V. 1. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them etc.
(1) Hitherto we have heard in the fourth chapter the beginning, or preface, which Moses set before the preaching which he would do of the ten commandments. For this is a book wherein is preached the right understanding, use and custom of the ten commandments. Now, in this fifth chapter, he tells the text of the Ten Commandments, and then he passes them through the following chapters, taking them one by one before him. Therefore, let us hear the text.
Hear, Israel, the commandments and the statutes etc.
2 This is the text, followed by the gloss. For Moses says further that the Jews asked
have asked for an interpreter of this text, because they themselves were not able to hear, when God spoke to them out of the fire and gave the ten commandments to Mosiah; then they asked for Moses as a mediator, that he should interpret it to them [Ex. 20, 19]. This is what he is telling them here, that they asked him to be their mediator, interpreter or interpreter. Therefore Moses adds here [v. 5]: "At the same time I stood between the Lord and you." First, he says:
V. 6. I am the Lord your God etc.
3 Then our Lord God binds them, saying, "I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt," so that you may not choose another god for yourself besides me. For this alone is the true God, who is
here so called. This I have often told you and admonished you; let him who desires to walk in certainty take care to keep the word of God, to cling to the same, and not make him another image, thought or dream of another God under God's name. Moses knew beforehand what would happen to this people; when they came to the land of Canaan, they would find such a great worship and religion of the spiritual state, so beautifully prepared that it would shine as beautifully as the children of Israel; these Gentiles would want to serve God as much as the children of Israel; as the worship of the wicked is commonly apparent and shining.
(4) In Ammon, Moab, Egypt, and Damascus, they worshipped as much as the Israelites; as even to this day the Pabstry glitters more beautifully than ours, the true Christians. Since the Cananites would boast that they served God, who is the creator of heaven and earth, as well as they did; besides, many false prophets would arise from the Jews, who taught a false worship, as happened afterwards with the celebration and service of Ashtaroth, Baal, and others, that so many gods grew up in Israel as there were many cities in it; as the prophets severely punished this, and they sacrificed in the meadows, mountains, and forests etc. (Jer. 3:13), so that at last it came to pass that every fool would have his own worship; wherefore Moses here preempts idolatry, and comprehends the Jews so narrowly, and speaks to every one in particular (for so his speech goeth to the great multitude of the people, as if it were but one person): See that you do not establish your own worship, but keep that which I set before you and prescribe [Deut. 4:23].
(5) Under the papacy, and now, when the enthusiasts get into the Scriptures, they think that one doctrine is like another. This is not true. Now, if one has read the New Testament and preached some sermon, he immediately boasts of the Spirit. That is why Pelagians and Arians came in the past, and now our enthusiasts, the Sacramentans and Anabaptists, and others like them; they lead the way.
all the names of God, and their error has a good appearance, like the idolatry of the Jews in the past.
The same thing happened with the fraud in the papacy. First came the Benedictines, then the Order of Preachers, the Barefoots, the Augustinians, and from the Barefoots sect came seven other sects. All this had the name that it was a service of God; to this was added the Pabst's idolatry with invocation of the saints, pilgrimages to the Grimmethal, to the oak, to the pear tree, 1) and elsewhere to the gallows. All this had to be called a service of God. There one wanted to serve God. This name, God's service, does it; if it is smeared on a false doctrine and error, that one hears God's name and word, such a thing moves the common rabble, which then bursts. With these heron birds or decoys, the devil, the birdcatcher, sows the people on his flock of finches, and delights them with whole legs. 2)
(7) Moses knows that the people will open their eyes and follow the worship of the heathen, so he warns them seriously. In addition, the same idolaters are always happier and better off than those who are of right faith and godly life. The Christians sit in danger of body, property and honor, and are like the slaughter sheep [Ps. 44, 23], as the 73rd Psalm complains after the length that he is tormented daily, and his punishment is there every morning etc. But the idolaters are safe, trampling kings and princes underfoot, greening and gloating like a laurel tree, as the 37th Psalm, v. 35, says. This is what the devil does, that he gives such happiness to heretics, so that the true worship of God may perish. This is what drives the common man astray, who opens his mouth and eyes and says, "There is danger and shame, and there is honor and freedom.
1) The pilgrimage sites of Maria zur Eiche (Mary to the Oak) and Unser lieben Frauen zum Birnbaum (Our Lady to the Pear Tree) were near Leipzig (Seidemann, Reformation, p. 118); Grimmenthal is in Saxony-Meiningen-Hildburgshausen in the Meiningen lowlands.
