YOUTH STS LESSON 124: RESTATEMENT OF GOD’S COMMANDMENTS

TEXT: Deuteronomy 5:1-33; 6:1-25.         

MEMORY VERSE: “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Moses recalled the love of God for the children of Israel in choosing them to be His inheritance. He restated the Ten Commandments and encouraged them to obey the word of God. In response, they pledged loyalty to Him. Moses also expressed to them how God wanted His people to obey Him. “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Question 1: What is the summary of the commandments of God?

The summary of all the commandments of God is to love Him and our fellow men. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

MOSES RESTATES THE LOVE AND LAWS OF GOD (Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Exodus 3:1; 17:1-6;Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Exodus 20: 3-17; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:1-4)

Moses, standing before the children of Israel as a prophet, who are teacher, leader and mentor, recounted the goodness and the love of God to them. He refreshed their minds with God’s unwavering and unfailing love, which had made them to be selected as His people in spite of their seeming unworthiness. Moses reminded them that “The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, all of us here alive this day”(Deuteronomy 5:3). Also, “The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 5:4). He recounted how the children of Israel received the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-24; 20:1-17). The children of Israel could not withstand the presence of the Lord but sent Moses to receive the laws on their behalf.

Question 2: How does God manifest His love to youths today?

Today, God still manifests His love to all men, though man does not merit His love. He manifests His love by giving breath of life, provision, protection and preservation. God gives every man the opportunity to live and the choice to decide to have fellowship with Him. For the unsaved, God manifests His love through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary for their salvation. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). For saved youths, God manifests His love by giving the saints supernatural provisions, protection, preservation, promotion, prosperity and promise of eternal bliss. Moses was led by the Spirit of God to restate the Ten Commandments with clarifications and explanations to the children of Israel. There were ten laws. The first four were related to their fellowship with God while the last six relates to how they were expected to relate with their neighbours. 

Question 3: How should youths treat the word of God today?

The word of God is His law. Though we are not under the law but under grace, the Ten Commandments are still important and give guidelines to how youths are expected to walk with God and fellow men. A faithful and committed youth is the one whose “…delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2). The word of God refreshes, revives and restores. His word is powerful and changes every negative situation.

MOSES RE-EMPHASISES LOYALTY TO GOD (Deuteronomy 5:22-33; Exodus 19:3-20; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

“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 wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me” (Deuteronomy 5:22). As Moses completed this phase of his speech, he reminded the children of Israel what was expected of them in terms of loyalty to God for His mercies. He reminded them how they went astray from the commands and instructions of the Lord, which led to great sorrow and calamity in the camp. He recalled how they pleaded that Moses should be a mediator between them and God.

Question 4: What was the demand of God from Israel?

God demanded from the children of Israel a heart that fears Him and upholds the instructions given to them. Furthermore, God wanted them to teach their children to live for Him. Moses concluded this assignment by saying, “Ye shall walk 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” (Deuteronomy 5:33). Youths should be interested in the service of the Lord and do all they can to spend their time and resources for Him.

MOSES CHALLENGES ISRAEL TO LOVE GOD (Deuteronomy 6:1-3,17-25; Proverbs 3:20-23; 7:2,3; Deuteronomy 32:29; 1 Samuel 15:22,23; James 1:22)

Moses opens this chapter by exposing the commandments of God to Israel using various names. “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it (Deuteronomy 6:1).

Question 5: What are the other names for the commandments of God as seen in this chapter?

The other names for God’s commandments are: “the statutes, the judgments and his testimonies” (verse 1,19). Moses taught the Israelites as God commanded him. His goal was “that [they] might do them in the land whither [they] go to possess it” (Deuteronomy 6:1). Youths of this generation should know that all that the church teaches are commands from the Lord. As our Pastor and other faithful leaders in the church teach us, we should take these words spoken from the Scriptures as God’s word. The goal of the church is to expose all boys and girls to the whole counsel of God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5). Israel had been exposed to various gods worshipped by the Egyptians and the Moabites while journeying into the Promised Land. The foundation of faith and obedience is that there is only one living God. He is but one God and no youth should desire to have any other.

Question 6: How should Christian youths love God?

Christian youths are to love God with all their hearts, souls and might. We should love Him sincerely, strongly. Supremely, and sacrificially, He that gave His only-begotten Son to die for our sins, deserves selfless love from us. Our love  for God must be complete in appreciation of all He has done for us. Moses assured the children of Israel that God would lead them into the Promised Land to possess it with goodly things. “And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full” (Deuteronomy 6:10,11). Christ also admonished Kingdom seekers, to seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, with a promise to add all other things (Matthew 6:33). Moses did not leave his people without a warning. He said, “beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12). He saw the possibility that Israel would forget God. 

Question 7: What are some of the things that could make Israel to forget God as stated by Moses?

God did not want the children of Israel to feel accomplished with worldly treasures. He desired that their dependence should be on Him, obeying Him and seeking to lay treasures in heaven. Christian youths need to watch against allowing admission, graduation, marriage, material things, good jobs, travelling abroad, etc., to lead them into backsliding. Forgetting God attracts divine judgment. Moses also warned them against tempting God because it leads to destruction. The way not to forget God is to set your mind always on His mercies and goodness, fear Him, read and meditate His words. You must also be in constant fellowship with God and people, and separate yourself from the world friends. Know that all that you have received are from Him (1 Timothy 6:7). Every youth should take this counsel of God and make it a guide as they grow in life.