Exodus 20: The Giving of the Commandments
The First Commandment
1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
And God spoke all these words: ‘I am Yahweh your God,'" Yahweh is the unique name by which the one true God distinguished Himself in the Old Testament from all other gods— “I am Yahweh , that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) “It means the 'Self-Existing One or the Eternal One.' This concept also appears in the phrases 'I AM THAT I AM' and 'I AM,' used by God of Himself. …Yahweh is the third person form of the verb 'to be' in Hebrew. Yahweh means 'He is.' [AND] In using LORD as a substitute for YHWH, they [KJV translators] were simply following an ancient Jewish tradition of substituting LORD for YHWH when copying or reading the Scriptures. This custom arose because the Jews wanted to safeguard against taking God's name in vain, which would violate the Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7).... The New Testament uses the Greek word kurios, meaning Lord, when quoting Old Testament scriptures containing YHWH (Matthew 3:3; 4:7, etc.)… All we have are the four Hebrew letters (called the tetragrammaton), which are usually transliterated as YHWH or JHVH and pronounced Yahweh (Hebrew) or Jehovah (English).” [The Oneness of God, David K Bernard] —
"Who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." The basis for love of God, and thus obedience to His Commandments, is knowledge of a personal deliverance from death by Him. The Israelites were exempt from all of the plagues, except the last one – death. Everyone had to obey this command to be spared: "On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it."(Exodus 12:3-7)
"'You shall have no other gods before me.' Worship offered to any other is idolatry. Yet, God the Father commands even the angels of heaven to worship Christ: When he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, ‘And let all the angels of God worship him.’ [Psalm 97:7] (Hebrews 1:6) By the express command of God worship is given to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must not fail to grasp the plain logic of the word of God here. We may put it in the form of a syllogism. Major Premise: Worship belongs exclusively to Jehovah, the only true God; Minor premise: God commands worship to be given to Jesus Christ; Conclusion: Therefore Jesus Christ is the true God and Jehovah. The first commandment, therefore, should be read in the light of the gospel. When it says, ‘Thou shall have no other gods before me,’ it commands us to acknowledge and confess the Lord Jesus Christ to be the true God and our Saviour. Jesus Himself said this: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) That is the full significance of the first commandment….To obey it is to join with Thomas as he exclaimed of Christ: ‘My Lord and my God’ (John 20:28).”(Chariots of God— Alan Cairns)
Subsequent generations of Israelites were not delivered from slavery in Egypt but the redeemed of God were delivered from sin and death. When their children ask them the meaning of the feasts-- "'the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Yahweh our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and Yahweh showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And Yahweh commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before Yahweh our God, as He has commanded us.’” (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
It will be righteousness to them if they observe the Commandments-- the basis for the old, as well as the new covenants made with "the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” In the first with Israel, they were written on tablets of stone-- “My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them.” The second with the house of Judah, from whence came Christ, is written it on human hearts. (Jer 31:31-34)
But the hearts of many are hard and they will not obey the Commandments, even after deliverance from physical slavery, “After God had wrought a great deliverance for Israel, by bringing them out of the house of bondage, they did not immediately enter into the land which he had promised to their fathers; but 'wandered out of the way in the wilderness', (Ps 107:4) and were variously tempted and distressed. In like manner, after God has delivered them that fear him from the bondage of sin and Satan; after they are 'justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus', (Rom 3:24) yet not many of them immediately enter into 'the rest which remains for the people of God.' (Heb. 4:9) The greater part of them wanders, more or less, out of the good way into which he has brought them. They come, as it were, into a 'waste and howling desert,' (Deut. 32:10) where they are variously tempted and tormented." [John Wesley]
“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25) Until the coming of Jesus, they kept the Passover by partaking of the Paschal lamb and applying it’s blood to the door posts of their houses. Now we partake by applying the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of our hearts for with no regard for right doctrine of atonement, we remain in bondage to sin and death.
