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Scripture Reading: Deut. 5:1-21
Before we begin to consider the rehearsal of the law, I would like to speak a word concerning the Divine Trinity, which is the basis for the revelation in the Bible.
Concerning the Divine Trinity, there is in the Bible an important principle. This principle is that anything related to the Father, who is the source, is onefold; anything related to the Son, who is the course, is twofold; and anything related to the Spirit, who is the flow, the consummation, the totality, of the Triune God, is threefold. When God's salvation or any of His attributes reaches us, it reaches us in a threefold way because this reaching involves the three of the Divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
To understand this principle we need to consider how the Triune God reaches us. The Father reaches us in the Son as the Spirit. The Father is in the Son, and the Son reaches us as the Spirit. This means that when the Spirit reaches us, the Father and the Son also reach us. The Gospel of John reveals that when the Father sent the Son, the Son did not come by Himself but came with the Father (John 8:29; 16:32b). Furthermore, when the Son sent the Spirit, He sent the Spirit as Himself (John 15:26; 14:26). Thus, when the Spirit comes, the Father and the Son also come. This is the Triune God reaching us as the Spirit.
Any attribute is onefold with the Father, twofold with the Son, and threefold with the Spirit. Love is God's greatest attribute. With the Father love is onefold, with the Son it is twofold, and with the Spirit it is threefold. We see this threefoldness in 2 Corinthians 13:14, which says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." Love is the source of grace, and grace is the coming forth, the expression, of love. The fellowship is the transmission of the grace which is the embodiment of love. The love of God is in the grace of Christ, and the grace of Christ with the love of God is transmitted in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. From this we see that when something of the Triune God reaches us, it comes to us in a threefold way.
Although the book of Deuteronomy often uses the expression "Jehovah your God," it does not explicitly mention Christ or the Spirit. However, in this book there are synonyms of Christ. These synonyms are the word, the law, the commandments, the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments (the ordinances). Because all these are things spoken by God, in totality they are the word. The law, the commandments, the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments are all the word, and the word is Christ. In Romans 10 Paul interprets the word in Deuteronomy as Christ, referring in verse 8 to "the word of the faith." We may think that the word in Deuteronomy is the word of the law, but Paul regards it as the word of the faith. The commandments, the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments are the word, and the word is the word of faith.
Since all these are synonyms of Christ, as we are reading Deuteronomy we may want to replace them with the word Christ. To keep the law is to keep Christ. To love the commandment is to love Christ. To receive the testimonies and judgments is to receive Christ.
We have pointed out that Deuteronomy does not speak of the Spirit. However, Paul's interpretation in Romans 10 implies the Spirit; it implies that the Christ whom he is describing is the Spirit. Paul says, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (v. 8). To be in our mouth and in our heart, this word, which is Christ, must be the Spirit.
In his interpretation of Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Paul presents a wonderful description of Christ as the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected One. Christ is the One who came down from the heavens in incarnation; thus, there is no need for anyone to ascend to the heavens to bring Him down. Christ is also the One who came out of the abyss, out of Hades, in resurrection; thus, there is no need for anyone to descend into the abyss to bring Him up. Where is the Christ who came down from the heavens in incarnation and who came up from the abyss in resurrection, and what kind of Christ is He today? This Christ is in our mouth and in our heart, for He is now the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). This is the biblical Christ, the Christ unveiled in the interpretation of Deuteronomy in Romans 10.
The Christ unveiled in Deuteronomy and Romans is the very God who became incarnated as a man. This One was crucified and resurrected, and in resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit, who is the air for us to breathe by calling upon Him. He is everywhere, waiting for people to call upon Him. Romans 10:12 tells us that He is "rich to all who call upon Him." When we first call, we receive Him as life. As we continue to call upon the name of the Lord, He becomes our life supply, our strength, and our everything.
If we have the understanding concerning the Christ found in Romans 10, we will come to the book of Deuteronomy in a new way. We will regard Deuteronomy as an extract of the entire Bible. I hope that we all will have such an understanding as we now begin to consider the rehearsal of the law in 5:1-21.
The rehearsal of the law is the respeaking of the law. This rehearsal, this respeaking, was for the training of the new generation after the purging of the old generation through their wandering of thirty-eight years in the wilderness. That wandering had been used by God to produce a new generation, and this generation needed the training of the law. They needed to be trained with and by the law.
In 5:1-31 we have the rehearsing of the Ten Commandments.
