◄ Deuteronomy 5:24 ►
and you said, "Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
Study Bible
And you said
This phrase introduces the response of the Israelites to the divine revelation they have just experienced. It reflects a collective acknowledgment and reaction to God's presence. The Hebrew root for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often conveys not just speaking but a declaration or proclamation. This indicates the seriousness and gravity of their response, as they are not merely speaking but declaring a profound truth about their encounter with God.

Behold
The word "behold" is a call to attention, urging the listener or reader to focus on what follows. In Hebrew, "הִנֵּה" (hinneh) is used, which serves as an imperative to observe or consider something significant. It emphasizes the importance of the revelation and the need for the Israelites to recognize the magnitude of what they have witnessed.

the LORD our God
This phrase identifies the deity being addressed, using the tetragrammaton "YHWH" (יהוה) for "LORD," which is the personal name of God revealed to Moses. "Our God" signifies a covenant relationship, highlighting the unique bond between the Israelites and God. It underscores the personal and communal aspect of their faith, as they acknowledge God not just as a distant deity but as their own.

has shown us His glory and His greatness
Here, the Israelites acknowledge the manifestation of God's "glory" (כָּבוֹד, kavod) and "greatness" (גָּדוֹל, gadol). "Glory" often refers to the visible, awe-inspiring presence of God, while "greatness" speaks to His power and majesty. This dual recognition reflects a comprehensive understanding of God's nature, both in His visible manifestations and His inherent attributes.

and we have heard His voice out of the fire
The phrase "heard His voice" emphasizes the direct communication from God, a rare and awe-inspiring event. The "fire" (אֵשׁ, esh) symbolizes God's holiness and purity, often associated with His presence, as seen in the burning bush and Mount Sinai. Hearing God's voice from the fire signifies a direct and powerful revelation, underscoring the seriousness and sacredness of the moment.

Today we have seen
"Today" (הַיּוֹם, hayom) marks the immediacy and present reality of the experience. It highlights the significance of the event as a defining moment in the Israelites' spiritual journey. "We have seen" (רָאָה, ra'ah) indicates not just physical sight but a deeper understanding and realization of God's presence and power.

that a man can live even if God speaks with him
This statement reflects the Israelites' astonishment and relief that they survived the encounter with God. In ancient Near Eastern thought, direct contact with the divine was often believed to be fatal. The fact that they lived to tell the tale is a testament to God's mercy and the unique nature of His covenant with Israel. It underscores the accessibility of God to His people, despite His overwhelming holiness and power.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
The people of Israel, who are receiving the Law from God through Moses. They are the ones speaking in this verse, acknowledging their encounter with God.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who reveals Himself to His people, demonstrating His glory and greatness.

3. Moses
The leader and prophet of Israel, who acts as the mediator between God and the Israelites during the giving of the Law.

4. Mount Sinai (Horeb)
The place where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and where the Israelites experienced God's presence.

5. The Fire
Represents God's presence and holiness, from which His voice was heard by the Israelites.
Teaching Points
God's Glory and Greatness
The Israelites' acknowledgment of God's glory and greatness reminds us of His supreme power and majesty. We should approach God with reverence and awe, recognizing His holiness.

Hearing God's Voice
The Israelites heard God's voice and lived, which was a profound experience. Today, we hear God's voice through Scripture and the Holy Spirit. We should be attentive and responsive to His guidance.

The Mediator Role of Moses
Moses acted as a mediator between God and the Israelites. In the New Testament, Jesus is our ultimate mediator, bridging the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity.

The Fear of the Lord
The Israelites' fear upon hearing God's voice highlights the importance of the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. It leads us to live in obedience and humility before God.

Living in God's Presence
The Israelites realized that a man can live even if God speaks with him. This encourages us to seek God's presence in our lives, knowing that through Christ, we can approach God with confidence.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the Israelites' experience at Mount Sinai shape our understanding of God's holiness and majesty?

2. In what ways can we "hear" God's voice today, and how should we respond when we do?

3. How does the role of Moses as a mediator foreshadow the work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament?

4. What does it mean to have a "fear of the Lord," and how can this be applied in our daily lives?

5. How can we cultivate a life that seeks and values the presence of God, as demonstrated by the Israelites' encounter with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 19-20
These chapters describe the events at Mount Sinai, where God gives the Ten Commandments and the Israelites witness His presence in fire and smoke.

Hebrews 12:18-29
This passage contrasts the terrifying experience at Mount Sinai with the new covenant through Jesus, emphasizing the holiness and unapproachable nature of God without a mediator.

1 Kings 19:11-13
Elijah's encounter with God, where God's presence is not in the fire but in a gentle whisper, showing different aspects of God's revelation.
Sermons
Talking with GodP. B. Power, M. A.Deuteronomy 5:24
Reminiscences of HorebJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:1-33
Character Determines EnvironmentD. Davies Deuteronomy 5:21-33
How Moses Became MediatorR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 5:22-33
The Element of Terror in ReligionJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:23-28
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Horeb
Topics
Behold, Fire, Glory, Greatness, Hearing, Honour, Majesty, Midst, Power, Shewed, Shewn, Showed, Shown, Speak, Speaks, Talk, Talks, Voice, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 5:24

     1045   God, glory of
     1403   God, revelation

Deuteronomy 5:22-24

     4810   darkness, natural

Deuteronomy 5:22-26

     1454   theophany

Deuteronomy 5:22-27

     6636   drawing near to God

Deuteronomy 5:23-27

     4269   Sinai, Mount

Library
Prayer and Obedience
"An obedience discovered itself in Fletcher of Madeley, which I wish I could describe or imitate. It produced in him a ready mind to embrace every cross with alacrity and pleasure. He had a singular love for the lambs of the flock, and applied himself with the greatest diligence to their instruction, for which he had a peculiar gift. . . . All his intercourse with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment, and every meal was, as it were, perfumed therewith." -- JOHN WESLEY. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.--Ex. 20:1-17. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible I, 194-198. Prin. of Politics, Chap. II. Lowell, Essay on "Democracy." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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