GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE
So we have reached the Ten Commandments in God’s Story. These are God’s rules for the road of life. We can relate to God only on His terms. He establishes the standards to live as His people. These commandments are so important, Moses repeated them to the Israelites shortly before he died (Deut. 5:1-21). As we examine this aspect of God’s Story, let’s remember God’s commands are given out of His love and knowledge of what is ultimately best for us. We live victoriously when we choose to live in obedience to God’s commands.
Read Exodus 20:1-4, 7-8 Be Loyal to God
Being loyal to God means understanding His covenants! We see the merging of two great covenants as we study God’s Story in Exodus 20. Through the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:2-3; 15:5-21; 22:17-18), God promised to make of Abraham a great nation. The covenant was initiated by God, unilateral, and obligated God to Abraham and his descendants. The second covenant was the Mosaic Covenant. This covenant was initiated by God and obligated Him to Israel, but it also obligated Israel to the Lord and mandated their obedience (Ex. 19:4-6). This bilateral covenant carried the terms of the relationship we know as the Ten Commandments. How does verse 2 promote loyalty to God? (He is the source of everything and demonstrated the power to get the Israelites out of slavery. He promises to stay with us.) What specific ways are we commanded to express royalty to God? (No other gods before Him. Make no idols. Don’t forget what He has done for us. Make God our first priority and honor His name. Be respectful of others.) So all of this fits into God’s Grand Story! Only through loving God and people do we truly follow His instructions.
Regardless of how we divide the individual Commandments, it is obvious that they fall into two basic sections. The first Commandments clearly governed the relationship between Israel and God, while the latter ones related to their relationship with one another. Many people mistakenly rush past Exodus 20:1 to get to the actual Commandments. This introductory statement points out several fundamental facts. First, the covenant was given by God. He “spoke all the words” of the commandment covenant. Israel did not enter into negotiations with God about it. They could only accept or reject it. By accepting the covenant, they were accepting the lordship of Yahweh; otherwise if they reject it, they were rejecting His lordship. Second, the covenant was rooted in Yahweh’s historical acts. God was laying claim to Israel’s allegiance because He had first redeemed them. While never minimizing the importance of the covenant, we should never magnify it over God’s redemptive act in Exodus. Third (and less significant) Israel was reminded of their heritage as slaves. They were free not because of their power but because God’s power. There was no basis for pride.
Basic to God’s claim upon Israel was that He was to have their sole allegiance. The words “before” (KJV) and “besides” (HCSB) offer the same meaning that this First Commandment made no claim to Yahweh’s being the only God. That comes much later in Israel’s history. So this statement –commandment- was that Israel could not have other gods. So God was claiming that “YOU SHALL HAVE ME”. This Commandment speaks to our contemporary culture from two directions. To those who would seek to pace their allegiance in God and in any other source of power; it is God’s demand for total commitment. On the other hand, for those who think there is no god at all, it is the divine claim that a person must have God.
The Second Commandment was not a prohibition against art work but against anything that might take the place of God in Israel’s understanding. In the ancient world, the idol maker was in many ways a theologian. His intention, in many cases, was not to say- “My god has the body of a lion or calf, the legs of a bull, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a man.” Rather he was saying, “My god has the speed of a lion and power of a bull, is exalted as the eagle, and has wisdom of a man”. So the idol makers were attempting to describe their god’s attributes. The basic thrust of the Second Commandment, in Moses day and is true today, was the prohibition against substituting anything for God. This situation is a real problem in today’s Christianity. Many today have the tendency to substitute allegiance to certain words and phrases that describe God for a genuine submission to God Himself. Even orthodox descriptions (like God is similar to a benevolent uncle) can become an idol. While not the full meaning of this problem, what we should do instead is compare the love of the mother to God’s love (although it never really measures up)- not God to some earthly person or thing. Can you think of other words or phrases that wrongfully compare God’s attributes to earthly items? (Anything that says God is like something on earth.) Nothing must be allowed to take God’s place in our lives.
Before moving to the Third Commandment, phrase “the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (NLT) is tucked in verse 5 (not read). For years this word “jealous” bothered me because of the connotation it has in modern society, until I learned it should better be translated “zealous” God. This word focuses upon an action rather than upon an emotion. It speaks of the fact that God will act to prevent Israel’s unfaithfulness only to transform it, if it occurs.