Verses 2 and 3 say, "Jehovah our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our fathers did Jehovah make this covenant, but with us, we who are all here today alive." This indicates that the Ten Commandments were the covenant God made with Israel at Horeb, especially with the present new generation of Israel. This is according to the biblical principle that the children are always included in the father. This is the reason that the covenant made at Horeb included even those Israelites who had not yet been born at that time. In the sight of God, the covenant made at Horeb was actually made with the present new generation of Israel.
The Ten Commandments are the base of the entire law (vv. 6-21). In the book of Deuteronomy the Ten Commandments are also called the "ten words" (4:13; 10:4).
The first commandment is not to have other gods besides Jehovah. "I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before Me" (5:6-7). The Hebrew word rendered "before" can also be translated "besides."
The second commandment is the commandment not to make an idol and not to bow down to or serve idols. "You shall not make for yourself an idol, the form of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water beneath the earth. You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not serve them" (vv. 8-9a). The three matters of not making idols, not bowing down to idols, and not serving idols are all part of the second commandment.
The third commandment is not to take the name of Jehovah in vain. "You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold guiltless him who takes the name of Jehovah in vain" (v. 11).
The fourth commandment concerns the keeping of the Sabbath day (vv. 12-15). "Keep the Sabbath day so as to sanctify it, as Jehovah your God has commanded you" (v. 12).
In verse 16 we have the fifth commandment. "Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God has commanded you, that your days may be extended and that it may go well with you upon the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you." Having our days extended is a matter of longevity, and having things go well with us is a matter of being blessed. If we honor our parents, we will have longevity and we will be blessed. This is the reason Paul tells us that the commandment to honor our parents is the first commandment with a promise (Eph. 6:2).
The Ten Commandments, which were written on two stone tablets, are in two groups of five commandments each. The first group includes the three commandments related to God, the commandment concerning God's holy day, and the commandment to honor our parents. It is very significant that the commandment to honor our parents is included with the commandments related to God. This indicates that we should honor our parents even as we honor God. God is our source, and our parents were the means used by God to bring us forth. Therefore, by honoring our parents we honor God as our unique source.
The sixth commandment is the commandment not to kill (Deut. 5:17).
The seventh commandment is the commandment not to commit adultery (v. 18). Adultery is damaging to humanity.
The eighth commandment is the commandment not to steal (v. 19).
The ninth commandment is the commandment not to testify as a vain witness against our neighbor (v. 20). This commandment forbids lying. Instead of lying, we must speak the truth.
The tenth commandment concerns coveting. "Neither shall you desire your neighbor's wife, nor shall you covet your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (v. 21). Coveting can lead to stealing. We may first covet a certain thing and then decide to steal it. Thus, stealing is the carrying out of our covetousness.
Deuteronomy 5:32—13:18 is a long section dealing with the general advices and warnings. Because of his burden, concern, and love, Moses spoke here in a detailed, repetitious way.
In 6:1-3 Moses charged the children of Israel to keep the commandments, statutes, and judgments of God that they may live long, that it may go well with them, and that they may be greatly increased in the land flowing with milk and honey. The statutes are supplementary items of the law. When a judgment is added to a statute, the statute becomes an ordinance. Whereas the children of Israel were charged to keep the commandments, statutes, and judgments, we today need to keep Christ.
In 6:4-9 Moses went on to speak of loving Jehovah their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might, of keeping God's words upon their heart, teaching them diligently to their children, binding them on their hand as a sign, wearing them as frontlets between their eyes, and writing them on the doorposts of their house and on their gates. Today we need to love Christ, keep Christ, teach Christ, wear Christ, and write Christ.
Verses 10 through 12 say, "When Jehovah your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, to give you great and fine cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant, and you have eaten and are satisfied; be careful lest you forget Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." Moses was concerned that in their enjoyment the people would forget Jehovah their God. Furthermore, in verses 13 through 15 he went on to charge them to fear Jehovah, to serve Him, and not to go after other gods to provoke the anger of their God, who is a jealous God.
In verses 16 through 19 we have a further expression of Moses' concern. Here he charged the children of Israel not to test Jehovah their God, to diligently keep His commandments, testimonies, and statutes, and to do that which is right and good in His sight, so that it might go well with them and they might enter and possess the good land which He promised them.
In verses 20 through 25 Moses told the people what to say to the son who asks about the significance of the testimonies, statutes, and judgments. They were to tell him that they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, that Jehovah brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand in order to bring them into the promised land, and that Jehovah commanded them to keep His testimonies, statutes, and judgments, so that they would fear Him for their good and He would preserve them alive and so that it would be righteousness to them.
