This small group Deuteronomy 5 Bible study guide contains commentary, discussion questions, cross-references, and application to encourage life change. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Deuteronomy 5 Bible Study Guide And Questions – The Ten Commandments
Outline
I. The covenant renewed (1-5)
II. The Ten Commandments Part 1 – Our Relationship with God (6-15)
III. The Ten Commandments Part 2 – Our Relationship with People (16-21)
IV. Moses represents the people before God (22-33)
I. The covenant renewed (1-5)
Discussion Questions
• Why did Moses call the assembly?
• What attitude were the people to have as they listened to him?
• What was Moses’ point in verse 3?
• How important is it for children to establish their own walk with God as they grow up?
• What does it mean that the Lord spoke to them “face to face?”
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Moses summoned all Israel –
Deuteronomy 5:1 – And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today.”
Deuteronomy 5 begins a prolonged section where Moses reviews the law that God had given His people. He summoned “all Israel.” It was not just for a few. Every man, woman, and child needed to hear what Moses had to say. The covenant God made with them was applicable to all. It was a national issue. No one should be ignorant.
This is a reminder that God’s Word is for everyone. No one on earth doesn’t need it or already knows it all.
2. You shall learn them and be careful to do them – Knowledge does not come automatically. It requires time and commitment. God’s law is worth studying. However, the end goal is not head knowledge. It is life change. Moses tells them to “be careful to do” them. The goal is obedience. God’s laws are meant to change our attitudes and behavior. We are to study and obey.
3. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb –
Mt. Horeb is where Moses first experiences God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1). In the book of Exodus, this mountain is sometimes called Horeb and other times called Sinai (Exodus 19:16-20). At times, it is also referred to as the “mountain of God” (Exodus 18:5, 24:13). In the book of Deuteronomy, this mountain is almost exclusively called “Horeb.” In Hebrew, “Horeb” means “glowing” or “sun,” a fitting name since the Lord came to visit His people in a glowing fire on this mountain.
Most Bible scholars believe that Mt. Sinai and Mt. Horeb are different names for the same location. The Ten Commandments were passed to Moses on this mountain. Later, God would establish His covenant with Israel at this mountain (Exodus 19-24).
The exact location of Mt. Sinai is unknown, though many sites have been proposed. The most important thing is not where this happened but what happened there.
4. Not with our fathers, but with us today –
Deuteronomy 5:3 – Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.
The original covenant was made with the previous generation. Moses makes it clear that this relationship with God was not a thing of the past. It wasn’t to be their parent’s faith. It was theirs. The covenant was being renewed with them.
It is a reminder that God has no grandchildren. No person receives salvation based on his parents’ faith.
John the Baptist made the same point to the Jewish leaders in New Testament times. They believed they were born into salvation because they were Jews, God’s chosen people.
Matthew 3:9 – And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Application – No one is born a Christian. Beginning a relationship with God is a personal decision. Do not rely on being born into a Christian family or praying a prayer decades ago. Today is the day of salvation. God wants a relationship with you today. Let us renew our commitment to Him day after day.
5. God spoke to them out of the midst of the fire –
In the last chapter, this was given as evidence that God alone is true. It was a unique situation and no other “god” had ever done it before.
Deuteronomy 4:33 – Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?
God condescended to establish a relationship with His people. God is transcendent. He is different than we are. However, the deist view that God created the world and then abandoned it to its own devices is false. God continues to be involved with His creation. He has never and will never forsake it.
It is vital for us that God chose to reveal Himself to people. If God did not reveal Himself, we could not know Him. One of the most exciting aspects of the giving of the Ten Commandments is that God chose to reveal Himself, His character, and His moral code within these laws.
The fire that He spoke to them from was light. He is light. These laws are His light. The Ten Commandments are a reminder that people do not need to walk in darkness.
Rather than men doing whatever is right “in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), we have truth to guide us.
Application – It is a great blessing that God has revealed His truth to us. It is our job to study and obey it. What practical ways can you be more diligent in studying the truth of God’s Word?
II. The Ten Commandments Part 1 – Our Relationship with God (6-15)
Discussion Questions
• What is your impression of the ten commandments?
• What are the first four about?
• What are the last six about?
• Why do they start with our relationship with God instead of our relationship with people?
• Which ones are the most challenging for you to keep?
• Have you disobeyed any? If so, which ones?
• What do these commandments reveal to us about God’s character?
• What do they reveal about our character?