The Third Commandment may be the most misunderstood of all the Commandments. The usual interpretation is that it applies to cursing. Although, it certainly applies to such language! To apply its meaning so narrowly alone, is almost to misunderstand it completely. Basic to its proper and full understanding is to go back to the Old Testament concept of “name”. In seeking to grasp the meaning, we must also consider the fact that among ancient people, divine names were considered to have some magical properties. It would appear that this Commandment was clearly a prohibition against assuming that the mere use of the name of God would produce results (like some magic). God will not be manipulated by those who seek merely to use His power. The presence of God in anyone’s life should produce visible fruit.
The Fourth Commandment is the longest of all the Commandments (v. 8-11- but we are reading only verse 8) and also has been frequently misinterpreted. “Remember” should not be translated as an imperative but as a continuing action. The main feature of this Commandment is that a day that is holy is one which is devoted to God’s special purpose. It governs the use of all time, not just the seventh day. We all are responsible for the use of the time that God has given us. The seventh day was peculiarly devoted to God’s service, but all time was a stewardship for Him. The early Christian churches began by keeping the Jewish Sabbath, which is Saturday, and the Lord’s Day Sunday- because of the resurrection of Christ. As the gospel spread to non-Jewish people, the Sabbath was dropped and the Lord’s Day was the only day set apart. So we Gentiles may be given credit for this switch, as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. The Commandment does not necessarily command that Saturday be kept but that one day in seven be set apart especially for God. The real problem occurs when we try to define how to keep a day holy (a discussion for another time). Man’s responsibility is twofold: We must demonstrate that we recognize the holy nature of the day set apart for God and we must keep all time as God’s gift (think about the gift of eternity).
Read Exodus 20:12-17 Be Respectful of Others
In God’s Grand Story the first three Commandments are vital to God that we understand them as much as humanly possible. That is why I spent a lot of time on them. Now we connect them to the other Commandments. If we stay loyal to God, we inevitably will be respectful of others. In Matt 22:3-40, we find Jesus’ answer when asked what Commandment was the greatest of all. Jesus said “love the Lord your God” (v.37). Jesus added a second command, so important He did not separate it from the first: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v.39). This two part answer summarized the whole of God’s instruction to His people (v.40). God revealed His expectations for how people were to relate to one another by focusing on the home. The Fifth Commandment is based on the assumption the parents would honor God by teaching their children His ways (Deut. 6:7). Also like the fourth, it was stated in terms of continuing action. Paul, in Ephesians 6:2, took it one step further when he addressed the adults of the covenant community in Ephesius and was extending it to old parents- senior citizens.
Then the Sixth through the Tenth Commandments are short, fairly easily understood commands. It starts with the right to live, which covers abortion as well as killing another man, woman, or child. Then we learn that God places high value on marriage between a godly man and a godly woman, as this relates back again to the home. Then God states that He places high value for personal property. This is also extended to the need for each person to “carry their weight”. This command and the ninth tell us the need to respect others when it says to be an honest witness when disputes arise. While it doesn’t specifically say “Do not Lie”, speaking truth is always the right thing to do but refraining from lying misses the legal context of bearing false testimony. Finally the Tenth Commandment wrapped up God’s instruction dealing with your neighbor. To covet is to wish to have the possessions of others. It goes beyond simply admiring someone’s possession or thinking “I’d like to have one of those”. Covet is envy- resenting the fact that others have what you don’t. Since only God can supply all our needs, true contentment is found only in Him. Coveting is the first step down the road of disrespecting others.
Read Exodus 24:4-8 Be Committed to Obedience
To this point in this lesson, we have examined the terms set forth by God to Moses, by which the covenant people were to relate to Him and to others. God demands His people’s loyalty to Himself alone. However, we have yet to see the people’s response. First we see Moses’ response. To understand this unusual covenant ratification ceremony, we need to understand the Bible’s view of sin and forgiveness. God is sovereign judge of the universe and He is also absolutely holy. So He condemns sin and judges it worthy of death. Moses uses the animal’s blood (substitute for the sinner) as proof that one’s life had been given for another and to show that the sinner could once again approach God because something had died in the sinner’s place. This brought unanimous positive response from the people. They agreed to “do and obey everything that the Lord commanded”. In this case, both “do” and “obey” express emphatically the peoples’ compliance. Once the people demonstrated willingness to live by God’s commands, Moses took the other half of the blood, to show that the penalty for their sin had been paid and they could be reunited with God. Through this symbolic act God’s promises to Israel were reaffirmed. “Nothing But the Blood”! Christ’s sacrifice invoked similar imagery for His own blood at the Last Supper (Matt. 26:28 & Mark14:24) as God’s Story continues.