The Person of Jesus is critical. “Beholding the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”.” Jesus said: “Before Abraham was , I am.” (John 8:58) and "He who has seen Me has seen the Father…" (John 14:9— just as Moses began: “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, the Yahweh is one!“ etc… (Deut. 6:4-9) This text is known to Jews as “Hear Israel”— “Shema Israel" -the foundational doctrine of Judaism.
The first recorded words of Jesus are “Let there be light.” Colossians 1:16-17 says: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Yahweh says, “I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Yet Jesus said unto the sick of the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you.”(Matthew 9:2) “The word picture found in the name of YHWH reveals the only path to life eternal. Yod – the hands, Hey – behold, Vav – the nail, Hey – behold! By examining the name [YHWH] we see the message to ‘Behold the nail scarred hands. Behold!’ Notice the hey – the command to ‘behold’- appears twice. Many have heard the gospel message. Millions know how the Saviour was crucified, placed in a borrowed tomb, and then resurrected 3 days later. It is not this knowledge alone that changes a life. You need to ‘behold’ the Savior and pay attention to His words. Accept the Messiah as the master of your life today and then walk after Him.” (emetministires.com) The name “Jesus” in Hebrew is “Yeshua”, which means “Yahweh saves”— whoever calls on Him for salvation.
The Second Commandment
Exodus 20:4-6 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;” Surely “the Papists by their sacrilegious practices, have taken away this commandment out of their vulgar catechism” (Trapp) with their images and symbols. And surely many nominal Protestants trust in their riches’; “their idols are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands.” (Psa 115:4) But perhaps the most dangerous to the soul is when even the religious create in their minds an unbiblical image of Jesus.
Paul preached the condemnation of the some “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” (Rom 1: 21-23b) At the heart of the idolotry problem is a wrong image in the mind’s eye of the Person of Jesus. He came to HisThe unregenerate believe that He was just a good man, perhaps a good moral example. Others may even elevate Him to the office of Savior, but will not give him the title of God of gods. He is in truth the unique, only begotten Son of God who became man to take care of the sin problem for those who accept Him.
Jesus was that True Light which lights every man or woman who comes into the world. "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His [c]own, and His [d]own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 1who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:9-13)
"There is but one God, who is the only Creator, Upholder, Riler and Saviour. In contrast other gods are mere creations of men: ‘We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one’ (1 Corinthians 8:4).’” (Chariots of God by Alan Cairns) Paul give the results of false ideas of Jesus: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.” (Romans 1:23-24)
“For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments..” We must accept the Testimony of Scriptures and render worship where worship is due – to the only God and Creator, Jesus Christ. The Ten Commandments were written by His own finger. And these should be the center of our focus. These are our moral code for conduct, boiling down to love of God and neighbor.
Do not carve for yourself any false images of Jesus from the commentaries of man. Failure to worship and obey Jesus will result in certain judgment. Bill Gothard of the day he met our jealous God. “I was aware of these Old Testament promises and warnings and of the jealous nature of God. However, I assumed they related only to His relationship with Israel, and that somehow in the New Testament He had become a benevolent God Who overlooks all of our straying affections.” He further testifies: “As I thought about this, the words of Scripture spoke with powerful authority, ‘I am the LORD, I change not’ (Malachi 3:6). God is just as loving in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament. And He is just as jealous in the New Testament as He was in the Old Testament.”
While in Athens on a missionary trip, the apostle Paul was brought before the Areopagus. He noticed that they had an idol to every conceivable God. I recon they wanted to cover their bases… hedge themselves so to say. They even had one altar dedicated TO THE UNKNOWN GOD just in case they missed a god. Paul told them, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you…" (Acts 17:22)
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Third Commandment
Exod 20:7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh [Jehovah] your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
“God used names as a means of progressive self-revelation. For example, in Exodus 6:3 God said, 'And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them'... Here are some other points that show the importance God places upon His name: 1) God demands fear (reverence, respect) for His name (Deuteronomy 28:58-59). He commands man not to take His name in vain (Exodus 20:7). 2) God warns His people not to forget His name (Psalm 44:20-21; Jeremiah 23:25-27). 3) God promises a blessing for those who know His name (Psalm 91:14-16). There is a blessing for those who think upon His name (Malachi 3:16)". (David K. Bernard) With this in mind, let us scan some compound names for the "Self-Existing One or the Eternal One" in the Old Testament.
