◄ Deuteronomy 5:5 ►
At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:
Study Bible
At that time
This phrase refers to the period when the Israelites were at Mount Sinai (also known as Horeb) after their exodus from Egypt. It was a pivotal moment in Israel's history, marking the establishment of the covenant between God and His people. This time frame is crucial as it sets the stage for the giving of the Law, which would define Israel's identity and relationship with God.

I was standing between the LORD and you
Moses served as the mediator between God and the Israelites. This role is significant as it prefigures the mediatory work of Jesus Christ, who stands between God and humanity. Moses' position highlights the need for a mediator due to the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man, a theme that runs throughout Scripture.

to declare to you the word of the LORD
Moses' primary role was to communicate God's commandments and instructions to the people. This underscores the importance of God's word as the foundation for Israel's covenant relationship with Him. The declaration of God's word is a recurring theme in the Bible, emphasizing the authority and necessity of divine revelation.

because you were afraid of the fire
The fire on Mount Sinai represented God's presence and holiness, which instilled fear in the Israelites. This fear is a common biblical response to divine encounters, reflecting the awe and reverence due to God. The fire also symbolizes God's purity and judgment, themes that are echoed throughout the Bible.

and would not go up the mountain
The Israelites' reluctance to ascend the mountain highlights their recognition of God's holiness and their own unworthiness. This separation between God and the people points to the need for a mediator and foreshadows the ultimate reconciliation through Christ. The mountain itself is a place of divine revelation, as seen in other biblical accounts such as Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb.

And He said:
This introduction to God's speech emphasizes the direct communication from God to His people through Moses. It sets the stage for the delivery of the Ten Commandments, which are foundational to the moral and spiritual life of Israel. The phrase underscores the authority and significance of what follows, as it is the very word of God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who acts as a mediator between God and the people. He is the one who communicates God's laws and commandments to the Israelites.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The God of Israel, who gives the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. He is the central figure in the covenant relationship with Israel.

3. The Israelites
The people of God who were delivered from Egypt and are now receiving God's laws. They are characterized by their fear of God's presence on the mountain.

4. Mount Sinai (Horeb)
The mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. It is a place of divine revelation and covenant.

5. The Fire
Represents God's presence and holiness, which instills fear in the Israelites, preventing them from approaching the mountain.
Teaching Points
The Role of a Mediator
Moses serves as a mediator between God and the Israelites, highlighting the need for a go-between in the relationship with a holy God. This foreshadows the ultimate mediation of Jesus Christ.

The Fear of the LORD
The Israelites' fear of the fire represents a reverence for God's holiness. This fear should lead to obedience and respect for God's commandments.

Approaching God with Reverence
While the Israelites were afraid to approach God, believers today are invited to draw near through Christ, who makes a way for us to approach God with confidence.

The Importance of God's Word
Moses' role in declaring God's word emphasizes the importance of Scripture in guiding and instructing believers in their walk with God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Moses' role as a mediator in Deuteronomy 5:5 point to the need for Jesus as our ultimate mediator?

2. In what ways can the fear of the LORD, as demonstrated by the Israelites, positively influence our daily walk with God?

3. How does the experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai compare to our access to God through Jesus, as described in Hebrews 12:18-24?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure that we approach God with the reverence and respect He deserves?

5. How can we prioritize the study and application of God's word in our lives, following Moses' example of declaring God's commandments to the people?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 19-20
These chapters provide the detailed account of the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, highlighting the fear and awe of the Israelites in God's presence.

Hebrews 12:18-24
This passage contrasts the fearsome experience at Mount Sinai with the new covenant through Jesus, emphasizing the approachable nature of God through Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5
This verse speaks of Jesus as the one mediator between God and humanity, drawing a parallel to Moses' role as a mediator.
Sermons
MediationJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:5
For the Last Day of the YearJ. Burns, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:1-5
The Abrahamic Covenant RenewedD. Davies Deuteronomy 5:1-5
The Promulgation of the LawBp. Hall.Deuteronomy 5:1-5
The DecalogueR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 5:1-21
Reminiscences of HorebJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:1-33
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Horeb
Topics
Afraid, Clear, Declare, Didn't, Fear, Fire, Mount, Mountain, Onto, Presence, Reason, Saying, Standing, Stood
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 5:5

     1690   word of God
     6684   mediator
     8754   fear

Library
Prayer and Obedience
"An obedience discovered itself in Fletcher of Madeley, which I wish I could describe or imitate. It produced in him a ready mind to embrace every cross with alacrity and pleasure. He had a singular love for the lambs of the flock, and applied himself with the greatest diligence to their instruction, for which he had a peculiar gift. . . . All his intercourse with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment, and every meal was, as it were, perfumed therewith." -- JOHN WESLEY. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.--Ex. 20:1-17. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible I, 194-198. Prin. of Politics, Chap. II. Lowell, Essay on "Democracy." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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