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David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Guzik - From the perspective of the entire Bible, we can say that the law of God has three great purposes and uses: (1) It is a guardrail, keeping humanity on a moral path. (2) It is a mirror, showing us our moral failure and need for a Savior. (3) It is a guide, showing us the heart and desire of God for His people. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Steven Cole introduces his message on Exodus 20:1-17 In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that reading the Bible and reciting the Lord’s Prayer in public schools violates the U.S. Constitution. Then in 1980, the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to post the Ten Commandments on classroom walls. The Court’s 5–4 majority reasoned (cited by Kent Hughes, Disciplines of Grace [Crossway], p. 11): If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments. However desirable this might be as a matter of private devotion, it is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause. In other words, we dare not post the Ten Commandments because some students might actually read and obey them! They might actually read, “You shall not murder”! But we can’t seem to figure out why so many students are shooting their classmates and teachers! As Christians, we rightly decry our national slide into immorality and violence, and yet many Christians can’t even name half of the Ten Commandments! There is a lot of debate and confusion among evangelicals as to whether we are required to obey the Ten Commandments. In part, this is due to the influence of moral relativism in the church. It’s also due to a widespread misunderstanding of what it means to live under grace. Many think that any call to obey God’s commandments is legalism. They think that grace means hang-loose living, where we don’t need to be concerned about obeying God. After all, if we mess up, He will forgive! But don’t forget the setting in which God gave these commands (Exod. 19)! The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire and smoke. The whole mountain quaked. There were thunder, lightning flashes, and loud blasts on a trumpet. If the people got too near the mountain, they would die. Both the people and Moses were terrified. Yes, God is gracious to sinners who repent, but even His redeemed people are to offer Him worship “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29). We dare not presume on His grace by disobeying Him (Rom. 6:1–2)! I admit that the issue of how Old Testament laws apply to New Testament believers is one of the most difficult theological matters to sort out. I’ve read several books and many articles on the subject. I cannot begin to explain all of these matters in this message. But since all Ten Commandments except for the Sabbath command (I’ll say more on that command later) are repeated in the New Testament to believers under grace, I’m going to apply Exodus 20 to us as follows: Because we have experienced God’s grace in salvation, we should joyfully obey His commandments for His glory and our good. (Obeying The Big Ten Exodus 20:1-17) Philip Ryken - In their book The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim lay down the law for postmodern times. They observe that today there is “absolutely no moral consensus at all.… Everyone is making up their own personal moral codes—their own Ten Commandments.” Patterson and Kim proceed to list what they call the “ten real commandments,” the rules that according to their surveys people actually live by. These rules include the following: —I don’t see the point in observing the Sabbath; —I will steal from those who won’t really miss it; —I will lie when it suits me, so long as it doesn’t cause any real damage; —I will cheat on my spouse—after all, given the chance, he or she will do the same; —I will procrastinate at work and do absolutely nothing about one full day in every five. These new commandments are based on moral relativism, the belief that we are free to make up our own rules, based on our own personal preferences. The law is not something that comes from God, but something we come up with on our own. And our laws usually conflict with God’s laws. It is not surprising that what Patterson and Kim call the “ten real commandments” generally violate the laws that God gave to Moses: Remember the Sabbath; six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; and so forth. We have become a law unto ourselves. (See Exodus: Saved for God's Glory) Related Resources: What are the Ten Commandments - Excerpt - "The Ten Commandments (also known as the Decalogue) are ten laws in the Bible that God gave to the nation of Israel shortly after the exodus from Egypt. The Ten Commandments are essentially a summary of the 613 commandments contained in the Old Testament Law. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last six commandments deal with our relationships with one another. The Ten Commandments are recorded in the Bible in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21." Did Moses copy the Law from the Code of Hammurabi? What is the purpose of the Mosaic Law? What are the 613 commandments in the Old Testament Law? - Note - This reference actually lists 613 Bible references for these 613 commandments. Are the Ten Commandments repeated in the New Testament? - Excerpt - "Some Christians believe the Ten Commandments are not binding upon believers today. For example, in his book Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World, Andy Stanley says, “The Ten Commandments have no authority over you. None. To be clear: Thou shalt not obey the Ten Commandments” (p. 136). Such thinking is likely not caused by an antinomian mindset, but instead stems from the principle that Christians are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). While it is true that Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf (see Matthew 5:17), the New Testament is clear that believers should not violate God’s moral law because of their standing in grace (Romans 6:15). Windmills And Fences It was my special privilege to spend some time on the Clyde Peterson ranch in eastern Wyoming. He raises beef cattle and Rambouillet sheep on a spread that covers thousands of acres. Clyde told me that the success of a ranch like his, where grass is sparse and high winds blow, depends on two factors: windmills and fences. The fences are essential because they restrict the livestock to certain grazing areas while allowing grass to grow in other sections. And the windmills pump the life-giving water for the animals. Come to think of it, fences and water are basic to a Christian's spiritual health as well. God's "fences" are the laws and principles of His Word, like God's commandments in Exodus 20 and Matthew 22:37, 38, 39, 40, and the exhortations of Galatians 5:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Our "water" comes from Christ, who gives us an ever-present flow of spiritual refreshment "springing up into everlasting life" (Jn. 4:14). Like sheep that sometimes wander from the flock In tangled paths of life to lose their way, I need my Shepherd's hand and watchful eye To keep me always, lest I go astray. -Sanders If the Lord is your Shepherd, you have everything you need. TEN COMMANDMENTS IN THE OT AND NT COMMAND OT OT PENALTY NT 1st Polytheism 2nd Graven Images 3rd Swearing Lev 24:15,16 4th Sabbath Nullifies 5th Obedience to parents 6th Murder 7th Adultery 1 Co 6:9,10 8th Theft 9th False Witness Col 3:9, 10 10th Coveting --- Modified (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) A SIMPLE SUMMARY OF THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW See also power of Law to stir up sin. Purpose of the Law - complete article 1). Law reveals sin for what it is. "Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the Seed (Christ) should come (Gal 3:19+). Before you look in the mirror, you might have a vague sense that you’ve got dirt on your face. But when you look in the mirror and see it, you know that you’re dirty! "Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin" (Ro 3:20+), "What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 8 But Sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law Sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, Sin became alive and I died." (Ro 7:7-9+) Though the law is not itself sinful ("the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." Ro 7:12+), the Law does have the effect to arouse sin! "For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death." (Ro 7:5+) PRINCIPLE - The law by itself arouses within us the desire to disobey. There is something about saying “Don’t” that makes us want to “Do.” There is something about saying “Do” that makes us want to “Not Do.” We all by nature instinctively rebel inwardly against rules and regulations. The sign says, “Wet Paint. Do not touch.” What do you do? You touch it.