Compound Names of Jehovah
Name Scripture Meaning
1 Jehovah-jireh Genesis 22:14 The LORD will see (i.e., will provide)
2 Jehovah-rapha Exodus 15:26 The LORD that heals
3 Jehovah-nissi Exodus 17:15 The LORD our banner (i.e., victory)
4 Jehovah-m'kaddesh Exodus 31:13 The LORD that sanctifies
5 Jehovah-shalom Judges 6:24 The LORD our peace
6 Jehovah-sabaoth I Samuel 1:3 The LORD of hosts (i.e., almighty)
7 Jehovah-elyon Psalm 7:17 The LORD most high
8 Jehovah-raah Psalm 23:1 The LORD my shepherd
9 Jehovah-hoseenu Psalm 95:6 The LORD our maker
10 Jehovah-tsidkenu Jeremiah 23:6 The LORD our righteousness
11 Jehovah-shammah Ezekiel 48:35 The LORD is present
David K Bernard further states: "We find that in the Old Testament God progressively revealed more about Himself as various needs arose in the lives of man… [AND] When the fullness of time came, God did satisfy the longings of His people and revealed Himself in all His power and glory through the name Jesus... Jesus means Jehovah-Savior, Jehovah our Salvation, or Jehovah is Salvation. This is why the angel said, 'And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21)… Jesus is the highest, most exalted name ever revealed to mankind…. [IT IS] the name of God that He promised to reveal when He said, 'Therefore my people shall know my name' (Isaiah 52:6). It is the one name of Zechariah 14:9 that encompasses and includes all the other names of God within its meaning : 'And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one'…. 'Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved' (Acts 4:12). The Apostle Paul wrote, 'Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth' (Philippians 2:9-10). Because of the exalted position of this name, we are exhorted to rely upon the name of Jesus in all we do or say: 'Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus' (Col 3:17). We teach and preach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:17-18; 5:28). We cast out devils, speak in tongues, receive supernatural power and protection, and pray for the sick - all in the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17-18; James 5:14). Signs and wonders are done by the name of Jesus (Acts 4:30). We pray and make requests known to God in the name of Jesus (John 14:13-14; 16:23). We gather together in the name of Jesus (Matthew 18:20). We baptize in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38)."
