Deuteronomy 5-6

Chapter 5:
           Moses’ second address to the people makes up the bulk of the book of Deuteronomy. (Chapters 5-26) Moses is about to give a detailed review of the whole law, beginning with the ten commandments here in chapter 5. I have often wondered as I read scripture why there is so much repetition of certain verses, passages, or historical accounts. Several different verses in different chapters of Proverbs, for example, are either identical or very nearly so, and the books of Kings and Chronicles give almost the same historical accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah leading up to the Babylonian captivity. Chapter 5 of Deuteronomy is nearly identical to Exodus 20. Moses begins his second address by repeating the ten commandments, and those ten verses are very nearly identical, word for word, with the corresponding verses in Exodus 20.
            The simplest answer is that God put together His word in a specific way, including all the passages that either repeat or echo others, because that’s what He wanted. While it may seem redundant to readers of our present time, oral repetition – such as what Moses is doing now for the second generation of Israel – was a common practice in the ANE, due primarily to the lack of abundance of paper and ink with which to keep written records. That doesn’t mean there was no system of reading and writing at this time, obviously, but it was often much easier to pass on large amounts of information and knowledge – such as the law of God – to a large group of people by oral tradition rather than large, bulky scrolls to which only a select few of the people had access.
            Keep in mind, too, that the whole book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ last message to the children of Israel, and it’s been almost forty years since the law was first given at Mount Sinai. It was necessary for him to remind the second generation of the importance of the law and all that God had commanded them to do, both before and after they enter the promised land. The first generation had failed God through the sin of rebellion, lack of faith, and disobedience of the law, and they forfeited the promised land as a consequence. Moses didn’t want the same thing to happen to their sons and daughters, hence the reason for this last book of the Pentateuch.
 
           Verses 1-5: Moses begins with the command to “Hear” in verse 1, a word used frequently in this book. Israel is to do more than just passively listen to Moses words. The exhortation “Hear, O Israel” is an imperative, a plea to take these words to heart and apply them to their lives. Moses again refers to the law as a covenant in verse 2, reminding the people of what they and their fathers had agreed to at Horeb. (Jeremiah 31:32, Hebrews 8:9) He makes this specific point in verse 3, emphasizing that the covenant was not made void by the disobedience of the first generation. Those present listening to him now also agreed to obey and follow the law. Moses then recalls the scene at Mount Sinai with the fire, thundering, and darkness, and the voice of God that spoke from the midst of it all. (v.4-5) Moses had to stand between the people and the mountain to relay the word of the LORD because of the people’s fear. (v.5) (Exodus 19:9, 20:21, Galatians 3:19)
 
            Verses 6-21: Moses now reviews the ten commandments, the basis of the whole law. Verses 7,8,11,12,16,17,18,19,20, and 21 are either identical – or very nearly so – to verses 3,4,7,8,12,13,14,15,16 and 17 of Exodus 20. (Refer back to that chapter of my commentary for a detailed discussion and analysis of each of the commandments.) When comparing the two passages, there are some minor differences.
          1) The word “remember” is used in Exodus 20:8 when referring to the sabbath day, but here in verse 12 the word “keep” is used instead. Moses further elaborates in verse 15 that one of the reasons for this observance is to remember their time of slavery in Egypt and how God delivered them through His power and might. In Exodus, however, he had compared the observance of the sabbath to the creation week when God rested on the seventh day.
      2) Moses uses the phrase, “As the LORD thy God hath commanded thee” twice here in Deuteronomy, when giving the fourth and fifth commandments. But, for obvious reasons, that phrase was not in the corresponding verses in Exodus. This is in keeping with Moses’ theme of reminding the people of what God had already laid out for them forty years earlier. In light of all the sin committed by the Israelites in that time, Moses is now emphasizing obedience to what God had already commanded them to do.
           3) The order of things that one should not covet in verse 21 is reversed from that given in Exodus 20:17. There it’s the neighbor’s house that is mentioned first, not his wife. Not only that, Moses uses a different Hebrew word here in Deuteronomy when referring to the coveting of someone else’s wife. The KJV translates it as “desire” rather than “covet”. While both words carry almost the same meaning, “desire” in this context refers to sexual lust, a more specific kind of coveting that God is warning His people to not give into.
          The other reason that Moses begins with a reiteration of the Decalogue is that it forms the outline for the rest of his second address to the people. As noted earlier, these ten commandments are the basis of the whole law of God. And also, as noted in my commentary of Exodus 20, the first four pertain to one’s relationship to God while the last six govern one’s relationship to his fellow man.
 