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Guzik has a good summary - Failure to obey this commandment is called idolatry. We are to flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). Those lives marked by habitual idolatry will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9–10, Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 21:8, 22:15). Idolatry is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19–20), which marks our old life instead of the new (1 Peter 4:3), and we are not to associate with those who call themselves Christians who are idolaters (1 Corinthians 5:11). (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Israel's covenant with Yahweh is often compared to the marriage covenant between a husband and wife. Just as the marriage covenant demanded fidelity between husband and wife, Yahweh demanded exclusive loyalty from Israel. Sl apostasy by worshiping other gods is often portrayed as spiritual adultery with our lovers (Hos. 2:3-13). When Israel violated her covenant with Yahweh, she is portrayed as a faithless wife who has abandoned her husband (Isa 1:4: Hos. 2:2). Although God "divorced" His faithless wife for adultery at the exile, He vowed to woo her back to Himself and enter into a new covenant of marriage, betrothing her in faithfulness and empowering her through the New Covenant to remain loyal to her beloved husband (Hos 2:13-23). You shall have no other gods before Me - Given this reading one might think "Well it is okay to have other gods, but just make sure none are superior to Yahweh." This is NOT saying it is permissible to have other gods, as long as they are subservient to Yahweh. Before Me is literally "to My face." It might be better paraphrased "no other gods BESIDES Me." In other words, God Alone is God and there is absolutely NO OTHER GOD! And so practically the thought is that in our life there are to be no other "gods" before the sight (face) of Yahweh. The NLT paraphrases it accurately - "You must not have any other god but Me." In the Hebrew construction (as in the Greek Septuagint) no other gods is a strong, emphatic prohibition. This is not a suggestion, but is a demand by Yahweh that we give Him absolute allegiance and absolutely exclude all so-called gods with little "g." The pagan gods do not represent a living god, but the deception of demons. Paul teaches that behind the false gods, the little "g" gods, are demons declaring "No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice (TO THEIR IDOLS), they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." (1 Cor 10:20) Moses himself testified that the pagan false gods were in effect "no gods" and nothing more than demons writing "“They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread." (Deut 32:17) The psalmist adds "Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; 6 They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; 7 They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat." (Ps 115:4-7) God was crystal clear as to His identity declaring I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me. --- Isaiah 45:5 Other passages in Isaiah in which Yahweh testifies that He alone is God... Isaiah 41:4 “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’” Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. Isaiah 45:6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, Isaiah 45:14 Thus says the LORD, “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains And will bow down to you; They will make supplication to you: ‘Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God.’” Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the LORD, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:21 “Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. 22 “Turn (command) to Me and be saved (command), all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. (Spirit used verse 22 to save C H Spurgeon!) Play the songs - No Other God There is No Other Name. David Guzik - In the days of ancient Israel, there was great temptation to worship the gods of materialism (such as Baal, the god of weather and financial success) and sex (such as 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.. It has been said (perhaps first by John Calvin) that human nature is like an idol factory that operates constantly. We constantly deal with the temptation to set all kinds of things before or competing with God and His preeminent place in our life. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Tony Merida - Everyone is a worshiper of someone or something. Idolatry is putting someone or something else in the place of God. Idolatry is exchanging the glory of the Creator for the creation, leading to a life of ignorance and moral corruption (Ro1:18-25). Idols are not just on pagan altars but in the hearts of people (Ezek 14; Gal 5:19-20). We must see our idols for what they are: they are stupid! After seeing this, we must crush them in repentance and turn to the living God instead. Idols will not satisfy. Only God will satisfy the human heart. We need to properly assess created things. Enjoy creation, steward creation, but worship the Creator! (Ibid) Related Resources: Worship of modern idols What is the definition of idolatry? Why is idol worship such a powerful temptation? What can we learn from the account of Micah and the idol in Judges? What does the Bible say about eating food/meat that has been sacrificed to idols? What is a graven image? Why did people keep family idols? What does the Bible say about sun worship? How are idols connected to demons (Deuteronomy 32:16-17)? Question: "Why is 'You shall have no other gods before me' in the Ten Commandments?" Answer: The Mosaic Law is built upon the Ten Commandments, and the law was built upon the first commandment: “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7 NKJV). Here we see not only God’s prohibition against idolatry, but His reasons for that prohibition. It was the Lord God who had the power to bring His people out of bondage in Egypt. He alone cared enough for them to choose them to be His own, and He alone delivered and protected them. For all this, He declares that He alone deserves to be worshiped and reverenced. No idol made of wood or stone is God. Idols are deaf, dumb, blind, and powerless (Isaiah 44:18). Paul’s letter to the Romans indicates the worship of things in creation themselves—not just their images—is wrong in the eyes of God (Romans 1:25). Paul also warns the Colossians against worshiping other supernatural beings: “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize” (Colossians 2:18a). Jesus expanded the definition of “other gods” to include concepts in addition to images, living things and other supernatural beings. In Matthew 6:24, He warns against the worship of material things. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money”. The Greek word mammonas, translated here as “money,” does not mean the money in one’s pockets. It is the personification of wealth or money (especially wealth gained through greediness), the love of which, in modern terminology, is “materialism.” The dangers of worshiping material things are clearly outlined in the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-26) who turned away from Christ because he could not part with his wealth. Samson (Judges 14–16), even though he was set apart for God as a Nazirite, worshiped another god that was much closer than the rich man was to his wealth. Samson’s god was himself, and his pride and self-worship led to his downfall. He was so confident in his own abilities that he believed he no longer needed God, and in the end—despite being beaten, blinded, and humiliated—Samson neither repented nor learned that his way was not God’s way. He was more concerned with revenge and his eyesight than with God’s plan for His chosen people. He served himself and his priorities, making them his idols. Those who worship “other gods” will ultimately face the same fate as the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel where they were challenged by Elijah the prophet to a duel. Elijah and the prophets of Baal offered sacrifices to their respective deities, but they did not burn the sacrifices. The god who responded to their entreaties and took their sacrifice would be declared the one true God for all Israel. The prophets of Baal started early and prayed and pleaded with Baal to burn their sacrifice. Meanwhile, Elijah taunted them. “Shout louder…Surely he is a god. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27). In the end, the prophets of Baal were all killed by the Israelites after the one true God demonstrated His power, burning up the offering, the water, the wood, the stones, and the soil at the altar. Our God is never busy, asleep, traveling, or distracted. Paul describes the sovereignty of God: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. …Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by man’s design and skill” (Acts 17:24-25, 29). God commands us not to serve other gods because there are no other gods except the ones we make ourselves. David describes what awaits the person who puts God ahead of all else: “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods” (Psalm 40:4). (Source: Gotquestions.org) Steven
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Guzik notes that "The following laws were not invented at Mount Sinai. A few aspects of the Mosaic Law show new revelation, but for the most part it simply clearly and definitely lays out God’s law as it was written in the heart of man since the time of Adam. In his book The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis explained how there certainly is a universal morality among men. He gave concrete examples of how all cultures in the past were able to agree on the basics of morality because these principles are implanted in the heart and mind of mankind.. All cultures have said murder is wrong, and kindness is good. All agree that we have particular obligations to our family. All say that honesty is good and that a man cannot have any woman he wants. They agree that stealing is wrong and that justice is good. There are no cultures where cowardice is good and bravery is bad. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) F B
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Guzik says "God spoke all these words, and no man is above the law." Alan
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Guzik - 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 or help to worship....In John 4:24 Jesus explained the rationale behind the second commandment: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. The use of images and other material things as a focus or help to worship denies who God is (Spirit) and how we must worship Him (in spirit and truth). (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Phillip Ryken - This commandment is about worshiping the right God in the right way. God refuses to be worshiped by means of images. This shows that he is spirit, that he does not have a physical form. The mention of the heavens and the earth also shows that he is the Creator. One problem with idols is that they confuse the Creator with his creation. (See Exodus: Saved for God's Glory) Alan
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Guzik - God is jealous in the sense that He will not accept being merely added to the life; He insists on being supreme, and does this out of love. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Alan Redpath comments that "“God’s jealousy is love in action. He refuses to share the human heart with any rival, not because He is selfish and wants us all for Himself, but because He knows that upon that loyalty to Him depends our very moral life … God is not jealous of us: He is jealous for us.” The parallel passage in Deut 4:23-24+ gives us a striking picture of divine punishment for those who make and bow down to images explaining that Jehovah is a consuming fire! “So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. 24 “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. The implication of God being jealous for Israel is because in the Old Testament Israel was pictured as married to Jehovah! And the further implication is if His wife is unfaithful, He will respond with an appropriate degree of zealous jealousy (which in fact He does by sending both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms into exile). Isaiah writes "“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth." (Isa 54:5) Jeremiah adds "Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD." (Jer 31:31-32+) Jealous (07067)(qanna) is an adjective that combines the ideas of zeal and jealousy. It expresses a very strong emotion whereby some quality or possession of the object is desired by the subject. All 5 OT uses describe this attribute of Jehovah, His attribute which reflects zero tolerance for the worship of other so-called gods. In the 5 uses note the associated with "consuming fire," (Dt 4:24) and "anger...kindled (also pictures a fire) against" those who violate this prohibition (Dt 6:15) In other words the consequences of bowing down to false gods gives us a clear sense of His hatred of them. How foolish it is for us as finite humans to pursue false gods when we have access to the true and living God! Forgive us O LORD. Amen. Qanna is translated in the Septuagint of Ex 20:5 with the noun zelotes which depicts one stirred to action by a strong emotion. It describes one "burning with zeal" (the root of zelotes is zeo = to boil, be hot or glow!). Zelotes describes Yahweh as earnestly committed to defend His honor! Qanna - 6x in 5v - Exod. 20:5; Exod. 34:14; Deut. 4:24; Deut. 5:9; Deut. 6:15 Exodus 34:14 –for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God– Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 5:9 ‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, Deuteronomy 6:15 for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers - This does not picture a friendly "visit," but a visit to "pay back" perpetrators for their idolatrous belief and behavior. Matton adds "The phrase "visiting iniquity" means "to punish iniquity." Sin makes God visit. Sin is the reason why God visits with sickness and poverty. (see Ps 89:31-32KJV)" Visiting (punishing) (06485)(paqad) has the basic meaning or to intervene or to inspect. In a number of context it is used in the good sense (a good "visit")(Ge 50:24-25KJV,) The sense in the present passage is a "bad" visit, a visit by God in which he will call people to account for their sins. The Septuagint uses the verb apodidomi which means means to render recompense, in this context Yahweh's righteous recompense for the idolater's unrighteous behavior. This passage might be misinterpreted unless we allow Scripture to comment on Scripture. Compare Exodus 20:5 with Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin. COMMENT - It is crystal clear that no child is punished by God for the sins of his parents! Compare also Ezekiel 18:19–32. John
