Deuteronomy 10:12,13

Back to the Present And The Greatness of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 10:12).

In view of the command to go forward Moses now draws attention to what Yahweh requires of them, followed by a description of the glory of Who and What He is. He wants the people to have a full appreciation of what God requires of them, and a full appreciation of the God Whom they serve, and He wants them to have a full confidence in Him.

Analysis in the words of Moses:

a And now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and His statutes, which I command you this day for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12).

b Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is in it (Deuteronomy 10:14).

c Only Yahweh had a delight in your fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day (Deuteronomy 10:15).

d Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked (Deuteronomy 10:16).

e For Yahweh your God, He is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, Who does not regard people with favouritism (literally ‘does not lift up faces'), nor takes reward (Deuteronomy 10:17).

e He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the resident alien, in giving him food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:18).

d You, therefore, love the resident alien, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:19).

c You shall fear Yahweh your God; Him shall you serve; and to Him shall you cleave, and by His name shall you swear (Deuteronomy 10:20).

b He is your praise, and He is your God, Who has done for you these great and terrible things, which your eyes have seen (Deuteronomy 10:21).

a Your fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now Yahweh your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude (Deuteronomy 10:22).

Note that in ‘a' Yahweh their God requires of them that they fear Yahweh their God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Yahweh their God with all their heart and with all their soul, to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and His statutes (note the threefold reference to Yahweh their God), and in the parallel Yahweh has multiplied them from small beginnings so that they are as the stars in heaven for multitude. This is poignant for it contrasts with the situation that had been a real possibility that they would be few in number indeed through Yahweh's judgment. But having renewed the covenant and having accepted them again as His blessed people He can now make His requirement of them. In ‘b' to Yahweh their God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is in it, and in the parallel He is their praise, and He is their God, Who has done for them these great and terrible things, which their eyes have seen. In ‘c' Yahweh had a delight in their fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even them above all peoples, and in the parallel they must fear Yahweh their God; Him shall they serve; and to Him shall they cleave, and by His name shall they swear demonstrating that they recognise that they are chosen and delighted in. In ‘d' they are to circumcise the foreskin of their heart, and be no more stiffnecked, and in the parallel one of the results of this will be that they love the resident alien, for they had been resident aliens in the land of Egypt. In ‘e' Yahweh your God, is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, Who does not regard people with favouritism (literally ‘does not lift up faces'), nor takes reward, that is, He is the great Judge of all, and in the parallel He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the resident alien, in giving him food and clothing as would be expected of such a great Judge.

What God Requires of Them (Deuteronomy 10:12).

Deuteronomy 10:12

‘ And now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you (thee), but to fear Yahweh your (thy) God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good?'

Note that ‘thee, thy' is used throughout the verse. They are to go forward in obedience as one nation, and each one individually.

“And now, Israel.” Moses has reached the point of summing up the first part of his speech, and has come to the point of decision. They must now face up to what God has demanded of them. Compare ‘this day' (Deuteronomy 10:13), ‘as at this time' (Deuteronomy 10:15), With the command to go forward came the requirement. What did He require of them as a result of the renewal of the covenant and His not decimating them? (Compare Deuteronomy 10:22). That they should fear Yahweh their God, walk in all His ways, love Him, and serve Him with all their heart and soul, keeping His commandments and the statutes that he was about to set before them. This sums up much of what has gone before. It is very possible that Micah 6:8, where Yahweh's requirement are described as being to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God, echoes this passage.

Note the two twofold injunctions, ‘fear Him -- love Him' (compare Deuteronomy 5:26; Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 6:24; Deuteronomy 10:20; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 11:22), followed by the need to, ‘walk in all His ways -- serve Him with all their heart and soul' (Deuteronomy 5:33; Deuteronomy 8:6; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 13:4; Deuteronomy 19:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Deuteronomy 28:9; Deuteronomy 30:16; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 30:6). Fear (awe of the Overlord) was to be balanced by love (genuine response to and affection for the Overlord). Both had to be from the heart. For what He sought was a pouring out of their hearts, a devotion to Him that would do anything. This was then to result in a step by step obedience to His ways as they feared Him and walked in them, and wholehearted service with heart and soul because they loved Him. And this in accordance with the stipulations laid down in the covenant. Their service was not to be in order to obtain favour, but because they acknowledged Yahweh as their God, were in awe of Him and loved Him, and therefore were filled with a desire to please Him.