In Jesus are all of the names fulfilled. He is our all in all. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Col 2:9-10) Jehovah-jireh (Our Provider)… we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)… Jehovah-rapha (Our Healer)— Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord…(James 5:14)… Jehovah-nissi (the LORD our banner, victory)— But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:57)… Jehovah-m'kaddesh (the LORD Our Sanctifier)— Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word… (Ephesians 5:25-26)… Jehovah-shalom (the LORD our Peace)— Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)… Jehovah-sabaoth (the LORD of Hosts) — Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Hosts). (James 5:4)… Jehovah-elyon (the Most High)— He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.. (Luke 1:32)… Jehovah-raah (the LORD our Shepherd)— I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)… Jehovah-hoseenu (the LORD our Maker)— All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)… Jehovah-tsidkenu (the LORD our righteousness)— But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption… (1 Corinthian 1:30)… Jehovah-shammah (the LORD our Ever Present One)— Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:47-51)
The Fourth Commandment
Exod 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
The weekly Sabbath is a memorial of Yahweh’s six-day creation. They were 24 hour days, according to the Genesis account- “evenings” and “mornings.“ “God certainly anticipated the controversy over the Genesis account of Creation. He knew that after the fall of man, there would be doubts about His claims of manufacturing all the staggering mass of matter by merely commanding it to exist. To safeguard His sovereignty, He established a mark that denoted His absolute right to rule as Lord. He chose to memorialize His display of creative power by setting aside the seventh day of the Creation week as a holy day of rest and remembering…Once a week, as the earth rotates on its axis, the Sabbath reminder travels around the earth reaching every man, woman, and child with the message of an instant creation and the One who did the creating.Why did God say remember? Because to forget the true Sabbath is to forget the true Creator.” ("Why God Said to Remember" by Joe Crews)
A multitude of Christians call the seventh-day Sabbath the "Jewish Sabbath." “Nowhere is this expression found in the Bible.” (Joe Crews) The seventh day is called "the sabbath of Yahweh" (Exodus 20:10) but it is never called "the sabbath of the Jews.” Thus: “This is a law claiming to regulate a seventh portion of human life. If a man lives twenty-one years, this law claims control of three of them. It is therefore important." (W. S. Plummer)
"Many Christians view the Sabbath command as a ceremonial law, one that therefore passed away wiith the rest of the Jewish ceremonies after the resurrection of Christ.... [However:] The Sabbath is moral in its constitution… No doubt, Hebrews 4 teaches that what natural Israel enjoyed in earthly terms through Sabbath observance was a figure of the salvation rest spiritual Israel (God's redeemed people from every age) enjoys in Christ. But that does not make the Sabbath part of the ceremonial law. The law of the Sabbath is one on the Ten Commandments, and it is moral, not ceremonial. There is nothing in the biblical statement of the Decalogue to set this commandment apart from the others. Dwight makes the following points to establish the case for recognizing the Sabbath as a continuing part of the moral law:
* By Divine design it was placed in the middle of the Decalogue.
* It was spoken with the awful and audible voice of God Himself from the midst of the thunders and lightings which enveloped Mount Sinai.
* It was written twice by the finger of God on tables of stone.
* It was delivered in the same absolute manner as the other nine commandments.
* It has the same universal application as the other nine; that is, it provides the benefits of Sabbath observance, needed by men of all nations.”
(“Chariots of God” by Alan Cairns)
As we strive to keep the Commandments of God, there is a rest which will enable the believer to keep them. It is trust in Jesus, which results in an indwelling of His Spirit. God wants us to enter into that rest firstly. That is what Paul taught in Hebrews 4. “The Hebrews might well say, ‘We have always enjoyed the Lord’s Sabbath, and our fathers have long occupied Canaan, why then do you speak so much about entering into God’s rest?’ The verses which follow meet this objection, showing that neither of those ‘rests’ was meant by David in Psalm 95, nor by himself here in Hebrews 4… The ‘rest’ to which the apostle was pointing the Hebrews was so blessed, so important, so far surpassing anything that Judaism had known, that he was the more careful they should not be mistaken in connection with its nature and character.” (A. W. Pink)
In Hebrews 4:4-11, the apostle Paul argues” God "has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all His works' (Genesis 2:2); and again in this place: 'They shall not enter My rest.' (Psalm 95:11)
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, 'Today,' after such a long time, as it has been said: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.' (Psalm 95:7-8) For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
First, Moses led a generation of Israelites in the wilderness. They kept the seventh day Sabbath outwardly. But of that generation, all except Joshua and Caleb died in their sins in the wilderness. Second, Joshua led another generation of Israelites into the land of Canaan. Hebrews 4:8 implies that, even though Joshua led them into the land, he did not give God's intended rest to His people. And third, there are all subsequent generations. King David spoke in his generation in the Psalms; and Paul preached to the Hebrews of his generation of the rest that remains for the people of God.
We turn “from types and shadows to the substance itself” (A. W. Pink), as we switch from the Old Covenant with the Commandments written on tablets of stone, based on self effort- “all that Yahweh has said we will do”- to the New Covenant in which God writes His Commandments on our hearts by faith.
