. Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14. 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 male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15. 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. 16. 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. 17. You shall not murder. 18. You shall not commit adultery. 19. You shall not steal. 20. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 21. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

4 These are the commandments 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. 23. When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. 24. 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 person can live even if God speaks with them. 25. 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. 26. For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? 27. Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey. 28. 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. 29. 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 forever! 30. Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31. 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.

5 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in obedience to all 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. (NIV) Introduction: Part One I. Exodus 20 was set at Mt. Sinai following the Israelite departure (leaving, exiting) from Egypt across the Red Sea. A. The Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God on two (2) stone tablets. II. Deuteronomy (second law) is generally identified as the farewell speeches of Moses to the people of Israel just before his death. A. He points to the Ten Commandments given at Mt. Sinai some forty (40) years earlier as the central marching orders from God to be perpetually observed by Israel. III. Deuteronomy marks a turning point in the history of Israel. A. Moses, 120 years of age, will soon die, the wilderness wanderings will end, and the conquest of Canaan will begin under the capable leadership of Joshua.

6 6 IV. Though we may resist laws, regulations make society manageable and our lives more secure and predictable. A. This includes profound laws such as the Ten Commandments and more mundane traffic regulations. 1. Even in an idyllic world we need stop signs. V. God gave His laws (Ten Commandments) to ancient Israel. A. These laws were for ancient Israel s good. B. Christ brought nine of the Ten Commandments into the New Testament. 1. The Sabbath was exchanged for the Lord s Day. VI. We are not bound to obey these commandments because Moses delivered them to ancient Israel, but because Christ included them in the New Testament. Commentary: Prelude Deuteronomy 5:1-5, Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, 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 ancestors 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

7 7 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: (NIV) I. Moses assembled the people he had led through the wilderness for forty (40) years to once again exhort them as a loving father to faithfulness. II. The earthly life of Moses is nearing a close. III. The Lord God made this covenant with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, Mt. Horeb, not with their forefathers (ancestors) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at some other distant time and place. IV. Many had died in the wilderness, but the covenant was to be perpetually renewed generation after generation. Deuteronomy 5:6, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (NIV) Exodus 20:2, 3, 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. (NIV) I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. II. The New Testament says, There is no God but one. A. 1 Corinthians 8:4, So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing

8 8 at all in the world and that there is no God but one. (NIV) B. 1 Corinthians 8:6, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. (NIV) III. One, echad, means a compound unity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). A. The word for absolute is achid. IV. The monotheistic God, the one and only diety who brought Israel out of Egyptian slavery, was to be worshiped. V. Israel was to recognize no other gods before Jehovah, after Jehovah, or along with Jehovah. Deuteronomy 5:8-10, You shall not make for yourself an image 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 parents 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. (NIV) Exodus 20:4-6, You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down

9 9 to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents 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. (NIV) I. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. II. The New Testament says, Guard yourselves from idols. A. 1 John 5:21, Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (NIV) B. 1 Corinthians 10:7, Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. (NIV) C. Romans 1:21-23, For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (NIV) D. Colossians 3:5, Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (NIV)

10 10 III. What is forbidden here is making objects for human adoration and worship. A. Aesthetic art, stained glass windows, sculptures, and photography are not the concern of this injunction. B. No worshiped likenesses of anything in heaven or in/on/under the earth are to be made. IV. Those who worship God Almighty will be blessed generation after generation. V. Those who reject God Almighty in favor of other gods will be punished by a jealous god generation after generation. III Deuteronomy 5:11, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (NIV) Exodus 20:7, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (NIV) I. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. II. Matthew 12:36, I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter. (NIV) III. God will not acquit anyone who misuses his name!

11 11 IV Deuteronomy 5:12-15, 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 male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants 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. (NIV) Exodus 20:8-11, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (NIV) I. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. II. The New Testament says, The disciples came together on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7.

