What does the Lord require of Israel after the account of the replacement tablets?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Moses calls Israel to fear and love the Lord, walk in his ways, serve him with all its heart and soul, and keep his commands and ceremonies so it may go well with them. He also tells them to stop being stubborn and love strangers, because they too were strangers in Egypt.

Chapter breakdown

At that time the Lord told Moses to hew two stone tablets like the former ones, come up the mountain, and make an ark—a wooden chest. He would write the words that had been on the tablets Moses broke, and Moses was to put them in the ark. Moses made an ark of setim wood and hewed two tablets like the former ones. He went up the mountain with them in his hands. The Lord wrote the ten words as before, the words he had spoken from the fire on the mountain when the people were assembled, and gave the tablets to Moses. Moses came down and put them in the ark he had made. He says they remain there to that present time, as the Lord commanded.

The children of Israel moved their camp from Beroth of the children of Jacan to Mosera. Aaron died and was buried there, and his son Eleazar succeeded him in the priestly office. Challoner’s separate note places Mosera by Mount Hor, where Aaron died, referring to Numbers 20. The note says this verse and the following verses seem to be inserted as a parenthesis. From there Israel came to Gadgad, and from Gadgad to Jetebatha, a land of waters and torrents.

At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of his covenant, stand before him in ministry, and bless in his name until that present day. Levi has no part or possession with his brothers because the Lord himself is his possession, as the Lord promised him.

Moses stood on the mountain as before for forty days and nights. The Lord heard him this time also and would not destroy Israel. The Lord told Moses to go and walk before the people, so they might enter and possess the land he swore to give their fathers.

Moses asks what the Lord requires of Israel: to fear him, walk in his ways, love him, and serve him with all its heart and soul. They must keep his commands and ceremonies given that day so it may go well with them. Heaven, the heaven of heaven, earth, and everything in it belong to the Lord. Yet he joined himself closely to their fathers and loved them, and chose their descendants—Israel—from all nations, as that day proves.

They must circumcise the foreskin of their hearts and no longer stiffen their necks: the image calls them to stop being stubborn. The Lord is God of gods and Lord of lords, great, mighty, and terrible. He shows no partiality and takes no bribes. He does justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Israel too must love strangers, because they were strangers in Egypt.

Israel must fear the Lord, serve him only, hold fast to him, and swear by his name. He is their praise and their God, who has done the great and terrible things their eyes have seen. Their fathers went down into Egypt as seventy souls. Now the Lord has multiplied Israel like the stars of heaven.

The story inside

The account of the tablets records a command and its performance. The Lord calls for two replacement stones and a wooden ark, promising to write the earlier words again. Moses makes the ark, hews the tablets, carries them up, receives the ten words, and puts the tablets in the ark after coming down. The passage then records the camp stations, Aaron’s death and Eleazar’s succession, Levi’s duties, and the Lord hearing Moses and directing him to lead the people onward. Moses next asks what the Lord requires. His answer joins fear and love with service, obedience, and an end to stubbornness. He describes the Lord’s impartial justice and love for strangers, then gives Israel its own command to love strangers because it shared that status in Egypt. The final contrast is between the seventy who entered Egypt and the people now multiplied like the stars.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Moses carries out the directions concerning the replacement tablets. The record names the ark, the hewn stones, the ascent, the Lord’s writing, and their placement in the ark. It bounds their continued presence to the time of Moses’ speech.
2
The Lord’s requirements reach the heart and the person’s actions. Fear, love, service with all the heart and soul, walking in his ways, and keeping commands appear together with the call to stop being stubborn.
3
Israel’s past as strangers is the stated reason to love strangers. The Lord is described as loving the stranger and giving him food and clothing; Moses then tells Israel to love them because it too was a stranger in Egypt.

Test your recall

Why does Moses tell Israel to love strangers?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 19677–19699
Deuteronomy Chapter 10 God giveth the second tables of the law: a further exhortation to fear and serve the Lord. 10:1. At that time the Lord said to me: Hew thee two tables of stone like the former, and come up to me into the mount: and thou shalt make an ark of wood, 10:2. And I will write on the tables the words that were in them, which thou brokest before, and thou shalt put them in the ark. 10:3. And I made an ark of setim wood. And when I had hewn two tables of stone like the former, I went up into the mount, having them in my hands. 10:4. And he wrote in the tables, according as he had written before, the ten words, which the Lord spoke to you in the mount from the midst of the fire, when the people were assembled: and he gave them to me. 10:5. And returning from the mount, I came down, and put the tables into the ark, that I had made, and they are there till this present, as the Lord commanded me.
Lines 19701–19709
10:6. And the children of Israel removed their camp from Beroth, of the children of Jacan into Mosera, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him in the priestly office. Mosera.... By mount Hor, for there Aaron died, Num. 20. This and the following verses seem to be inserted by way of parenthesis. 10:7. From thence they came to Gadgad, from which place they departed, and camped in Jetebatha, in a land of waters and torrents.
Lines 19711–19717
10:8. At that time he separated the tribe of Levi, to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to stand before him in the ministry, and to bless in his name until this present day. 10:9. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor possession with his brethren: because the Lord himself is his possession, as the Lord thy God promised him.
Lines 19719–19724
10:10. And I stood in the mount, as before, forty days and nights: and the Lord heard me this time also, and would not destroy thee. 10:11. And he said to me: Go, and walk before the people, that they may enter, and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers that I would give them.
Lines 19726–19738
10:12. And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and love him, and serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul: 10:13. And keep the commandments of the Lord, and his ceremonies, which I command thee this day, that it may be well with thee? 10:14. Behold heaven is the Lord’s thy God, and the heaven of heaven, the earth and all things that are therein. 10:15. And yet the Lord hath been closely joined to thy fathers, and loved them and chose their seed after them, that is to say, you, out of all nations, as this day it is proved.
Lines 19740–19751
10:16. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and stiffen your neck no more. 10:17. Because the Lord your God he is the God of gods, and the Lord of lords, a great God and mighty and terrible, who accepteth no person nor taketh bribes. 10:18. He doth judgment to the fatherless and the widow, loveth the stranger, and giveth him food and raiment. 10:19. And do you therefore love strangers, because you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Lines 19753–19762
10:20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him only: to him thou shalt adhere, and shalt swear by his name. 10:21. He is thy praise, and thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thy eyes have seen. 10:22. In seventy souls thy fathers went down into Egypt: and behold now the Lord thy God hath multiplied thee as the stars of heaven.