Deuteronomy 4:11-14 - You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain

4:11,12

The people of Israel had been at the foot of the mountain and had seen it blazing with fire, and had seen the black clouds and deep darkness. Experiencing things does not necessarily mean that we learn from them. The Lord spoke to them out of the fire, but they saw no form, they just heard the voice. This is very important in relation to warnings against idolatry, which will play an important part in what Moses says, and were often the downfall of the nation. In the ten commandments they are forbidden to make any graven image. The only image of God is us, we were made in His image. Of course, that image is now corrupted by sin, but in Christ we see what man is meant to be like. Any other “image” will serve only to lead us astray.

4:13,14

God then gave the people His covenant, the Ten Commandments, and these Commandments were written on stone. Moses then proceeded to teach the people the laws and decrees that they were to follow when they possessed the Promised Land. The fact that God spoke is significant, no other gods spoke to their people. The Lord is the only true God, and God’s people should never forget this.