Bonus (only): Ten Commandments
December 25, 2022As there was no service or message this Sunday, I've chosen to do one big Bonus on the Ten Commandments. Specifically, this will be about the Ten Commandments as delivered a second time by Moses in Deuteronomy, chapter 5. (The first account is in Exodus, chapter 20.) All of this discussion comes dominantly from Dennis Prager's Rational Bible: Deuteronomy (just released a couple months ago), pp. 63-110. I hope you get some new insight into these laws. In fact, I'd love to hear about what you discover here.
But before I begin, and in the spirit of Christmas, I recommend this Fireside Chat by Dennis Prager: The Case for Christmas and Santa.
I'm not going to number The Ten Commandments here as there could be anywhere from 9 to 15 depending on how one slices and dices them. Talmudic (Jewish) sources, Catholics, Protestants, etc. number them differently. In Hebrew, these are the Ten Words (decalogue) or Ten Statements, which is why it makes sense to have "I am the Lord your God" in the list even though it's a statement and not a commandment (per se).
A big key to understanding here is that these laws are for YOUR sake. Also, it is important to understand that the Ten Commandments are unique among all the Torah laws. They are a covenant. They stand on their own as the most important.
The first five laws (on the right Hebrew tablet) are laws between Man and God. The 5th law, to honor your parents, is a bridge between these God-Man laws and the last five (on the left tablet) which are Man-Man laws.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
This is the basis of the covenant. I, God, brought you out. Now, you do this for Me. I, God, freed you from others. Now, you must free yourselves from internal slavery (addiction, urges, appetites, etc.) by following these laws. Liberty is mostly a value, not an innate yearning.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Have no false gods, like wealth, fame, nature, art, even religion itself.
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. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, taking account of 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
God is not physical; don't try to represent Him in any physical manner. And yes, God can be jealous in a similar sense to a lover becoming jealous. God loves us. "Hating God" refers to not following His commandments; it's more like "rejecting His laws." "Taking account of" is often translated "punishing" or the like, which is misleading. It more likely suggests God would understand your sins if you came from "bad stock." Elsewhere the Torah makes clear that children are NOT to be judged for the sins of their parents and vice versa (e.g., Deut. 24:16). And "a thousand generations" is an expression meaning forever.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.
This is a far better translation than "don't take God's name in vain." The greatest sin in Judaism is to desecrate God's name by doing evil in His name. The greatest good deed is to do good in God's name.
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 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 ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Here's Moses' first deviation from the Exodus account of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus, God said "remember," here Moses says "observe." It's clear that Moses has noticed for nearly 40 years that "remember" isn't good enough, you have to "do." "Holy" means "make distinct." Sabbath should be unlike any of the other six days. Note also that you are commanded to work the other six; be productive. If you make millions of dollars by working seven days, you are simply a rich slave (to money, or fame, or something other than God). Don't forget that foreigners and animals are included, too, just "as you do."
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Notice the commandment is to honor, not love. Your parents are the only people you are commanded to honor. In Hebrew, the word translated as honor means to make heavy or weighty, important. This commandment is a bridge between the first four commandments that deal with your relationship to God and the last five which deal with your relationship with other humans. The bridge is clear if you understand that to a child, parent and God are nearly synonymous. Also note mother and father are equal here. If you want to quibble over the order, know that the order is reversed in other parts of the Torah making a nearly 50/50 split when looked at overall. Be wary of ideologies that try to undermine parental authority; a clear sign of evil to come. It's clearly implied that parents must be worthy of honor. Among other things, this means you are to be a parent, not a buddy.
You shall not murder.
Both Hebrew and English have two very distinct words for murder and kill. And here, it's clearly murder. Any other translation is inaccurate. See this Dennis Prager article, here
You shall not commit adultery.
The Torah definition of adultery is sexual intercourse (not other forms of infidelity) with a woman married to another man. Unmarried women could not commit adultery. Once polygamy was outlawed, the law was extended (Talmudically) to any intercourse with any person married to someone else. The main purpose is to protect the family integrity, not either spouses' feelings. Intercourse is key because it is a unique and powerful aspect of a relationship and can produce children.
You shall not steal.
This could be considered an all-encompassing prohibition: don't steal a life (murder), don't steal a wife (adultery), don't steal a person (kidnap), don't lie (steal the truth), etc. Do not steal anything.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Don't lie. Civilization is built on truth.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
To covet is far more than to lust after. It implies an obsessing over to the point of plotting to take.
We could literally spend hours on the Ten Commandments alone...