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Guzik - There are at least three ways this command is commonly disobeyed. (1) Profanity: Using the name of God in blasphemy and cursing. (2) Frivolity: Using the name of God in a superficial, stupid way. (3) Hypocrisy: Claiming the name of God but acting in a way that disgraces Him. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20)
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Guzik - The strength of this command has led to strange traditions among the Jewish people. Some go to extreme measures to avoid violating this command, refusing to even write out the word God, in the fear that the paper might be destroyed and the name of God be written in vain. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) As Gotquesrtions explains "In the Old Testament, bringing dishonor on God’s Name was done by failing to perform an oath or vow taken in His name (Leviticus 19:12+). The man who used God’s name to legitimize his oath, and then broke his promise, would indicate his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of His holy retribution. It was essentially the same as denying God’s existence. For believers, however, there is no need to use God’s name to legitimize an oath as we are not to take oaths in the first place, letting our “yes be yes” and our “no be no” (Mt 5:33-37+). There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who Name the name of Christ, who pray in His Name, and who take His Name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His Name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the Name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the Name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies. If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain. When we say we love Him, but do not do what He commands (Luke 6:46), we take His name in vain and are possibly identifying ourselves to be among those to whom Christ will say, “I never knew you. Away from me” in the day of judgment (Matthew 7:21-23). The name of the Lord is holy, as He is holy. The name of the Lord is a representation of His glory, His majesty, and His supreme deity. We are to esteem and honor His name as we revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain. THOUGHT - Every misuse of the Great Name of God (and Jesus) will one day be paid back in full! How sad that now our entertainment (if you can call it that) prides itself of permeation of the presentation with perverse speech! If you cannot find a show to watch that is free of cursing and taking God's Name in vain (and it is becoming more difficult), you might consider using Vidangel, a service you can subscribe to monthly, which blanks out the bad language and bad scenes (and you can choose what to eliminate). Related Resource: What does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain? Excerpt - Although many people believe taking the Lord’s Name in vain refers to using the Lord’s Name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of God’s name. Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower: Summary - Studies on many of the LORD's great names, all of which reveal some aspect of His character or attributes. Exodus 20:7 Word Watch Good grammar matters to me. As a writer and former English teacher, I'm bothered when I hear the wrong word used by people I think should know better. For instance, using "I" instead of "me" or "who" instead of "whom." There's a proper way to use the language, and it makes me cringe when the standard is violated. There's another kind of incorrect word usage that is far worse. It happens when Christians utter words that fall short of the standard God expects. Whenever we use words that are considered crude, profane, or obscene, we violate God's clear standards. Anytime we speak any form of God's name irreverently or in a way that doesn't honor Him, we displease Him (Exodus 20:7). If we joke about sinful practices, we are speaking in a way we shouldn't (Ep 5:12). Or if we participate in coarse talk (Ep 5:4), we bring dishonor to the name of Christ. James said, "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. . . . These things ought not to be so" (James 3:10). Such speech is hypocritical. A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw, the less he spoke; The less he spoke, the more he heard— Why aren't we like that wise old bird? —Richards Every time you speak, your mind is on parade The Name It’s not easy to keep up with the shorthand that accompanies today’s fast-paced, youth-oriented electronic communication. In IM-speak (Instant Message talk) or text-message language, “laughing out loud” becomes “lol.” “By the way” is “btw.” And regrettably, some people use “omg” for “Oh, my God!” This last phrase seems to be on the lips of many who receive startling news. But as Christians, we need to stop before we utter this or any other phrase that flippantly uses God’s name. In Matthew 6, when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, the first thing He told them to say was this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Mt 6:9). Clearly, God’s name itself is special. It encompasses His nature, His teachings, and His moral authority. To speak the name of God is to call on the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In every way possible, we should honor and protect God’s holy name, preserving its use for those occasions when we are speaking of Him or addressing Him in faith. May all I am and do and say Give glory to my Lord alway; And may no act of mine cause shame Nor bring reproach upon His name. —Anon. God’s name: handle with care. Holy Is Your Name You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Exodus 20:7 One afternoon I was having a discussion with a friend I considered my spiritual mentor about misusing God’s name. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,” says the third commandment (Ex. 20:7). We may think this only refers to attaching God’s name to a swear word or using His name flippantly or irreverently. But my mentor rarely missed an opportunity to teach me about real faith. He challenged me to think about other ways we profane God’s name. When I reject the advice of others and say, “God told me to go this way,” I misuse His name if all I am doing is seeking approval for my own desires. When I use Scripture out of context to try to support an idea I want to be true, I am using God’s name in vain. When I teach, write, or speak from Scripture carelessly, I misuse His name. Author John Piper offers this reflection on what it means to take God’s name in vain: “The idea is . . . ‘don’t empty the name.’ . . . Don’t empty God of His weight and glory.” We misuse His name,