“Why had God taken ‘six days’ to make what is described in Genesis 1? Had He so pleased, all could have been done in one day, yea, in a moment! Obviously it was for the purpose of teaching us… And just as God has ceased from all the works of those six days and on the seventh day ‘rested,’ so must we… The argument is that a rest remains BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ENTERED by the Hebrews [of Moses and Joshua’s day]! Therefore, it [the rest for the people of God] was not entering Canaan, nor keeping the Sabbath day, for they did that [outwardly]. Thus, the marvelous rest referred to here can be neither of those things but must be understood as a reference back to the rest of God Himself which is still in progress, a rest the Jews could have entered but did not, and likewise a rest that many now have the right to enter but may come short of it; hence the warning.” (Burton Coffman)
“No promise of His can be utterly made void. Though many reap no good thereby, yet others shall be made partakers of the benefit of it. Though the vast majority of the adult Israelites perished in the wilderness, yet Caleb and Joshua entered Canaan…The Gospel proclaims salvation to all who believe. Its terms are ‘whosoever believeth shall not perish.’ That promise is ‘left’ for faith to lay hold of.” (A. W. Pink)
And you are invited: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. (Psalm 95:7-8)” (Hebrews 4:7) Moses and Joshua cannot give rest the people of God; that is a job totally left the King Messiah, the Prince of Peace. But by faith in Him, the generation that dwelled in the wilderness could have occupied the land of Canaan. It would not have been true if the Israelites had said that they could not enter in because of difficulties. “There was the Jordan before them, and when they entered the land, there were cities; walled to heaven, and giants before whom, they felt like grasshoppers. Yes, but that did not hinder, for God divided the Jordan, made the walls of Jericho to fall flat to the ground, and sent the hornets before them to chase out the giants. Israel had little more to do than to go up and take the spoil. Now, soul, there is no difficulty between you and eternal life which Christ either has not removed already or will not remove as you believe in him. As for your iniquities, when you believe, they are gone — the Jordan is divided. As for your inbred sins, he will surely drive them out little by little, when you believe in him. As for your old habits, which are like the high walls of the Canaanitish cities, they shall fall down at the sound of the ram’s horns of faith. Only believe, and thou shalt enter into rest. Trust in God, and impossibilities shall vanish, and difficulties shall become a blessing to you… ‘If you believe not,’ says Christ, ‘that I am He, you shall die in your sins.’”(C. H. Spurgeon)
Many cite the following Scriptures in favor of a Sunday Sabbath: “’One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.’ (Romans 14:5-6) ‘Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.’ (Colossians 2:16-17) ‘Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.’ (Galatians 4:10-11)” Joe Crews counters: “Usually, the bare recitation of these texts is considered sufficiently persuasive to dismiss all argument for the permanence of Sabbath observation. It is confidently held that at very least, Sabbath observation is not mandatory for Christians, while at its worst Sabbath-keeping may become legalism. Never was confidence more misplaced. The texts cited do not teach that Sabbath observation has been discontinued or made optional. One vital fact must be noted: None of these texts cited makes any reference to the weekly Sabbath. In Judaism there were many ceremonial Sabbaths. Being purely ceremonial, they passed away with the coming of the gospel substance of which they were foreshadowing.
But the Lord never spoke a word about abrogating the weekly Sabbath.”
