Deuteronomy 5:24, commentary and pictures

After God repeated His commandments from the burning mountain out of the midst of the darkness, the heads of the tribes and elders told Moses that God had shown them His glory and greatness, that they had heard His voice from the fire, and that they had learned that day that God can speak with man and man still live. Thrilled at hearing Him yet fearing the great consuming fire would consume them if they heard His voice again, they asked Moses to go near, hear all God would say and speak it to them, promising to hear and do it. God heard their words and approved them as well said, adding His longing that they would always have such a reverent heart to fear Him and keep all His commandments, so that it might be well with them and their children forever. This sets forth what He required of His people in the wilderness that they might be holy unto Him in mind, soul, and body, calling for perfect obedience to His will and holy commandments at home and in business, with no excuse for disobedience. These words are to be read, studied carefully, and obeyed now with profit, for prosperity depends on obedience to His requirements, and the day of God's great final review is near when all must stand before the Judge and every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity.

Sinai Encounter and Response

Moses was rehearsing the Lord's declaration of the holy commandments to Israel before they entered Canaan, after their wilderness journeys and the Lord's deliverances and victories on their behalf. The words of the verse were spoken to Moses by all the heads of the tribes and the elders of Israel after the commandment of God was repeated, when they heard His voice out of the midst of the darkness while the mountain burned with fire. They declared that the Lord God had showed them His glory and His greatness, that they had heard His voice out of the midst of the fire, and that they had seen that day that God talks with man and man lives.

The verse shows that the living God can speak directly with human beings in a revelation of His presence and power without their dying. They had recognized His glory, greatness, and power in hearing Him speak from the fire, yet they had survived, and this encounter stands as evidence of God's presence and power. Thrilled by hearing, they feared that the great consuming fire would consume them and they would die if they heard God's voice again, since no flesh had heard the living God speaking from fire and lived. Therefore they asked Moses to go near, hear all God would say, and speak it to them, promising to hear and do it.

God heard their words and approved them as well said, adding His longing that they would always have such a heart to fear Him and keep all His commandments, so that it might be well with them and their children forever. Their fear of hearing again is identified as unbelief, since God wanted them to hear His voice. It is also understood as reverent awe before God.

Holy Requirement and Obedience

This verse belongs to the instruction in Deuteronomy 4 through 8, and to Deuteronomy 5 in particular, that sets forth what God required of His ancient people in the wilderness that they might be a holy people unto Himself. That requirement was sanctification in mind, soul, and body, demanded of them then and demanded of every person today. That instruction reveals that God takes no pleasure in punishing the transgressor but must maintain the honor of His throne when His righteous laws are trampled upon, and that He delights to bestow His blessings upon all who will value them.

His longing that they would fear Him and keep all His commandments always, so that it might be well with them and their children forever, covers all who live on earth till the close of time, all who come under the mediation of Jesus Christ. The prosperity of all depends upon obedience to His requirements, with the steadfast heart treasuring the law more as the masses disregard and despise it. Their memory of this display of divine power, in glory and greatness and voice from the fire, exposed the worthlessness of the calf they later worshiped. The broken tables of stone showed they broke the covenant they had just made with the living God by giving devotion to a handmade object.

The verse calls for perfect obedience to God's will and gives no excuse for disobedience to His holy commandments. God's law and instructions given at Mount Sinai were to govern conduct at home and in business. Obedience to those precepts fits people to regain Paradise, while human teachings that oppose God's law lead people to honor a false Sabbath under threat of punishment.

It carries a solemn charge calling for full surrender at the start and continuing simplicity of obedience to all the Lord's commandments according to His special directions, with none of the important things in His Word neglected. It requires every soul to search the Scriptures for himself, to make the Word his study book, to take special interest in doing what is commanded, to avoid rebellion, and to sanctify himself daily so the Lord is glorified. The words recorded in these chapters are to be read to the people and studied carefully and obeyed now with profit. The reason is that the day of God's great final review is near when all must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds, and the present is the time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity.