Saturday, February 24, 2007

Exodus 20

COVENANT--THE CONSTITUTION OF A PEOPLE TO BE A NATION


   What is the purpose of the ten commandments? To show God's holy standards. This is the constitution of this new people, ruled, not be a king, but by Yahweh.


  The modern nation of Israel has no written constitution in one single document. Many religious Jews at the time opposed the idea of their nation having a document which the government would regard as nominally "higher" in authority than religious texts. For the anti-religious left, any mention of Divine providence was anathema. For religious Jews, the proclamation of the reestablishment of the Jewish state could not appear without such a reference. The compromise worked out was built around the inclusion of Tzur Israel (Rock of Israel), a phrase traditionally used as a euphemism for God, yet vague enough to allow for various interpretations. Many religious Jews hold that the only real constitution for a Jewish state is the Torah and the Jewish law (halakhah) that flows from it.


   These commandments are repeated almost verbatim in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 toward the close of the forty-year desert period. Remember that by this time only Moses, Joshua and Caleb are still alive of those who were present at the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. There are three versions of the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). They are at Exodus 20:2-17, Exodus 34:12-26, and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Exodus 20 is the most commonly used set.

   These ten commands (words) form the preamble; they will be followed by the decisions (judgments). And then in chapter 24, the covenant will be inaugurated. So when Israel entered into covenant with God, they entered into a theocracy by expressing their willingness to submit to His authority. The Law was the binding constitution for the nation of Israel under Yahweh their God. The Law legislated how Israel was to live in order to be blessed by God and used by him as a kingdom of priests. In the process of legislating their conduct and their ritual for worship, the Law revealed God. It revealed the holiness of Yahweh as the standard for all worship and service, and in revealing that it revealed or uncovered sin. But what the Law condemned, the Law (Leviticus) also made provision for in the laws of the sacrifice and the feasts intended for atonement. The New Testament teaches that the Law was good, and perfect, and holy. But it also teaches that Christ was the end (goal) of the Law, that it ultimately led to him. It was a pedagogue, Paul said, to bring people to Christ. And when the fulfillment of the promise came in him, believers were not to go back under the Law. What this means for Christians is that what the Law of Israel revealed about God and His will is timeless and still authoritative over faith and conduct, but what the Law regulated for Israel in their existence as the people of God has been done away with in Christ. The Ten Commandments reveal the essence of the Law; the ten for the most part are reiterated in the New Testament because they reflect the holy and righteous nature of God. The New Testament often raises them to a higher standard, to guard the spirit of the Law as well as the letter. -- BibleGateway - Exodus 20: www.bible.org/netbible/exo20.htm


(1)Then God* gave the people all these instructions**:


*God: Elohim


**instructions: Hebrew all these words.


   Who is the speaker? The voice is that of JESUS. The Spirit clears this fact. He tells us, that the Angel, the messenger of the eternal Covenant, communed with Moses on the Mount.


(2) “I am the Lord* your God**, who rescued you from the land of Egypt***, the place of your slavery.


*Lord: Yahweh


**God: Elohim


***from the land of Egypt: So, the ten commandments are directed to Israel.


(3) (I) “You must not have any other god but me.


   Since all other nations and people, especially Egypt, were polytheistic, this set the people of Israel apart. Israel continually slipped into the worship of other gods and idols once settled in the promised land, sometimes even worshipping other gods in the temple! Atheism is not condemned here, because there was no such thing then. But today's "wise" are now "fools" for saying "There is no God".


Leviticus 26:1: Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God.


Deuteronomy 5:7-9: “You must not have any other god but me.“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.



Joshua 23:6-7: “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left. Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.


1 Kings 11:4-7;10-13: In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.”


Nehemiah 13:23-26: About the same time I realized that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Furthermore, half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of some other people and could not speak the language of Judah at all. So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land “Wasn’t this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin?” I demanded. “There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives.



Matthew 4:10: “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.


Revelation 13:14-15: And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.


(4) (II) “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.


*image: Hebrew pesel (Teraphim, plural). These were family gods worshipped by Abram's kindred. Joshua 24:14 - So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.


