22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. 25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? 27 Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’
28 “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants1 forever! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’ 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.
6 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules2—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Section Overview: Fear of the Lord
The prologue develops the central requirement of Deuteronomy: Israel must fear the Lord. The experience of hearing the voice of God engendered fright in this encounter with the holy. Israel had heard the voice of God and lived (Deut. 5:26), but the experience could not be continued. This thought is expressed similarly in Exodus 20:20: “God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” Fear spread over the face is fright and dread, the same response experienced by the nations because of God’s might in his people (Deut. 2:25).
The exhortation of Moses in Deuteronomy, however, expresses the idea of Exodus 20:20 differently: if only the people had a heart to fear God, they would always keep his commandments (Deut. 5:29). Fear of the Lord in the heart is not to be equated with fear of the Lord on the face. Fear in the heart is an inner commitment that fears failure; fear on the face is terror stirred by external circumstance. The latter is an experience to be remembered; the former must be learned. The encounter with God at the mountain brought fear of death to the face (Deut. 5:25). Such a learning experience must become a fear of Lord in the heart, an attitude of mind that fears God with a continuing desire to do all that he has commanded.
While in the valley opposite Beth-peor, on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, Moses instructs Israel in the ways of God so that they might fear of the Lord and keep the requirements of the covenant (Deut. 6:2). Israel has the opportunity to become a great and prosperous nation, as God promised their fathers. But the promise is dependent on learning to live according to the instructions of the covenant relationship. Covenant faithfulness is integral to relationship with God, who gives them the land, and to integrity within the community, so they might live in the land. The fear of the Lord for those that stood at the mountain must become the fear of God in the hearts of the new generation—a learning of the spiritual values taught in Deuteronomy. Safety is found only in the fear of the Lord.
Section Outline
Response
Several important features distinguish the Ten Words from the greater Torah and from all the rest of revelation. This is the only revelation Israel receives directly from God, since at Mount Sinai Israel sees his glory (Deut. 5:24). Though the words initially are heard, they are also written from the beginning by God himself (Ex. 31:18; Deut. 10:1–5). These words are given as fundamental values; they must never be reduced to rules and must never be compromised. These values govern human life in this world; therefore, their truth extends to all people of all time. Disregard of these values results in chaos and self-destruction in human society. Although these words are recorded by God, they become a human responsibility. They must be preserved and taught to each generation. As explained by Paul, these words define what is meant by love (Rom. 13:8–10). They summarize the attitude that is to govern all relationships. The only debt those bearing God’s image should have is that of loving others, but this is a debt that never goes away. Only these words are universal and eternal; all other stipulations are limited and derive from them.
If love is the demand of the covenant, the corollary must be fear of failing in that love. The fear of the Lord is much more than just respect of him. He is a consuming fire (Deut. 5:25). The fear inspired by the terrifying appearance of God at the mountain was a lesson in learning to love (v. 29). Such fear of offending God because he is always present will lead to the observance of the commandments for the good of all. This is the reason for the wisdom dictum that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Eccles. 5:7; 12:13). Fear of the Lord is the central maxim of each of the wisdom books. Whatever be the questions of life, the response must begin with the fear of the Lord experienced at the mountain.
The sad reality of human behavior is that mental knowledge does not lead to a corresponding rational response. Knowing that drug use kills, whether it be tobacco, alcohol, or more lethal opioids, does not prevent people from using them. Even medical use of drugs is all too frequently violated to the endangerment of life. Even more dangerous than such practices as these is failure to fear the Lord and to obey the words written by the finger of God. Violence to human society is the most pernicious perpetrator of death, all of it resulting from a failure to fear God.