            Verses 22-33: This section recalls the incident from Exodus 19 where God had initially called the whole congregation to meet with him up on Mount Sinai but they were too afraid because of the thundering, lightning, and fire. While the people had acknowledged God’s greatness and glory (v.24), they were fearful of being killed by the fire if they came any closer (v.25-26). Rather than trust God and obey His command to come further up the mountain, they gave into their fear and held back. Instead, they told Moses to go up the mountain to meet with God, promising that they would obey all the Lord’s commandments. (v.27)
            While God was not pleased with the people’s lack of faith, He did delight in their willingness to obey His word. (v.28) His desire is that this would always be characteristic of them and all future generations. (v.29) (Deuteronomy 11:1, 32:29, Psalm 81:13, Isaiah 48:18) This is why Moses is bringing it up again here. The first generation failed to keep that desire for God’s word and obey all that He commanded them to do. Moses doesn’t want the second generation to make the same mistake, a point that he emphasizes in verses 32-33. That phrase, “…the LORD your God hath commanded you…” appears in both these verses. Only by obedience to the law of the Lord would Israel first be able to conquer the promised land and then have peace and long life within it.

Chapter 6:
          Verses 1-3: Not only would obedience of the law bring peace and long life, but it is also meant to teach the children of Israel to “…fear the LORD thy God…”. (v.2) (Exodus 20:20, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Psalm 111:10, 128:1, Ecclesiastes 12:13) Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The law of God is meant to give wisdom and knowledge to the Israelites, and, in the process of taking to heart all its statutes and judgments (v.1), the people would learn to fear God. The Hebrew word for “fear” in verse 2 is “yârê’” which in this context means “to stand in awe of”, according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary. Strong’s concordance also defines it as “a healthy reverence or dread”. Those who fear God are not only in awe of Him and His holiness, but they also revere and dread His power and judgment.
            That’s why Moses warned Israel at the end of chapter 4 what would happen to them if they did not obey the law of the LORD. They were to always possess a healthy and reverential fear of God’s wrath because of the covenant they agreed to at Mount Sinai. If they disobeyed His statutes and judgments as they had done quite frequently since their exodus from Egypt, then they would continue to incur His anger and judgment for their sin. There are numerous references throughout scripture, especially in Psalms and Proverbs, to the wicked and rebellious who do not fear God’s wrath. That is why pride is such a deadly sin, for it denies the power of God and His right to judge those who disobey His law and rebel against His righteous authority over all His creation.
            The fear of the LORD is to be passed onto all generations. (v.2) (Deuteronomy 4:40) This was something the first generation out of Egypt failed to do. Had they obeyed God and possessed the faith of Caleb, Joshua and Moses, they would have lived longer and reaped the rewards of the promised land. Instead, their disobedience cost them their lives. A long, healthy, and prosperous life is one of the blessings of obeying and fearing God, a point that Moses emphasizes in verse 3.
            The phrase, “Hear therefore, O Israel…” is repeated again. (v.3) As mentioned before, the word “hear” in this context means more than just passive listening. It’s an exhortation of active listening, to take to heart what Moses is teaching and to apply it to one’s life. This is why he immediately follows that phrase with the command, “…observe to do it.” This implies a conscious, active decision on the part of the listener, a choice to obey the statutes and judgments that Moses has been preaching about since the beginning of chapter 5. Why? So that their lives in the promised land will be long, peaceful and prosperous. Not only that, the nation would “…increase mightily…” because of obedience. (Genesis 22:17, Deuteronomy 7:13) This was part of God’s promise to Abraham in His initial covenant: a nation that would be as great in number as the stars of the heaven and the sands upon the seashore.
            The implied opposite of this promise is that disobedience and failure to keep the fear of the LORD would bring about death, war, famine, disease, and a host of other negative consequences, which is exactly what happened in the years following the reign of King Solomon. Israel failed to obey God and His law, and their lives were in constant peril at the hands of the heathen nations around them. Peace and long life are a reward only for the humble who consistently seek God’s face and obey all His statutes and judgments.
            The bounty of the promised land is mentioned again at the end of verse 3, a “land that floweth with milk and honey.”
 
