The Ten Commandments, With a Few Comments
Nine of them are for all people; one is only for the Israelites
note - the stone tablets presumably were written in Hebrew so the people could understand, probably did not have numbers on them, and were written on both sides - so the image above is not accurate, but the best I could find…also, not sure what Moses actually looked like! LOL
the historical setting, after the crossing of the red sea, and upon coming to Mt. Sinai
“16 On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. 20 The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.” Exodus 20:16-20
There were over 600 other laws that were given to the Israelites, in addition to the first 10. After the incident with the golden calf, and Moses having broken the stone tablets in his anger, God called him back up. God rewrote the 10 commandments on 2 new stone tablets. It took Moses 40 days to write all the laws down. They are called the ceremonial law, a covenant for the Jews. But the first 10 were written on stone tablets, and 9 of them are for the whole world, not just the Jews. A few verses from chapter 34, NLT:
34 “Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed… 4 So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. 6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations
the ten commands (these are not the ten ‘suggestions’)
The New Living Translation (NLV), Exodus chapter 20, verses 1-17.
“Then God gave the people all these instructions”:
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You must not have any other god but me.
Non-Jews weren’t part of this history, but the point is well taken that these instructions are directly from God, and He is the one we must obey - no other.
2. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
The principle of the 2nd commandment, against idol worship, could be applied today to any idols that we ‘worship’, like money, for example.
3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
4. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
The 4th commandment is for the Israelites only; the other nine apply to all of us. This is made clear in chapeter 31:
Exodus 31:16-17, NLT
“16 The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. 17 It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’"
The part I emphasized presents a dilemma for anyone who thinks the 6 days of creation were not literal, ordinary 24 hour days, just as the Sabbath Day was only 24 hours. Read it again, and think about it:
For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Also, this reiteration of Genesis tells us where our 7 day week came from. It cannot be explained any other way. The 24 hour day and time frame comes from the rotation of the earth, the month time scale comes from the lunar cycle, and the 12 month year comes from the revolution of the earth around the sun. But the week comes from the Word of God.
5. Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
The “long, full life” is obviously not an ironclad guarantee. This is more like the Proverbs, which state general truths, even though there will be exceptions.
6. You must not murder.
7. You must not commit adultery.
8. You must not steal.
9. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
10. You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
Take heed! The 10 commandments have not been replaced by the New Covenant.
“17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” Matthew 5:17-18
I like this explanation from Ai:
“Jesus said he came "not to abolish but to fulfill" the Law and the Prophets in Matthew 5:17, meaning his purpose was to bring the Old Testament to its intended culmination, completing its prophetic message and embodying its principles in his life and teachings. He didn't invalidate the law but rather brought it to perfection, upholding its divine purpose and spiritual standards, even showing that the law's principles were meant to be followed with a deeper, internal commitment of the heart rather than just external obedience”
God’s wonderful, amazing grace
We’ve all broken the commandments; we’re all guilty. (Moses broke all ten at once!) Remember what God said in Exodus 34:7 (context above) - “7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.”
Rom3:23 3 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Rom6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The gift of eternal life is through Christ Jesus because he paid the price for our guilt - he died in our place. The debt is paid! However, no one can be saved if they don’t believe. The free gift won’t do you any good if you don’t accept it.
John 3:14-15:
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
Eph.2:8 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
That fills in some of the unanswered questions I have pondered on.
Jack, in the context of the 10 commandments, the Israelites would be the sons (children) of Israel, or Jacob. Of course, they didn't continually keep the covenant, and sometimes strayed far from it, just as we all have strayed from a faithful keeping of the 10 commandments. The term 'Jew', by the way, which came to be used later, as I understand it, was probably a reference to the tribe of Judah, one of Jacob's 12 sons, after the return from the 70 year Babylon exile.