Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most of you will know that our worship services follow the scriptural principle of dialogue in worship.  
Divine worship is to be a dialogue or conversation between the Lord and His people; God speaks, we respond.  Worship is not just a random order of different things that we just like.  No, it is made up of elements we see that the Bible requires to be in worship, and arranged in such a way as to form a dialogue between the Lord and His people.  
It begins with God calling us to worship.  
Then we pray to Him and respond by saying that our help is in the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.  
Then God greets us with His blessing, and we sing a song of praise back to Him.  
And normally, in our morning services, the next thing we do is read a passage of the Bible as a law reading, such as the one we have just read from Deut. 5.  
We hear God address us, through His Word, about His requirements for holy living, before we respond with a prayer or song of confession.  

Now, this practise of reading the law has been a common feature of Christian worship from the very earliest days.  
Sadly, it fell out of favour for many years before the reformation.  And, as far as we can tell, it seems that the early 16th century reformer, Ullrich Zwingli, was the first to rediscover the importance of this practice, which has since remained a permanent fixture in our worship services.  

The Ten Commandments, then, are a very familiar piece of Scripture to us, and that is a good thing.  
And yet, if we are honest, sometimes our familiarity with God’s covenant law can lead us to tune out at this moment in the worship service.  You shall not do this, you shall not do that, and so on it goes!  

It’s useful then for us to be reminded about the importance of what we know as the Ten Commandments.  And we are going to do that today by way of an overview of Deut 5, before we turn in subsequent weeks, to a more detailed examination of each of the commandments.  

And so, with that in mind, let’s look again at Deut 5 where we find that the two tables of the law reveal the Commandment Keeper.  
And we are going to look, firstly, 
at the historical introduction, of vv1-5, 
then at the preamble, of v6, 
and end by considering the two tables of the law, of vv7-21.

Let’s begin then by looking at the historical introduction, of vv1-5.

Now, we need to imagine the scene that surrounds this address of Moses.  
The 40 years of Israel’s desert wanderings have past.  The generation of rebels has died, and a new generation stands there, in Moab, ready to enter the Promised Land.  
Perhaps Moses stands on a hill side to address this vast crowd of people.  Parents are trying to keep their little ones quiet so they can hear what Moses has to say.  
And in his first sermon, or address, the one recorded in ch’s 1-4, he has given them a history lesson.  
•	He has reminded them about the first time the Ten Commandments were given.  I’m sure you boys and girls remember that story!  Moses received them up on the mountain, and then he came down with them only to find the people of Israel worshipping a golden calf.  And so, he smashed the stone tablets in righteous anger over their sin!  
•	He reminds them also about the wanderings, and how the Lord took special care of them through the provision of manna and quail and shoes that never wore out.  
•	He reminds them about the defeats of some pretty important kings named Sihon and Og.  
•	And, with great sadness, he reminds them that because of his reaction to the people’s grumblings, Moses himself is not allowed to enter the Promised Land.  
Can you imagine what the words “The Promised Land” must, by now, have meant to these Israelites?  The Promised Land!  The Promised Land!  The Promised Land!  The land flowing with milk and honey!  And they are almost there.  They can smell it and see it just beyond the Jordan!

But Moses still has more to say.  And so, he gathers them again, for the second time, as we read in 5:1.  And he says, “Hear, O Israel.  Shema Itzra-yel!”  
And that word, “hear,” is not just for ears.  The end of v1 reveals that it also has in view the heart, mind, and strength, because he says, “Hear … the decrees and the laws … learn them and be sure to follow them.”

And then in vv2-3, he reveals something rather remarkable.  He says, “The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.  3 It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.”  
And the fathers he refers to here are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of Israel.  
And so, Moses is saying that the covenant he is about to describe is a covenant that God made with the people of Israel, not with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  

Now, in terms of what a covenant actually is, there are all sorts of definitions to choose from.  
•	Most simply, a covenant is an agreement between two or more parties.  
In this case, it will be an agreement between God and His people, based on His law.  
•	More accurately though, a covenant is a bond in blood sovereignly administered.  A covenant is a bond in blood sovereignly administered.  
o	It is a bond because it joins two sides or parties – God and Israel.  
o	It is a bond in blood because it has life or death consequences; it is not like a job contract or purchasing agreement.  There is blood at stake.  
o	And it is sovereignly administered because it is designed, implemented, and enforced by God.  Man is not an equal contributor to every aspect of the agreement.  Its author is God and God alone.  

Now, I suspect that if I was to ask you how many covenants there are between God and man in the Bible, I might get a number of replies. 
Some would say 1, others 2, and others 3 or 4 or 5 or many.  
Strictly speaking though, we recognize two covenants in the Bible.  
And WCoF Chapter 7 is a very helpful explanation of this.  Look it up some time this week.  
•	But what it says there is that the first covenant is the covenant of works that God made with Adam in the Garden of Eden before the Fall – Do not eat from the Tree of knowledge and live, eat from it and die.  
•	And the second covenant is the covenant of grace that God made with Adam after the fall – the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent – Gen 3:15.  
So, two covenants: the covenant of works and the covenant of grace.  