   The second commandment doesn’t forbid making an image of something for artistic purposes; God Himself commanded Israel make images of cherubim (Exodus 25:18, 26:31). It forbids the making of images as an “aid” to worship.


   Moses, of course, has already struggled with Israel’s allegiance to the gods of Egypt around them prior to Exodus chapter 20, and that will continue to be a struggle that will be manifested in Exodus 31 and 32 and the incident with the golden calf. At the end of the age of Israel’s nation state, the prophets are still talking with Israel about idolatry. Isaiah and Jeremiah and the later prophets all address Israel about this.


   What do you love the most? What do you desire the most? What do you want the most? What do you strive for the most? What do you aim for the most? What do you think about the most? The answer to those questions will tell you who your god is. What are your "gods"? Job, respect, perfection, family, spouse, children, money, success, health .... ? That which we love and serve and desire and long after and aim for and strive for and think of the most is our god. In the days of ancient Israel, there was great temptation to worship the gods of materialism (Baal, the god of weather and financial success) and sex (Ashtoreth, the goddess of sex, romance, and reproduction), or any number of other local deities. We are tempted to worship the same gods, but without the old-fashioned names and images.


   This is not a command that you can not do artwork. It is a command that God is not to be pictured. He is not to be visually represented. It’s clear, of course, from the context and it’s clear from other passages: Deuteronomy 4:15 says, “But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai.


(5) 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.


*bow down: Under the auspices of Moses himself, figures of cherubim, brazen serpents, oxen, and many other things in the earth beneath, were made and never condemned. The mere making was no sin--it was the making with the intent to give idolatrous worship. It is the use of art or sculpture in worship that God condemns. Solomon had God's blessing to build a Temple, where he erected golden forms of two cherubim inside the Holy of Holies. On the walls of the sanctuary were carved figures of angels, trees, and flowers, none of which Israel worshipped.


*jealous: The word “jealous” is the same word often translated “zeal” or “zealous.”


**reject: The word rendered “reject” is often translated “hate” and carries with it the idea of defiantly rejecting and opposing God and his word. Such people are doomed to carry on the sins of their ancestors and bear guilt with them.


   You don’t believe He’s serious about that? Read what He did to Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-3, when they came and offered a sacrifice that He had not asked for. He killed them on the spot. Read 1 Samuel 6:1-10, when the children of Israel had put the ark of the covenant on a cart and they were carrying it back to Jerusalem. Surely God was pleased with this. The oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, to keep it from falling, and he was struck down dead. Read 1 Samuel 6 and 7 sometime. You know what you’ll find out? Oh yes, I remember the ark was not supposed to be carried on a cart. It was suppose to be carried on poles.


(6) But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those* who love me and obey my commands.


*for a thousand generations on those: Hebrew for thousands of those.


(7) (III) “You must not misuse the name* of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.


* name: And, what is this "name"? It is Yahweh. To avoid breaking this commandment, Jews use the term Hashem, "the name" or "g_d". The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose. This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God. We should avoid careless speech using words like "Gee" (substitute for Jesus) or "Gosh" (substitute for God).


   On Palm Sunday, 2000 years ago, a group of people took up the name of Jesus Christ, and they called Him "The King," and they sang, "Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." And they sang His praises, and they adored Him, and they waved palm branches at Him. And five days later, they shouted "Crucify Him." They took His name in vain.


(8) (IV)“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.


(9) You have six days each week for your ordinary work,


(10) 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.


*Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat, meaning "to cease, stop, desist; to come to an end, rest." Shabbat begins from twilight on Friday and continues until Saturday at sundown.


   Ancient Rabbis taught that on the Sabbath, a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder. But he could carry something with the back of his hand, his foot, his elbow, or in his ear, his hair, or in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. Or, on the Sabbath, Israelites were forbidden to tie a knot - except, a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, an Israelite could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and pull it up from the well. In observant Jewish homes today, one cannot turn on a light, a stove, or a switch on the Sabbath. It is forbidden to drive a certain distance or to make a telephone call - all carefully regulated by traditions seeking to spell out the law exactly. This is where the law leads to - absurdity!


   Where in the New Testament does it say that Christians should keep the Sabbath? Also, for those who want to keep the Sabbath, where does it say how to keep it? The only place in which the Bible contains instruction on how to observe the Sabbath is in the Law of the Old Covenant that was given to the Israelites only.


