When we refer to the Ten Commandments, we generally think of the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. However, in this series, I would like to study with you chapter 5 of the Book of Deuteronomy where the law is given again by Moses to the children of Israel, just before they cross over into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, while they were camped at Mount Sinai, God came down in awful grandeur and spoke the Ten Commandment Law to the children of Israel. That law was to govern every moral aspect and attitude of their lives until they died. In conjunction with that, statutes and judgments were handed down to Moses, written down, and put into the side of the ark in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. The Ten Commandments were housed in the interior part of the ark.
Morality and the Law
There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and then there is the morality that makes the law work. It is our morality that allows us to have freedom under the law. The less morality that a people have, the less freedom those people enjoy. That may sound like a strange statement, because many people think that if they are involved in immorality—which is no morality—they have all the freedom they could ever want, but, in fact, they are in slavery. This is why James calls the royal law, the Ten Commandment Law, the law of liberty.
Many of you will recall that just a few years ago there were reports concerning presidential scandals in the United States. As the scandals began to unfold in the news media, the reporters took polls to ascertain how the public was responding to the scandals. Interestingly, after the first couple of days, the report came back, “Do not tell us any more. We have heard enough. Leave us alone. We do not care what the President has done.” It seemed that the more information that was provided to the public, the higher were the ratings of the President. All the while, the reality was that the freedom in morality was vanishing. The less morality the people have, the less freedom they can enjoy and still have a civilization.
Do Not Indoctrinate
Too many of us have the idea that if something does not affect us directly, it does not concern us. This, I think, can be said of many, many issues of life. How did we come to a position where we accept this kind of thinking? It goes back a long way and a lot is involved. We cannot go through all the various stages and steps that brought us to this place, but the gist of it is that it started with the principle taught to young people that directs: Expose them to the ideas, but whatever you do, do not indoctrinate them. Give them the idea, and let them then make their own decisions. Let them do what they want to do. If they want to stay up late at night, let them stay up late at night. If they do not want to help with the chores, do not force them to help with the chores. Do not indoctrinate them.
In many areas, this is the popular thinking of today, especially, it seems, in regard to the bringing up of children. It has produced a generation that does not care about anything that does not directly affect them on a personal level.
Keep the Light Burning
The light is rapidly going out for the United States. The only hope that we have is to keep the light burning brightly in our own lives and then to try to share that light with others around us so they will see the light. That is basically Steps to Life’s mission. That is why the study of the Scriptures is so vitally important, because it contains for us light that we can, in turn, share with other people.
We know that we are in the last days, because the signs given to us in the Bible indicate that we are in that period of time when darkness is prevailing upon the earth. From what we read and hear concerning the daily events around the world, and as we look out on the horizon of society, we cannot doubt that we are living in the final time period of earth’s history. Therefore, it is important for us, as Seventh-day Adventists, to go back to the Bible—our foundation of morality and our foundation of freedom. There we find what God would have us to be and have us to do, so we can, with peace in our hearts, be ready to meet Jesus when He comes.
What to Say
This was the burden of Moses as he stood upon the mountain, knowing that he had lost the blessing of entering into the Promised Land. God had already told him, “Do not talk to Me anymore about this issue. It is over; it is settled. You are not going over.” So Moses had a burden. He searched for the words to say to those with whom, for the past 40 years, he had been in the wilderness. He wanted to share wisdom and encouragement, assuring that many would be in the kingdom of heaven with him when the saints would be resurrected. (He did not know that he was soon going to be raised and taken to heaven.)
“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount).” Deuteronomy 5:1–5.
This is the second Sabbath message delivered by Moses. In this message, similar words are repeated over and over to try to emphasize the point. There are some people who become tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, but there is a need to repeat these things, because sin has clouded their minds. These words, spoken once in the Garden of Eden to Adam and to Eve, would never have been forgotten. We, on the other hand, can have things said to us and two minutes later ask, “What was it you said?”
