Hello everybody, and welcome in to episode 56 of the Bible 2021 podcast. We are reading Deuteronomy 5 today and our focus is on the terror of the Lord. We are a daily 10 minute podcast, where we will dig in to the truth of the Word of God by reading one Bible chapter a day and discussing it. Welcome to new listeners in Thanks for listening! Our goal is to encourage DAILY Bible reading, so you can jump in at any time and join with us. We want to invite as many people as possible to join us in daily Bible reading, so help spread the word and share the podcast Don’t forget about our new web-page, Bible2021.com – contact page, show notes, transcript and more – Click here for our reading plan
Today we are going to re-read the Ten Commandments, but also hear a little more about how these commandments were delivered to the people. Let’s open with our verse of the day:
29 If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that they and their children would prosper forever. (Deuteronomy 5:29)
Note the longing heart of God – His commands are good and He wants His people to obey the commandments, Fear Him, and thus would God bless and prosper them and their children forever. We don’t often think of obedience in that context, do we? Usually we think we are supposed to obey for the good of the one giving the commands…but here God attaches explicit blessing – forever blessing – to be shown to those who walk in the fear of the Lord and the obedience to His commands. This is a huge deal – God’s commands are meant to bring prosperity and blessing for ourselves and our children…this is refreshingly different from the way most people view God’s commands.
I note that God not only wrote the commandments here HIMSELF, but He also spoke the commandments. I also note that the Israelites were far too terrified of the presence of the Lord to listen to Him speak – so they decided to run to their tents and let Moses listen, and later explain to them what God said. Their fear of God is pretty tangible and obvious in vss. 24-27
24 You said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God speaks with a person, yet he still lives. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. 26 For who out of all humanity has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then you can tell us everything the Lord our God tells you; we will listen and obey.’ Deuteronomy 5:24-27
They wanted Moses to talk to God – not themselves – they were too afraid. They did NOT want any sort of personal relationship with God – they wanted Moses to be the one who talked to God, and then Moses to be the one who acted as a messenger. Quite fascinating! Let’s read the chapter, and then discuss how things are different now.
The writer of Hebrews addresses this and other instances in the first 5 chapters of the Bible when the Israelites were far too terrified to come near to God, nor hear His voice:
18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:18-24
THAT is how it used to be, but Jesus has come and made things differently. In the past, sinful people like us couldn’t even hope to come near to God…but Jesus has brought about a radical change. He has made it possible, by His sacrifice, for us to be brought together with God:
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus— 20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)— 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:19-23
This changes EVERYthing for us, as Dr. Daniel Gurtner notes:
The author of Hebrews expounds on this very clearly: “we have confidence to enter the holy places” (Hebrews 10:19), and this is accomplished by the blood of Jesus. This is the “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20) that Christ opened for us through the veil, which, the author says, is through his flesh. This means that the breaking of Jesus’s body at the crucifixion is the unprecedented means by which believers have access to the presence of God. Source: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-veil-was-torn-in-two
We are no longer like the Israelites – standing at a massive distance away from God the Father. Thanks to Jesus the Son, we have no been brought near, without fear.
Tomorrow – open with Og’s comment.
End of the Show: Bible memory verse for FEBRUARY: Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
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