Deut 10.1-22 tells us the result of Moses’ mediation; a second set of tablets are placed in the ark; other journeys of Israel and the separation of Levi to serve in the Mishkan; Moses stays on the mountain forty days and nights again; Moses leads the people toward Canaan; his exhortation for Israel to fear and serve the Lord by keeping his commandents.
v 1…At that time (on the second fortieth day mentioned in Chapter 9, after he had interceded) the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones (Moses knew what they looked like) and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood for yourself (Exo 25 by Bezalel at the instruction of Moses)
v 2…And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark (this allude to the “renewed covenant” that is written on our hearts and desires-Jer 31.33)
v 3…So I made an ark of acacia wood (by Bezalel-Exo 25.10; some Jewish Midrashim say that there were two arks, a temporary ark made by Moses until the one by Bezalel was made) and cut out two tablets of stone (he ordered it and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.
v 4…And he wrote on the tablets like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly (Yom Kahal-9.10, 18.15); and the Lord gave them to me.
v 5…Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark, which I had made (ordered to be made), and there they are , as the Lord commanded me.
v 6…Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth-bene-jaakan (wells of the sons of Jaakan) to Moserah (bonds). There Aaron died and he was buried and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place.
v 7…From there they set out to Gudgodah (the slashing place); and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah (pleasantness), a land of brooks of waters.
v 8…At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi (this was done at the sin of the golden calf-Exo 32.26-29; unless there was another separation when Eleazar became high priest) to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord to serve him and to bless in his name (Yehovah) until this day.
v 9…Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord Your God spoke to him.
v 10…I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and nights (this is a continuation of Deut 9.18-19; Moses stayed twice on the mount for forty days and nights after the sin of the golden calf-the first time to intercede in 9.18, 25; the second time to receive the second set of tablets) like the first time; and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you.
v 11…Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise (as leader), proceed on your journey ahead of the people that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
v 12…And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and love him (love is action), and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart (desires, intentions) and with all your soul (a parallelism-Mic 6.8);
v 13…and to keep the Lord’s commandments and his statutes which I am commanding you today, for your good (they will get the benefit)?
v 14…Behold (see, take note), to the Lord your God belong heaven (where the sun, moon and stars are) and the highest heavens (the third heaven-2 Cor 12.2), the earth and all that is in it.
v 15…Yet on your fathers did the Lord set his affection to love them, and he chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is to this day.
v 16…Circumcise (remove) then your heart and stiffen your neck no more (he tells the people to do it, but later in the Renewed Covenant God will do it in Deut 29.1 through 30.6. This is the essence of the Torah. We can’t obey him if our heart isn’t right. We must believe on the inside and “circumcise” our heart and stiffen our necks no more against his commandments. For example, there is not one verse in the Tanak that says we must go to a building to keep the sabbath. The great teaching about the sabbath was it to be observed at home, away from the public, niot a day for assembly. Then, those who had this commandment belief in their heart began to assemble with others who had the same belief. But it started in the heart. God was real, and we find others like us and we assembled. But people have this backward. We think we can go to a congregation to “get the faith” but we should have it already. Are we ready to back up with deeds when we say we “love the Lord-Jam 2.14-26? Many are just “talkers” or Amorites. Do we call him “Lord” because we do what he says, or are we just religious people? Believers will only be satisfied when we can hear his voice. We don’t want to know about the LOrd, we want to know the Lord-Jer 9.23. That is the essence of what Moses is saying here).
v 17…For the Lord your God is the God of Gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God (Moses hits at the heart of paganism here. Everything is in the hands of God, and if it doesn’t rain it wasn’t because “Mowt” the sea god was defeating Baal, it was because God was angry and in control) who does not show partiality, nor takes a bribe (like false gods).
v 18…He executes justice for the orphan and the widow (two classes of defenseless people), and shows his love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
v 19…So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt (and they know they were not treated very well).
v 20…You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve him and cling to him, and you shall swear by his name (Deut 6.13).
v 21…He is your praise and he is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.
v 22…Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven (this is the ultimate evidence of Yehovah’s claim for Israel’s love, obedience and thankfulness).
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