2) "With whole legs" may well be understood from the bones of the saints. Otherwise, a birdcatcher must first carve pipes from the legs to catch birds. Cf. the proverb: "Who wants to see titmice" etc. at the. End of the eighth volume of our edition.
1712 Erl. SS, 2SI-SSS. Interpretation on Deut. 5:6, W. Ill, 2SM-Wgz. 1713
not the error among them. Then the common man goes and says: I will keep it with them, and let them have all misfortune.
(8) This is what happened to the Jews. People still say today: "The monks sang, prayed a lot, fasted, and did all this to praise and honor God. This pleases the common man well; he cannot cross over, he cannot maintain himself, but falls away.
9 But what does our Lord God say to this? I do not want worship at all, for it is idolatry: it has the way of leading people on their own trust. Every self-chosen worship has its own nature and characteristic, whether or not it adorns itself under the divine name, that man wants to be saved by his own work. Chosen worship leads man to himself; if this name could be torn from it, it would not be idolatry.
The Minorites think: Through this order I want to become blessed, and also help others to blessedness beside me. If this addition were not there, there would be no monk. Thus every fictitious service has the addition of filth and dung attached to it, so that a man trusts in it; therefore they are all contrary to the first commandment, which teaches to fear God alone, to love him and to trust in him. Everything that strives against it is idolatry. Thus are all Pharisees; because they boast of their status, they do not fear God, for they think they are not allowed to fear God. Thus, among the barefoot monks, fear and faith in God is also gone. Therefore, the Lord calls Himself here and says: "You shall honor, love, fear and worship the God who brought you out of Egypt. So he sets himself apart and gives a commandment that another God, who did not lead them out of Egypt, is not to be worshipped; if there is another, you are not to honor or fear him.
(11) Preach to the Christians, "You have a Savior, Christ, who died for you and rose again from death, delivering you from your misery. Now if you find another who has not died for you, nor done this for you, in whom you have died, you will be saved.
Do not believe him. Truly, St. Francis, Benedictus, Bernard, nor Augustine did not die for you; why will you abandon the one who died for you and shed his blood for you, and trust those who did not die for you? If then we do not seek Him alone, but put our trust in something else, we will be lost. For, as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, he alone is given to us by the Father for sanctification, righteousness and reconciliation [1 Cor. 1:30].
012 Therefore Moses saith, Mark the gods thereby, and ask them whether they brought you out of the land of Egypt? This shall be your mark; but there is none beside me. But this is very difficult to keep; for there is the appearance, which is called worship. The Rule of St. Francis glitters so beautifully that the same monks deny Christ over it and follow St. Francisco. The apparent life of the Baal monkeys, that they pricked themselves with awls and scratched themselves with little knives [1 Kings 18:28], had much more of an appearance of holiness than the teaching of the prophet Elijah.
(13) Then the raging of the devil and the world against Christians, the persecution and the cross that our doctrine brings with it, also deters from the right worship. Whoever clings to Christ, the whole world is hostile to him; he is no different than an owl among birds. And so at that time all the surrounding nations were also hostile to the Jews; they dwelt no differently among the Gentiles than as a little sheep in the midst of wolves [Matth. 10, 16]. The Gentiles were hostile to them because they served the God who had brought them out of Egypt.
14 Therefore, Moses says here, be careful to stay with the pure and sure word of God. Where you do not have the pure word of God, do not accept God or worship, Isa. 8, 20. but say: I have a certain, firm word [2 Petr. 1, 19.], namely that Christ is my Savior and Mediator [1 Tim. 2, 5.] and the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world [Joh. 1, 29.]. But that St. Francis' rule is true, and that he is in heaven, asking God for me, I have no certain word from God, therefore I do not want to cling to him. See a
that each one may be found in the worship and state that is set forth in God's word, and remain in the same worship. For, truly, no other worship is concluded with God's Word, except believing in Christ. This service is imposed on us in the New Testament, although it is also seriously commanded in the Old Testament.
(15) For the first commandment is the chief thing of all our Christianity; it is the fountain of faith, of all understanding, wisdom, knowledge, and laws; and all that is good is in the first commandment. The first commandment wants everything bound to itself, and drives out trust in creatures. The reason is this: If you fear and trust in God from the heart, you cannot fear mammon, princes, or your own righteousness, piety and the like. For these words take away everything: "I am the Lord your God"; I, and not another. What should I be afraid of the devil, of princes, pope, emperor? they are not all called "I" yet. With this little word he draws everything to himself, since he expressly says: I, the Lord. Faith draws everything to itself.