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Guzik - In their traditions, the Jewish people came to carefully quantify what they thought could and could not be done on the Sabbath day, in order to keep it holy. For example, in Luke 6:1–2, in the mind of the Jewish leaders, the disciples were guilty of four violations of the Sabbath every time they took a bite of grain out in the field, because they reaped, threshed, winnowed, and prepared food.. 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.i. 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. (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Practically speaking the celebration of the Sabbath was a divine lesson that would help reenforce in the minds of the Hebrew the essence of the meaning of the word holy. Ultimately God was far more interested in Israel "internalizing" this truth, so that their lives all week would be like the Sabbath day on the seventh day. In other words the keeping of the Sabbath was pointing to the holiness of God, a holiness that He desired for His people to demonstrate. In this way the pagan nations would see a difference in the lives of the people of God and some might be attracted to examine Jehovah and even to come to know Him. One thinks of the pagan Moabitess Ruth who saw a difference in her mother-in-law Naomi prompting Ruth to declare "where you (NAOMI) go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” (Ru 1:16-17) THOUGHT - Today while believers are not required to keep the Sabbath, nevertheless they are called to a lifestyle to which the Sabbath pointed, a separated life, a distinct life, a holy life. Peter picked up this thought even commanding his readers to live set apart lives "Sanctify (hagiazo [same verb used in Lxx of Ex 20:8 "keep...holy"] in the aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." (1 Peter 3:15+). We see this same principle of the attractive power of a separated, distinct life in Php 2:14-15+ where our supernaturally enabled ability "Do (resent imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey = Php 2:13NLT+) all things without grumbling..." would result in us appearing "as lights in the (DARK, GODLESS) world." Is the light of Christ's life shining in your life? Remember (02142)(zakar) speaks of the mental activity of recalling and meditating on the truth as well as the consequent actions which emanate from the act of remembering. Sabbath (07676)(sabbat from verb shabath = desist from exertion, cease) means intermission, the Sabbath (day), the day of rest, the holy seventh day; a week, the sacred 7th year, a sabbatical year. It was not until the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai that the keeping of the Sabbath became a part of the law and a sign of God's covenant relationship with His people (Ex 20:8-11 Ex 31:12-17). Sabbath was a covenant sign indicative of Jehovah's authority. When Israel kept the Sabbath, they showed the pagan nations (the Gentiles had no Sabbath statute - see Ps 147:19-20) that they were a distinctive people and were subject to their God, Yahweh. Keeping Sabbath was in a sense a way of demonstrating Israel's trust in God, trusting that He would honor their labors with fruit. We may plant the seeds and water them, but it is God who gives the increase (1Co 3:6). In Dt 5:15 “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out with a mighty hand. …; therefore, Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” In other words in this passage in Deuteronomy, the Sabbath with creation described in Genesis and Deuteronomy connects the Sabbath with deliverance from Egypt described in Exodus. Thus every Sabbath, Israel is to remember that God is an emancipator, a liberator. The early Christians were on target, it seems, when they connected the day of rest Steven
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Guzik quips "It’s as if God said, Having too much to do isn’t an excuse from taking the rest you need—I created the universe and found time to rest from My work." (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) Henry Morris on seventh day - It is important to note the principle of one rest day following six days of work. The Hebrew word for "sabbath" does not mean "Saturday" or "seventh day"; it means "rest" or "intermission." The institution of the sabbath (one day of rest, worship and remembrance of the Creator) was "made for man" but not as an arbitrary legalistic ritual performed on a specific day (Mark 2:27). In fact, the Christian observance of the first day as the day of rest seems most appropriate, signifying a "marking" not only of God's completed work of creation but also His completed work of redemption of the creation (note His victory cry on the cross--"It is finished!"--John 19:30) affirmed forever by His victory over sin and death on the first day of the Jewish week. (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) in it you shall not do any work - This statement is another way of saying finish all your work in 6 days (Ex 20:9). you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you - This would keep a person from saying "I'll keep the Sabbath, but have these other folks do work for me!" NET Note - The "you" of the commandments is addressed to the Israelites individually, male and female, just as God in the Garden of Eden held both the man and the woman responsible for their individual sins... The Sabbath day was the sign of the Sinaitic Covenant. It required Israel to cease from ordinary labors and devote the day to God. It required Israel to enter into the life of God, to share his Sabbath. It gave them a chance to recall the work of the Creator. But in the NT the apostolic teaching for the Church does not make one day holier than another, but calls for the entire life to be sanctified to God. This teaching is an application of the meaning of entering into the Sabbath of God. The book of Hebrews declares that those who believe in Christ cease from their works and enter into his Sabbath rest. For a Christian keeping Saturday holy is not a requirement from the NT; it may be a good and valuable thing to have a day of rest and refreshment, but it is not a binding law for the Church. The principle of setting aside time to worship and serve the Lord has been carried forward, but the strict regulations have not. “Lie Down” He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. —Psalm 23:2-3 Our golden retriever can get so overly excited that he will go into a seizure. To prevent that from happening, we try to calm him. We stroke him, speak to him in a soothing voice, and tell him to lie down. But when he hears “lie down,” he avoids eye contact with us and starts complaining. Finally, with a dramatic sigh of resignation, he gives in and plops to the floor. Sometimes we too need to be reminded to lie down. In Psalm 23, we learn that our Good Shepherd makes us “lie down in green pastures” and leads us “beside the still waters.” He knows that we need the calm and rest that these provide, even when we don’t realize it ourselves. Our bodies are designed to have regular rest. God Himself rested on the seventh day after His work of creation (Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:9-11). Jesus knew there was a time to minister to the crowds and a time to rest. He instructed His disciples to “come aside . . . and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). When we rest, we refocus and are refreshed. When we are filling every hour with activity—even with worthwhile things—God often gets our attention by making us “lie down.” Rest is a gift—a good gift from our Creator who knows exactly what we need. Praise Him that He sometimes makes us “lie down in green pastures.” Heavenly Father, thank You for Your care for our well-being in every area of our lives. Help us to be rested and refreshed in You. If we don’t come apart and rest awhile, we may just plain come apart! —Havner Exodus 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Ex 31:17 Ge 2:2,3 Ps 95:4-7 Mk 2:27,28 Ac 20:7 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries CREATION GIVES PATTERN FOR SABBATH DAY For - Term of explanation. God explains why this pattern for the Sabbath. In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day - God gives the pattern for the Sabbath. He set it aside for Himself for special observance.
