10:5The tablets of the jaw were still in the Ark about 500 years later when Solomon put it in his newly built Temple (1 Kings 8:9). The Ark last appears in the Israelites’ history during the reign of Josiah, about 300 years after Solomon (2 Chronicles 35:3).
Life Application Study BibleDeuteronomyChapter 10
Deuteronomy 10
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 278, 279
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
10Deuteronomy 10
A New Copy of the Covenant
110 “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark—a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain, 2and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.’ 3“So I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two. Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my hand. 4Once again the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments* on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the LORD had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain. 5Then I turned and came down the mountain and placed the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which I had made, just as the LORD commanded me. And the tablets are still there in the Ark.” 6(The people of Israel set out from the wells of the people of Jaakan* and traveled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar ministered as high priest in his place. 7Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land with many brooks and streams. 8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, and to stand before the LORD as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day. That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The LORD himself is their special possession, as the LORD your God told them.) 10“As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the LORD’s presence for forty days and nights, as Thad done the first time. And once again the LORD listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you. 11Then the LORD said to me, ‘Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.’
A Call to Love and Obedience
1212“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. 14”Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God. 15Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16Therefore, change your hearts* and stop being stubborn. 17“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and LORD of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. 22When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!
Textual footnotes
- 17:1-7, 9:22c Kibroth-hattaavah means “graves of craving.” See Num 11:31-34.
- 10:4 Hebrew the ten words. of your hearts.
- 10:6 Or set out from Beeroth of Bene-jaakan.
- 10:16 Hebrew circumcise the foreskin
Life Application Notes 5 notes
10:12,13Often we ask, What does God expect of me? Here Moses gives a summary that is simple in form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1) Fear God (have reverence for him). (2) Live in a way that pleases him. (3) Love him. (4) Serve him with all your heart and soul. (5) Obey his commands. How often we complicate faith with manmade rules, regulations, and requirements. Are you frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God? Concentrate on his real requirements and find peace. Respect, follow, love, serve, and obey.
10:16-19God required all male Israelites to be circumcised, but he wanted them to go beyond performing the surgery to under- Standing its meaning. They needed to submit to God inside, in their hearts, as well as outside, in their bodies. Then they could begin to imitate God’s love and justice in their relationships with others. If our hearts are right with God, then our relationships with other people can be made right, too. When your heart has been cleansed and you have been reconciled to God, you will begin to see a difference in the way you treat others.
10:17In saying that the LORD is God of gods and LORD of lords, Moses was distinguishing the true God from all the focal gods worshiped throughout the land. Then Moses went a step further, calling God “mighty and awesome.” He has such awesome power and justice that people cannot stand before him without his mercy. Fortunately, his mercy toward his people is unlimited. When we begin to grasp the extent of God’s mercy toward us, we see what true love is and how deeply God loves us. Although our sins deserve severe judgment, God has chosen to show love and mercy to all who seek him.
10:20“Your oaths must be in his name alone” means that God alone should have their allegiance.