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!

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Reading Deuteronomy