Deuteronomy 5:1-33
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
“You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you…” -Deuteronomy 5:33
The Book of Deuteronomy is a recollection and reminder of how the Lord delivered His people from bondage as well as His plans and expectations for them. In today’s reading, Moses reviews the Ten Commandments given by God, as a pattern for living a consecrated life to the Lord.
As believers, we have been saved from the bondage to sin and eternal death and made secure in Christ. Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God for our sin, as He died on the cross. All who believe in Christ Jesus’ death on behalf of sinful man and accept Him, are saved by grace through faith. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1John 4:10). When we comprehend the agape love of God that gave everything for us, how could we not respond with a heart of gratitude and love for this great King? We are – ‘a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession...’ (1 Peter 2:9) called to walk in obedience and fellowship with the Lord.
At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a deeper meaning to the commandments than the Jews perceived it. The law is a guideline for holy living and as children of God, saved by His love, we should respond in love and obedience to His commandments. God desires that we live consecrated live and His laws are directives for our godly living. From this perspective let us understand how the Ten Commandments apply to us.
The Ten Commandments can be categorized into two:
Dealing with our relationship with God:
1. You shall have no other gods before Me (V.7): Give God the central position in our lives! It means not allowing futile things like money, work or recognition to become a priority over our relationship with the Lord.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol (V.8): No idol worship! In the present day context, it is easy to make an idol even of our spiritual leaders, like Moses may have been for the Israelites, but by it we forget God who placed them over us. Our focus should be to worship God in Spirit and truth.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain (V.11): The Almighty God’s name is to be revered! It should not be used in idle, insincere or slanderous speech. The next time you say, ‘Praise the Lord!’ mean it!
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (V.12): Set apart time for the Lord! For the believer, Sabbath is a time of intimate personal fellowship with God, being spiritually refreshed and strengthened.
Dealing with our relationship with others:
5. Honor your father and your mother (V.16): God expects us to respect and honour our parents! This is the first commandment with a promised blessing.
6. You shall not murder (V.17): Jesus said the root cause of murder—anger itself is a sin (Matthew 5:21-22) Let us regard every life as a valuable creation of God.
7. You Shall Not Commit Adultery (V.18): We should honor the sanctity of our marriage. (Matthew 5:27-28).
8. You Shall Not Steal (V.19): This emphasizes the need to work and earn a livelihood rather than live idle lives (Ephesians 4:28), as well as giving God tithes and offerings due to Him (Malachi 3:8–11).
9. You Shall Not Bear False Witness (V.20): Our speech and actions should not be deceptive, but rather be truthful in all things. God cannot lie and He hates deception in His children.
10. You Shall Not Covet (Vs 21): Covetousness desires another’s possession and reveals that we are not content with the abundant blessings that God has given us.
God’s desire is that we would continually walk in holiness, just as He is holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16)
Prayer: Dear Lord may I understand that my life is consecrated to You and help me walk in Your truths. Amen.