FRAMEWORKS:
Exodus 20
v.1-17
The Ten Commandments
v.18-21
The People Fear
v.22-26
NO Idols and Prescribed Altars
v.1-17
The Ten Commandments
v.1
And
God spoke all these words:
The
background to the Commandments
v.2
“I
am the LORD
your
God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
PART
ONE: About the Lord
[First
Command]
v.3
“You
shall have no other gods before me.
[Second
Command]
v.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.
v.5,6
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,
but
showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and
keep my commandments.
[Third
Command]
v.7
“You
shall not misuse the name of the LORD
your
God, for the Lord
will
not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
[Fourth
Command]
v.8
“Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
v.9,10
Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, 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.
v.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.
PART
TWO: About People
[Fifth
Command]
v.12
“Honor
your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the Lord
your
God is giving you.
[Sixth
Command]
v.13
“You
shall not murder.
[Seventh
Command]
v.14
“You
shall not commit adultery.
[Eighth
Command]
v.15
“You
shall not steal.
[Ninth
Command]
v.16
“You
shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
[Tenth
Command]
v.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.”
[Notes:
The context for the Ten Commandments' is set in the
fact of the recent Exodus; this is the LORD with whom they have
dealings. The first FOUR commands are about revering Him, the
second SIX are fundamentals of living at peace and in harmony
with one another. For meditation purposes, consider the meaning
of the opposites of all of these commands and consider what sort
of people that would reveal. These ten commands are thus seen
as fundamentals for a people to relate to God and live according
to His design for humanity.]
v.18-21
The People Fear
v.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
v.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.”
v.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.”
v.21
The
people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick
darkness where God was.
[Notes:
The people fear at the thought of God speaking directly
to them and thus they are happy to leave Moses as their intermediary.]
v.22-26
NO Idols and Prescribed Altars
v.22
Then
the LORD
said
to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves
that I have spoken to you from heaven:
v.23
Do
not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves
gods of silver or gods of gold.
v.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.
v.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.
v.26
And
do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be
exposed.'
[Notes:
The immediate follow-on from what has been seen and
heard so far is the strong imperative from the Lord that Israel
are never to have ‘other gods' or worship ‘other gods', a reiteration
of the all-important first two of the ten commands. No altar of
stones [as distinct from the one that comes later in the Tabernacle]
that they might make should look impressive otherwise they might
[implied] be proud and self-focused. Tragically v.23 becomes the
measuring stick by which Israel for centuries failed again and
again, as seen in the words of the prophets.]
Continue to Chapter 21