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Real freedom requires restraint and boundaries
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New 18
The Ten Commandments
Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.
Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” Ex. 19:1 – 6. NLT
Remember that it was in this region that Moses first encountered Jehovah in the burning bush. Now he has returned and climbed Mount Sinai. The people would spend the next 11 months at the foot of that same mountain.
God instructed Moses to remind the people of the expression of His mighty power on their behalf in the conquest of the Egyptians. And then Moses was to recap how He brought them to Himself (leading and covering them with Himself as represented by the pillar of cloud and fire), demonstrating His gracious love for His children.
Then, God tells Moses to inform the people how to remain in His favor through obedience (setting the stage for His commandments to avoid sin), to continue to be in good standing with the Abrahamic Covenant.
We don’t know why God chose Abraham, and thus the Israelites, but we do know that they were mandated to tell the world about the one true God and what He requires of them – separated from unbelievers through their best efforts at being holy.
Moses went to the elders and told them all of God’s words, and all the people promised to do what their Creator had mandated.
He ascended back up the mountain and relayed the people’s promise. God continues:
“I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.” Ex. 19:9 NLT
“Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death. No hand may touch the person or animal that crosses the boundary; instead, stone them or shoot them with arrows. They must be put to death.’ However, when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, then the people may go up on the mountain.” Ex. 19:10 – 13. NLT
Moses instructed the people to ‘consecrate’ themselves, i.e., purify / cleanse themselves by washing their clothes, setting aside 3 days to prepare themselves, to refrain from crossing the boundaries of the holy mountain, and to wait for the sounding of the ram’s horn, and to abstain from sexual relations for the prescribed time. The people were preparing to meet their Creator.
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. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 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. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. Ex. 19:16 – 20. NLT
God is invisible. Thus, He is manifesting Himself through His command over nature.
Now, He speaks to Moses of His revelation of the ‘Ten Commandments’ in the Christian translation, the ‘Ten Statements’ in the Hebrew, and the ‘Decalogue’ ‘in the Greek:
Then God gave the people all these instructions: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. ” Ex. 20:1, 2. NLT
What God is telling the Israelites in this ‘prologue’, if you will, is that He is their God and is directly speaking to Moses (and thus to the people), that He is the Author of these commandments, and that by His own actions He redeemed them. Jehovah shifts now to the commandments that, by their obedience, will keep them in right relationship with Him.
There are two divisions of the Law. The first contained the Commandments 1 – 4 which specifically concern themselves with our relationship with God:
One: You must not have any other god but me. Ex. 20:3
It is a Divine command, as all ten are. In this case, it is an absolute directive against worshiping false gods / idols such as the stars in the sky, religiosity, lovers of self, human reason, ancient gods, power, to name a few.
Two: “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments. Ex. 20:4 – 6. AMP
God Himself is invisible. Any kind of image, statue, etc., diminishes Him – reduces Him to a thing of nature. Idol worship is strictly forbidden. God’s jealousy’ comes from the love for His children. As far as calling the children to account for their parent’s sin, it is not a four-generational curse. Jehovah does not permit that[1]
Instead, God is referring to how the consequences of the sin and of His judgment that follows, is often repeated by the children who witness the sinful behavior of their parents. And this imitation, then, reaps its own judgment.
However, the big picture is revealed in His love that He lavishes upon those who love and obey Him – for thousands of generations v. the three or four generations who have brought judgment upon themselves.
Three: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].” Ex. 20:7 AMP
This is the only Commandment that brings assured Divine punishment. Again, this denigrates God’s character – usually because the act is often paired with sinful behavior, as in cursing, making false oaths, or committing evil acts (e.g., The Crusades, Islamist terrorism).
Four: “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. Ex. 20:8 – 11. NLT
The Sabbath (Hebrew: Shabbat) is the only repeated ritual in the Ten Commandments and was primarily associated with the Jews, and it still is in present time. This is a day for reflecting on Jehovah’s creation of the universe, and of His goodness towards us.
