Deuteronomy 10
I. Verse 1-5 - The answer to the prayer Moses prayed in Deuteronomy 6:26-29.
A. God was about to turn away from Israel and destroy them from off the face of the earth.
1. When God commanded Moses to make two tables of stone like the first ones, and to make an ark of wood, this is a symbol that God will once again forgive Israel and be their God.
2. The tables of stone would represent the law of God, which Israel would still be expected to keep if they were to be called the children of God.
3. The Ark of wood would be called the "Ark of the Covenant" to represent the place where God restored mercy toward Israel.
a. The Ark of the Covenant would have a "lid" called the mercy seat.
b. The Ark would be placed in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. This is the place where God would speak from between the two cherubims.
c. This Ark should be a constant reminder to Israel of their wickedness and stiffnecked rebellion. It should constantly remind them that God has been very merciful toward them in allowing them "another chance".
B. Moses makes the tables of stone and the ark.
1. God had made the first tables of stone as a symbol of His promised blessings toward Israel.
2. Now God commands Moses to put actions behind his prayer and show his desire to the continued blessings of God. It was Moses that broke the tables of stone that God had made, so it will be Moses that replaces them.
3. Moses is also commanded to make the ark. This is the storage place of the Ark and Aaron's rod that budded and the manna.
C. Moses carried the tables of stone that he made up on the mount with him, but left the ark at the camp.
1. Only God could write on the tables of stone.
a. The law was perfect the first time God wrote it and only God can duplicate perfection. If any man had tried to duplicate the law, they would have failed, for every man is imperfect and cannot have any perfect work.
b. The rewriting of the law is God showing that He is renewing His covenant with Israel. No man can renew this covenant or force God to do so.
2. Verse 5, ".,..and there they be, as the Lord commanded me." Moses points to the ark of the covenant which contains the written word of God as evidence of those things he has been preaching to Israel about.
II. Verse 6,7 - In these two verses, Moses skips the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
A. According to this scripture, the next event after God reestablished His covenant with Israel is the death of Aaron, the High Priest.
1. The event that establishes our covenant with God concerning our salvation is the death of our High Priest, Jesus Christ.
2. In the halls of eternity, the death of Christ is the event that takes place immediately after God makes the covenant with man for their salvation. But in time, there was 4,000 years between the covenant given in Gen. 3:5 and the death of Christ as recorded in the New Testament.
3. Eleasar, the son of Aaron, took the place of his dad as High Priest. This is o the people will know that Aaron is not that High Priest they should look for, but was only a type.
B. Note that the time a people or person spends in rebellion to God or in receiving chastisement from God is wasted time. There are no rewards or remembrance of those deeds.
III. Verse 8,9 - the establishment of the tribe of Levi as the priestly tribe.
A. Aaron has already been established as the High Priest, but these verses are speaking of the formal setting up of the priesthood with all the laws and ordinances concerning their work.
B. The tribe of Levi doesn't have any physical inheritance because their inheritance is in the Lord.
1. This does not mean that preachers and pastors today are not to have any inheritance or ownership of houses and lands and other material things. The tribe of Levi did own their own homes and cattle and material things, Numbers 35:1-8.
2. This means that the inheritance of the Levites shall not be like the inheritance of the other tribes. The other tribes would possess a certain area of land, but the Levites would possess cities within the area of land possessed by other tribes.
3. We should note that the tribe of Levi does receive an inheritance in eternity equal to that of the other tribes, Rev. 7;1-8 and Rev. 21:14, 19-20.
a. Some would say that the inheritance is worthless if it is not available and enjoyed on this earth, but note the following facts:
b. Levi received more blessings on this earth and in the world to come and was never counted as having an inheritance with the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribe of Dan and Ephraim did not receive earthly and eternal blessings because of their wickedness before God. (Compare Num. 1 and Deut. 29:18-20 with Rev. 7:1-8)
c. Judas was an apostle and received the blessings of an apostle, but he has nothing of the blessings of eternity because he was lost. Matthias, Acts 1:15-26, took his place and received the earthly and eternal blessings of an apostle.
