The ancient Israelites are God’s special people. They are to be a light to the nations. They are to reveal the merciful, loving and holy character of God. This means they to live God’s way and not the way the nations around them live. This is the key to understanding Deuteronomy chapters 12 to 26.
These chapters build upon the foundation of the 10 commandments that define what it meant to live as God’s people in response to his salvation.
In chapter 5 of Deuteronomy the ten commandments come in this order.
1 & 2 – Worship
3 Name of God
4 Sabbath
5 Authority
6 Murder / Homicide
7 Adultery
8 Theft / stealing
9 False Charges
10 Coveting
This order creates the basic structure for chapters 12 to 25.
Worship 12:1-13:18
Name of God 14:1-21*
Sabbath /rest 14:28-16:17
Authority 16:18-18:22
Murder / Homicide 19:1-22:22
Adultery 22:9-23:19
Theft / stealing 23:20-24:7
False Charges 24:8-25:4
Coveting 25:5-6
* This part deals with the dwelling of the Name of the Lord but quite a bit seems unrelated to name of the Lord. Not everything fits perfectly!