The second division of the Law, Commands 5 – 10, concentrate on good moral behaviors between people.
Five: “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.” Ex. 20:12 AMP
Note two things about the Fifth Commandment. One, it is the only Commandment that rewards you when you practice it. The second thing is that we are not commanded to love our parents. Sometimes parents can be unlovable. Perhaps we honor them by keeping our distance.
Parents and children make family, and family is the bedrock of a good civilization.
Six: “You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide).” Ex. 20:13 AMP
When you murder someone, you are attacking one made in God’s image, and thus, you are also attacking God, cutting off one of His avenues for spreading love. This Commandment, however, does not prohibit one from killing in self-defense, national defense, or from killing as a capital punishment for a heinous crime.
Seven: “You must not commit adultery.” Ex. 20:14 NLT
Jehovah created family, which we’ve already seen is indispensable for undergirding our society. Adultery often destroys the family. In fact, it is Satan’s most effective tool for accomplishing that very thing.
God created marriage to be the only place where a man and woman can come together completely in love, and to procreate. Adultery is the greatest antithesis to marriage.
Eight: “You must not steal.” Ex. 20:15 NLT
Owning private property is yet another foundational principal that renders a society stable. There are many ways that people steal: stealing a life, any material goods, stealing a spouse, kidnapping, or anything that belongs to someone else.
My personal point of view is that when you steal, you deny the love of God by spurning His promise to tap into the unlimited abundance of the universe, to grant you what is best for you.
Nine: “You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person).” Ex. 20:16 AMP
Every word that falls from Jehovah’s mouth is pure truth. He hates anything that stinks of a lie.
Most people lie when they are afraid, fearful that they may look ‘bad’. Some may lie to make others look bad, which is a projection of how they are judging themselves. Others may lie to deny their part in any wrongdoing, trying to protect themselves from the judgment of others.
Ten: “You shall not covet [that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire] your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Ex. 20:17 AMP
What God is saying is do not practice jealousy and envy, both of which are forms of the fear of scarcity, concomitant with lust and hatred. These are loveless acts which stem from a lack of faith in Jehovah’s largesse.
(There are many, even within the followers of Christ, who are wont to dismiss the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments within, as being an irrelevant covenant because of the New Covenant in Christ. However, look at how Jesus viewed the veracity of the Old Testament:
“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. 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.” Mt. 5:17, 18. NLT
Jesus is the living word of God. Thus, He knows better than anyone what His Father meant in His word. In fact, Christ had the final say on the Ten Commandments. He evolved / distilled them into two ‘great commandments’:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Mt. 22:37 – 40. AMP
Does this negate the Ten Commandments? No! It is the final fulfillment of them. With regards to the first great commandment, it embraces the first four Commandments. If you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, you most assuredly will have no other gods before you, nor take His name in vain, or forget to honor Him.
Regarding the second great commandment, if you really love someone, will you dishonor, kill, or lie to them, steal from them or lust after their possessions? Of course not.)
All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. “You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”Ex. 20:18, 19. CSB
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him [that is, a profound reverence for Him] will remain with you, so that you do not sin.” So the people stood at a [safe] distance, but Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. Ex. 20:20, 21. AMP
The people’s hesitancy to approach God on the mountain resulted in His prohibition to do so forthwith…
[1] Dt. 24:16
How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New? 5b
Last time we examined the first homicide, that of Cain against Abel. We also looked at the deleterious effects of ‘anger’ as it was first spoken of in the Bible at this point. (See part 5).
Okay, it is now time to delve into the second new Word of God, introduced during the struggle between Cain and Abel. And that word is sin – the NUMBER ONE source of all humankind’s conflicts, misery, and suffering, and it is the major barrier to reaching all the human potential that God created them to have, as well as to having a right relationship with Him.
After Adam and Eve committed the ‘original sin’, we find that the rest of the entire Bible is focused upon how to remove sin and the need for a righteous relationship with Christ to accomplish that.
