Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Hear and Do

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1Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully.

2The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

3He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.

4The LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.

5At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:

6“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7You shall have no other gods before Me.

8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

10but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

11You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

12Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

13Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.

15Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

16Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

17You shall not murder.

18You shall not commit adultery.

19You shall not steal.

20You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

21You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

22The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

23And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,

24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.

25But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.

26For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?

27Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”

28And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

29If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.

30Go and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’

31But you stand here with Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am giving them to possess.”

32So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.

33You must walk in all the ways 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.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Moses summons Israel to hear, learn, and obey the LORD's commands. The covenant made at Horeb lays a claim on the people standing before him now. They cannot leave obedience to an earlier generation.

The Ten Commandments begin with rescue: the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery. He commands their undivided worship, forbids idols, and warns them against misusing His name. The One who delivered them has the right to direct their lives.

The Sabbath command makes that rescue visible in the household. Israel must remember being slaves and give rest to sons and daughters, servants, resident foreigners, and even working animals. Those who have received freedom must not keep rest for themselves while making others labor without it.

The commands also protect parents, life, marriage, property, and a neighbor's good name. They reach beyond outward acts to the desire to possess what belongs to someone else. Life with God shapes how people live beside one another.

The elders remember hearing God's voice from the fire and ask Moses to receive His words for them. God approves their request but desires a heart that will continue to fear Him and obey. Israel must walk in His ways, not let the awe of one encounter take the place of lasting faithfulness.

Questions

1 What comes before the commandments?

AnswerThe LORD identifies Himself as the God who brought Israel out of Egypt, grounding obedience in His rescue.

2 Why did the people ask Moses to speak for them?

AnswerThey were afraid of dying before the fire and voice of God, so they asked Moses to hear and report God's words.

3 What did God want Israel's fear to produce?

AnswerHe desired a heart that would fear Him and keep His commands always, so that it would go well with them and their children.

4 How were the people to live after hearing?

AnswerThey were to walk in all the way the LORD commanded, without turning aside to the right or left.

What This Means for Us

God's rescue comes before His commands. Obedience responds to His grace, and the Sabbath instruction shows how that response can benefit people whose work makes our own comfort possible.

Consider who gets to rest in your household and who quietly keeps working. Share a task, protect another person's time to worship, or finish your own responsibility without passing it to someone who is already tired. Gratitude for freedom should make us attentive to the burdens others carry.

Prayer

LORD our Redeemer, teach us to hear Your word with reverence and gratitude. Let our obedience become a steady way of life, and help us teach the next generation to walk with You. Amen.

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