12 12 III. God is as pleased by holy rest as by earnest achievement. IV. We Christians do not observe the day on which God rested from his work of creating the world even though we respect each day of creation as well as the day on which God rested from his labor. V. We Christians observe the day on which Christ arose from the dead, the day on which the church was established, and the day on which early Christians met to worship. VI. Isn t it ironic that the Israelites who were so grateful to have been freed from Egyptian slavery themselves had slaves? V Deuteronomy 5:16, 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. (NIV) Exodus 20:12, Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV) I. Honor thy father and mother. II. The New Testament says, Honor thy father and mother. A. Ephesians 6:2, Honor your father and mother this is the first commandment with a promise. (NIV)

13 13 B. 1 Timothy 5:4, But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. (NIV) III. Obedience and honor of parents led to longer and happier lives in the promised land. IV. Parents come in all types. How do we honor evil parents? A. Deuteronomy 5:9, 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 parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (NIV) B. What if you were Salome and your mother were Herodias? Deuteronomy 5:17, You shall not murder. (NIV) VI Exodus 20:13, You shall not murder. (NIV) I. Thou shall not kill. II. The New Testament says, Thou shall not kill. A. Romans 13:9, The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall

14 14 not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. (NIV) B. Matthew 5:22, But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell. (NIV) C. 1 John 3:15, Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. (NIV) III. This command forbids murder (ratsach). IV. This verse does not condemn capital punishment. A. Deuteronomy 13:6-11, If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, Let us go and worship other gods (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of

15 15 the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again. (NIV) B. The word for kill in this passage is harag. VII Deuteronomy 5:18, You shall not commit adultery. (NIV) Exodus 20:14, You shall not commit adultery. (NIV) II. The New Testament says, Thou shalt not commit adultery. A. Romans 13:9, The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. (NIV) B. Matthew 5:28, But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (NIV) III. Joseph and Potiphar s wife. A. Genesis 39:1-23, Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and

16 16 he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master s wife took notice of Joseph and said, Come to bed with me! But he refused. With me in charge, he told her, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, Come to bed with me! But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. Look, she said to them, this

17 17 Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house. She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house. When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, This is how your slave treated me, he burned with anger. Joseph s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (NIV) IV. Adultery is a sin: A. Against God. 1. Genesis 39:9, No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? (NIV)

18 18 B. Against the body of the adulterer Corinthians 6:18, Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. (NIV) C. Against the family of the adulterer. 1. Matthew 19:9, I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. (NIV) D. Against the soul of the adulterer. 1. Proverbs 6:32, But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself. (NIV) E. Against the nation s societal structure, strength and standards. V. Purity in all things is the Christian way! VIII Deuteronomy 5:19, You shall not steal. (NIV) Exodus 20:15, You shall not steal. (NIV) I. Thou shall not steal.

19 19 II. The New Testament says, Thou shall not steal. A. Romans 13:9, The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. (NIV) B. Ephesians 4:28, Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (NIV) III. We can steal in many ways: A. padding expense accounts. B. padding our time cards. C. loafing on the job. D. taking advantage of employees in regard to overtime. E. failing to pay our bills. IV. Stealing is at epidemic levels in our society. A. Theft, fraud, dishonesty, larceny, swindling, cheating, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, violation of trust, robbery, double bookkeeping, non-payment of debts, and

20 20 shoplifting are but a few of the descriptors used to characterize various forms of stealing. B. Christians are to provide that which is honest in the sight of all men! Deuteronomy 5:20, You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (NIV) Exodus 20:16, You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (NIV) I. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. II. The New Testament says, Speak ye truth each one with his neighbor. A. Ephesians 4:25, Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (NIV) B. Colossians 3:9, Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. (NIV) III. There is often little defense against those who bear false witness. IV. Naboth was lynched because of the suborned testimony of Jezebel s lying witnesses. A. 1 Kings 21:1-19, Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the

