Bible Study Deuteronomy 10
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Deuteronomy 10 · WEB

New Tablets and the Heart of the Law: Fear, Love, and Justice

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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At that time the LORD said to me, "Cut yourself two stone tablets like the first, and come up to me onto the mountain, and make an ark of wood.
2I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark."
3So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first, and went up onto the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.
4He wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spoke to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me.
5I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.
6(The children of Israel traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died there, and he was buried there; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his place.
7From there they traveled to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water.
8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to him, to bless in his name, to this day.
9Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God spoke to him.)
10I stayed on the mountain as at the first time, forty days and forty nights. The LORD also listened to me that time. The LORD would not destroy you.
11The LORD said to me, "Arise, take your journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give to them."
12Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13to keep the LORD's commandments and statutes which I command you today for your good?
14Behold, to the LORD your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is in it.
15Yet the LORD set his heart on your fathers to love them, and he chose their offspring after them, even you, above all peoples, as it is today.
16Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.
17For the LORD your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn't respect persons or take bribes.
18He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
19Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
20You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him. You shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name.
21He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.
22Your fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of the sky for multitude.
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Summary

After Moses broke the first tablets, God graciously provides new ones — a tangible sign of covenant renewal and divine mercy. Moses then gives a compact summary of what God truly requires: fear, obedience, love, and wholehearted service. He introduces the powerful concept of "circumcision of the heart" — inner transformation, not mere external ritual. The chapter ends with a magnificent portrait of God: the supreme ruler of heaven and earth who nonetheless tenderly loves orphans, widows, and foreigners — and commands Israel to do the same.

Themes

  • Covenant renewal and God's abundant second chances
  • The inner life of religion — heart circumcision as the goal, not just external obedience
  • The majestic greatness of God combined with his tender care for the vulnerable
  • Care for foreigners, orphans, and widows as a core covenant obligation
  • Love for the immigrant grounded in Israel's own experience of vulnerability in Egypt

Key verses

  • Deut 10:12 — “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
  • Deut 10:16 — “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.”
  • Deut 10:17-18 — “For the LORD your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords...who executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner.”

Context & background

Moses' description of God as one who "loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing" (v. 18) and his command for Israel to "love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt" (v. 19) places the care of immigrants and refugees at the heart of covenant ethics. The ancient Near East had populations of foreigners (Hebrew: ger — resident aliens) throughout its urban centers and agricultural regions. The Ark of the Covenant, made of acacia wood, was constructed and used in the Sinai Peninsula region. The tribe of Levi's separation for priestly service — with no territorial inheritance since "the LORD is his inheritance" — defined the priestly structure of Israel for generations.

Cross-references

  • Colossians 2:11 — Spiritual circumcision through Christ
  • James 1:27 — "Pure religion...is to care for orphans and widows in their distress"
  • Leviticus 19:33-34 — Additional commands to love the foreigner
  • Micah 6:8 — "What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God" — a prophetic echo of Deut 10:12
  • Romans 2:29 — Paul picks up the "circumcision of the heart" theme as true circumcision

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What four things does Moses say God requires of Israel (vv. 12-13)?

  2. Observe

    What is God's attitude toward foreigners, orphans, and widows (v. 18)?

  3. Interpret

    What does "circumcise the foreskin of your heart" (v. 16) mean?

  4. Interpret

    What does pairing God's cosmic greatness (v. 14) with care for orphans (v. 18) communicate?

  5. Apply

    Should past experiences of vulnerability shape how you treat the marginalized?

  6. Apply

    In your own words, what does the Lord require of you?

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