Question 1

What is happening in this passage where God speaks from the fire?

Accepted Answer

This passage looks back to the day when God spoke the Ten Commandments to all Israel at the mountain. God spoke out of fire, cloud, and thick darkness with a great voice, and wrote His words on two stone tablets, which He gave to Moses. The people saw the fire, heard God’s voice, and were afraid they would die if they kept hearing Him directly. So they asked Moses to go near to God, hear everything God said, and then bring God’s words back to them so they could obey.

Question 2

Why were the Israelites afraid of hearing the voice of God?

Accepted Answer

The people had just seen the mountain burning with fire and heard God’s voice coming out of the darkness. They knew they were hearing the living God, and that made them deeply aware of His holiness and their own weakness. They said that if they kept hearing His voice, they would die. They felt that no ordinary person could hear God speaking out of the fire and stay alive. Their fear was not just about the fire, but about being so close to a holy God who was giving His law.

Question 3

Why did the people ask Moses to be a mediator between them and God?

Accepted Answer

After hearing God speak from the fire, the people felt they could not bear to hear His voice anymore. They were convinced they might die if this continued. So they asked Moses to go near to God in their place. They wanted him to hear everything God would say and then tell it to them. In asking for this, they were admitting they needed someone to stand between them and God, and they promised they would listen to and do what Moses told them from God. God said they had spoken well in this request.

Question 4

What does God mean when He says, "O that there were such an heart in them"?

Accepted Answer

When God says, “O that there were such an heart in them,” He is showing how much He desires His people to truly fear Him and keep His commandments always. The people had spoken well, but their hearts were weak and changeable. God is not praising empty words, but longing for a lasting inner attitude that loves His commands. He wants obedience that comes from the heart, not just from fear for a moment. He adds that this kind of heart would lead to things going well for them and for their children forever.

Question 5

What does this passage teach about obedience and blessing?

Accepted Answer

This passage ties obedience very closely to blessing. God tells the people that if they fear Him and keep all His commandments, it will be well with them and with their children. At the end, Moses says they must walk in all the ways God commanded, so they may live, that it may be well with them, and that they may prolong their days in the land. Obedience is not shown as a way to earn God’s love, but as the path where they enjoy His care, protection, and good order in their lives and families.

Question 6

What does it mean not to turn aside to the right hand or to the left?

Accepted Answer

When Moses says they must not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, he is telling them to stick closely to what God has commanded, without adding to it or taking away from it. Turning one way or the other pictures wandering off God’s straight path. Going to the “right” might mean going beyond what God has said, and going to the “left” might mean ignoring parts of His law. The point is that God’s directions are enough. They are to be content with His word and follow it as it is.

Question 7

What does this passage show about God’s character and His law?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is holy, powerful, and near. He speaks with a great voice from fire and darkness, yet He also writes His law on stone and gives it to His people. His law comes with glory and fear, but it is given for their good. God longs for them to have a heart that fears Him and keeps His commands, so that it will go well with them. This shows that His commandments are not harsh tricks, but wise and good. He cares about their lives, their children, and their future in the land.

Question 8

How does Moses’ role here help us understand the idea of a mediator?

Accepted Answer

In this passage, the people cannot bear to hear God’s voice directly, so they ask Moses to stand between them and God. Moses goes near to God, receives the commandments, statutes, and judgments, and then teaches them to the people. This shows what a mediator does: he hears from God and brings His word to people who are afraid to approach. God accepts this arrangement and speaks to Moses for their sake. It highlights both God’s holiness and His kindness in providing someone to bridge the gap.

Question 9

How can a modern reader apply the call to "walk in all the ways" God commanded?

Accepted Answer

For a modern reader, the call to walk in all God’s ways means not treating His commands like a list to pick from, but as a whole way of life. In the passage, the people are told not to turn aside to the right or left, because life and well-being in the land are tied to steady obedience. Today, this can encourage someone to take God’s word seriously in every area, not just in a few favorite parts. It means trusting that God’s path is good and staying on it when it feels hard or when other paths look easier.

Question 10

Why is this passage sometimes hard to understand or accept?

Accepted Answer

Some readers struggle with this passage because God’s holiness and the people’s fear feel very heavy. The fire, darkness, and threat of death can seem distant or harsh. The strong link between obedience and blessing can also raise questions, since life does not always look simple or fair. The passage is clear, though, that God’s commands come from a heart that wants it to be well with His people and their children. It invites us to hold together both His greatness and His care, even when our experience is mixed.

Deuteronomy 5:22

¶ These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

Moses Intercedes for the People

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Deuteronomy 5:22

¶ These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

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Moses Intercedes for the People

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