Old Testament Commentary - Deuteronomy 5

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 5 Moses tells of covenant God made with Israel in Horeb—Ten Commandments reviewed—Sabbath observance commemorates also the deliverance from Egypt—God talks with man—Blessings flow from obedience.
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the ^astatutes and ^bjudgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God made a ^acovenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this ^acovenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
4 The LORD talked with you ^aface to face in the mount out of the midst of the ^bfire, 5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to ^ashew you the work of the LORD: for ye were ^bafraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6 ¶ ^aI am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me^a. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting ^athe iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth ^bgeneration of them that ^chate me, 10 And shewing ^amercy unto thousands of them that ^blove me and keep my commandments.	7^a Thou shalt not have none other gods before me Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus, is our God. That is he is the one and only means, way and Lord and God by whom we may come through to gain eternal life. God the Father of Spirits is He who so empowered, annointed and ordained him to such a position. Only those who do pertain unto this earth may so minister unto it (D&C 130:5). And thus did God the Father of Spirit so select and ordain Jehovah, His firstborn son in the spirit, from among all his spirit children, to so be positioned as the 'Ministering God'—Our Ministering God—of this the second estate and temporal creation. Jehovah, even Jesus Christ, is our one true God through and by whom we may be saved. There is no other way given under heaven. He is our Mediator, our Advocate and our Intercessor. He our Ministering God of this temporal estate is our Alpha and our Omega in that he stands at the portals of eternity from whence we can and by whence we must return. There is none other that him, Jehovah who is Jesus Christ. And no man may come unto the Father, that is Elohim, the Father of Spirits, but by him, that is Jehovah/Jesus. Yes there is the Father and the Son, two separate and distinct beings. But one must come to understand and realize the positioning of each. God the Father of Spirits is our Celestial Father, the Eternal Father of our Spirits; even Our Father Who Art In Heaven. He is that LORD [Elohim] of our Lord [Jehovah/Jesus] of whom King David did witness in Psalm 110 and which Jesus and the apostles spoke of and referenced in the New Testament (Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34; Heb. 1:13; etc). He is such as of the Celestial realm of Kolob, the advanced Celestial Kingdom of Glory and as such He does not pertain unto this temporal Telestial Estate which He has selected and ordained Jehovah, 'Our Elder Brother' to so Minister unto us here, for and in the stead of the Father in all things so pertaining here unto (Lev. 16:32). And so as such, Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus Christ, is our Ministering God, our one and only ministering God, given by the Father, where by we may be redeemed. And in this is Jehovah/Jesus our one true God, our only means and way of coming unto the Kingdom of God. There is none other given and there is no other way.
11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the ^asabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
16 ¶ ^aHonour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
17 Thou shalt not ^akill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit ^aadultery. 19 Neither shalt thou ^asteal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear ^afalse witness against thy neighbour.
21 Neither shalt thou ^adesire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou ^bcovet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
22 ¶ These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he ^awrote them in two ^btables of stone, and delivered them unto me. 23 And it came to pass, when ye ^aheard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath ^ashewed us his ^bglory and his greatness, and we have heard his ^cvoice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he ^dliveth.
25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the ^avoice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and ^aspeak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and ^bdo it.
28 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such an ^aheart in them, that they would ^bfear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 30 Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.
31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the ^acommandments, and the ^bstatutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. 32 Ye shall ^aobserve to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not ^bturn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye shall ^awalk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.