Deuteronomy 10:1-22
Q.1. From where did the Ten Commandments come? Where were they to be stored? – (Dt.10:1-5, 10-11)
After the smashing of the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments that God had given Moses were written, the Lord instructed Moses to come up to the mountain again, with similar tablets of stone. The Decalogue was reproduced by God and – He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me (Dt.10:4). This time the tablets were to be placed in a custom-built Ark, made of acacia wood. That is where they stayed for generations to come (Dt.10:2-3 c.f. Heb.9:1-5).
Q.2. What was the role of the Levites? What inheritance were they given in the land? – (Dt.10:6-9)
The death of Aaron marked the appointment of the Levites – At that time, the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day (Dt.10:8). The tribe would not have a property inheritance in the land, as did the other tribes of Israel. Instead, they were scattered throughout the land – Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him (Dt.10.9).
Q.3. What demands did God place on His people? What made them a privileged nation? – (Dt.10:12-16)
Moses reminded the people that although God is Owner of Heaven and earth, He had set His love on Israel above all the nations (Dt.10:14-15). Therefore, they were to keep His commandments (Dt.10:13). This is what Israel ostensibly sought to do. However, over the centuries they developed a complicated legalistic system of rules. This was not what God intended. What was it all about? – Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Dt.10:12). To please God, their hearts needed to be right in their relationship with the Lord. It was not so much about the rules … as the love relationship they fostered. As we learn from the Gospel, we are not saved by works. However, having been saved, we desire to live a life of good works (Eph.2:8-10). The focus should never be on the rules but on the relationship.
Q.4. How was Israel to reflect the unique relationship between them and their God? Why? – (Dt.10:17-22)
Israel was to fear God (Dt.10:12 & 20) and recognize His awesomeness and almightiness. He is unlike sinful people who take advantage of the defenceless. Their love was to extend even to the foreigner since they had experienced alienation and mistreatment in Egypt. They had started out with just seventy people from Canaan and had become a mighty nation redeemed by God’s grace – 21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven (Dt.10:21-22).