What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5:5? At that time Moses locates the moment: the day God descended on Sinai in blazing glory (Exodus 19:16–18). This phrase reminds Israel—and us—that God’s revelation happens in real history, at a definite point in time. • God acts in history, not myth. • Our faith rests on events, not impressions (cf. Luke 1:1-4). I was standing between the LORD and you Here Moses describes his mediating role. The people could not endure God’s direct voice (Exodus 20:18-19). So Moses “stood between,” foreshadowing the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). • God’s holiness requires a go-between. • Mediation is God’s gracious provision, not human invention. to declare to you the word of the LORD Moses’ task was proclamation, not innovation. He relayed exactly what God spoke (Deuteronomy 33:10). This underscores the authority of Scripture: it is God’s own word, faithfully transmitted (2 Peter 1:21). • The messenger must neither add nor subtract (Deuteronomy 4:2). • Hearing Scripture equals hearing God (John 5:24). because you were afraid of the fire The fiery theophany revealed God’s purity and power, rightly producing holy fear (Hebrews 12:18-21). Israel’s reaction shows that sinners cannot approach a righteous God unshielded. • Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). • Yet perfect love later casts out servile fear (1 John 4:18) through Christ’s sacrifice. and would not go up the mountain. God had set boundaries around Sinai (Exodus 19:12-13), but the people’s reluctance also displayed their awareness of unworthiness. By contrast, in Christ we are invited to “draw near with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). • Old-covenant distance highlights new-covenant access. • Worship today still holds reverence, yet with bold approach. And He said: The verse ends on the threshold of divine speech. God speaks; everything that follows—the Ten Commandments—carries His absolute authority (Psalm 33:9). • Revelation is relational: the living God addresses His people. • Obedience begins with listening (James 1:22). summary Deuteronomy 5:5 spotlights Moses as mediator, God’s holiness in the fiery descent, Israel’s reverent fear, and the gracious provision of God’s word spoken through an appointed servant. The verse invites us to treasure Scripture’s authority, revere the Lord’s majesty, and rejoice that, through the greater Mediator Jesus, we may now approach the same holy God with confidence and obedience. |
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