Deuteronomy 5.
THE first word is “Hear”, and the next directions are to “learn”, to “keep” and to “do” the word of God. That word was given to them directly, though the people of Israel were afraid because of the fire—a sign of the testing judgment of God which the natural man could not face and live.
This unfolding of directions for the people who had already proved untrustworthy and failures in themselves, begins properly with the ten commandments, the foundation of the covenant God had made, and where obedience began. The first word is the name of Him who had delivered them, and there was to be no one in their hearts before Him.
Down to verse 11, the commandments are exactly, word for word, as we found them in Exodus 20, but in verse 12 There is a change. It comes out in a notable alteration in verse 15, where the reason for keeping the Sabbath is that these people had been servants in the land of Egypt, and had been brought out through a “mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm.” They were then a delivered people, and in thankfulness to God they were privileged to rest in what He had done, —the work of redemption was all His, and wholly done. The later commandments are as given in Exodus 20.
But the people had shown that they desired not to be too close to God, —distance suited them.
“Go thou near,” they had said to Moses, and God, who had heard their words, and read their hearts better than they knew themselves, expressed to Moses His thoughts about them, and His desire for them.
“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!”
Satan would tempt them to turn aside from the word of God; if they saw on the “right hand” something they turned away from as wrong, Satan would try to lead them in another way into sin. It takes constant watchfulness on both the “right hand” and on the “left” to preserve the believer in the narrow path of obedience to God.
ML 09/28/1924