Moses begins by saying ‘at that time’, Deuteronomy 10:1, that is, the time Israel remained at Sinai, Deuteronomy 9:25-29. At that time Moses was to chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to God on the mountain, Deuteronomy 10:1 / Exodus 34:1.
It appears that Moses made a temporary ark to store the two new tables, Exodus 25:5 / Exodus 25:10, in until the Ark of the Covenant could be constructed and the testimony could be placed inside it, Deuteronomy 10:1-3 / Exodus 40:20. The final ark was made by Bezaleel which was the permanent structure that contained the tablets when the tabernacle and its furnishings were completed, Exodus 37:1.
God’s Word is very important in the life of Christians, they are ‘God-breathed’, 2 Timothy 3:16, that is, inspired by God Himself. His Word should be at the centre of our whole life, 2 Kings 22:8-23:25. God wrote on these tablets what He had written before, the Ten Commandments He had proclaimed to Moses on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly, and God gave them to Moses, Deuteronomy 10:4 / Exodus 20:1. Then Moses came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark he had made, as God commanded him, Deuteronomy 10:5.
God cut out the first tablets of stone on which the commandments were written, Exodus 31:18, but after the Israelites rebelled, Moses broke the original set of stones, Exodus 32:19, signifying Israel’s breaking of the conditions of the covenant.
Because the priesthood were to remain in the seed of Aaron, is proof that God forgave Aaron for his sin at Sinai. Aaron died at Mount Hor, Numbers 20:28 / Deuteronomy 32:50, for an entirely different sin, He didn’t trust or honour God, Numbers 20:6-13. Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest, Deuteronomy 10:6.
Israel again rebelled and it was ‘at that time’ while they were at Mount Sinai that the Levites were separated from the people to be priests on behalf of the people, Numbers 3:5-37. From there Israel travelled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water, Deuteronomy 10:7.
Kline, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Deuteronomy 10:6-7.
‘Deuteronomy 10:6-7 are relative to the context, for they enhance the covenant-renewing grace of God by recalling, just here, that the Lord re-instituted the priesthood of Aaron.’
At that time God set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they still do today, Deuteronomy 10:7-8. The Levites would receive no inheritance of land in Canaan, Deuteronomy 10:9 / Joshua 18:7, and so, weren’t responsible for cultivating the land.
The Lord Himself was their inheritance, which meant that they were to be supported by the other tribes. The Levites received cities throughout the land, and the pasture lands around the cities, Numbers 35:1-8. The people could then come to these cities with their offerings for the spiritual ministry that was provided by the Levites.
After their repentance, God called on Moses to cut out their own tablets of stone on which He would again write the commandments, Exodus 34:1. Moses had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as He did the first time, and God listened to him at this time also and it was not God’s will to destroy them, Deuteronomy 10:10.
Israel is once again reminded that they must obey God’s commands to go and take possession of the land, Deuteronomy 10:11. Moses then comes down and puts the tables into the ark and prepares the people to go into Canaan and possess the land which God had ‘swore to their ancestors to give them’, Deuteronomy 10:11.
Moses asks Israel, ‘what does the LORD your God ask of you’, Deuteronomy 10:12, which is the same question that Micah would ask many years later, Micah 6:8. Solomon wrote that this was the whole duty of man, Ecclesiastes 12:12-14. Moses earlier said the same thing, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and will go on to say it a multitude of other times in this book, Deuteronomy 10:20 / Deuteronomy 11:1 / Deuteronomy 11:3 / Deuteronomy 11:22.
Moses tells them if Israel wants to receive the Promised Land they must do four things.
1. Israel must fear God, Deuteronomy 10:12.
If anyone truly fears the Lord, this will be seen in their obedience to God and His will, Deuteronomy 5:29 / Deuteronomy 6:1-3. To fear God is to be aware of His anger and wrath, which would be the result of breaking His laws. This is the kind of fear Moses had towards the Lord, Deuteronomy 9:19.
2. Israel must walk in all of God’s ways, Deuteronomy 10:12.
This means they have to walk differently, that is, they must live differently from any other people. Those around should know they are different because of the way they live. Their lives must be one of service for His glory, Philippians 3:20.
3. Israel must return love toward God, Deuteronomy 10:12.
The only way to demonstrate if they truly loved God was by obeying His commandments, Deuteronomy 7:9 / John 14:15. God earnestly desired the people’s affection and He didn’t want Israel to break His heart by being disobedient.
4. Israel must serve the LORD their God with everything they’ve got and observe His commands, Deuteronomy 10:13.
Israel had to learn to trust God and remove any sinlessness from their lives, Romans 6:12-13.
Israel were no longer servants in Egypt but rather servants of God because it was God who had redeemed them from Egyptian slavery and so they now belonged to Him. They didn’t deserve to receive God’s blessings but Moses helped Israel understand that even though they were sinners, God still loved them.
When we understand that all the galaxies of the heavens, Deuteronomy 10:14, to the minute particles of existence on earth, originated from God, and that He is overall, then our response to Him in obedience to His will, Colossians 1:16-18. He is the creator of all things and exercises His sovereign will over creation. He chooses one person to favour over another and makes His promises to all humanity.
Yet God set His affection on Israel’s ancestors and loved them, and He chose Israel, their descendants, above all the nations, Deuteronomy 10:15. Circumcision should be the response of Israel, Deuteronomy 10:16, but this circumcision wasn’t only of the flesh, Genesis 17:10, but of the heart, in that the Israelites were to change their personality from being stiff-necked, Deuteronomy 10:16, to being obedient, Leviticus 26:41 / Deuteronomy 30:6 / Jeremiah 4:4 / Jeremiah 9:26 / Ezekiel 44:7 / Ezekiel 44:9 / Romans 2:28-29 / Colossians 2:11-12.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The grounds on which circumcision was imposed as essential by the Law are the same as those on which Baptism is required in the Gospel. The latter in the New Testament is strictly analogous to the former under the Old, Colossians 2:11-12.’
Because of who God is, that is, because He is the ‘God of gods and Lord of lords’, Deuteronomy 10:17 / Isaiah 9:6 / 1 Timothy 6:15 / Revelation 17:14 / Revelation 19:16, He and He alone is worthy of our praise. The Lord shows preference to no man but rather makes the distinction between good and evil, Deuteronomy 10:17. The Lord of all is the God of love and care, even for the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner, Deuteronomy 10:18-19.
Loving foreigners was basically Israel’s great commission. They were to be a nation that reached out to those who were not Israelites, those who had been deceived by the false religions of men. As a nation of priests, Israel were to be a national priesthood to the world, Exodus 19:5-6 / 1 Peter 2:9. They were to behave as God does, that is, He doesn’t want any to perish but come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9.
Israel are to fear God and serve Him and they are to hold fast to Him and take their oaths in His name, Deuteronomy 10:20. God is the one they should praise because He is their God who performed for Israel those great and awesome wonders they saw with their own eyes, Deuteronomy 10:21.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It is an eternal honour to any soul to be in the friendship of God. Why are people ashamed of being thought religious? Because they know nothing of religion. He who knows his Maker may glory in his God, for without him what has any soul but disgrace, pain, shame, and perdition? How strange is it that those who fear God should be ashamed to own it, while sinners boldly proclaim their relationship to Satan!’
Seventy people went into Egypt, Exodus 1:5, and now they are a nation, as numerous as the stars in the sky just as God had promised Abraham, Deuteronomy 10:22 / Genesis 12:1-3.