So, what is sin? It is translated from the Hebrew chattah, meaning ‘offense’, and from the Greek hamartano, denoting ‘to miss the mark’. The Bible also uses other words for ‘sin.’ The Hebrew masar, meaning ‘to set apart’, and the Greek paraptoma, describing a ‘lapse’ or ‘deviation.’
Another biblical expression for ‘sin’ is the word ‘iniquity,’ translated from the Hebrew avon, which means ‘moral rebellion’, and from the Greek adikia – aka ‘injustice’ or ‘wrongness’ (of character, of life, or of an action).
Finally, we have the concurrent sin descriptive, ‘transgression’, derived from the Hebrew pesha, defined as ‘rebellion’, and again from the Greek paraptoma, meaning the same.
So, if we put all of God’s descriptive(s) together, (and He is the ultimate authority), we can have a clarified elucidation of the essentials of sin:
Sin is an act (a way of living) that you commit that causes you to miss the mark that God has set out for you to reach, i.e., your highest and best life. It is an act of rebellion against God, a lapse in your moral character, a deviation from God’s word, a perpetrated injustice that offends God – forcing you to be set apart from Him and His love.
Very heavy stuff. Definitely not what God has planned for you. He wants you to be eternally connected to Him, wrapped in His complete love.
Going back to the definition of sin, what does it mean to ‘miss the mark’? Thankfully, Jehovah never leaves us guessing. He first gave us the mark to hit in the Ten Commandments. Then, Christ distilled the Ten into two ‘great commandments’:
“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Mt. 22:37 – 40. NLT
Jesus is saying that everything that God teaches us in the entirety of His Word revolves around these behaviors: loving God, loving yourself, and loving everybody else. If you made that love triangle the wellspring from which you lived your life, you would never want to sin in the first place.
Yet, we all, from time to time, forget to live our life solely from love, don’t we?
-for there is no one who does not sin- 1 Kings 8:46 CSB
However, there is one time-dependent exception to the accountability of sin’s consequences:
Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Rm. 5:13 NLT
Meaning that we all carry the taint of Adam’s ‘original sin’, but we must first be able to come to the realization that we must have that sin and all the subsequent sins that we commit, removed.
Before God set forth the Ten Commandments, the people had no moral yardstick. In a similar fashion, infants cannot grasp right from wrong. Therefore, it makes no sense to baptize them, because they must understand why they are doing so. Any sinner is not charged with the sins that they commit until they possess the conscious comprehension of their wrong-doing, and where their responsibility lies.
Another important thing to know is that Satan cannot make us sin. We choose with our free will whether we will transgress the Word of God. And God lets us know clearly what the consequence of our decision brings:
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors…” Dt. 30:19, 20. NLT
“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed.” Dt. 30:17, 18. NLT
Jehovah gave us life, put us upon this earth, and commanded us to position ourselves to receive His abundant love. God left us ‘ground rules’ with an assurance that if we adhere to them, we will live a good life and be able to live in eternal bliss with Him when that temporal life is done.
Conversely, breaking His laws would lead to a potential death with a highly undesirable eternal outcome of condemnation.
We must run from sin because it has such a devious quality. The perpetrator often begins committing what he / she thinks are ‘innocent sins’, (there is no such thing); e.g., cheating on a test, stealing a piece of candy in a store, telling a little ‘white lie,’ or having a coffee with a friend’s spouse.
And if we don’t see any immediate consequences, e.g., our transgression isn’t discovered, we think we are pulling a ‘fast one’ on God.
Perhaps then, we might indulge in a greater sin that seems to bring a greater thrill, e.g., like stealing a car, or having an affair. Yet all sin is like cancer:
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. Jas. 1:14, 15. NLT
Sin is an act. It is not who you are. You are God’s perfect creation. However, that does not minimize the seriousness of sin.
Our struggle with sin is a life-long process, due to our predilection to think that happiness comes from the possession of external baubles.
When we invite Jehovah to live within us, we are flooded with pure love and goodness, and we become sensitized to what isn’t. That is, we can feel the presence of sin.