(16) From this commandment flow, as from a fountain and spring, all the teaching of the prophets and psalms; item, all curses, urges, even all promises. Jeremiah in the 17th, v. 5, says: "Cursed be he that trusteth in man, and that holdeth flesh for his arm." Item, that the 118th Psalm, v. 8. 9. says: "It is not good to rely on princes"; as then the same whole Psalm shows everything completely to itself; wants to say: What can harm or help you, without this God? All the prophets, and all the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, come from the first commandment; for he attaches it all to himself, saying: If I am your God, why do you not trust in my goodness, and fear or trust others more than me?
17 And Christ is also included here, as afterwards in chapter 18, v. 15, Moses clearly instructs and reassures them to wait for the future Savior Christ, when he says: "God will raise up another prophet for you from among your brethren, and you shall hear him"; he introduces Christ so that they may believe in him.
believe in him alone, and hope in him and rely on him completely. Such a great thing is the first commandment: "I am the Lord your God"; therein everything is understood, and all laws, teachings and regiments must be directed and guided by it.
(18) First of all, you have heard why God calls himself a Lord, who brought them out of Egypt, and binds himself to this deed; thus he will be called, saying not only, "I am your God," but also, "The Lord who brought you out of Egypt," so that he may reject all idolatry that is not called, "I"; item, which did not bring you out of Egypt, or which does not have the certain word of God for itself. If anyone does not have this for himself, it is idolatry, let it shine and shine, however glorious and bright it may be. If it does not have the certain word of God for itself, it is to be thrown away as idolatry.
The Rule of St. Benedict and St. Francis has a good appearance and beautiful form of spirituality and holiness, it also has happiness and prosperity; the devil is the patron, and does them no harm. But it does not have God's word, it does not teach to fear God and believe in him; but it [the rule] only instigates and makes idolatry, and teaches to trust in men. It is the same in all other services. But let all successum, even all glittering appearances, with all splendid ceremonies, be forsaken, if they do not have God's word with them, for it does not help.
(20) But if we accept the right God, then it will come to a head. It seems among us that we do not do good works, and that we do not want to leave; but let God rule, He will bring it through, even if it does not have the appearance. What appearance is it that a householder raises children and teaches and instructs them in the Word of God? What appearance is it that a preacher goes into the pulpit and does not wear a robe? That is why he is reviled and blasphemed. There is no happiness or profit in preaching; rather, one is still persecuted by the world for it, and must suffer all kinds of things because of it.
21. idolatry, however, has much more glorious glosses and appearances, is also considered greater holiness, above the right services.
Yes, our God must be a fool, weak and powerless; as St. Paul [1 Cor. 1, 23] says. In his worship nothing is seen but foolishness and weakness, for it does not have a glittering form, nor great happiness, like that. God presents himself as if he were sick. But the other gods are called gods of wisdom, of strength, and what they do is pure wisdom, happiness and good deeds; they also shine beautifully and are not considered foolish. So one goes there, and with that one deceives the world.
(22) Therefore this warning has been very necessary to the Jews, that God admonishes all here, saying, "Beware, I will be considered a fool, I will appear to be an unskillful god, weak and unwise; but the other gods will be considered strong, wise and praised, and it will be well with them. Therefore beware, and see that you are not offended by it; do not depart from me because of it, for their good fortune and wisdom may well draw you away from me; but look only at this, whether it is the God who brought you out of Egypt. Although they are now most faithfully rebuked here, yet afterwards there have been few of them who have remained and persevered with God, who brought them out of Egypt, and believed His word; for many of them have departed. But devout hearts, when they have seen that one has run now and then, seeking God, have said: I will remain with the God who brought us out of Egypt.
023 But if any man say, What is this to us, seeing we are not brought out of Egypt? and why should we now believe in the God that brought Israel out of Egypt? To this you answer: that these are not true Christians, who do not want to boast about this God; for it is not fitting that we should interpret it allegorically; "out of Egypt", that is, out of sin. This God also concerns us. For this part, "he who brought you out of Egypt," belongs to the Jews; but he no longer put it forward and wanted it to be valid, for they were to hear it until the prophet Christ, of whom it is written in the eighteenth chapter of this book, v. 15.