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Guzik says to covet "is the itch to have and to possess what someone else has. It speaks of a dissatisfaction with what we have, and a jealously towards those who have something better." Paul links covetousness (greed) with idolatry in his command "Therefore (based on the truth in Colossians 3:1-4+) consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (Colossians 3:5+) In another passages Paul says " For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (Eph 5:5+) Jesus warned against covetousness Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard (both verbs are in present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15+) Some people think that they can get right with God by keeping the Ten Commandments. Wrong! Many people think that God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us to be good. Wrong! In fact He gave them to show us that we are bad. A right understanding of the law demonstrates that we are all sinners and in need of grace and a Savior. James sums it up for all of us... For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all’ (James 2:10+). The LAW, therefore, elicits great fear and trepidation. In Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian ventured to Mount Sinai, but he was afraid … lest the Hill should fall on his head; wherefore there he stood still, and he wot [i.e. knew] not what to do. Also his Burden now seemed heavier to him than while he was in his Way. There came also flashes of fire out of the Hill, that made Christian afraid that he should be burned: Here therefore he sweat[ed] and did quake for Fear.’ (Read this entire section of Pilgrim's Progress - Beneath the High Hill) See the preceding notes summarizing the purpose of the Law. The Tenth Commandment basically has to do with contentment as well as trust in God as our faithful provider of everything we need (not everything we want!). Paul dealt with this important truth concerning contentment in his first letter to Timothy... But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1Ti 6:6-10) Related Resources: Torrey Topical Textbook Covetousness Baker Evangelical Dictionary Covetousness Charles Buck Dictionary Covetousness Easton's Bible Dictionary Covetousness Holman Bible Dictionary Covet, Covetous Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Covetousness Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Covetousness Vines' Expository Dictionary Covet, Covetous, Covetousness Webster Dictionary Covetous. Covetousness International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Covetousness McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Covetousness (2) Covetousness The Jewish Encyclopedia Covetousness BELIEVER'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAW So what is the believer's relationship to the Ten Commandments today? Are we still under the Law? Are we free from the Law? Look through the following passages to give you a Biblical answer to this thorny question. Matthew 5:17-20+ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Comment - So Jesus came to fulfill the Law which He did when He became a curse for us on the Cross as explained in the next passage. Galatians 3:13+ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”– Comment - Before we believed in Christ, we were under the Law and we were subject to the curse of the Law. But Jesus fulfilled the Law and became a curse for us, that we would never have to fall under God's righteous, just curse. Romans 8:1+ Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (IN OTHER WORDS THE LAW CONDEMNS BUT AS PAUL GOES ON TO EXPLAIN GOD TOOK CARE OF OUR BIG PROBLEM BY SENDING HIS SON). 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do (THE LAW WAS NEVER GIVEN TO SAVE US, BUT TO SHOW US WE NEEDED SALVATION IN CHRIST!), weak as it was through the flesh (MEANING THAT WE IN THE FLESH, IN AN UNREGENERATE STATE COULD NOT PERFECTLY KEEP THE LAW AND GOD'S STANDARD IS PERFECTION - see James 2:10), God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Comment - Paul adds that God the Father "made Him (JESUS) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf (IN OUR PLACE, AS OUR SUBSTITUTE), so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (IN CHRIST - THE MOMENT WE BELIEVED WE WERE PLACED BY THE SPIRIT IN CHRIST WHO FULFILLED THE LAW PERFECTLY AND WE NOW IN EFFECT "RECEIVE CREDIT" FOR WHAT HE ACHIEVED BY DYING ON THE CROSS FOR SINS)." (2 Cor 5:21) So the moment we believed in Jesus Christ for our salvation, God reckoned us as righteous as Paul explained in Romans 4:3 "For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED (RECKONED, IMPUTED) TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS (QUOTING Genesis 15:6).” Galatians 5:18+ But if (SINCE) you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Romans 6:14+ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. THOUGHT - So the question arises if we are now in Christ Who fulfilled the Law (Mt 5:17+, Ro 10:4+ = "Christ has accomplished the whole purpose of the law" NLT) and we are not under (the dominion, rule, reign of) the Law (Ro 6:14, Ro 6:12, Ro 8:2), are we now free to live lawlessly, even licentiously? And the Pauline answer would be "MAY IT NEVER BE!" As someone once said freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the power to do as you should. Now that we are in Christ, we have been given the Holy Spirit Who in effect is our holy power Source to enable us now to joyfully, lovingly obey the Ten Commandments and experience the freedom that is found in living according to their basic principles. That is REAL freedom. As James says "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty [eleutheria], and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.." (Jas 1:24) John explains why we cannot be lawless. (1 John 3:4-10+) Everyone who practices (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) sin also practices (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) lawlessness; (anomia - a = without + nomos = law) and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He (CHRIST) appeared in order to (PURPOSE CLAUSE) take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle); no one who sins (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice (present tense = habitually, as a continual lifestyle) righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. Paul explains what it means to love one's brother and in so doing he shows the clear relationship with the Ten Commandments. When we obey the Ten Commandments enabled by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ, we fulfill the commandment which sums up several of the commandments that have to do with interpersonal relationships (Commandments 5-10 are primarily "horizontal" - man to man, whereas Commandments 1-4 are man toward God, "vertical" so to speak). Romans 13:8-10+ Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. COMMENT - So we began in Matthew 5 that Christ's declared He came to fulfill the Law which He did in His crucifixion. Then in Romans 8 we saw that we who have believed in Him are now credited with having fulfilled the Law. And John 3 shows us that while we are no