And yet, Moses here suggests that God is making a covenant with the people of Israel based on the Ten Commandments.  What’s going on?  
Well, WCoF 7 also helpfully summarizes for us the fact that while there are only two covenants, the covenant of grace is repeatedly remade with God’s people, throughout the Bible, but in different formats or shapes, we might say.  And each time it was remade it revealed a little bit more about the Lord Jesus Christ – the One who is at the centre of the covenant of grace.
•	With Adam it had to do with eating and working.  
•	With Noah it had to do with the preservation of life and came with the sign of the rainbow.  
•	With Abraham it had to do with a calling to be a separate people and came with the sign of circumcision.  
•	And now, with Israel, it has to do with the Land and the law and the sign of the Passover is included.  
•	Later it would be made again with David and include the idea of an eternal kingship.  
•	And eventually, all of these different administrations or formats or shapes of the covenant of grace come together in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

And all of this is alluded to by Moses’ reference to the covenant of law that God made with His people at Horeb.  
The whole history of redemption, from Adam through to Christ, unfolds out of these two verses.  
And even though most of those standing there before Moses that day were not even alive when God first gave the Ten Commandments at Horeb or Sinai, because the covenant of grace is God’s living covenant, He makes it with them that day and with us today.

Two more brief points, then, before we turn to the preamble.  
In vv4-5, Moses reveals that he stood between God and the people when the Ten Commandments were first given.  
As a forerunner of Jesus Christ, Moses acts as a mediator – one who stands between God and man.  
And as a mediator, Moses says that he “stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the Word of the Lord.”  
This means that the law is the Word of the Lord, it is not the word of Moses.  Moses is not the source of the Word.  
However, as a mediator, he is the interpreter of the Word.  
And this, congregation, is why we see some differences between the words of the Ten Commandments here in Deuteronomy and the Ten Commandments in Exodus.  
Perhaps you have heard these differences referred to before.  Some people even say that they are proof that the bible is a human document and full of mistakes.  After all, if even these two fundamental passages of the Bible are different????

But what they fail to recognize is that in Exodus, Israel had just left Egypt.  
And so, that was reflected in the words of the law.  
Now though, Israel is about to enter the Promised Land.  
And Moses, as a mediator between the Lord and His people, interprets and applies the law with that in mind.  

The differences between commandments 4, 5, and 10, in Deuteronomy and Exodus are not evidences that the Bible is a human invention and full of mistakes, but evidence that the Law is the living and active Word of God for His people yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
You see, the Ten Commandments do not create the new law of God.  They summarize and apply the eternal law of God for His people yesterday, today, or tomorrow.  
And while the application of the law might change, the law itself clearly remains the same.

And note lastly, in respect to the introduction to the Ten Commandments, that they form the legal basis for the relationship between God and His people.  
When two people marry, they proclaim their love for one another using the words “I do.”  And those vows become the legal basis of their relationship.  And their relationship is in danger of ending when those vows are broken.  
Brothers and Sisters, just in case you are tempted to join the many other Christians who have sidelined the OT as irrelevant for NT Christians, hear again the Word of the Lord from v1: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and the laws I declare in your hearing today.  Learn them and be sure to follow them.”  
Look down at God’s plea in v29: “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.”  

For there to be relationship between you and God His commandments must be kept perfectly.

Let’s continue on then and consider the pre-amble of the Ten Commandments, in v6.  

Now, if ever you have signed a legal document, you will be familiar with a preamble.  
A preamble is an introduction to a legal document that explains something about the parties involved and the purpose of the document.  
It might say something like “A contract to purchase the piece of land located at 50 Yaldhurst Rd, Christchurch, being 640m2, with two residential dwellings thereupon, between Jim Smith of 2 Barney Pl, Christchurch, and Joan and Mark Thompson of 50 Yaldhurst Rd, Christchurch…”  And then the contract itself begins.  That’s a preamble.  

Well, in terms of the legal basis between God and His people, God makes it crystal clear that he is the one who is making this covenant in the preamble of v6.  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”  
And note what this preamble, in the context of this passage, reveals about God.  
Firstly, it reveals His majesty.  
Not needing the introduction of another, this God announces Himself: “I am the Lord your God.”  
And Exodus 19 tells us in more detail what v4 summarizes by referring to God speaking from out of the fire.  
When God revealed Himself to His people on the mountain, He did so in such a way that all there trembled with fear at His majesty.  
Today, many contrast the so-called NT God of love with the so-called OT God of wrath.  
Well, the writer of the Book of Hebrews, a NT book, while acknowledging that none of us have “come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;  19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,” does go on to remind us that we must still “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  29 for our "God is a consuming fire".”

