20 Exodus, The Ten Commandments
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Exodus 20
The giving of Ten Commandments.
There are 613 commandments in the Torah / Bible for the Jewish people. Ten are explicit (clear and easy to understand) while the other 603 are implicit, or less clear and implied within the Ten.
It is reasonable to believe that without the giving of the Ten Commandments most (if not all) societies would have come to the commonsense conclusion on their own. Many societies did. Perhaps not of all Ten Commandment but certainly those pertaining to man.
Consider this thought – We all agree that the Ten Commandments make sense, commonsense even. So why do we struggle to keep them? Could it be simply because we were told to obey them, and the nature of a man is to be disobedient? Sort of like when you tell a child not to touch something.
If that is/were the case, why did God give them in the first place? Well first of all, all men are not indued with common, common sense. Secondly, the Bible tells us of a time when every man did according to that which was right in his own eyes. Lastly, and to put it simply, so that we would understand what God expects of us, without question. Thus, we have the Ten explicit Commandments.
Okay, why all the noise; thunder, lightning, and smoke? That the essence of the divinity of God might be made known.?? There had to be some sort of physical and present display of His power.??
Is chapter 20 more about who God is than how we are to behave?
The Law:
· The Law is an expression of the Holy will of God – Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
· The Law requires Perfection - Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
· The Law of the Lord is perfect and right
o Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
· The Law is a Revelation of God revealing right and wrong.
o Job 34:4 Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.
· The Law never enforces itself – the Law giver must have power
o God enforces His Law as He is omnipotent – Psalms 66:7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
· There is no Love in the Law, nor hate for that matter
· The Law is neither Just nor Unjust – Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ… Galatians 2:16.
· The Law has no grace – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8.
· The Law sets forth what man ought to be (holy) while grace sets forth what God IS (Holy)
· The Law reveals who God is – Just
· The Law reveal who man is - unjust
Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Galatians 4 21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
· The Law declares – All have sinned… and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3/6)
· The Law is a mirror that reveals the condition of man – Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20.
o Many look upon it with a blinded eye thinking they keep the Law
· The Law never mad a man a sinner
· The Law was given to bring a man to Christ
o Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
With all that being said, perhaps the LAW is more about Who God Is rather than how we are to behave.
The Ten Commandments are divided into two major divisions. One part deals with man’s relationship with God and the other with man’s relationship to man. (I don’t feel like I need to elaborate on these but let’s talk about them nonetheless.
Man’s relationship with God:
I. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
II. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
a. Many people see this as not pertaining to us today and yet if you look deeply, you will see a different story.
i. Bacchus – god of wine and drunkenness
ii. Aphrodite – goddess of sex
iii. Money has become a god to many
1. Power, fame, and success as well
iv. There are many ancient gods, whose names I’ll not mention, that are still worshipped today.
III. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
a. If you are going to say, Oh my God, you ought to at least be talking to God when you say it.
b. God’s last name isn’t damn.
IV. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (9-11)
Man’s relationship with man:
V. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
VI. 13 Thou shalt not kill.
VII. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. 15 Thou shalt not steal.
IX. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
X. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Just as by For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10), if we suggest that any of these is no longer applicable and is okay to do them, then all of them are okay to do. By that I mean, if adultery is okay, then so is lying, stealing and killing.