• Why would people carve images to worship?
• How is God jealous?
• What does it mean that God visits iniquity upon the third and fourth generations (9)?
• What does it mean to take God’s name in vain? Why is it so common in our culture?
• What are some specific ways we can honor the name of God?
• What was the purpose of the Sabbath day?
• Who was required to keep it?
• What does it mean not to do “any work” on the Sabbath?
• Should we keep the Sabbath day today?
• Are there any principles regarding the Sabbath that are still relevant to us today?
Cross-References
John 14:15 – If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Romans 3:20 – For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 8:3-4 – For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Matthew 5:17 – Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Colossians 3:5 – Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Psalms 135:15-18 – The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.
Galatians 4:8-9 – Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. I am the Lord your God –
Deuteronomy 5:6 – I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
With this statement, the Lord established His credentials. He is God. He had proved His supremacy over all others by miraculously delivering them from Egypt while systematically exposing their false gods one by one.
The following words are immortal. These laws not only codify God’s moral code but also reveal His righteous character to us.
Our consciences testify that they are true. Civilizations worldwide establish laws with many of these basic tenets about how to treat other people. But it is not these reasons that make the words immortal. They are immortal because they were spoken by an eternal and unchanging God.
It was His divine power that gave these words their moral authority. God’s authority and power were clearly evident. When He spoke, it was their duty to listen.
Application – We are to be “quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). We often think of this statement in relation to our communication with people. That is certainly true. But it is perhaps even more true in our relationship with God.
In prayer time, do you listen to God or give him a series of requests (demands)? Prayer is not primarily about changing God’s mind. He already knows what we are going to say before we say it. Prayer is about drawing close to God and preparing to hear from Him. How can you be a better listener to God?
2. You shall have no other gods before me – The first four commands all deal with people’s relationship with God. These are the instructions that relate to our “vertical” relationship with God. The final six commands deal with peoples’ relationships with other people. They are the “horizontal” peer-to-peer edicts.
The first command forms the foundation for the rest of them. God alone is to be worshiped. There are no other gods.
We grew up being taught Christian beliefs with the same principle that there is only one God. Therefore, this command seems normal and expected. But at that time, it was radical.
Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. That in itself gives it credibility as being true. The Old Testament Scriptures are unique because they did not come from the mind of man. They came from God.
From the first sentence in Scripture, we see only one God.
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
These commands are mostly straightforward to understand. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand them. They don’t need a deep level of interpretation. They are self-evident. This command means what it says, do not have any other gods. Notice the lowercase “g.” Of course, there is no other real God. But there are many things that people proclaim to be gods, some completely false and some perhaps supernatural forces of evil, which Satan or his demons are behind.
This command is a reminder that God is exclusive. There is one God. There is one way to God.
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Universalism is a common new-age belief that all paths lead to God. The first commandment shows that all views are not equal. One is true and others are not. There is one true God. Jesus also believed this.
Luke 4:8 – And Jesus answered him, “It is written,” ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
3. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – Carved images were discussed extensively in the study on Deuteronomy 4:15-31.
God is Spirit and does not have a likeness like any created being. No person on earth has ever seen God (John 1:18). A carved image can only come from man’s own imagination. Therefore every carved image meant to represent God is the result of man-made religion at best or demon-spawned religion at worst.
Satan knows that people are both visual and religious by nature. He happily induces people to worship inept idols instead of the omnipotent living God.
Application – Crosses, crucifixes, and the like do not contain any magical power. A thing will always be a thing, no matter what form it is in. We must pursue a relationship with the living God rather than outward religion.
4. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain – God’s name is to be respected. The Jews considered it so holy that they would not even pronounce it. They would not even write it down, which is why today, only the consonants YHWH from the original name are remembered, and the vowels were lost to history.
This command reminds us that God is righteous and holy. We should treat Him with the respect He deserves.
The Hebrew word for vain here is “shav,” (שוא) which means “emptiness,” “vanity,” “emptiness of speech,” or “lying.”
We understand that when God’s name is uttered in meaningless sentences such as “Oh my God,” that is a form of taking God’s name in vain. Slightly changing the form of God to “gosh” or Jesus to “jeez” could also be considered taking His name in vain. Typing out an acronym such as “OMG” is the same thing.
Looking at the meaning of the word in Hebrew reveals that it includes lying. When a person claims the name of God in a false or misleading way, that is taking His name in vain. That can include making presumptuous declarations in God’s name. The “name it and claim it” false gospel, that we can claim whatever we want to happen in His name, is an example of lying in God’s name, which is a form of blasphemy.