We Quickly Forget
I was visiting with someone in my office recently, and as we stepped through the doorway, he said, “Oh, I think I left my water bottle in your office.” He turned around, went back into the office, did not see it, but then discovered he was holding it in his hand. The frailty of our minds necessitates the repetition of things. We cannot remember like we should. The lot of humanity has a tendency to forget all too quickly the leading of God.
Look back on your own life. You know that there were times when God met you right where you were. He performed a miracle for you right when you asked. Yet, when faced with another trial, on down the road, you have a tendency to forget that there even is a God in heaven. “Is God really here?” you question. “Is He really going to take care of me?”
There is a familiar hymn that describes the kind of experience God wants us to have: “Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life; Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, Teach me faith and duty; Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.” P. P. Bliss, “Sing Them Over Again to Me,” The Church Hymnal, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Takoma Park, Washington, D.C., 1941, 574.
This is the kind of experience that God wants us to have. This is the kind of experience that Moses desired for the children of Israel.
Four Steps
Notice how Moses began: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”
There are four steps given here that we are to apply to our walk with the Lord, so we will not develop the “I do not care” attitude. The first step is to have open ears. The second step is to learn what we hear. The third step is to keep what we hear and what we learn. And the fourth step is to do it. These steps are very essential for the Christian life, because they form the very foundation of all that we are to become through sanctified living.
Open Ears
First, Moses says that we are to have open ears, so we can hear. You see, if we have open ears, we also have open minds. There is nothing more dangerous to our spiritual well-being than to have closed minds.
How often have we gone to an individual to try to clarify an issue, but he or she has closed his or her mind, not wanting to hear? That closed mind is indicative that there are other areas of difficulty and problem. The way that God works in our hearts and minds is that our minds are to be open continuously, to hear all the counsel that comes and to then measure that counsel by the Word of God. If it fits with the Word of God, it needs to be incorporated into our lives. This is why the Bereans were so much nobler than those in Thessalonica. The Bible says that they received the word with all readiness of mind. They were willing to listen to what the apostle Paul had to say, but they did not leave it there. They received the word with all readiness of mind; then they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.
Let me tell you something. If someone comes to you with a particular message, when you begin to search and study the Scriptures in regard to this message, the promise is that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction as to whether it is true or whether it is false. This is what happened to those in Berea. “Therefore many of them believed.” Verse 12.
That is the kind of experience God wants us to have. So, we are to have open ears, which are indicative of open minds.
Learn What We Hear
We know that God had called Israel to a teaching ministry. That was the great gift that God gave to the entirety of Israel. Oh, He had His prophets; He had His pastors, but the great gift that God had given to Israel was that of teaching. The very first step in teaching is to find those who have open ears to hear the word. When Israel failed, God gave this teaching ministry to the church, and that teaching ministry is still to be operational today.
Ezekiel 12:2 says: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.” God wanted them to have open hearts and minds, so He could, through the prophets, pour His truths into them. Then they, in turn, could go out and teach what they learned to all the surrounding nations. But instead of having open minds, they rebelled and turned away. They closed their eyes and ears, because they were convinced that they would be all right if they followed their own way.
“Let Him Hear”
Jesus speaks to this problem, in Matthew 11:15, when He says: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus uses this same theme throughout all of His teaching. It was a little catch phrase to those who were listening to Him speak. He used it to get their attention.
If you have heard Pastor Kenny Shelton, of Behold the Lamb Ministries, speak, you probably remember him asking, during his sermon, the question, “Are you listening?” This device is similar to what Jesus used to capture the attention of the people. Usually what is spoken next is of tremendous importance, and Pastor Shelton wants to make sure the people hear it, as did Jesus.
Many times, throughout the gospels—in Matthew, Mark, and Luke—when Jesus taught a parable, He ended it by saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35. (See also Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; 7:16.) Then, of course, in Revelation we find the same phrase in the messages to the seven churches. Direct, stern counsel is given in those seven messages, and seven times the words are repeated: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.
