An Analysis of Deuteronomy 5:6-21: Loving God, Loving Others

The Setting of the Ten Commandments at Horeb

To understand why God repeats the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, we need to remember the dramatic moment at Mount Horeb when they were first given.

Back in Exodus, God called Israel to meet Him at the mountain after rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, but when He spoke with a loud voice from fire, cloud, and darkness, the people were terrified and said, 'You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, or we will die' (Deuteronomy 5:25). God honored their fear, affirming that it was good they stood in awe of Him, and He chose Moses as the mediator to deliver His laws. This context shows that the commandments aren’t abstract rules, but personal instructions from a holy God who wanted His rescued people to live in safety, freedom, and close relationship with Him.

With this moment in mind, we can now look closely at each command and see how they flow from God’s character and His desire for His people’s well-being.

The Heart and History Behind the Ten Commandments

Now that we’ve seen the dramatic setting of the commandments, we can dig deeper into their meaning, structure, and the ancient world they were meant to transform.

Each command begins with God’s identity: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt' - a reminder that these laws aren’t arbitrary but flow from the God who rescued them. In the ancient Near East, gods were often seen as distant or capricious, but Israel’s God was personal, holy, and deeply involved in their daily lives. The phrase 'jealous God' (Deuteronomy 5:9) doesn’t mean petty envy. In Hebrew, *qanna* describes a passionate commitment to relationship, like a spouse protecting a marriage. God wants exclusive loyalty not to control His people, but because He knows that turning to false gods leads to brokenness and harm.

The Sabbath command (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) stands out because it’s tied not to creation, as in Exodus, but to liberation: 'You shall remember that you were a slave.' This wasn’t a day off - it was a weekly act of justice, forcing even servants and animals to rest, breaking the cycle of exploitation. Unlike other ancient law codes like Hammurabi’s, which protected the elite, Israel’s laws protected the vulnerable. The command reflects God’s heart: rest and dignity are for everyone, not only the powerful.

The final commandments about murder, adultery, theft, and false witness establish a society built on truth and trust. But the last one - 'You shall not covet' (Deuteronomy 5:21) - goes deeper, targeting the desires of the heart. Coveting isn’t wanting. The Hebrew *chamad* implies a restless, consuming desire that can lead to breaking the other laws. This shows God cares not only about our actions but about what we value and long for.

These commands were not just rules for ancient Israel - they were a radical declaration of God’s character and a call to live differently from every other nation.

These commands, rooted in Israel’s rescue from slavery, reveal a God who wants His people to live in freedom, holiness, and community. They set the stage for understanding how Jesus later fulfills and deepens these laws, not by relaxing them, but by calling us to live by their spirit from the inside out.

The Moral Core of the Commandments and Their Fulfillment in Jesus

These ten commands - calling for loyalty to God, respect for His name, life, marriage, property, truth, and contentment - are more than ancient rules; they reflect God’s holy character and guide His people in everyday living.

Jesus fulfilled these laws not by canceling them, but by living them perfectly and showing their deeper meaning - like teaching that anger and hatred break the command against murder, and that lust breaks the heart of the command against adultery (Matthew 5:21-28). He said, 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them' (Matthew 5:17).

The New Testament makes clear that we are no longer under the old covenant as a means of earning right standing with God - Paul says we are 'released from the law' through Christ’s death (Romans 7:6) - but we still honor these commands as God’s timeless moral standard, now written on our hearts by the Spirit rather than carved on stone.

Loving God and Neighbor: The Heart of the Law in the New Covenant

Now that we’ve seen how Jesus affirms the Ten Commandments and reveals their deeper intent, we can understand how the New Testament transforms our relationship to the law - not by discarding it, but by writing it on our hearts through love.

Jesus said the entire Law hangs on two commands: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:37-40). These words pull the Ten Commandments into a single, living principle. At the same time, God promised through Jeremiah, 'I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts' (Jeremiah 31:33), a promise fulfilled as the Spirit empowers believers to follow God not out of fear, but from a changed heart.

The law isn’t meant to weigh us down, but to show us how to love - God with everything we are, and others as ourselves.

So instead of checking rules, we ask: Does this choice show wholehearted love for God and genuine care for others? That’s the spirit of the law alive in us today.

Application