Exodus 19-20: The 10 Commandments

Exodus 19

In Exodus 19-20, we see God lay down the law of his chosen nation through the 10 Commandments. These commandments would ensure the people having a right relationship with God and each other so they could be set apart for all the world to see.

Exodus Part 2

The structure of Exodus in 2 parts:

Chapters 1 – 18 The Exodus from Egypt
Chapters 19 – 40 The Covenant at Mount Sinai

Theme: Exodus: God’s faithfulness to rescue and care for his people

Exodus–Leviticus– Numbers—Deuteronomy: Tell the story of how a holy God can be reconciled to rebellious people.

Summary of what the book is about: Exodus is the story of how God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian oppression, created a covenant relationship with them at Mount Sinai, and then dwelt among them in the tabernacle.

Set Up

10 Commandments

The numbering nuance of the commandments between denominations

The catholic and Lutheran churches combine commandment 1 and 2 and create 2 commandments out of number 10 you shall not covet.

Divisions:

Commandments 1 – 4: Right relations with God
Commandments 5 – 10: Right relations with People

Chapter 19

In Exodus 19, Moses journey comes full circle. In chapter 3, Moses met God for the first time, at the same mountain, in a burning bush.

God’s sign to Moses from chapter 3 is realized.

He has brought the people out of Egypt.
Moses no longer stands alone at the base of the mountain
- He no longer is a shepherd of sheep
- He stands as the shepherd of people, God’s people.
God through Moses has delivered a nation.

Israel will remain at Mt Sinai for almost one year and for the next 59 chapters of the bible. They will depart in the book of Numbers chapter 10.

God Prepares the People for Their Future as a Nation

In 3 ways or mountain messages:

He Reminds them of where they have been and who they are
He Teaches them how to prepare to be in his holy presence
God Gives them the law or 10 Commandments

Mountain Message 1: Remember

Moses goes up the mountain

Moses goes down the mountain

The people agree to remember what God has done for them
And to obey Him and keep God’s covenant which is about to be revealed to them, the law.
If they do this 3 things will happen. They will be
- A treasured possession – belong to God
- A kingdom of priests – refers to the how God will use them
- A holy nation – refer to how as God’s plan unfolds more and more, Israel will be the means by which all nations have knowledge of Him.

Moses goes up the mountain

Mountain Message 2: Prepare for God’s Presence

So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

Moses goes down the mountain

The outward act of washing their clothes and abstaining from sex was a sign that the inner act of sanctification was also taking place.
In other words, both physically and mentally they were to be preparing to meet their God, their Redeemer, the King of kings.
Something no other nation has done.

Mountain Message 3: The 10 Commandments

The Scene for the 10 Commandments:

The people have prepared themselves to meet God.
The theophany, or manifestation of God, is one they will never forget.
On the morning of the 3^rd day there was:
- Thunder and lightening
- The cloud which they had been following
Then a very loud trumpet signals them to approach
- Moses leads them forward trembling.
- Smoke billowed up
- the Lord had descended in fire.
The mountain trembled violently.

Then God speaks with Moses for all to hear. Moses goes down the mountain to remind them of the mountain and its tripartite division.

The mountain has divisions of appropriate accessibility which will mirror the tripartite division of the tabernacle in just a few chapters

Moses and Aaron can access the top of the mountain which corresponds to the Most Holy Place
The priests can access the mountain but not the top which corresponds to the Holy place
The people stay at the foot of the mountain which corresponds to the outer court.

The 10 Commandments

We cannot be sure if Moses had the 10 commandments at this point when he went down. Or if he went back up and go them it does not say.

Commandments 1 – 4: Right relations with God

Commandment 1

³“You shall have no other gods before^[^a^] me.

Remember that the people have spent 400 years in Egypt. A nation that worshiped many gods like most of the other nations.
This first commandment will set them apart from all the other nations and remind them first and foremost that they are to be faithful to God, alone.
This first commandment is the basis for all that follow.

Commandment 2

⁴“You shall not make for yourself an image..”

This commandment is an expansion of the first commandment.
- Israel should not do as other nations do by worshiping the idols of their gods
- Nor are they to do as other nations by worshiping the one true God by identifying Him with any created, man-made thing.
This commandment has a penalty that effects generations to come. In other words, a disobedient parent who worships inappropriately can leave a pile of trouble for the next generation to work through.

Commandment 3

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

To treat YHWH’s name with disrespect is to treat his gift of salvation lightly.
The Jewish practice of not pronouncing his name at all is a safeguard against any possibility of breaking this command.

Commandment 4

⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

This command and the next are the only 2 positive commands.
The pattern of 6 days of work followed by 1 of rest is the pattern of creation.
God worked 6 and rested for 1 day.
Israel’s day to day life is a re-creation.
God ordered the universe in Genesis 1, and God is giving Israel as a nation order.
This commandment is not a burden but a gift.

Commandments 5 – 10: Right relations with People

Commandment 5

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

Commandment 6

¹³“You shall not murder.

Murder was prohibited long before this command was given.
As far back as the first children Cain and Abel.

Commandment 7

¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.

Commandment 8

¹⁵“You shall not steal.

People (kidnapping), animals, land or things.
It is a threat to society and breeds distrust.

Commandment 9

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

May have referred to giving of legal testimony in court
May also Include: lying, deceit, slander, gossip

Commandment 10

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.”

This is the only commandment that pertains to the heart.
Because the inward desire of coveting, if it grows will lead to actions
- David for example coveted Bathsheba, acted on the desire, commanded she come to him (stealing #8) slept with her (adultery #7) and then when she became pregnant, had her husband killed (murder #6).
- The breaking of #10 coveting, lead to breaking 3 more commandments.

Moses goes back up the mountain

It sounds as if the people with Moses standing with them, all heard these commandments.
They didn’t like it and express their preference for Moses to do all the future communicating with God on his own.

The Commanding importance of the 10 Commandments:

God has redeemed a people out of slavery for a reason, from this nation he will save all nations.
The 10 commandments had far more importance than just personal goodness.
If the Israelites could not have a right relationship with God or with each other, how could they be a light to the Gentiles?
This was God’s unfolding plan, from one family – Abraham’s, would come one nation Israel, that would produce one son – God’s son, who would save the world.
This was Israel’s role, from the nation of Israel the light of the world would come for all to see.