It is important that we have open ears, which open the minds to hear. The cleverest thing that the devil can do to God’s church is to get them to close their minds to truth. If he can accomplish this, he then has them right where he wants them, because by closing their minds, he has very effectively closed them out of the kingdom of heaven. Now that is an awesome thought, but it is a true thought. Just stop and think it through for a moment. If you have a closed mind, is that godly? No. A godly mind is an open mind. A closed mind is a devilish mind, and a devilish mind is going to be closed out of the kingdom of heaven, because communication between heaven and earth cannot take place.
We need to hear, and then we need to learn what we have heard, to become acquainted with what God has told us.
“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.
In order for us to fill this important position, we need to hear, and then we need to learn the lessons so that we can pass them on to others.
Jesus Was a Learner
Jesus was a learner. In studying His life, we read, in the Book of Luke, how He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, and then his parents fled with Him to Egypt to spare His life. After that, there is a period of silence. Ellen White tells us that, during these years, Jesus learned the Scriptures from His mother. (See The Desire of Ages, 70.) During those formative years, Jesus learned the great principles of God’s Word. The next reference to Jesus finds Him in Jerusalem during the Passover. When His parents began to make their way back to their home in Nazareth, they had to retrace their steps, looking for Him, and they discovered Him at the temple, confounding the Doctors of the Law concerning the things of God’s Word.
Jesus was a learner. He heard the words from His mother, which were words of life, the principles of Scripture. When it was time for Him to be called upon to share the things He learned, He did it in a marvelous way. Jesus has left for us an example.
Learn the Lessons
“Untried character is not reliable. We are to be tried by temptation in order that we may learn to seek wisdom from God, and to flee to the stronghold in time of trouble. He alone will be successful in resisting temptation who finds help and grace from God. Individually we stand as did our first parents—face to face with manifold temptations that solicit mind and heart. All heaven is watching with intense interest, to see whether we will look unto Jesus and submit ourselves to his will, or whether in the temptation we shall follow the inclinations of the natural heart and the solicitations of the evil one. O, how often you have lost the battle because you have acted independent of him who has made you his own by creation and by redemption!” The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1895.
How does that happen? Because we have not learned the lessons that God has for us.
“Restrain every hasty speech that struggles for utterance. Before you speak that fretful, impatient word, stop and think of the influence that, if spoken, it will exert upon others. Remember that the ears of children are quick to hear every word and to mark every intonation of the voice. Remember, too, that angels hear the words you speak. You are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Follow a course that will be an honor to Jesus, a course that will bring holy angels to your side. Let your home life be such that Christ can enter your dwelling as an abiding guest. Let it be such that people will take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him.” The Southern Watchman, January 19, 1904.
These are the things that God wants us to learn, so we can develop a character that will rightly represent the life of Christ to others. This is the sequence that Moses was outlining to the children of Israel. Remember, Moses had what we might call a vested interest in the children of Israel. He loved them. He desired, more than anything else, for them to be unified and all together in the kingdom of heaven. But what happens to most people, most of the time, happened to them as well.
Keep It
Many people will listen, and they will learn and remember what they hear. Many can even repeat back what they have heard. Some attendees at evangelistic meetings will have others ask them, “What are those Seventh-day Adventists teaching?”
The attendees will reply, “They are teaching that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the text they are using is found in Exodus 20.” They heard it; they learned it; they can repeat it.
God wants the truths we learn to be in our hearts, so we will keep them. What does it say in Psalm 119:11? “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” That is why the Ten Commandment Law, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to be written on our hearts. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.
You cannot keep anything that is spiritual unless you love it. Jesus did not say, “If you love Me, hear My commandments.” He did not say, “If you love Me, learn My commandments.” We have to hear; we have to learn, but we also have to keep.
Keepers are Doers
“Some are hearers of the word but not doers. They receive the heavenly benefits, but feel no responsibility to advance the cause of truth and save souls by their personal efforts. The divine command is two-fold, to not only be hearers, but doers, of the word. We are to receive the word ourselves and impart to others the precious light we have received. As we accept the truth, we virtually pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ . . . .” The True Missionary, February 1, 1874.