longer under the law, genuine believers do not live lawlessly. And here in Romans 13 Paul proceeds to cite 4 of the 10 commandments to show that if one loves, these commandments will be fulfilled practically in our everyday life. Paul has just said that loving one's neighbor fulfills the Law and now he reiterates with 4 laws relating to our neighbor. So that is how we demonstrate love to our neighbor. ILLUSTRATION - A “Frank and Earnest” cartoon [5/8/98] pictured Moses on the mountain before God, holding the Ten Commandments. He tells God, “It’s your call but I still think ‘The Ten Habits of Highly Effective People’ is a catchier title.” But they’re not “ten habits of highly effective people” or “ten suggestions for a happy life”! They’re Ten Commandments from the holy God, given for His glory and your good. If you think seriously about them, you’ve broken every one on the heart or thought level. That’s why you need a Savior who died to forgive your sins! When you trust in the Lord Jesus to save you, He gives you the Holy Spirit to indwell you and enable you joyfully to obey His commandments out of love for Him! (Steven Cole) Beware Of What You Want You shall not covet. —Exodus 20:17 Today's Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17 Sometimes I wonder why God didn’t list the Ten Commandments in reverse order, since the 10th commandment correlates to the first sin—desire. Eve’s sin wasn’t simply her desire for a piece of fruit; it was the desire for knowledge that Satan told her would make her like God (Gen. 3:5). Eve’s covetousness caused her to violate both the first and tenth commands that God later gave to Moses. When we don’t covet, we pretty much eliminate our reasons to disobey the other commands. Wanting what isn’t ours causes us to lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and refuse to honor our parents. We refuse to rest because we can’t get what we want in 6 days of work. We misuse God’s name when we use it to justify something that we want to do. We make gods out of wealth and relationships because we don’t want to have to put all our trust in God. When you covet someone else’s things, Thinking that they’re better than your own, Just remember that God’s gifts to you Were designed for you and you alone. —Hess Contentment is realizing that God has already given me all I need. POWER OF THE LAW TO STIR UP SIN In his letter to the Corinthians Paul alludes to the power of the law to stimulate sin “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Cor 15:55-56-see commentary) Augustine - Nothing could be truer. For a prohibition always increases an illicit desire so long as the love of and joy in holiness is too weak to conquer the inclination to sin. So without the aid of divine grace it is impossible for man to love and delight in sanctity. CITY OF GOD I will never forget an illustration of this by Charles Swindoll who described a beautiful "putting green" like lawn in his front yard. And to keep it pristine, he placed a sign so the kids would not ride their bikes over the lawn "STAY OFF THE LAWN." You guessed it! Kids began to ride "rampant" over his "putting green" lawn. That's the effect of the Law!!! In Galveston, Texas, a hotel on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico put this notice in each room: NO FISHING FROM THE BALCONY Yet every day, hotel guests threw in their lines to the waters below. Then the management decided to TAKE DOWN THE SIGNS – Guess what happened? The fishing stopped! Martin Luther on "The power of sin is the Law.’ ” Who has ever heard that said about God’s commandment and law, which, after all, was given and instituted as holy and good by God? And still St. Paul can say that sin would be feeble and dead and could effect nothing if it were not for the Law. The Law renders sin alert and strong and prompts it to cut and to pierce. If it depended on us, sin would very likely remain dormant forever. But God is able to awaken it effectively through the Law. When the hour comes for sin to sting and to strike, it grows unendurable in a moment. For the Law dins this into your ears and holds the register of your sins before your nose: “Do you hear? You committed this and you committed that in violation of God’s commandments, and you spent your whole life in sin. Your own conscience must attest and affirm that.” In that way sin already shows its power. It frightens you so that the whole world becomes too confining for you. It agitates and strikes until you must needs despair. And there is neither escape nor defense here. For the Law is too strong, and your own heart abets it, which itself denounces you and condemns you to hell. Therefore sin requires nothing else than God’s law. Where that enters the heart, sin is already alive and able to kill man if it wants to, unless he lays hold of this victory, which is Christ, our Lord. Paul says the "power of sin" is derived from the law. Place yourself under law even in the most subtle of ways) and you have just given sin an opportunity to stimulate you to commit sins! The take home message for all of us is to assiduously avoid legalism (see Ray Stedman on Legalism) in any shape, form or fashion, lest we arouse our old taskmaster Sin! Beware! Run, John, Run! The Law commands But gives me neither feet nor hands. Far grander news the Gospel brings It bids me fly and gives me wings! THOUGHT - Dear brother or sister in Christ, this little ditty begs the question -- are you "flying" or are you "dying trying," trying in vain, in your own strength, to please God, to merit His smile, to curry His favor, to earn His grace? If so, then quit "trying" (yourself) and begin daily "dying" (to self - cf Mk 8:34+) and the Spirit will give you "wings" so that you might be enabled to soar like an eagle, for Jesus promised if you abide in His Word you would be His disciple and would "know the truth, and the truth will make you free” and "if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:32, 36) Isaiah echoes the truth that "those who wait (trust in, hope) for the LORD will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary." (Isaiah 40:31+) Question: "Why is 'You shall not covet' in the Ten Commandments?" Answer: The key to understanding this commandment is in the definition of the word “covet.” Two different Hebrew words are used in the passages condemning coveting (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21), and both mean “to lust after or to long for with great desire.” Since the commandments are given as “you shall not’s,” the desire in this case is for something that is not the property of the desirer and not rightfully his to long after. In this commandment, the Israelites are told not to lust after their neighbor’s possessions—his house, land, ox or donkey, or the people in his life—his wife or servants, both male and female. The Israelites were not to desire, long for, or set their hearts on anything that belonged to anyone else. Whereas several of the commandments prohibit certain actions, such as murder and theft, this is one of the commandments that address the inner person, his heart and mind. As James 1:15 tells us, the inner person is where sin originates, and in this case, covetousness is the forerunner