Deuteronomy 5:1-21
The Ten Commandments comprise the foundation of the
Jewish faith. In Deuteronomy 5:1-21 Moses proclaims the Ten Commandments to the
people a second time. This essay will examine the context of Deuteronomy 5:1-21
and address why the commandments are repeated for a second time. The essay will
identify the type of law, whether salvation driven or obedience based, Deuteronomy
5:1-21 aligns with. It will answer the question, what was the nature of
adherence required by the Ten Commandments? More specifically this essay will
respond to why the law was there and what purpose it served. After addressing
these topics concerning the Decalogue they can then be applied in a modern
context. Deuteronomy 5:1-21 must be given proper context, understanding the features
of the law which formed the basis of the covenant between God and man is vital
in applying them to our lives today.
The Ten Commandments provide a foundation for the people
Israel on how to be Israelites. As a people belonging to God there was to be
holiness present in Israel and in this the glory of God would be on display for
the rest of the world. Deuteronomy 5:1-21 was not merely an additional reminder
to the people to obey their God; it was a gift from God. “The Law shows God's
justice, love, and high standards, but one should not fail to see God's mercy
even in the midst of these.”[1] The
gift and blessing of the Ten Commandments was that Israel always had a way back
to God, for this reason the Ten Commandments had a vital role in the lives of
the people.
The law was given to Israel not as a means to salvation
but to show them to be a people of salvation. The law is then given to the
people so they might obey their God out of love and not fear. “The Mosaic law
was not, and never was intended to be, the means of establishing a relationship
with God. Instead, it was a means of regulating Israel's relationship with God
that had already been established, being guidelines for those already ‘saved.’”[2]
This additional giving of the law in Deuteronomy was given as a reminder that
God is for His people and this will not change as they enter the Promised Land.
This is consistent with the book of Deuteronomy as the hearers were given
reassurances of God’s love and faithfulness in the face of impossible odds.
Deuteronomy
5:1-21 provides the reader with a different contextual base from the original
proclamation in the Exodus account. In this case the audience was different.
The audience was still all Hebrews but of a different generation and in a
different mindset from the previous Exodus generation. The location was
different and the obstacles of their immediate future presented different
challenges. “Rather, Deuteronomy represents a recontextualization of the earlier
material, as Moses addresses a different audience from those who heard the law
given at Sinai/Horeb.”[3]
This demonstrates how the law was applicable regardless of situation or
location just as the words of God are today.
The Ten Commandments cover many types
of law, considering the wide range of topics listed. From family, civil, and
moral issues the Ten Commandments act as a base for legal questions in Israel. Deuteronomy
5:1-21 brings to light the type and nature of the law as the people were
reminded of the requirements and direct nature of the Commandments. These are
apodictic laws that state absolute principles, as opposed to casuistic laws
that apply the principles. “Apodictic law, on the other hand, is categorical
assertions of right and wrong. Apodictic laws are not presented in the form of
cases (“If . . . then . . .”) but as declarations.”[4]
The Ten Commandments fall under the apodictic type, meaning that the law is
indisputably true and thus it is appropriate to announce the law to the people
again at Horeb.
The law was given as the very words of God, written by
His hand and void of human intervention. This more than qualifies the Ten
Commandments as indisputable and therefore above all other laws they will come
into contact with. God’s covenant with Israel is proclaimed in Deuteronomy 5:1-21
before entering the Promised Land so that old temptations do not take hold of
the people again. “A few chapters later (ch. 23) the same prophet traces the
origins of the Israelite tendency to stray after foreign gods to their time in
Egypt (see below). These passages unambiguously affirm that the Hebrews
worshipped foreign gods, identified as ‘the idols of Egypt’, during this
pre-exodus period.”[5]
The law was more than a set of instructions for Israel, it was a peace treaty
hand written by the Lord God.
The
requirements of the laws are clearly stated in Deuteronomy 5:1-21, literally
written in stone and unyielding to the passing of time or environment. This creates
a clear, concise and coherent law the people can follow and understand. Laws
that are clearly written and received provide the basis for justice while
giving the reader a basis for understanding. “But in seeking to properly
understand the relevance of the text for a contemporary audience, it is clearly
necessary to begin with a proper understanding of exactly what the law is
requiring or forbidding.”[6]
God is showing the people how to be His own people and has not minced words in
doing so.
It is the nature of the law that motivates or inspires
the people to obey God fully. The penalty of the law is much the same as we see
in all legal writings however the outcome of obeying the law takes new meaning
in Deuteronomy 5:1-21. The Ten Commandments are applied to the people as a
whole and all share in the responsibility of representing their glorious God
through obeying Him. This is true even for Moses the law provider, whereas in
many cultures we see an absence of legal requirement for the law-givers or
ruling authorities. “By contrast, in the revelation of the Decalogue this theme
is omitted. Moses joins his peers as listener. God now speaks directly to his
people: ‘And God spoke all these words, saying’ (20:1 RSV).”[7]
The authority of the law is revealed as the chosen instrument of God, Moses, the
worker of miracles and the rescuer of Israel, listens and adheres to the law as
does Israel.