            Verses 4: This verse has been labeled as “The Shema”, which comes from the Hebrew word “shâma’”, meaning to “to hear”, and it’s considered a key verse in the OT by the Jews. It has become a confession of faith, recited twice daily by devout Jews, and it simply and clearly affirms the monotheism of God. He is one LORD, and there is none other like Him. He is the only true and living God, creator of the heavens and the earth, and He is sovereign over all things. (Deuteronomy 4:35, Mark 12:29, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
            Notice Moses’ command once again: “Hear, O Israel…”. He is imploring the people to not just listen with their ears, but to take to heart his words; to meditate on this principle that God is the only true and living God, and there is none other like Him in all the earth or in the heavens. He is LORD of all, the only LORD, and, because of His sovereignty, He is to be worshiped alone. This is the reason for the first and second commandments. They are the most important of the Decalogue, and the foundation of all the Mosaic Law.
        Verse 5: Moses’ next point connects directly to verse 4. Because of who God is, and because of His sovereignty, and because of all that He has done for them and will do, the Israelites are to love Him above all else, with all their heart, soul, and might. Jesus affirmed this as the first and greatest of all the commandments. (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) According to the Moody Bible Commentary, “The heart was generally associated in Hebrew thinking with the mind, the soul denoted the innermost being or emotions, and might refers to doing the previous two injunctions exceedingly (literally ‘very, very much’). The repetition of the word ‘all’ shows that Israel’s commitment to the Lord was to be undivided and complete.”
           
          Verses 6-9: The Hebrew word for “heart” is “lêbâb”, which means, “inner man, mind, will, soul, or understanding”, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs and Strong’s Concordance. Moses is commanding the people to always be thinking about and meditating on the word of the LORD and to apply it to one’s innermost parts. (v.6) (Deuteronomy 11:18, Psalm 119:11, 98) Like the seed that is planted deep in fertile soil, the commandments of the law of God are to be planted deep in one’s heart where they will eventually grow and blossom.
           Furthermore, the parents are to teach all these statutes and judgments to their children by instructing them every day throughout the day. (v.7) (Deuteronomy 4:9, 11:19, Ephesians 6:4) Verses 8-9 are not meant to be taken literally, but the form of Judaism that took hold by the time of Jesus’ birth had led most Israelites – especially the Pharisees – to create phylacteries and mezuzoth. These were tiny boxes with words of scripture written on miniature scrolls, and the former was bound to one’s forehead by straps or cords while the latter was bound to the doorposts of one’s home. (Exodus 13:9, 16, Deuteronomy 11:20, Proverbs 3:3, 6:21, 7:3)
            The point of Moses’ command here is that the law of God was to be so much a part of everyday life for the people that they would constantly be talking about and thinking about its words. The same is true for us today. We should be reading and studying our Bible daily so that its words sink into our hearts and minds, causing us to meditate on them throughout the day. We should be memorizing those words as much as we can so that when the devil’s snares and temptations appear before us we have a defense. That process of reading, study, and memorization also is key to the ongoing process of our sanctification following salvation. The more we feed the spirit and starve the flesh, the more like Christ we will become.
 
