WATCHWORD:
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “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. 5 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, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Exodus 20:1-9,12-20
Meditation:
Second Law
Deuteronomy. What do you know about Deuteronomy? Maybe the Ten Commandments? Anything else? How about this: Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch (which Jews call the Torah). Philip Yancey calls it, “The grand summation, the first full blown oratory in the Bible, Moses’s final words to the children of Israel.” Other theologians call it the “Second Law”.
But it is more than a listing of the Ten Commandments. Think about this, after 40 torturous years in the desert, the Israelites, more than 1 million people, are waiting at the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, and their leader, the oldest, and only survivor of the exodus, would not be allowed to enter. This was a nation on the verge of establishing itself, but how does one do that without the main guy, the leader? Sure, Joshua was hand-picked for that role, was he ready to lead? And, what was the plan?
In our modern era, we have seen that same scenario play out multiple times. Over the centuries, wars have disrupted organized governments, often removing the old leadership and requiring reorganization. In Europe, it changed the make-up of countries, borders, and unlikely leaders stepped up. The Soviet Union was gone, and small countries had to learn how to govern, to organize, to fund services, etc. In Czechoslovakia, a major change. The Czech people declared their independence from the Slovaks, and, starting from scratch, they elected (of all people) a writer, a playwright who had spent years in prison for his political dissent. Vaclave Havel proved to be a man of the people, a success. That was their beginning.
So, when the Israelites cross the Jordan and step into the Promised Land, that would be their beginning. No, their beginning was actually back on the other side of Jordan where Moses laid out important details for their lives. These Israelites were not the same ones that left Egypt, except for Moses. It had been 40 years, and two full generations had passed. The laws God had laid down on Mount Sinai fell on the ears of the original Israelites, now it was time to restate, to lay out God’s Word to these new Israelites, the “Second Law”. The Law was not changed, Moses brought clarity to the Word for these third-generation Israelites.
Deuteronomy is primarily a sermon, preached by Moses shortly before his death. It is a motivational sermon, urging Israel’s faithful obedience to the covenant laws given 40 years previously at Sinai. Israel had a history of back-sliding, failing to follow God’s Word. Moses wants to ensure that the people would be obedient this time. The sermon encourages obedience by constantly reassuring them of God’s faithfulness and his power to keep his promises despite Israel’s persistent sinning.
We need to take heed. This “Second Law” is ours as well. We need that constant reassurance of God’s faithfulness to us, especially because of our tendency toward sin. This is where we say, “Thank you, Jesus, for being our Lord and Savior. Amen.”
Bulletin Board:
Following Jesus is about the way we behave as well as what we believe. So how should Christians behave and how should we live? The Ten Commandments set out fundamental principles of how we are to treat God and how we are to treat our fellow human beings. For centuries, they were at the center of what Christians learned about their faith. Then Jesus came along and moved the standard, telling us to “Love others as He loves us.” A challenge to all of us.
Closing Prayer:
O Lord, my Heavenly Father, I praise your holy name. I pray for your will to be done in my life and in this world, for your way to rule here on earth as it does in heaven. I’m not in control, Lord, you are, even though that’s often hard for me to admit and accept. I’m releasing what comes next into your hands, O Lord, and trusting you fully. I want to step into whatever path you lay before me, even when it looks different from what I thought I wanted. For I know you have bigger plans for my life, so I submit my life to your will. I will trust and obey you with an eager and joyful heart. Father, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