The Fifth Commandment
Exod 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
Yahweh ends the first tablet with “‘Honor your father and your mother’ - There is a degree of affectionate respect which is owing to parents, that no person else can properly claim. For a considerable time parents stand as it were in the place of God to their children, and therefore rebellion against their lawful commands has been considered as rebellion against God.” (Adam Clarke) The Israelites enforced this law by punishment of death. “On the maintenance of parental authority, see Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17; Deuteronomy 21:18-21… The divine words were addressed emphatically to Israel, but they set forth a universal principle of national life Ephesians 6:2.” (Albert Barnes) This is last junction of the first tablet and is thereby Yahweh enjoins it with a promise— “that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” “This completes the first five, and ends with ‘promise’ (Ephesians 6:2). These five, that relate to piety, are thus separated from the five that relate to probity.” (Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes)
Some use this verse to make the case for the Ten Commandments only pertaining to the Israelites and therefore a part of the Old Covenant only. It is only they who could inherit Canaan. But Jesus still taught the Commandments. Jesus asked: "And why do your traditions violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God's Law is 'Honor your father and mother; anyone who reviles his parents must die.' But you say, 'even if your parents are in need, you may give their support money to the church instead.' And so, by your man-made rule, you nullify the direct command of God to honor and care for your parents. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, 'These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.' (Isa 29:13)" (Matthew 15:3-9)
We too have a land for our inheritance on this earth. “Our fathers and mothers belonged to it, as their fathers and mothers did, and while we reverence them, every one of us may feel that his days are indeed very long in this country. Yes, for they are not bounded by our birth, or by our death either. [Indeed, we will be buried in this land and sleep until the resurrection of the dead.] The country had people in it who belonged to us before we came into it; it will have those belonging to us when we have gone out of it... It is the LORD God who is, and was, and is to come, who has watched over our family, and will watch over those who shall come hereafter.” (Rev. F. D. Maurice) Let us begin our piety by impressing this first tablet upon our children, talking about them wherever we are. Let us tie them to our hands- direct long our works, and wear them on our fourheads as reminders-,directing our thoughts. (Deuteronomy 6:7–8)
The Sixth Commandment
Exodus 20:13 “You shalt not kill.”
Jesus said,“You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder,' and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.”(Matthew 5:21-23) So this commandment does not "forbid our necessary defence, or the magistrates putting offenders to death; but it forbids all malice and hatred to any, for 'he that hateth his brother is a murderer', and all revenge arising therefrom; likewise anger, and hurt said or done, or aimed to be done, in a passion; of this our Saviour expounds this commandment.” (Joseph Benson)
“Here again is a moral precept included in all codes, and placed by all in a prominent position. Our first duty towards our neighbour is to respect his life. When Cain slew Abel, he could scarcely have known what he was doing; yet a terrible punishment was awarded him for his transgression (Gen 4:11-14). After the flood, the solemn declaration was made, which thenceforward became a universal law among mankind—‘Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man’(Genesis 9:6). In the world that followed the flood, all races of men had the tradition that only blood could expiate blood. In the few places where there was an organised government, and a systematic administration of justice, the State acted on the principle, and punished the murderer capitally. Elsewhere, among tribes and races which had not vet coalesced into states, the law of blood-revenge obtained, and the inquisition for blood became a private affair. The next of kin was the recognised ‘avenger,’ upon whom it devolved to hunt out the murderer and punish him. Here the sin is simply and emphatically denounced, the brevity of the precept increasing its force. The Israelites are told that to take life is a crime. God forbids it. As usual, no exceptions are made. Exceptions appear later on (Num 35:22-25; Deut 4:42; etc.); but the first thing is to establish the principle. Human life is sacred. Man is not to shed the blood of his fellow-man. If he does, of his hand will the life taken surely be required.” (Pulpit Commentaries)
And in the end-time judgment, life will even be required of us if we harbor hatred. So, let us forgive trespasses against us and rather than wishing or seeking ill on others, we should be seeking their salvation. When people in the church sin against us or others, let us through the body of Christ, seek their reconciliation with God and "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (1Corinthians 5:2-5)
The Seventh Commandment
Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.”