Genesis 2:3: And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.


Exodus 16:29: They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.”


Exodus 35:2-3: You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. You must not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath.”


Numbers 15:32-36: One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they discovered a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. The people who found him doing this took him before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the community. They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp.” So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.


According to Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the purpose of the Sabbath was to remind God's people that they had been slaves in Egypt and that He had delivered them and brought them into the promised land, their "resting place". Even the servants and slaves were to rest! This is an ordinance strictly for Israel! Deuteronomy 5:12-15: “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 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 oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.


Leviticus 23:3: “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.


Isaiah 58:13-14: “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”


Jeremiah 17:24,25,27: “‘But if you obey me, says the Lord, and do not carry on your trade at the gates or work on the Sabbath day, and if you keep it holy, then kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates forever. There will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will always ride in and out among the people of Judah in chariots and on horses, and this city will remain forever.
“‘But if you do not listen to me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.’”


Nehemiah 13:15-22: In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day. Some men from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem at that! So I confronted the nobles of Judah. “Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?” I asked. “Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way! ”Then I commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day. The merchants and tradesmen with a variety of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice. But I spoke sharply to them and said, “What are you doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you!” And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath.2 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath.


Matthew 12:1-14: At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath. ”Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.


Mark 2:27-28: Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”


Mark 3:4: Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.


Luke 6:2: But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”


Luke 6:9: Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”


Luke 14:3: Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?”


John 5:10: so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”


John 7:22-23: But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?


John 9:16: Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.


Acts 16:13: On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.


Romans 14:5-6: In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.


Hebrews 4:8-10: Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest (sabbath) still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.


Colossians 2:16-17: So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.


   Leviticus 25 lists several kinds of sabbaths, including the seven sabbaths of years to the Year of Jubilee.




(11) 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.


(12) (V)“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.


Ephesians 6:2-3: “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”


   The first commandment with a promise. How do we honor our parents? The father and mother stood in the place of God.


   In Romans 1 and in 2 Timothy 3, Paul indicates disobedience to parents as the example of sin run amuck and society fallen apart. In Romans 1:28-32 in the midst of this list of horrendous sins, what's stuck right in the middle of debauchery that you don't even want to talk about in polite public, he sticks "disobedient to parents." And in 2 Timothy 3, when he is wanting to tell Timothy, "Timothy, you are going to minister in a day and age where everything falls apart." And he talks about people being lovers of money and lovers of selves and alienated in their affections to one another, he sticks "disobedient to parents." Why? Because for Paul, a person who can violate this command of authority, of respect for the authority of parents, is a person who is capable of the most drastic spiritual error and who is in grave spiritual danger.


(13) (VI) “You must not murder.


   The word for “kill” or "murder" in Exodus 20:13 is the Hebrew rasah. It is used 43 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. It always means violent, personal killing - that is actually murder or is accused as murder. It is never used of killing in war or (with one possible exception, Numbers 35:27) of killing in judicial execution. Rather, a clear distinction is preserved between legal “putting to death” and illegal “murder.” For example, Numbers 35:19 says, The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. The word “murderer” here comes from rasah, which is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. The word “put to death” is a general word that can describe legal executions.


John 7:19: Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”


(14) (VII) “You must not commit adultery.


Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


Romans 7:3: So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.


John 8:5: The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”


(15) (VIII) “You must not steal.


Ephesians 4:28: If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.


(16) (IX) “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.


   The prohibition is against perjury. The New Testament puts it simply. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
(Colossians 3:9).


(17) (X) “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.”


*covet: Literally, the word for “covet” here means “to pant after.”


Luke 12:15: Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”


Romans 7:7: I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet."


Hebrews 13:5: Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.


Ephesians 5:5: You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.


(18) When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning* and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.


*lightning: plural of Hebrew lappid. Only here and Genesis 15:17 in the Torah: After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. lappid represents God's physical presence.


   It would appear that the people heard the thunder but did not understand what God had been saying. We can compare with this John 12:28-29 where again the voice was heard but the people did not understand. But they were very much aware of the external signs. They heard the thunder and the trumpet sound, they saw the lightning and the smoke. And they were afraid. Those who had been growing bolder now cowered back trembling, and drew away. They no longer wanted to climb the mount.


