Deuteronomy 5:22
These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
The Lord himself spoke the commandments aloud with a great voice to the whole assembled Israel from the midst of fire, cloud, and thick darkness, adding nothing more to that direct utterance, and then wrote those same words on two tables of stone and gave them to Moses. The mountain was set apart as a sanctuary with bounds, enveloped in dense cloud and glory with lightning, thunder, solemn silence, and shaking earth, while Moses drew near the thick darkness to receive what the people in fear asked not to hear directly. That law did not begin at Sinai but was already binding before Egypt, where it had become confused, so God brought Israel there to impress its requirements more clearly upon their minds. Those spoken and written words are God's own law, a transcript of His character and the foundation of His government and not a yoke of bondage, with the Sabbath recalling a six-day creation of literal twenty-four-hour days, and obedience brings blessing and fitness for fellowship with Him. They require full surrender and continuing obedience of mind, soul, and body with nothing neglected, to be taught from generation to generation in every part of life and in the home, and they press with special force now as the time of investigation and final review before the Judge of all the earth draws near.
Proclamation at Sinai
The Lord himself proclaimed the commandments with a great audible voice to the whole assembled Israel at the mountain from the midst of fire, cloud, and thick darkness. The proclamation came on the morning of the third day, after the people drew near the mount with fear and solemnity within set bounds, with the mountain made grand with solitude as a sanctuary and pulpit. The utterance was accompanied by displays of authority so the people would believe and know He is the only true and living God: a black dense cloud enveloping the Father and the Son with the retinue of holy angels, vivid lightning, deep thunder echoing among the mountains, solemn silence, brilliant flashes revealing the scenery, and the mountain shaking to its foundation beneath the divine majesty. Moses stood between the people and the Lord, drawing near and entering the thick darkness surrounding the cloud of glory without entering within it, after being charged to go down to secure the bounds, with Aaron then to go upward toward the summit.
The great voice thrilled the people so that they asked not to hear the words directly, which shows unbelief. By adding nothing further the Lord marked those directly spoken words as complete and brought to an end what He spoke directly to the assembly before Moses continued recounting the commandments and their instruction. He then wrote those same words on two tables of stone and delivered them to Moses, so the written commandments and the words spoken in the audible voice were equally His words. The written commandments and the words spoken in God's audible voice were equally God's words.
The principles spoken did not originate at Sinai; the law was already binding before Israel went down into Egypt, but had become confused by servitude in Egypt, so God brought Israel there to impress His requirements more clearly upon their minds. The words were spoken to the whole assembly from the pillar of cloud, and they are Christ's words from that cloud that are disregarded when people disobey them.
Authority and Obedience
The commandments spoken in Deuteronomy 5:22 are God's own law and not human words, a transcript of His character and the foundation of His government. They are not a yoke of bondage, and obedience to them brings blessing and fits men and women for fellowship with God and for membership in the heavenly family. The Sabbath commandment among them recalls creation, in which God made heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh, so those six days are ordinary twenty-four-hour days and not indefinite periods.
What God required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people unto Himself requires full surrender and continuing simplicity of obedience, with none of its important things to be neglected. That requirement is sanctification of mind, soul, and body, with perfect obedience to His will, and no excuse is accepted for disobeying His holy commandments. The verse belongs with the fourth through the eighth chapters of Deuteronomy, and chapters five through seven are to be studied with profit. They are to be read to the people, read carefully and regarded as a charge, searched by all for themselves and made the study book, with every soul sanctifying himself daily according to the word lest he be found in rebellion.
The commandments of the chapter were to be obeyed and taught from generation to generation and kept continually before the people in every part of life so they would avoid false ways. They were to be treasured and followed and kept before children. Parents are instructed by these chapters to train their children from infancy to form characters that meet God's approval and to teach them to love and obey God. This requires taking every precaution to prevent objectionable traits of character, controlling themselves for the sake of their Creator and Redeemer, and preparing themselves for the present and future life so they will be admitted into the city of God.
The passage applies now because the day of God's great final review is near, when the people of this world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. The present is the time of investigation, when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity. God in heaven proclaimed His law from Sinai with His own voice so that men would realize its importance. Satan makes every effort to undermine confidence in that law and to cause men to regard it as of little importance, so those who stand for God's law on earth and carry forward His closing work must represent that law and that work in a sensible way with nothing cheap and faulty connected with them.
The law applied in the home and in business would prepare people to regain Paradise lost through disobedience. Written words alone cannot benefit people unless their truth enters the heart and enlightens the mind. Rejecting God's law in favor of human commandments includes treating a false sabbath as an object of reverence and punishing those who refuse to honor it.