Deuteronomy 5:1-33


It has been over forty years since the children of Israel received to Law of God through Moses on the mountain.  However, Moses wants to make sure that the nation remembers the reality of this experience today.  Moses knows that the success of the people is utterly dependent upon their obedience of this Law and their reverence of God.  The tasks to which God calls us can only be accomplished as a result of the power of God working through us.  God’s power in our lives is unleashed in response to our obedience of His Word.

THE PEOPLE MUST LIVE IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LAW: Moses wants to make sure that the children of Israel remember the commandments the Lord gave to them in the very beginning.  These Ten Commandments are the basis of God’s moral will for all of mankind.  God wants us to worship Him alone and have no other gods in our lives.  His name is to be kept holy and we are to set aside a day in our lives for the purpose of worship and rest.  We are also to live in a respectful manner with our fellow man.  We must not sin against other men by taking from them the things that belong to them.  We are to be honest in our relationships with one another and protect our hearts from being jealous of one another.  Christ summed up these laws in a very simple manner: we are to love God and love others.  Love is the true mark of a follower of God and is what He desires to see evidenced in each of our lives.

THE PEOPLE MUST LIVE IN REVERENCE OF THE LORD: Moses also wants to remind them of the experience that they had on the mountain when they audibly heard the voice of God speak from the fire on the mountain.  The people were not allowed on the mountain and God manifest Himself to them through the voice and the fire.  This experience was awe inspiring and terrifying all at the same time.  The people were so taken by this event that they were astonished to be alive.  They quickly realized that this means of direct communication from God was not healthy for them and they literally feared for their lives.  This demonstrates a true reverence and fear of the Lord.  The people asked for Moses to be their representative before God and that Moses then be responsible to communicate God’s will to them.  Today our advocate before God is Jesus Christ, and we have access to God through prayers, but we still ought to live in awe of Him, fear Him and demonstrate reverence to Him. 

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