August 16, 2019
The Ten Commandments . . . Plus One
Deuteronomy 5:1–21
Carl Long
Central Truth
God chose you, rescued you, then gave you the way to live. When you love God and love others, you keep God's law. Not because you have to, but because you have been rescued from the slavery of sin and given new life.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 5:6
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
Deuteronomy 5:1–21
The Ten Commandments
1 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “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. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood 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 you did not go up into the mountain. He said:
6 ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 ‘You shall have no other gods before 1 5:7 Or besides me.
8 ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands 2 5:10 Or to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
12 ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God 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, 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 livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave 3 5:15 Or servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, 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.
17 ‘You shall not murder. 4 5:17 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence
18 ‘And you shall not commit adultery.
19 ‘And you shall not steal.
20 ‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 ‘And 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 is your neighbor's.’
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 5:1–21
When God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, He chose them, then rescued them from slavery, then gave them the law; not the other way around. He didn't give the law, have them earn His approval to be chosen, then rescue them. The Israelites didn't follow the law to earn redemption in order to be saved. There was nothing that the chosen people of God could do to earn freedom from slavery. They were saved because God is steadfast and His Word is true. God's goodness and purity are reflected in His law, and His grace and mercy are shown in that, while His people were slaves, He rescued them.
That is our story, too. We are all slaves to the power of sin, and because of God's goodness, mercy, and steadfast love, we can be freed from that bondage. Believing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died and rose from the grave in order to rescue those He chose sets believers free to live life differently. Living life differently, according to God's commandments, after we have been set free, is not a burden. It is a life marked by peace, joy, and love. It is a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and is based on the confidence that nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38-39).
When Moses recounted God's commandments to the Israelites, he was reminding them of God's power, their dependence on Him for their rescue from slavery, and the right way to live together. When we think about being freed from the power of sin in our lives, we need to remember that it is God's power at work in us. We are being given new life (Galatians 2:20). That power enables us to live life according to the new commandment that God gave us when Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34).
Discussion Questions
1. What is the most attractive aspect of a life marked by peace, joy, and love? Where in your life are you experiencing those qualities?
2. How does knowing God's commandments help you recognize where you need Him most?
3. What in your life is holding you back, or what doubts do you have about the goodness of God's plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11)? How will you live your new life in Christ?
4. When have you felt trapped or alone in a sin pattern? Where did you turn for help (1 Corinthians 10:13)?