The problem that we have though, is that the old desires we indulged in, in our old life, are still buried in our flesh. And we tend to forget that those indulgences didn’t work out for us. Thus, we are inclined to re-commit them.
Why can that be such a tragedy? Because sin is deadly! First and foremost, it separates you from Jehovah:
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Is. 59:2 NLT
When you are separated from God, you are ignorant with regards to His will. Adrift, left to your own devices, you struggle with feelings of defeat, despair, and even dread, (fearing that He might seek revenge).
Jehovah is pure righteousness. Therefore, He cannot commune with sin. When you sin, you tie His hands, sever your love-connection, and force deafness upon Him with regards to your prayers.
The second deadly aspect of sin is that it is satanically sourced; and he certainly does not have your best interests in mind:
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. Jn. 10:10 AMP
…when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. 1 Jn. 3:8 NLT
Then, sinning becomes a habit. Not good:
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Rm. 6:16 NLT
Sin leads to death if it’s not dealt with – both spiritually and physically. Christ said that the same consequences apply if you lead others to sin:
…if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. Mt. 18:6 NLT
How do you know when you are sinning? God provides you with a list (all expressions of breaking the Ten Commandments):
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. Gal. 5:19 – 26. NLT
Now, we have no excuse…
So, how do we get out of this mess?
- Don’t hang around with people who will not give up their sin. It rubs off on you. (Moses warned the people of fraternizing with sinful people during the exodus):
“Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. If you do, you will be destroyed for their sins.” Nm. 16:26 NLT
- Don’t check in with that voice in your head that entices you to act against God’s will.
- Most importantly if you have sinned, go to God, and confess with a repentant heart:
…if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chr. 7:14 NLT
‘Repent’ is translated from the Hebrew nachum, meaning ‘sorry’, and shub, ‘to turn back’, and from the Greek metaneo, ‘to think differently’. Thus, God is telling us to set our pride aside and humbly confess our sin – followed by repentance, demonstrating a genuine sorrow for our transgressions, and doing our best to keep from repeating them.
Our loving God is not a ‘hot head’. He only condemns the willful, unrepentant sinners. Otherwise, He is the ultimate forgiver. Oh, Jehovah may slap your wrists a little, but that is out of love. He is only trying to nudge you out of your destructive behavior so that He can come to your rescue:
As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Rv. 3:19 CSB
Jehovah is always on your side, aware that without His cleansing forgiveness, your sin will lead to death. Regardless of what you’ve done, He wants to make it right:
“Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed [against Me] and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live!” Eze. 18:31, 32. AMP
“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” Is. 1:18 NLT
Why does God go to such great lengths to save you?
Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Mi. 7:18 NLT
Because He loves you…
What can we do to minimize the incidence of sin in our lives?
- Avoid acting in destructive ways in stressful situations, i.e., get your emotions in check and then think about how to respond most effectively:
Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Ps. 4:4 AMP
- Send love to everyone. If you’re loving, you can’t be judging:
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Pt. 4:8 NLT
- Forgive everyone:
“For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.” Mt. 6:14 CSB
- Alert others when they sin, (without judgment). What they do with that is up to them:
But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself. Eze. 33:9 NLT
- We should help those who have sinned, and desire to help in their restitution:
…if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. Gal. 6:1 NLT
We have seen that in addition to the Old Testament, we lean on the New Covenant as well, because for Christians, it is there where the final solution to the dissolution of our sins lies – at the cross.
As we will learn in time, Jehovah saves us from our sins through the precious cleansing blood-sacrifice of His Son, coupled with our faith in the same. Jesus tells us Himself:
“…you will die [unforgiven and condemned] in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am the One [I claim to be], you will die in your sins.” Jn. 8:24 AMP
We all fall from time to time; but God always has an outstretched hand, to lift you up, and a heart that welcomes your confession and repentance, and paired with your faith in Jesus, – the Son cheerfully turns to the Father and says, “It’s alright, I have this one covered.”