Here, Ellen White is telling us that we, at the time we accept these words, enter into a covenant with God that involves more than just being hearers. We “pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ, and to be consecrated to his service, and no longer live to do our will, and serve ourselves, but to be faithful servants of the Master to whom we have yielded ourselves servants to obey. The commission of Christ to his disciples was, to go and preach the gospel to every creature.” Ibid. Then she says, “We have a world-wide message.” Ibid.
So, in this whole process that Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel, they were to hear; they were to learn; they were to keep; and they were to do. If we put those all together, the process that God has ordained, which should take place in our lives, results in character transformation for us. Character transformation does not come from just hearing or from learning. Character transformation comes when all of the four steps are incorporated and put into process, so they can do something for us and for others as well.
God was giving to the children of Israel, and is giving to us, the calling to share this message.
Deuteronomy 5:2–4 says, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.”
Tribalism, Corporatism, Congregationalism
There may be some who question the need to review these happenings from times of old, but we need to remember that each new generation has to hear, has to learn, has to keep, and has to do. It is an experience that each generation needs to have for themselves.
When the people were gathered to hear Moses’ message to them, he said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” An interesting dynamic is coming into play here—the dynamic of tribalism or corporatism. The people hearing this needed to feel a part of something larger than just their group. The accountability of those who were hearing Moses’ spoken words at Horeb was not as great as the accountability of those who had originally listened at Sinai. Those of the current generation may not even have been old enough to comprehend what had happened at Sinai. They could sense something great was transpiring there, as far as their parents were concerned, but many of them did not have the ability to grasp that God Himself was speaking to them out of the cloud.
Now Moses is telling them, “Listen, what you, in this generation, need to understand is that you, the children of Israel, entered into a covenant with God at Sinai.” That means that there was a much larger feeling of congregation than what is sometimes understood.
Importance of Congregation
Let us consider this in today’s terms. There are times when we cannot meet together in a congregational setting. God honors us when we meet at home, but I do not believe that God is going to bless us if we have the opportunity to meet together as a church and we neglect that opportunity. The Word of God teaches that we are to come together to worship. (See, for example, Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42; Psalm 66:16.)
Here, I believe that a tribal concept applies. Even though you may be a young member of a tribe, you are just as much a part of the benefit, the blessing, and the curse of the whole tribe, as if you were an adult, because the time will come when you will grow into adulthood. Then, as a part of the tribe, you will buy into the program as a whole, and you will own it as a tribe.
Bigger Than the Individual
Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel that this thing was bigger than anyone of them individually.
“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” That did not happen in fact, but corporately, tribally, it did. They were a part of the whole group.
This is why, I believe, when the apostle Paul was working so desperately for the Jewish people, he said, “All Israel shall be saved.” Romans 11:26. There is something that is corporate. There is something that is tribal, which is bigger than just the individual. God wants to deal with us on a congregational level.
I realize that we are not saved congregationally or tribally. We are saved individually. But there is something to be said about the congregational aspect that we read about in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is called the church—God’s called-out ones who are gathered congregationally in a hall.
Frequent Review
We need to understand these things. This is why, in Deuteronomy 6:6–9, we are told: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” Children buy into the corporate structure and will be taught and raised up so that when they are adults, they are able to have a part in the whole concept of the congregation. “. . . and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”
Those things were to be repeated over and over again, including the covenant that God had made with the children of Israel. I do not know of anyone, including myself, who has fulfilled the fullness of this instruction. The Jews, in later years, took this to an extreme, and turned it into a system of works. The Lord does not want that to happen. But the point here is that we are to be willing to have every aspect of our being constantly instructed and love to have it so. We must have an altogether different experience, if we are going to come through this life as God desires.
The Lord wants us to have open ears so we can hear; He wants us to learn; He wants us to keep; and He wants us to do. If we do these four things, we will be part of a tribal concept, a congregational concept where God can pour out His blessing upon His people. When we have such an experience, then we are going to have an attitude of caring rather than an attitude of “I do not care,” and God is going to be able to work for us and through us.
In the next article of this series, we will begin going through the commandments that God gave on Sinai. We will note the differences in the commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, and find out why those differences exist.
To be continued . . .
Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.