024 Then he gave the ten commandments until Christ, whom they should receive and believe in. For Christ is included in the first commandment; he is the God who brought them out of Egypt, who gave them the bread of heaven; he was also the rock from which they drank in the wilderness, the pillar of cloud and fire that went before them day and night. But there they stayed with the name "out of Egypt", and would not hear this prophet. Now we have come to hear no more Moses, as they, the Jews, did, who brought them out of Egypt, but our Lord and Savior, Christ. Also Moses does not give God's name any further than the future of the prophet Christ. He has now come, and the Scriptures have been fulfilled, and God has received another name from His dear Son Christ, who led us out of sin, death, the devil and hell, and redeemed us, bringing us to righteousness and eternal life.
(25) Thus Christ is also included in the first commandment, as God is his Father. Because he says that he will send a prophet to be heard, it follows that we must believe the words he will preach in God's name, and fear him and fall to him. Therefore it is not necessary that we believe and fear God in the name that he brought them out of Egypt, which was his name only for a time; but now he has another name, namely, that Christ, true God, died for us, of which the prophets also said many things. Jeremiah: I swear by the living God, the time will come when it will no longer be said: God, who brought us out of Egypt; but the name will be taken up and it will be said: God, who gathered us out of all lands [Jer. 32, 37]. Item [Jer. 31, 33.]: "I will write my law in their hearts" etc.
026 All this I say, that ye be not deceived concerning the name, which brought thee out of Egypt. For at that time it was necessary to say so and to call God [so], to express [him so], and to bind him to this miracle, for the sake of the other gods in the land of Canaan, which they themselves might invent. Therefore he will keep them from idolatry.
They say, "Do not worship Baal or Ashtaroth or Moloch; do not ask whether they are called gods of heaven and earth, but accept the one who brought you out of Egypt. But where is this God found who brought them out of Egypt? In the tabernacle at Jerusalem. Now, God wants to have the service which he himself has done; he does not want to be called by us, but wants to be found under his word with faith, as Moses writes in this book. This is how it should remain.
(27) Thus all heretics and seducers creep along under the appearance of the divine name. For so the papists also say: they recognize Christ, and worship him, and honor God in him. But how can this be true, since the true Christ is not recognized by them, and they dream Christ as they please, and model Him differently than He has modeled Himself? Therefore they only misuse his name. For I am to remain under the name which he himself has revealed to me; so he is also found. Now this is Jesus Christ, whom God sent into the world [John 3:17], and he also came, preached, did miracles, and died for our sins.
This right worship is done through His word. 1) If God's name were not smeared on our works, no one could be deceived, and we would remain undeceived. One does not have to rely on works. If I lived to please St. Augustine and wore a black cap of my own free will, as I would otherwise do for the sake of good fellows, that would have to be let pass. But if you say: It is worship, who lives like this, he is on the right track; that is idolatry. For one accepts the order that God is served thereby; thereby Christ's suffering and death are forgotten, set aside, yes, denied.
29 "From the House of Service" etc. He often repeats the ancient miraculous sign and the prison they had borne in Egypt, and brings it to their remembrance, that they should not forget it; wants them to
1) spent = accomplished.
Look back at the previous works and the servitude suffered. Why is this written there, that Pharaoh afflicted them? Therefore, as it is written of Pilate in the Creed, so they should remember the redemption from Egypt. In the same way we should praise the good deeds of the Lord Christ. For before we have known Christ, we are in sins, death and error. We should remember these errors and our servitude, just as the Jews should not forget Egypt. Therefore, the house of service and Egypt must be at the top of the first commandment, for the sake of the cause, as the devil, Judas, Pilate, Herod and Caiphas are in the Gospel.
(30) I cannot praise salvation, nor praise and thank God for it, unless I remember the devil, my enemies, error, fear and distress. So now he has redeemed us from the power of the pope, which was not a kingdom, but a house of service and a tyranny of poor consciences; so that we may diligently remember the good deed and the evil in which we have been. In this way, the redemption from Egypt was a sign to the Jews of plague, torture, fear and the devil's rule, as when the young children were thrown into the water, and the old were burdened with joyful services. This was a joke and a pleasure to the Egyptians, but a fear, sorrow and great concern to the Jews. Therefore, this commandment is given to them as a reminder that they should never forget the enemies they were then facing and how weak they were in faith, so that they may now call upon God for comfort and strength.