These words of preamble reveal God to be a God of majesty.  But they also reveal that He is a Promise-Keeper.  
To begin with, the words, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery,” reveal God to be the One who keeps His promises.
He had said to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give this land to their descendants, and this is exactly what He is about to do.  

He is a God of majesty, and a promise-keeper, but note also that He is a liberator.  
It’s true, isn’t it, that even though we all acknowledge the need for the rule of law in a peaceful society, we often associate law with tyrants.  Just study any of the laws of kings throughout the history of the world and you will often detect that flavour of tyranny in the laws.  Tax on this, levy on that, restrictions on this, and denial of freedom for that.  
But not so with God.  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”  
And what sort of people was it that He brought out of Egypt?  A loving people?  A thankful people?  A people who longed to serve Him?  
On the contrary, they were a stubborn, rebellious, ungrateful, and complaining people. 
This liberating God is very much a God of undeserved love, mercy, grace, and kindness. 

The preamble reveals God to be a God of majesty, a promise-keeper, and a God of liberation.  But they also reveal that He is a lawgiver.
Now, perhaps having heard me describe God as a liberator, you are looking at all the “you shall nots” of the Ten Commandments and thinking, that doesn’t sound very liberating!

Well, turn briefly to Deut 6:20-25.  There you will see that when future generations ask about the law of God, v21 indicates that they are to be told first about their liberation, or redemption, or release from bondage and slavery in Egypt.  
And then, as you see in v24, they are to be told “to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive…”  
What happened when Israel stopped keeping the law?  They were invaded and subjected, once again, to slavery.  Ultimately, they were invaded and exiled into slavery.  
You see, Brothers and Sisters, the law is not a law of slavery and oppression.  The law’s chief concern is to keep those who have been set free, free.

And the same is true today.  What section of the Heidelberg Catechism have we just begun?  
We are in the gratitude section.  
We too have been liberated, redeemed, and released from bondage into sin.  
The Promised Land of heaven lies before you, just over the Jordan river of death, and God, your Father, does not want you to fall back into the bondage of sin.  
And so, to you also, He has given this, the law of perfect freedom, so that you might always prosper and be kept alive!

Well, let’s conclude then by looking briefly at the two tables of the Ten Commandments.

In Q/A 93 of the Heidelberg Catechism, we are reminded that the two tables or parts of the Ten Commandments are the first four commandments, which “teach us what our relation to God should be,” and the last six commandments, which teach “us what we owe our neighbour.”

This means then that, in relation to Deut 5, that the first four commandments are found in vv6-15.  
Your Bibles will likely indicate that in the way the words are set out.  
The first commandment is v7, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  
The second, vv8-10: No making or worshipping idols.  
The third, v11: No blasphemy.  
The fourth, vv12-15: “Observe the Sabbath day.”

And then the last six commandments are found in vv16-21.  
The fifth: honour your parents, the sixth: No murder, the seventh: no adultery, the eighth: no stealing, the ninth: no false testimony, and the tenth: no coveting.

And we recognize a division in the focus of these two tables, the first four towards God and the last six towards neighbour, in part, because of what we read in a place like Deut 10:1.  
There, Moses reminds us that the Lord commanded Him to “chisel out two stone tablets,” and that God, Himself, would “write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets.”  
These two tablets were then to be kept in the Ark of the Covenant.  

And, in addition to this, we recognize this two table distinction because of the words of Jesus that we read earlier in the service.  Turn back to Luke 10 with me again as we finish together.  
Now, you will recall that in Matthew 22 and Mark 12, where a similar summary of the law is given, Jesus is the one who gives it.  
Here though, it is the expert in the law who gives it.  Perhaps he has heard Jesus say this before and repeats it?  We don’t know.  
Nevertheless, what is revealed here is that the law has in view these two aspects, love for God and love for neighbour.  

But note what Jesus went on to say after the expert had answered.  He said, “You have answered correctly … Do this and you will live.”
Brother and Sisters, young people, and boys and girls, I said earlier that for there to be relationship between you and God His commandments must be kept perfectly.  
This expert in the law wanted to know how to inherit eternal life.  And Jesus’ answer to Him was keep the law perfectly, and you will live.  
Do you also wish to inherit eternal life?  Would you like to enter the Promised Land of heaven?  
Then keep the law of God perfectly.  

Do you have a problem with that?  
It appears from the troubled look in your eyes that you have a problem.  
Could it be that you have not kept the law of God perfectly?  
Well, that would make you a sinner then who is deserving of an eternity in the fires of hell.

But those words of Jesus to the expert were not His only words or His last words on the matter of eternal life.  
Jesus also said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And just as Moses was not the last or best Mediator, the covenant of law was not the last or best covenant.  
This is why Hebrews 9:15 says, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Congregation, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending Jesus Christ.

the two tables of the law reveal the Commandment Keeper.  His name is Jesus Christ.  And salvation belongs to all those who put their faith in Him.  Amen.