4. In conclusion, we ought to note that an inheritance in the Lord, although we can't see it, is greater than any inheritance we can see. God will always give the best to those that leave the choice with Him.
IV. Verse 10,11 - Moses in the mount for 40 days.
A. This is his second trip.
1. Ex. 24:18 - He went up into the mount immediately after God spoke the ten commandments to Israel in Ex. 20.
2. This is the second time up the mount and he receives the law written on tables of stone again.
B. Moses receives the command from the Lord to lead Israel on into the promised land that they might receive the blessings of God. This is further proof that God intends to keep His end of the covenant regardless of what Israel does.
V. Verses 12-22 - As a result of all these things God has done, Moses encourages Israel to serve Him and receive His blessings and promises.
A. Verse 12 - "What does the Lord require?..." Moses answers this question in verse 12 and 13.
1. To fear the Lord thy God.
a. This is talking about reverential respect, not to be afraid of.
b. This fear will come because each person will realize they are a sinner and deserve none of the blessings of God.
c. They will realize that God could withdraw His blessings and would be completely justified in doing so.
d. Involved in this fear is a realization that all the blessings they are enjoying come directly from the Lord.
e. This fear will cause them:
2. To walk in all His ways.
a. The first motivation of fear is obedience. The first reason a child obeys his parents is because of fear, later comes lost and respect. Today, many parent want their children to love them before they have earned their respect.
b. A person must realize that the blessings they enjoy on this earth are because of the grace of God. He owes us nothing. This will encourage us to walk in all His ways.
3. To love Him.
a. Many people believe love is the first motivation for good works. But this is false. The first motivation is fear. The second is love.
b. II Peter 1:4-8 - This is a list of graces the saved person ought to add to his faith. Note what these graces are: (1) virtue (2) knowledge (3) temperance (4) patience (5) godliness (6) brotherly kindness (7) charity, which is love. Why is love added last if our first motivation to good works is love? The simple fact is that fear is our first motivation for good works. Love comes only after a saved person has walked in the ways of God.
4. To serve Him.
a. Many people confuse walking in the ways of God with serving Him.
b. Service is an inward act, walking in the ways of God is an outward act.
c. Walking in the ways of God is obeying His commands and doing what He said to do. A lost person can do that. A lost person can go to church, pay tithes and sing in the choir. He can do all these things out of fear.
d. True service comes only after we walk in the ways of God and learn to love Him.
5. Keep His laws and statutes.
a. It is only after a person has completed the above four steps that they really learn to keep God's laws and statutes.
b. Many people will give "lip service" to serving God, but their hearts are far from Him.
c. This kind of keeping laws is not being "legal", but keeping God's laws because the person loves God and knows that all God's laws are for their good and not for their hurt.
B. Verse 14-22 - Some reasons for serving God.
1. Verse 14 - God owns everything.
a. There are many gods that people serve.
b. But there is only one God that owns the heavens and all the earth and can do with it anything He so desires.
2. Verse 15-18 - God chose you.
a. Of all the people on the earth, God could have chosen, He chose you.
b. This is very special and ought to cause you to do more than worship God outwardly, in a circumcision of the body.
c. There ought to be a circumcision (a sign of being set aside) of the heart.
d. God has not counted you special, therefore, He chose you. He chose you in spite of your being less than all other people.
3. Verse 19-21 - True peace comes from serving God.
a. Israel ought to love the stranger because God loved them when they were strangers in Egypt.
b. These blessings ought to cause Israel to cleave to the Lord and fear Him and worship Him.
c. As followers of Christ today, we ought to realize that God chose us in spite of ourselves. We were just sinners like everybody else, but God looked on us in mercy, saving us from eternal destruction and giving us a glorious home with Him, and rewarding us for those things we do by His own grace!
4. Verse 22 - Look at how God has blessed already.
a. Surely, all Israel could look around them and see the increase in population from 70 to over 2,000,000. This is a great blessing.
b. Are we able to look around us and have our eyes opened enough to see the blessing of God.