            Verses 10-15: Moses now warns of the consequences of not doing what he commands in verses 6-9. The Israelites would be inheriting cities of great wealth, rich and fertile farmland, and all manner of goodly possessions that currently belong to the Canaanites. In other words, they will be reaping the rewards and bounty of someone else’s labor, and Moses warns them not to become complacent in their new life of prosperity. This is always the risk for the believer who is richly blessed by God. It becomes too easy for us to neglect the Lord’s commandments, to turn away from our Bible study and church attendance and daily prayer life. We quickly forget the source of all our blessings and prosperity and instead put other things at the center of our lives. (Deuteronomy 8:11)
        Along with all their houses and material wealth, the Canaanites would also be leaving behind their false gods, idols that were carved from wood and stone, as well as the high places and groves that were built to house them. (v.14) There would also be other nations outside the promised land that would be a snare to the Israelites because of their false religions and practices. Moses reminds the people to fear God alone, to serve Him only, and swear only by His name. (v.13) (Deuteronomy 13:4) Jesus quotes this verse to Satan when rebuking him. (Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8)
          The consequences of not obeying this command  are stated in verse 15: “For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you…”. (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 4:24) God’s jealousy is a natural extension of His holiness, and He will not share His glory with any man or anything that man makes. If the Israelites worship anything or anyone other than the LORD their God, they will suffer God’s wrath, and He will wipe them “…from off the face of the earth.” This is not to say that He will break His promise to Abraham, but it does mean that He will destroy an entire generation and start anew with their children. This is, in fact, exactly what happened with the first generation that came out of Egypt. God sentenced them to forty years of wandering in the wilderness until they all died because of their disobedience and lack of faith.
            It’s also important to note that phrase from verse 15, “among you”. God is dwelling among His people in the tabernacle, and He had promised to continue dwelling among them after they entered the promised land. (Exodus 33:3) In a similar manner, believers today have God dwelling within them in the form of the Holy Spirit, and the consequences for sin and disobedience are no different for us than for the Israelites. If we persist in idolatry, lack of faith, or all manner of other such sin, God will chastise us as a Father disciplines His children. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and the LORD our God will not share His glory with any other. We are to put Him first in our lives, above all else!
 
        Verses 16-19: Moses expounds on this point by warning the Israelites against testing the LORD’S patience as they did at Massah. (1 Corinthians 10:9) Instead, the people are to “…diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God…” (v.17). (Deuteronomy 11:22, Psalm 119:4) Obeying God requires a commitment of one’s whole heart and mind, a daily conscious decision and effort to choose God and forsake all else. The children of Israel, like believers today, are easily tempted by their sin nature to wander from God, and Moses is exhorting them to strive daily to stay true to the LORD their God. They are to “…to do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord…” (v.18) because only obedience would bring them the fulfillment of God’s promise to their father, Abraham, as well as a multitude of other blessings and long life. (Exodus 15:26, Deuteronomy 8:7) It would be by God’s power and providence that Israel would successfully conquer all their enemies in the promised land. (v.19) (Numbers 33:52-53)
 
            Verses 20-25: Moses now circles back to the point he made in verse 7. The parents are to instruct their children on the testimonies, statutes, and judgments of the whole law of God. (v.20) (Exodus 13:8, 14) They are to always remember where they came from and how God delivered them from bondage in Egypt by His divine power and might. (v.21) (Exodus 13:3) They are to remember His signs and wonders that He displayed to both the Egyptians and the Israelites in order that His covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled. (v.22-23) Lastly, they are to instruct their sons and daughters just as Moses is instructing them now, to keep the law of the LORD, because only through obedience will come happiness, blessings, and long life. (v.24) (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Job 35:7-8, Jeremiah 32:39)
         Not only that, but obedience to the law will also be “…our righteousness…” (v.25) (Deuteronomy 24:13, Romans 10:5) By “…keeping all these commandments before the LORD our God…” the Israelites would be declared righteous. This verse is one of the many clues throughout the OT that confirm eternal salvation as a combination of faith plus works in this dispensation of the law. (Ezekiel 18:20-22, 24, Habakkuk 2:4) Unlike believers today in the NT dispensation of grace, those in the OT were not saved by faith alone, nor was their salvation secure. If they did not keep the law and maintain their righteousness by the daily, weekly, and yearly sacrifices in the tabernacle, they could lose their salvation. Examples of this are clearly seen in the lives of King Saul and King David. (1 Samuel 10:6, 15:22-23, 16:14, Psalm 51:11)