Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
DEUTERONOMY 5
The Ten Commandments
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. 24 And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. 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 what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? 27 Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
30 “Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Application Notes
5:1 The people had entered into·a covenant with God, and Moses commanded them to hear, learn, and follow his laws. Christians have entered into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ and should be responsive to what God expects. Moses’ threefold command to the Israelites provides excellent advice for all of God's followers. Hearing, is absorbing and accepting truth about God. Learning is understanding its meaning and implications. Following is putting into action all we have learned and understood. All three parts are essential to a growing relationship with God.
5:7 A god is whatever people use as the driving force in their lives. Some people literally worship other gods by joining cults. or false religions. In a more subtle way, many worship other gods by building their lives around something other than the one true God. If your greatest desire is for popularity, power, money, relationships, or even a healthy lifestyle, you are devoting yourself to something other than God. To put God first, (1) recognize what is taking his place in your life, (2) renounce this substitute god as unworthy of your devotion, (3) ask God for forgiveness, (4) restructure your. priorities so that love for God is the motive for everything you do, and (5) examine yourself daily to be sure you are giving God first place.
5:8-9 Are you seeking a relationship with God or with an inadequate representation of him? How would you feel if someone took a picture of something you had made, posted it, stared at it often, and sent it to others but completely ignored the real you? God does not want to be treated this way either. He wants a genuine relationship with us, not mere ritual. He wants us to know him, not just things that represent him. God knows that if we put anything other than him at the center of our lives, we will not reach our potential or become all that he wants us to be.
5:11 We are familiar with the sin to be avoided in this commandment, that we should not misuse the name of the Lord by saying it in an empty or worthless way. But perhaps the best way to follow this command is to focus not on what we shouldn't do but on what we should do: use God's name to praise him and ascribe to him glory. This is the opposite of misusing his name. While you might be able to keep yourself from swearing, how are you doing at finding time to praise God and honor his name?
5:16 Obeying our parents is our main task when we are young, but honoring them should continue even beyond their death. One way to honor parents is to provide for them in times of financial need or when they are ill and unable to care for themselves. Perhaps the best way to honor believing parents is to pass on their Christ-honoring values to the next generation. Honoring involves all that sons and daughters do with their lives—the way they work and talk, the values they hold, the decisions they make, and how they influence others, including their own children. What are you doing to show respect to your parents? Are you living in a way that honors them?
5:17 “I don't murder people,” you may say. Good. That fulfills the letter of the law. Jesus explained that hateful anger also breaks this commandment (Matthew 5:21-22). Have you ever been so angry with someone who mistreated you that for a moment you wished that person were dead? Have you ever fantasized that you could get rid of someone? Jesus' teaching concerning this law demonstrates that we are capable of murder in our hearts. Even if we are legally innocent, we are all morally guilty of murder and need to ask God's forgiveness. We need to commit ourselves to the opposites of hatred and anger—love and reconciliation.
5:18-21 To covet means to obsessively desire something another person has. We are commanded not to set our desires on anything that belongs to someone else. Not only can such cravings make us miserable, but they can also lead us to other sins, such as adultery, stealing, and lying. Envying others is a useless exercise because God is able to provide everything we really need, even if he does not always give us everything we want. The best way to stop coveting is to practice being content with what we have. (The apostle Paul emphasizes the significance of contentment in Philippians 4:11-13.) This is a matter of perspective. Instead of thinking about what we don't have, we should put our energy into thanking God for what he has given us. After all, the most important thing we could ever have is free and available to everyone—eternal life with God through Christ.
5:29 God told Moses that he wanted the people to have hearts that were inclined to fear him—in other words, to want to respect and obey him. There is a difference between doing something because it is required and doing something because we want to. God is not interested in forced religious exercises and rule keeping. He wants us to completely dedicate our hearts and lives to him. If we love him, obedience will follow.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)