   They're in the presence of God and yet their reaction is fear and trembling, and furthermore they stampede. They fear, they tremble and they flee. You remember when this story started, the children of Israel were crowding in around Mount Sinai. They wanted to look. So much so, that God said to Moses, "Don't let them step on the mountain because I will bring immediate judgment and destruction on anyone who sets foot on My mountain. Don't let them crowd in." Now at the end of the Ten commandments, we find out they are at a distance. Now they had gotten from next to the mountain to a distance from the mountain by fleeing. God came and met with them and they ran.


(19) And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”


Deuteronomy 18:15-18: Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.


Deuteronomy 5.24-27: They said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live! But now, why should we risk death again? If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire. Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire as we did and yet survive? Go yourself and listen to what the Lord our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.’


(20) “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”


(21) As the people stood in the distance*, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.


*in the distance: As opposed to Ephesians 2:13: But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ
and Hebrews 4:16: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.


(22) And the Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven.


(23) Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.


(24) “Build for me an altar* made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me—your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever** I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you.


*altar: Hebrew: mizbeah (pronounced: miz-bay'-akh) is derived from the verbal root zbh, meaning "to slaughter". God's people often built altars on the site of a theophany or divine appearance (e.g., Genesis 12:7; 35:1,7). Theologically, altars provided a meeting place between God and humanity, an intersection between heaven and Earth. They defined the spaces in which God caused His name to dwell and at which human beings might thereby call upon that name (Genesis 13:3-4; 26:25; Deut 12:11; 1 Kings 8:22-54).


   The first altar specifically mentioned in the Bible is the one erected by Noah (Genesis 8:20), although we assume that Adam and the pre-Flood patriarchs also used altars for their sacrifices. The first blood sacrifices are mentioned in connection with Adam and Eve (God's shedding of animal blood to make coverings for them) and their son Able's offerings (Genesis 3-4). Altars were erected by Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 22:9), by Isaac (Genesis 26:25), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1,3), and by Moses (Exodus 17:15). In the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, two altars were erected.


   The “burnt offering” is the offering prescribed in Leviticus 1. Everything of this animal went up in smoke as a sweet aroma to God. It signified complete surrender by the worshiper who brought the animal, and complete acceptance by God, thereby making atonement. The “peace offering” is legislated in Leviticus 3 and 7. This was a communal meal offering to celebrate being at peace with God. It was made usually for thanksgiving, for payment of vows, or as a freewill offering.


**wherever:



  1. Shiloh was the first place - Jeremiah 7:12: “‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites.

  2. then Bethel: 1 Samuel 10:3: “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine.

  3. then Zion: Psalm 78:68: He chose instead the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loved.


Genesis 13:3-4: From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.


Deuteronomy 12:11: you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored.


1 Kings 8:22,54: Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands toward heaven ... When Solomon finished making these prayers and petitions to the Lord, he stood up in front of the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands raised toward heaven.


(25) If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones*. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.


*natural, uncut stones: No tools - no human effort. Represents grace: Ephesians 2:8-10: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.



   Yet, the tabernacles's altar would contain an altar of bronze and another of gold. The bronze altar would be built of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze. It would stand in the courtyard, would be used specifically for burnt offerings. The altar of gold was to be built of acacia wood and overlaid with gold (Exodus 30:1-3) and was used for offering incense within the sanctuary. A golden incense altar and a bronze altar were also to be prominent fixtures in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:22).


   Of course, with God’s ultimate altar, a few wooden beams were sufficient. What God does want from us in worship is seen by Jesus’ statement in John 4:24: For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” God wants worship that is characterized by Spirit (as opposed to flesh) and truth (as opposed to deception or mere feeling).


(26) And do not approach my altar by going up steps. If you do, someone might look up under your clothing and see your nakedness.


   Their altars were to be entirely different. This was changed in Exodus 28:42-42; Leviticus 6:10; 16:3-4; Ezekiel 44:17-18 where they were instructed to wear linen undergarments.



Matthew 22:34-40: But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “‘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.”


Romans 13:9: For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.



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