Deuteronomy 4:12, commentary and pictures

At Horeb, also called Sinai, God spoke to Israel out of the midst of fire on the burning mountain veiled by cloud and thick darkness, and they heard the voice of His words but saw no form or likeness, only a voice. That speaking declared His covenant, the Ten Commandments with its statutes and judgments given through Moses and written on two tablets of stone, to be kept unchanged, taught to children, and never erased. He purposely showed no visible form so the people would not pattern an image after it, warning them against representing God by images or worshiping created things, and calling them to worship the living God whom creation only testifies of. The law thus proclaimed includes the Sabbath, which is to be studied to see if its specified day is kept, for keeping His Sabbaths and reverencing His holy day is the sign and obedience of His covenant people. The chapter is urged upon all who would be holy to God today for careful study and full obedience, for its sacred law still binds every person, its words are preserved unto the last judgment when each character will be decided by obedience or transgression, and blessing attends obedience while judgment follows departure.

Voice Without Visible Form

At Horeb, also called Sinai, the Lord spoke to Israel out of the midst of the fire on the burning mountain. The infinite God came down behind a cloud covering the mount, with thick darkness around, and made His words heard from the fire. The people heard the voice of His words but saw no form, similitude, or likeness. Only a voice was heard, without any visible form revealed.

That voice made the people tremble every time they heard it. The signs of power and glory displayed in the speaking impressed them with reverence for God as the Author of the law and the Creator of heaven and earth. The sacredness, importance, and permanence of the law were thus set before them. In fear they asked that Moses speak to them instead of God.

The mountain where this speaking occurred had become sacred to the people. God's presence and glory had been displayed there repeatedly. The place was closely associated with Him.

The occasion marked God's nearness and presence with Israel as He spoke.

Covenant, Images, and Sabbath

The speaking from the fire accompanied God's declaration of His covenant, the Ten Commandments, with its statutes and judgments given through Moses. He commanded Israel to keep them and to teach them to their children, He wrote them on two stone tablets, and they were never to be erased or changed. The occasion marked His nearness and presence as He made His words heard without revealing any visible form.

God deliberately gave no visible form because the people would pattern after that similitude and copy it. The absence of any likeness warns against representing God by images or worshiping created things, and calls Israel to direct worship to the living God. Created things only testify of their Creator and are not divine, and that warning applies to God's people today, who are to resist sinful desires and serve God according to His Word and will.

Because God showed no similitude, there is no need for the many pictures fashioned in books as a great addition, and no need to spend money for the many things spent in creating pictures. This restraint belongs with getting ready for a life that measures with the life of God and getting ready to see the King in His beauty.

The law proclaimed in this setting includes the Sabbath and is to be kept by God's covenant-keeping people. The commandments must be studied thoroughly to see if the very day specified in them is being kept, and keeping God's Sabbaths stands before the Lord as obedience and as a sign when His commandments are obeyed and His holy day is reverenced. The verse belongs to every human being living today and calls each person to take heed to himself, with its teaching to be passed from father to son for generations by parents strictly educating their children in observance of the same day observed today.

Study and Obey Today

The voice heard without form gave sacred truth expressing the mind of the infinite God, telling what to do and what not to do toward God and toward one another. Every word then spoken is to be cherished, and its principles are to be acted out in all religious service by loving as brethren, doing no injustice, and always showing liberality, tenderness, compassion, and true courtesy. The specifications of that law never lose their force and must be preached, for God will not be trifled with or made a thing of naught. He is to be represented by His people through correct principles in everything, and all who depart from His word in their actions misrepresent His character, while light and gladness belong to the righteous and upright in heart who keep them.

Those words are sacredly preserved and hidden now, to be brought forth in the great day of the last judgment. Then every character will be investigated and every case decided and settled according to the commandments God has given. The test will be whether each person was obedient to God or in transgression of His law.

The chapter containing this speaking is urged for careful study by those who would be a holy people belonging to God and counted among His covenant-keeping people. Its charge is to be read carefully and followed in full obedience, for the Lord's Word and commandments must be taken seriously. Its instruction calls people back to the true platform of faithfulness to God rather than being displaced by Satan's deceptive suggestions, and truth will triumph. Its lessons on God's sacred and binding law apply beyond Israel's time, belonging to every human being living today, with blessing in obedience and judgment in departure. The verse therefore calls each person today to take heed to himself, to resist sinful desires and to serve God according to His Word and will. Its teaching is to be passed from father to son for generations, by parents strictly educating their children in observance of the same day observed today.