21 21 Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth. But Naboth replied, The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors. So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors. He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, Why are you so sullen? Why won t you eat? He answered her, Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place. But he said, I will not give you my vineyard. Jezebel his wife said, Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth s city with him. In those letters she wrote: Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death. So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite

22 22 him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, Naboth has cursed both God and the king. So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: Naboth has been stoned to death. As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead. When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth s vineyard. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property? Then say to him, This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth s blood, dogs will lick up your blood yes, yours! (NIV) V. Stephen, Paul, Silas and Jesus our Lord all suffered because of the violation of this command. VI. Those who bear false witness are among those to be excluded from heaven. A. Revelation 21:8, But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (NIV)

23 23 B. Revelation 22:14, 15, Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (NIV) X Deuteronomy 5:21, You shall not covet your neighbor s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (NIV) Exodus 20:17, You shall not covet your neighbor s house. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (NIV) I. Thou shall not covet. II. The New Testament says, Put to death covetousness... A. Colossians 3:5, Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (NIV) B. 1 Timothy 6:8, But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (NIV)

24 24 III. How good life is for those who are content for those, that is, who do not covet! A. As some wise person has said, Happiness is not in how much we have but in how contented we are with what we have. IV. Our minds are to concentrate on higher, spiritual things; not on coveting what belongs to another. A. Ephesians 5:5, For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person such a person is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (NIV) B. Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. (NIV) C. Colossians 3:2, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (NIV) Conclusion to Part One: I. Let us now resolve anew to obey these divinely given commandments: A. I will worship the Lord my God and him only will I serve.

25 25 B. I will worship no graven image. C. I will not take the name of the Lord my God in vain. D. I will remember the Lord s Day to keep it holy. E. I will honor my father and mother in person or in memory. F. I will not kill. G. I will not commit adultery. H. I will not steal. I. I will not bear false witness against anyone. J. I will not covet. K. So help me God! II. Prayer, Help us, O Lord, to know that your commandments are for our good and that the happiest way of life is the way of obedience to your will. In Christ s name we pray. Amen. Introduction: Part Two I. Hall observed that this section, Deuteronomy 5:22-33, is very similar to Exodus 20:18-21 and certain other texts.

26 26 A. Exodus 20:15-21, You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor s house. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (NIV) B. Exodus 19:16-24, On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, Go down and warn the people so they do not

27 27 force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them. Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy. The Lord replied, Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them. (NIV) C. Exodus 24:3, 4, 7, 12, So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses! And Moses said, Here I am. The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. And God said, I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. (NIV) II. Hall further wrote, The people, afraid of God, asked Moses to be a mediator for them.

28 28 Commentary: The People s Response Deuteronomy 5:22, These are the commandments 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. (NIV) I. The commands just studied were: A. proclaimed by the LORD in a loud voice to the entire Israelite nation gathered in the Sinai wilderness from the mountain out of the fire, cloud and darkness. B. the total number of laws spoken directly to people by the Lord on this occasion was twenty (20). The rest of the laws were spoken indirectly through Moses, et. al., C. written by God on two stone tablets and given to Moses. 1. Numbers 11:24-25, So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied but did not do so again. (NIV)

29 Deuteronomy 9:10, 11, The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. (NIV) D. unique, complete in themselves, like no other series of laws known by other nations of that era. Deuteronomy 5:23-27, When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders 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 person can live even if God speaks with them. 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 has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey. (NIV) I. The leaders of Israel had come to Moses after the wondrous events of verses 1-22 and had said that they believed, understood that:

30 30 A. no mortal man could see God s majestic glory, hear his voice and still live. B. if they heard the voice of God any longer they would die. C. it was truly a wonder that they had been able to live through these Sinai experiences and live to that time. II. The leaders then requested Moses to mediate between God and them. A. Exodus 20:18-21, When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (NIV) B. They promised to listen and to obey what Moses conveyed to them from God. C. The fear of God was designed to keep Israel from sinning, Hall wrote. 1. Exodus 24:7, Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They