What Kind of Life Does God Require in Deuteronomy 10?

In Deuteronomy 10, God calls Israel to fear and love him, obey his commands, and love foreigners. This calling emerges through the events and instructions recorded throughout verses 1–22. The rewritten stone tablets, God’s decision not to destroy Israel, and his impartial justice all provide the foundation for what he requires.

God Wrote the Same Words Again

God told Moses to chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain. He promised to write on them the same words that had appeared on the tablets Moses had broken. Moses made a wooden ark, prepared the two tablets, and went up the mountain.

God wrote on the tablets the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed from the fire on the day of the assembly, just as he had done before. Moses then placed the tablets inside the ark as commanded. God did not give Israel a different message after the first tablets were broken. He wrote the original words again, and they were preserved in the ark.

This repetition is the starting point for understanding the commands that follow. The standard Israel was called to follow had not changed. The command to fear God and walk in all his ways cannot be separated from the words he wrote again.

As before, Moses remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. God listened to Moses and chose not to destroy Israel. He then instructed Moses to lead the people onward. They could once again continue toward the land God had sworn to give their ancestors.

The people who had been spared were not told to remain where they were. They had to get up and continue their journey, living according to God’s word along the way.

Fear Is Expressed Through Obedience

Verses 12 and 13 clearly state what God requires. Israel was to fear God and walk in all his ways. They were to love him and serve him with all their heart and soul. They were also to obey the commands and decrees God had given for their own good.

Fear and love are more than inner feelings. The passage places concrete actions alongside them: walking in God’s ways, serving him, and keeping his commands. It goes on to tell the people to hold fast to God and take oaths in his name.

The heavens, the earth, and everything in them belong to God. Yet God delighted in Israel’s ancestors and loved them, choosing their descendants from among all nations. Israel therefore had to circumcise their hearts and stop being stubborn. Being chosen by God was no excuse for remaining hardhearted.

Serving God Includes Loving Foreigners

The passage says that God shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow. He loves foreigners and provides them with food and clothing.

God therefore commanded Israel to love foreigners as well. He gave them a clear reason: they had once been foreigners in Egypt. Remembering their own past was meant to lead them to reflect God’s love by caring for those who needed food and clothing.

Only seventy members of Israel’s family went down to Egypt, but God made their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. The great works Israel had witnessed are presented alongside the command to fear and serve God.

The passage also suggests one practical step we can take today. Think of someone unfamiliar or far from home who needs food or clothing, and provide one thing they genuinely need. As you read all of Deuteronomy 10 again, consider how the commands written on the stone tablets and the call to love foreigners belong to the same unfolding message.