“After securing the life, the Lord proceeds to secure that part of property which is often as dear, or dearer to human creatures, than life itself.” (Thomas Coke) “Marriage, according to the original institution, made the husband and wife ‘one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24); and to break in upon this sacramental union was at once a crime and a profanity. Adulteresses and their paramours were in most ancient nations liable to be punished with death by the injured party; but the adultery of a married man with an unmarried woman was thought lightly of. The precept of the Decalogue binds both man and woman equally.” (The Pulpit Commentaries) “Adultery destroys marriage and the home, the foundations of society (cf. Matth 5:27-28; 1 Cor 6:9-20).” (Dr. Thomas Constable)
Jesus reveals the intended standard; He desires your purity of heart soul and mind. Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) “Wild and evil theories may be abroad, new schemes of social order may be recklessly invented and discussed; yet, when the institution of the permanent family is assailed, every thoughtful man knows full well that all our interests are at stake in its defence, and the nation could no more survive its overthrow than the Church.” (Expositor's Bible Commentary)
The Eighth Commandment
Exod 20:15 “Thou shalt not steal.”
“Stealing is the natural propensity of the old man, and it is indulged in many ways that no human law can take hold of (cf. Ephesians 4:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:6).” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) Once we come to faith in Jesus to save, we should as Zacchaeus stand up and say, to the Lord:
"Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." (Luke 19:8)
It matters not if thievery “springs from the sense of necessity: this it is which, as you remember, gives such tragic power to Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables,’ whose hero, Jean Valjean, stole a loaf of bread. (G. D. Boardman) “The portion of worldly things allotted us, as far as it is obtained in an honest way, is the bread which God hath given us; for that we ought to be thankful, to be contented with it, and, in the use of lawful means, to trust Providence for the future.” (C. H. Spurgeon) “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28)
"8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, 'Who is the Lord?'
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God." (Proverbs 30)
Thievery- “Since charity is the end of the Law, we must seek the definition of theft from thence.” (John Calvin) “Whatever we enjoy of worldly plenty is given us in trust, that we should take our own share with moderation, and distribute out the remainder with liberality. (Archbishop Thomas Secker) See Leviticus 23:22 for care for the circumstantial needy. And: “Is it not significant that God claimed tithes? (Malachi 3) Not to pay a tenth of His income into the temple treasury God considered a sacrilege in a Jew. Do we give a tenth to God?” (W. Senior, B. A.) And finally brethren, remember that “the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:6)
The Ninth Commandment
Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
This Ninth Commandment covers a false testimony when given in a Hebrew court of justice— “and this offence has generally been made punishable by law. It was peculiar to the Hebrew legislation that it not only forbade and punished (Deuteronomy 19:16-20) false testimony of this extreme kind...“ (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
“If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:16-21)
“So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.” (Esther 7:10) But this Commandment also "denounced also the far commoner, yet scarcely less injurious, practice of spreading untrue reports about others, thus injuring them in men’s esteem." (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)) Anything false which “tends to injure another in his goods, person, or character, is against the spirit and letter of this law.” (Adam Clarke)
“Who steals my purse, steals trash,
But he who filches from me my good name,
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
Yet leaves me poor indeed.” (William Shakespeare)
It is dull to make real research into the facts, as used to be the practice.
1) Social- “‘Come, let us enjoy ourselves, and abuse our neighbours,’ is the real meaning of many an invitation to social intercourse... A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. If all the words of ill-natured calumny, of uncharitable construction of their friends which people speak, could be made inaudible, what stretches of silence would open out in much animated talk!” (A. MacLaren)
2) Political- “False witness can reach to nations, organisations, political movements as well as individuals. The habit of putting the worst construction upon the intentions of foreign powers is what feeds the mutual jealousies that ultimately blaze out in war. The habit of thinking of rival politicians as deliberately false and treasonable is what lowers the standard of the noblest of secular pursuits, until each party, not to be undone, protests too much, raises its voice to a falsetto to scream its rival down, and relaxes its standard of righteousness lest it should be outdone by the unscrupulousness of its rival.” (Expositor's Bible) “If some fairy could treat our newspapers as the Russian censors do, and erase all the lies about the opposite side, which they report and coin, how many blank columns there would be!” (A. MacLaren)
3) Religious- False testimonies even reaches to the fabric of the church- when you condemn a man or woman and spread innuendos against them for biblical doctrine that you yourself have not personally and prayerfully investigated, searching the Old and New Testament for those “two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15) to purify your creed, seeing if these things are of God.