V. 7. You shall have no other gods beside me etc.
In this fifth chapter, the text of the Ten Commandments is told from word to word, which God gave to Moses. Now Moses takes up the text in the following chapters and wants to interpret it and explain how it should be understood. Among other things, he will indicate various causes that would cause them to forsake the true God and seek false gods or become idolaters. Therefore, Moses is very diligent to keep us with the one God, who is
1720 Eri. SS, SSI-SSS. Interpretation On Deut. 5, 7. 9. W. Ill, 2öii-2Stt. 1721
says: "I am the Lord, your God" etc. Now, let us also take this before us and act on it with God's help, for here lies all that is called wisdom and is on earth. Therefore, let us speak of it diligently.
I have said many times, and I repeat it again and again, but not without good reason, that in spiritual matters and matters of faith no one should refrain from dealing with God through his thoughts. He should stick to the word, otherwise he will not be able to use his reason.
Reason must confess against its will that it is too high for it. Because it is too high for her [she must leave it at the word]; 1) for if she seeks it with her strength, she becomes a fool about it. She will have to let it remain unattained and with the word; therefore she must say that there is foolishness in her eyes and senses, which she also thinks about. It is the same to her as if I wanted to reach to heaven with my finger, or darken and eclipse the sun with my hand; that would be impossible and a foolish undertaking. Therefore, let us not be like God, or even outdo Him, but submit ourselves far, far to Him.
For this reason, they are great fools who seek to know God by their reason. One should cling to the word and wrap oneself in it, as a child is wrapped in its swaddling clothes, otherwise so many sects, orders, superstitions and idolatries will arise in the world, that each one will spread out his thoughts as something special, and without God's word, speculate and invent God out of his own strength and reason. It is enough trouble and work if one remains pure in the word that one exists; what will become of one who flutters about with his thoughts and reason? For if we had been able to meet it with our reason, it would not have been necessary for him to have let himself be heard from heaven, and to have let the word sound, and to have put and bound everything in the word.
God has given no other means than His divine Word, in which alone Christ is to be heard. And no one knows that
1) Added by us to give meaning.
The devil is such an artificial master and spirit, who is wont to disguise himself in the divine majesty, and thus skilfully pretends to reason, so that he deceives it. And if we follow him, it happens to reason that it thinks it is all gold that glitters, and all divine wisdom; but there is nothing behind it, and no one exists with it. So take the reason captive and say: I do not want to see or hear anything, because what is the word of God, I stick to it. And the ten commandments are also taught and enforced because they are words to which we should cling and adhere.
V. 9. I am the Lord your God.
(36) What God is is easily learned from the opposite, when one considers what an idol or a false god is; from this one can recognize the right and true God, as Paul indicates to the Romans Cap. 1, 18. All the world is called one God, in whom man trusts in trouble and temptation, in whom he comforts and relies, since all good things are to be had from Him, and He is able to help.
37 Thus have the heathen done, first making Jovem their helper and god, that he should rule well; and Martem, to help in wars; wherefore they worshipped him. Then they made many idols out of reason. The Romans raised up many gods for the sake of various concerns and help that they needed; that one might help the people in war; that this power might be given to another; that this might be attributed to the one who should make grain grow; that one might help at sea in a shipwreck. As many hardships, goods and uses were on earth, as many gods were chosen, until they also made plants and garlic gods. Augustine writes much about this in the book de civitate Dei.
(38) Thus reason describes God as being that which helps a man, benefits him and is good for him. From this one senses that reason knows only so much about God as Paul says to the Romans in Chapter 1, v. 19, 20: "That it is known that God is, it is made known to them, so that God's invisible nature may be seen in the works that he does in the world that he has created. "That God is" means that God is useful and helps in times of need.
So we have also made gods under the papacy. Every illness or need had its own helper and god. Pregnant women, when they were in distress, called on St. Margaret, who was their goddess, as she could come to their aid and give them a physical fruit, turn the danger and pain of childbirth to the best, and help them.
40 The miser also have a special god called Mammon. Their own hearts testify to this, because they have such thoughts: There lies my money or cash; if I have not food and drink, Mammon will give it to me; he will help me and save me from hunger. Therefore they put their comfort in it.
41 But the true God is called in the Scriptures [Ps. 9, 10; Jac. 1, 17] a helper in need and a giver of all good. And here lies the power to whom these divine powers and names are legally due, and are to be given by us men.