The requirements of the law were unifying as they applied
to the whole of Israel. Although Moses was the chosen instrument of God in the
rescuing of His people, Moses was a part of the people like everyone else. “Strictly
speaking, the Decalogue is not a collection of laws. Various factors set it
apart from other legal collections of the Pentateuch. First, God speaks it
directly to the people; at this stage Moses does not act as an intermediary
(20:1, 19; cf. Deut. 4:1213; 5:45, 2227).”[8]
This was not Moses’ law and therefore he could claim no exemptions from it as
he would come to find out during an angered outburst that cost him his chance
to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).
Deuteronomy 5:1-21 is necessary
to solidify the purpose of the Ten Commandments. Moses again plays a crucial
role in solidifying the true identity of Israel as God’s chosen people. “At the
very least, it also contained the powerful vision of the Covenant people, a
unique concept of service to God and Devotion to His ways which is the source
from which stem all other aspects of Judaism, including its ethical and ritual
codes."[9]
This is the second time we see the commandments listed out fully and it sets a
tone for the people of God going forward. In order to receive the Promised Land
from God the people would need to be ready for the challenges ahead of them.
The
people needed to understand that their success was dependent on their
relationship with God. “This sense of total devotion to Yahweh was necessary for
Israel’s survival and success as the people of God. Israel could not be a
paradigm for the nations in terms of what it means to be human in relationship
with God if the people were just like the nations in terms of idolatry.”[10]
Before entering the Promised Land they would need to be Israel and not Egyptian
refugees, and the law provided this identity for them. Moses acted as mediator
but his intention was to give the people a vision of their King.
The Ten Commandments are listed
out a second time by design and intention not only for Israel but for
those who would become His children. The law can be set aside by the modern
Christian follower as it is labelled unnecessary and burdensome. More so the
Christian believer can view the law as abolished or absent from the Christian
faith and ideals. Jesus did not say he was going to abolish the law, however,
but to fulfill it. Given that Jesus fulfilled the law, how does it apply to us?
The law
was put in place to provide more than judicial and civil laws but to provide an
understanding of God’s intention and heart for His people. The penalties against
a rapist, for example, can be viewed as barbaric to our modern sensibilities as
we want to think that God only forgives. The penalty could have been soft but then
we would not understand God’s feeling about rape. “In fact, it wasn't: the
Bible could have ordered that a rapist cannot marry his victim, but must
provide financial support for her for his entire life.”[11] Whether
or not we agree with the penalty we are quickly apprised of God’s feelings
towards this vile act.
The law
is applied in spirit through the life we pursue in Christ and in this way the
law can be fulfilled. The pursuit of New Testament living should not be viewed
as easy nor should grace be used as a license to sin. By no means is this true.
It is wise to recall that the law was more than a set of rules and regulations
but a gift to the people for purposes of identity. “We noted there that law for
the Israelites was not about earning salvation through the keeping of a set of
rules but was a means by which God’s people were to live out relationship with
God as a witness to a watching world.”[12]
Just as the law showed the world a people belonging to God it now shows the
world a people in Christ, the fulfilment of the law.
This is not to say that the law is required in strict
obedience for the follower of Jesus today as there is a New Covenant in place,
but this does not abolish the former. We are no longer under a theocracy as the
Hebrews were, or at least not in the United States, but we remain accountable
to the Messiah Jesus who judges by grace with the law still standing as a
pillar of righteous behavior before God. We are under grace and not law but the
law does not play the role of a villain in our narrative. Just as Moses proclaimed the Ten Commandments
again in Deuteronomy 5:1-21 Israel was reminded of the God they serve and the
glory He is worthy of, we too make every effort to obey Him in love so that the
world may know Him.
[1]
Lecture 1. "HTH 611: Old Testament Exegesis - Pentateuch." Grand
Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ, 2014.
[2]
Joe M. Sprinkle, "Law and narrative
in Exodus 19-24." Journal of The Evangelical Theological Society 47, no.
2, 2004: 235-252. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
May 22, 2016).
[3]
Peter T. Vogt, Interpreting the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 2009, 137
[4]
Peter T. Vogt, Interpreting the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 2009, 138
[5]
Nicholas P. Lunn, "Let my people
go!' The exodus as Israel's metaphorical divorce from Egypt." Evangelical
Quarterly 86, no. 3, 2014: 239-251. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost
(accessed May 24, 2016).
[6]
Peter T. Vogt, Interpreting the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 2009, 141
[7]
Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2005, 179
[8]
T. Desmond Alexander, From Paradise to the Promise Land - An Introduction to
the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012.
[9]
Robert A. Hammer, "New covenant of Moses." Judaism 27, no. 3, 1978:
345-350. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 23,
2016).
[10]
Peter T. Vogt, Interpreting the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 2009, 143
[11]
Morgan Reinhart, "What God Has Brought Together." Humanist. Nov/Dec,
Vol. 72 Issue 6, 2012: p8-11. 3p. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials,
EBSCOhost (accessed May 22, 2016).
[12]
Peter T. Vogt, Interpreting the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Kregel
Publications, 2009, 136
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