Many also use God’s name as a curse word. They say it when they are angry, cursing, surprised, or upset. Jesus’ name is denigrated in the same way.
Ray Comfort, from the ministry Living Waters, is a street evangelist who often mentions this when sharing the gospel. He says that people would not use the name of their mother as a cuss word but do use God’s name in this way. That is blasphemy. A person who is a blasphemer cannot claim to be a good person.
As with most commands, there is a negative and a positive aspect. We are not to take God’s name in vain. What are we to do? We are to honor His name.
Reflect – How can you intentionally show honor to the name of God?
Our relationship with God is more than holding to a list of external rules. A person with an unregenerate heart will generally not be able to hold himself back from taking God’s name in vain. Eventually, his mouth will utter what is in his heart. If he does not respect God in his heart, his words will not honor God either.
The heart is the key. When we have the right view of God, using His name in an empty and frivolous manner will be the farthest thing from our minds. To the degree that He is honored and respected in our hearts, we will exalt Him with our words.
Application – Meditate on God’s character. It is not enough to keep telling yourself, “Don’t take God’s name in vain.” What we need is a high view of God. You develop this by coming to the Word and meditating on His character. As you do that, you will likely find that you enjoy testifying of Him to others.
If you love your wife, you will say kind things about her. The same is true in our relationship with God.
5. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy –
Deuteronomy 5:12-14 – “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.”
The Sabbath day was a way to worship God and focus on His holy character. Life is busy. Working to improve one’s livelihood can take over. God instituted the Sabbath to force people to take time off to dedicate themselves to worshiping Him and learning His words.
The model for the Sabbath day stretches back to the week of Creation when God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He did not do this because He was tired but to give us a model to follow.
Our lives should not be consumed by our careers. God wanted His people to have a relationship with Him. As we all know, quality time is an integral part of every good relationship. Spouses who spend no time together likely do not have a great relationship.
God made sure that there were no loopholes in this command. He made it clear that servants, family members, sojourners, and pack animals were not exempt. He knew well that a farmer might say things like, “I am not doing my work; the donkey is. I am just walking beside him.”
The death sentence was given to those who broke this command (Exodus 35). It was carried out once (Numbers 15:32-36).
Later on, the Sabbath Day command would become the most controversial. These controversies were due to various interpretations of what exactly it means not to do “any work.”
Jewish rabbis would interpret this verse and add many traditions about what was allowed and what wasn’t. By the time of Jesus, these traditions become overwhelming. Various regulations were instituted, such as the number of steps that were allowed on the Sabbath. Spitting in the dirt was forbidden because it would create mud, which could be used for making bricks. However, getting one’s ox out of a pit was allowed (Luke 14:5).
Currently, there are thirty-nine categories of work banned on the Sabbath, including erasing, writing, or extinguishing a fire. Leather shoes are not to be worn. Tossing a toothpick onto a fire is not allowed. Neither is opening a library book that has writing or a stamp on the side of the pages because it separates the letters. Turning on an electrical appliance or driving a vehicle is forbidden. The list goes on.
Jesus made it clear the spirit of the law was forgotten and it had degenerated into external religious rules. Jesus taught that healing and helping others was allowed on the Sabbath (Luke 14:3-4).
The purpose of the Sabbath is to take a break from one’s career and worship God. It is not a day for generating money (Nehemiah 13).
The New Testament does not repeat this specific command, though the other nine are given again. Believers today are not bound to the Old Testament law. At the same time, the principle found in regard to keeping the Sabbath is still valid.
God’s people should not become so wrapped up in career and self-advancement that they push Him to the side. He should be prioritized. If He is important to us, we will sacrifice for Him. We will even be willing to sacrifice a career opportunity or promotion if that interferes with our relationship with God. When we face choices today, we should put God first.
In addition to the need for a time to worship and meditate on God, we also need a time to rest. God did not create us to be busy all the time.
Sometimes we need to do what Mary did. She put aside distractions and rested at the feet of Jesus to learn from Him (Luke 10:39).
Application Questions – When do you take time to rest and worship? Do you regularly find time to sit at the feet of Jesus without distraction? Is it wrong to work on Sunday? Why or why not? Is there anything you need to do to obey the heart principle shown by the command to keep the Sabbath day holy?
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