Check yourself with the "spiritual snopes of truth" in all arenas. “You shall not bear false witness” etc.- “Neither bear it, nor hear it; raise, nor receive wrong reports of another; [Deut. 19:16] make a lie, nor love it when it is made. [Rev. 22:15] The truth must be spoken, and that in love [with the spiritual goal of salvation of a wayward soul]. Doeg had a false tongue, though he spoke nothing but truth against David. [Psa. 120:3]” (John Trapp)—yet he acted with a motive to fuel Saul’s suspicions and passions by erroneous conclusions, stealing David’s praise for himself.
The Tenth Commandment
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
“As the sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments forbid us to injure our neighbor in deed, the ninth forbids us to injure him in word, and the tenth, in thought.” (Albert Barnes) “Here the Mosaic law takes a step enormously in advance of any other ancient code. Most codes stopped short at the deed; a few went on to words; not one attempted to control thoughts. ‘Thou shalt not covet’ teaches men that there is One who sees the heart; to whose eyes ‘all things are naked and open;’ and who cares far less for the outward act than the inward thought or motive from which the act proceeds.” (Pulpit Commentaries) “How clearly therefore does the law teach people that they are desperately in need of One who can deliver them from this bondage of sin! But Israel has been slow to learn such a lesson.” (L.M. Grant) “This Commandment “convicted the apostle Paul, for he says, “I had not known sin [that I was a sinner] except the law had said ‘Thou shalt not covet.’ etc.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
“No wonder that the giving of such a law was accompanied by ‘the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of a trumpet, and the mountain smoking’ (v.18). The trembling fear of the people moved them to keep some distance away. They agree to listen to Moses, but ask that God Himself may not speak to them for fear they may die. It is true that if God speaks in absolute law, no one can live. However, Moses was a mediator, therefore typical of Christ as the one Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).” (L. M. Grant's Commentary)
20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. 22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
“And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you” etc. He was not going to harm them now; the manifestation was to prove the people— “that His fear might ever after be before their faces. They had heard with their own ears the proclamation of the law, and they had seen these terrors. If anything could awaken fear in them—a salutary fear—and keep them from apostasy, these things should. But, alas! terror is a very ineffective instrument of conversion. These Israelites soon forgot their terrors, and within forty days were dancing in mad glee round their golden calf (Exodus 32:1-35.).” (The Pulpit Commentaries)
24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’”
“An altar of earth you shall make for Me… etc.” We are dust and to dust we shall return. We can add nothing to the work of salvation exemplified by this altar. “You shall not build it of hewn stone of hewn stone… etc.” “Not polished it. So in preaching. [1 Cor 2:4-5] Some mar all by over doing it.” (John Trapp) “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) “Neither … by steps.—The more steps, the more imposing the altar; therefore no steps!The reason is: ‘that thy nakedness be not uncovered before it.’” (Lange's Commentary)
“God will meet the sinner at an altar without a hewn stone or a step — a place of worship which requires no human workmanship to erect, or human effort to approach. The former could only pollute, and the latter could only display human ‘nakedness.’ Admirable type of the meeting-place where God meets the sinner now, even the Person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ, where all the claims of law, of justice, and of conscience, are perfectly answered! Man has, in every age, and in every clime, been prone, in one way or another, to ‘lift up’ his tool in the erection of his altar, or to approach thereto by steps of his own making. But the issue of all such attempts has been ‘pollution’ and ‘nakedness.’ ‘We all do fade as a leaf, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags?’” (C. H. Mackintosh's Notes on the Pentateuch)