The Ten Commandments & the Golden Rules

Exodus and the story of Moses have long been one of my favorite books the Bible. I think that appreciation really took root in my heart with the annual watching of “The Ten Commandments” starring Charlton Heston on either Passover Sunday or Easter when I was kid. It marked one of the few times each year that I got to stay up late past my normal 8:30 bedtime. You get to see the Almighty Power of God on full display as his wrath is poured out on Egypt when Pharaoh refuses God’s command to “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” My love of this story was further cemented with the fantastic animated film “The Prince of Egypt” that I recall seeing for the first time in our local movie theater on News Years Eve 1998.

These descendants of Jacob (renamed Israel by God, after wrestling with him all night in the desert) had entered and occupied Egypt, to escape famine, under the direction of Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son, and interpreter of dreams who had found favor with pharaoh. However, after the Israelite nation (the 12 sons of Jacob and their offspring) had lingered in Egypt beyond the 7 years of Famine, they eventually found themselves in bondage to the Egyptian empire for 400 years.  

But while the Egyptians are being punished, with plague after plague being sent by God via Moses (and awesomely recounted in Metallica's "Creeping Death") God’s mercy shines down on the Israelites. After following his instructions to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and marking the door posts with blood, the loyal Israelites are spared from the tenth plague that kills the first born all throughout Egypt. Finally Pharoah, distraught at the loss of his son, having lost his legacy to his pride, acquiesces to Moses holy demand and releases the Israelites from bondage. But that’s short-lived, as he eventually in a fit of rage, pursues them with his chariots to the edge of the Red Sea, where he is once again thwarted by the incredible power of God, on full display and glory, parting the Red Sea for the Israelites and then washing away the forces of Egypt when they try to follow.

So with that Egypt mess behind them, the offspring of Jacob, the nation of Abraham, the now free Israelite nation, faithfully and dutifully followed God without question and lived happily ever after, right?

Wrong. Even after seeing all of his miracles and almighty power on full display, these people, the instant Moses takes his eye off of them to go up to Mount Sinai to commune with God, they turn their backs and instantly throw a giant party of sin. Moses goes up to receive the 10 Commandments from two stone tablets from God, only to find the Israelites, with his brother Aaron, who had been his right-hand man in Egypt, leading the sin parade and worshipping a false idol. Those two holy stone tablets are instantly used for smashing that blasphemous idol.

As a kid, I was always shocked and appalled and how stupid these Israelites could be, to so quickly turn their back on God after seeing his amazing divine works. As an adult, when I reflect, I find myself to be just as stupid, maybe more so, in my daily missteps and sins. I too have seen and felt God’s works in my life, but I continue to constantly succumb to the ignorance, stubbornness, and arrogance of own sinful ways. 

Now these 10 Commandments were just the first of many commands or instructions God lays out to Moses during the time the Israelites wander the desert. During that 40 years of wandering, he lays out the perfect playbook on how to live a happy, healthy, fulfilled and peaceful life. From how to respect God, how to treat our fellow man, how to atone for sin, and what to eat.

As Christians, we know that Jesus taking our place on the cross atoned for these sins that we constantly fall victim to. Just as the blood of a lamb without blemish passed over and spared the Hebrews from death in Egypt, Jesus, the son of God made flesh, the only man to be completely free of sin, the Lamb of God without blemish, his sacrifice paid for our sins, and spared us from death of sin. (Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) God lays out to Moses in Leviticus that the Hebrews must make a blood sacrifice on the alter to atone for their sins.

And so Jesus sheds his blood for us, in the ultimate sacrifice on the cross to once and for all atone for our countless sins. By his blood washing away our sins, a new covenant was formed, that is available to all disciples who choose to follow in his footsteps, not just the Israelite nation that rose from God’s covenant with Abraham. As such, our Christian view on Commandments, really emphases and prioritizes the 10 Commandments God gave to Moses, over the rest of "The Law" prescribed to Moses during the Israelites journey in the desert.

20 And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me."

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

¹³ “You shall not murder."

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery."

¹⁵ “You shall not steal."

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

²¹ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Idols and Altars

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: ²³ Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold."

²⁴ “Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. ²⁶ And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed."

God is love, and these Ten Commandments, often referred to as “The Law of Moses” or simply “The Law” are meant to order, orient, and direct us to love towards God, and our fellow man. But the Israelites, just as people today, hear these commandments, but don’t listen and let them take root in our heart.

So Jesus, who is the Word of God, there from the beginning, and because we could not follow the law and listen to those commandments that God gave Moses, he became flesh and came down as man to show us how to live out these commandments (John 1: 1-5 - NIV):

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And throughout the New Testament, Jesus is constantly antagonized by the Pharisees and Scribes, the Church leaders, the gatekeepers, the alleged most “legal” of all Jews in following the Law. They read and knew God’s commandments backwards and forwards but did not heed these words or have their lessons truly take root in their hearts. They tested and challenged Jesus many times throughout Jesus’ ministry, including this confrontation that is recounted in Matthew 22: 36-40, in which Jesus further contextualizes and simplifies these Ten Commandments, into Two Commandments:

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Loving the LORD your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind is a comprehensive following of the first five commandments. When you love God with every fiber of your being, your worship only him, meaning you put his Will above your own will, you do not idolize trappings or idols in this world and pursue them with more passion than the LORD, and to ensure that, you pick at least one day, to set aside the rat race of this world, to re-orient your focus and dedication to the LORD. And in doing that, you will honor God’s hallowed name, and reduce the chance of becoming a Pharisee and committing acts of judgement, hate, and evil in the name of God. History is littered with men falling into this trap, committing evil yet claiming holiness.

And the final five commandments, can be summarized as loving your neighbor, honoring the sanctity of human life, and keeping your heart pure of hatred or envy:

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Since the Pharisee and Scribes were filled with contempt and judgement, and lacked compassion and love in their hearts, they completely missed God’s message. In a world that almost seems dedicated to divide us, tribalize us, and make us hate “the other,” we need to resist that trap, and lead with love. As Jesus commands us all in Matthew 5:43 – 5:45 :

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

He is the good shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep for the 1 lost one. We are called as his followers to pray for those lost sheep, spread the gospel, and plant the seeds in hopes that those lost will turn back towards the LORD, be found, and be saved. We are called to lead with love for our neighbors, and seek righteousness without being self-righteous, arrogant, or boastful in this pursuit. 

As the song says, "and they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they will know we are Christians by our love." 

I hope you have a great rest of your week -iIn addition to reflecting on the Word of God and the Salvation that Christ offered to us with his Grace, I hope you can find some time to get on the water and catch a few fish. Tight lines.