The children of Adam decided that we should call upon God to help us in our needs and to give us good things. St. Paul also says this, as indicated above. But when the end approaches and the right strong forces begin to be found, reason wavers and wavers in minore, and says: Jupiter, Mars, Venus will do it; and there it divides. Reason thinks that he or she should do it. Hence come all kinds of divisions and schisms, as they are now in the papacy. One says: I know that God will help. But if one should name the same God, then this and the like will result. One says, St. Margaret will help the pregnant women; the other says, St. Erasmus will be the helper of the rich. There were fourteen helpers in one place. St. Christoffel has to help those who are in the last stages. So each one gives the name of God to the one who will do the most good, then faith, defiance, confidence and trust will be given to another, and not to the true God.
43 Therefore I say again that reason knows to some extent that God can and should help, but it cannot know the right God.
meet. She may speak of him, but who he is, where he is, and how he helps, she does not know. The Jews had the text before, which the Gentiles did not know: nevertheless they made altars in the field and in the forest, on mountains and heights, burned incense, built churches, called upon God there and said: Here is God, there is God. This is called groping after God, like a blind man groping after the wall. So we also went back and forth in the papacy, to St. Jacob, to Rome, to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem, and to other countless places. People were looking for God. Reason does nothing else when it does not have God's word; it knows how to say about him and testifies that there is a God, but it cannot really know, because it does not know who he is.
For the sake of this uncertainty, God's word must come to our aid, and God must give himself out in the open, and circumscribe himself in an outward word and sign, so that he may be heard, seen, grasped, grasped and recognized; otherwise it is not advisable for us. You see this also in this text: "I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of Egypt. There he tells what God is, what His nature and attribute are, namely, that He is good, delivers from dangers, and helps from hardships and all kinds of adversities, because He rescued the Israelites from their troubles and led them out of Egypt, did them good, and gave them the land which He had promised to their fathers. [In this way, hac definitione, or with these words, he depicts works and benefits that they had seen with their eyes and experienced in their bodies and persons when he helped them out of Egypt. Therefore, Moses set forth the knowledge of God in the first commandment, that God is He who always and forever does good and helps, so that whoever needs help may run to this place, where he will receive help. For this God is gracious, merciful, and does good to those who fear him, to the third and fourth generation. This we have from experience.
The Scripture also takes the name of God and shares it with the godly, the pious and all children of God, the authorities, the princes and judges, and calls them gods [Ex 22:28, Ps 82:1]. Sol-
This is because they serve others in their state, and are the ones through whom God helps and benefits. So David and the other princes were gods, because they did good to their countries and helped their subjects when they were in need. That is why they were worshipped, and divine honor was shown to them, because of the divine work that they did for the people and helped them; just as people still bow the knee to the authorities today. For their office is to settle the cause of the poor and needy, to judge rightly and to make peace, so that they can serve the right God and feed themselves.
Thus preachers, parents and disciplinarians are gods, to be counted against their listeners, children, servants and disciples. For they do works that actually belong to God, instruct them in the best, teach and defend, help and advise, as the need requires; they give and do well or good. But this word has now become unrecognizable, it is not properly understood, and in this it is mistaken that, because God does good through authorities, lords and creatures, the people are bursting, attached to the creatures and not to the Creator; they do not go through them to the Creator. Hence it came about that the heathen made gods out of kings, and the Jews also wanted to make Moses a god. That is where all idolatry came from. For one cannot and will not notice how the work or the good deed comes from God, and not badly from the crea
Whether this is a means by which God works, helps us and gives us.
(47) It was because of this misfortune and misunderstanding that the pagans initially worshipped the sun, for it gives light and nourishment. Some have worshipped the moon and stars. Just as sorceresses still adhere to the devil to this day, have dealings and alliances with him. They also accept help from him, that is, what he brings and gives them, and in return they court and serve the wicked evil-doer, and not the creator and helper through the creature, to whom one should be devoted.
(48) Thus you see the origin of all idolatries and heresies, that because man is so blind and falls on creatures, clings and hangs on to them that they will help him, yet God lets himself be heard in this commandment that he is the one true God. But we cannot understand this unless we abide by His word. Therefore, we should walk along the highway and let ourselves be found in the divine word.
49 You have now heard, first, what God is. Secondly, that he cannot be struck, except by his word, which marks him. Now Moses will explain even better who the same God is, and who those are who fight against him, and what prevents, or how it opposes, 1) that the people do not stay with him.
1) "resists" = opposes, causes obstacle.