of all manner of sin, among them theft, burglary, and embezzlement. At its root, coveting is the result of envy, a sin which, once it takes root in the heart, leads to worse sins. Jesus reiterated this very thought in the Sermon on the Mount when He said that lust in the heart is every bit as sinful as committing adultery (Matthew 5:28). Envy goes beyond casting a longing glance at the neighbor’s new car. Once dwelled upon, envy of the neighbor’s possessions can turn to feelings of resentment and hatred for the neighbor himself. That can turn into resentment against God and questioning Him: “Why can’t I have what he has, Lord? Don’t you love me enough to give me what I want?” God’s reasons for condemning covetousness are good ones. At its very core, envy is love of self. Envious, selfish citizens are unhappy and discontented citizens. A society built of such people is a weak one because envious malcontents, as stated before, will be more likely to commit crimes against one another, further weakening the societal structure. Furthermore, the New Testament identifies covetousness as a form of idolatry, a sin which God detests (Colossians 3:5). In the end, envy and covetousness are Satan’s tools to distract us from pursuing the only thing that will ever make us happy and content—God Himself. God’s Word tells us that “godliness with contentment is great gain” and that we should be content with the basic necessities of life (1 Timothy 6:6-8), because true happiness is not attained by things, but by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. By this alone do we gain that which is worthy, true, solid, satisfying, and durable—the unsearchable riches of God’s grace. (Source: Gotquestions.org) D L Moody - Tenth Commandment “THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE, THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE. NOR HIS MANSERVANT, NOR HIS MAIDSERVANT, NOR HIS OX, NOR HIS ASS, NOR ANYTHING THAT IS THY NEIGHBOR’S.” IN the twelfth chapter of Luke our Saviour lifted two danger signals. “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.… Take heed and beware of covetousness.” The greatest dupe the devil has in the world is the hypocrite; but the next greatest is the covetous man, “for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” I believe this sin is much stronger now than ever before in the world’s history. We are not in the habit of condemning it as a sin. In his epistle to the Thessalonians Paul speaks of “the cloke of covetousness.” Covetous men use it as a cloke, and call it prudence, and foresight. Who ever heard it confessed as a sin? I have heard many confessions, in public and private, during the past forty years, but never have I heard a man confess that he was guilty of this sin. The Bible does not tell of one man who ever recovered from it, and in all my experience I do not recall many who have been able to shake it off after it had fastened on them. A covetous man or woman generally remains covetous to the very end. We may say that covetous desire plunged the human race into sin. We can trace the river back from age to age until we get to its rise in Eden. When Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food and that it was desirable to the eyes, she partook of it, and Adam with her. They were not satisfied with all that God had showered upon them, but coveted the wisdom of gods which Satan deceitfully told them might be obtained by eating the fruit. She saw,—she desired—then she took! Three steps from innocence into sin. A SEARCHING COMMANDMENT It would be absurd for such a law as this to be placed upon any human statute book. It could never be enforced. The officers of the law would be powerless to detect infractions. The outward conduct may be regulated, but the thoughts and intents of a man are beyond the reach of human law. But God can see behind outward actions. He can read the thoughts of the heart. Our innermost life, invisible to mortal eye, is laid bare before Him. We cannot deceive Him by external conformity. He is able to detect the least transgression and shortcoming, so that no man can shirk detection. God cannot be imposed upon by the cleanness of the outside of the cup and the platter. Surely we have here another proof that the Ten Commandments are not of human origin, but must be divine. This commandment, then, did not, even on the surface, confine itself to visible actions as did the preceding commandments. Even before Christ came and showed their spiritual sweep, men had a commandment that went beneath public conduct and touched the very springs of action. It directly prohibited—not the wrong act, but the wicked desire that prompted the act. It forbade the evil thought, the unlawful wish. It sought to prevent—not only sin, but the desire to sin. In God’s sight it is as wicked to set covetous eyes, as it is to lay thieving hands, upon anything that is not ours. And why? Because if the evil desire can be controlled, there will be no outbreak in conduct. Desires have been called “actions in the egg.” The desire in the heart is the first step in the series that ends in action. Kill the evil desire, and you successfully avoid the ill results that would follow upon its hatching and development. Prevention is better than cure. We must not limit covetousness to the matter of money. The commandment is not thus limited; it reads, “Thou shalt not covet … anything.…” That word “anything” is what will condemn us. Though we do not join in the race for wealth have we not sometimes a hungry longing for our neighbor’s goodly lands—fine houses,—beautiful clothes,—brilliant reputation,—personal accomplishments,—easy circumstances,—comfortable surroundings? Have we not had the desire to increase our possessions or to change our lot in accordance with what we see in others? If so, we are guilty of having broken this law. GOD’S THOUGHTS ABOUT COVETOUSNESS Let us examine a few of the Bible passages that bear down on this sin, and see what are God’s thoughts about it. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, NOR COVETOUS, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Notice that the covetous are named between thieves and drunkards. “We lock up thieves, and have no mercy on them. We loathe drunkards, and consider them great sinners against the law of God as well as the law of the land. Yet there is far more said in the Bible against covetousness than against either stealing or drunkenness. Covetousness and stealing are almost like Siamese twins—they go together so often. In fact we might add lying, and make them triplets. “The covetous person is a thief in the shell. The thief is a covetous person out of the shell. Let a covetous person see something that he desires very much; let an opportunity of taking it be offered; how very soon he will break through the shell and come out in his true character as a thief.” The Greek word translated “covetousness” means—an inordinate desire of getting. When the Gauls tasted the sweet wines of Italy, they asked where they came from, and never rested until they had overrun Italy. “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” There we have the same truth repeated; but notice that covetousness is called idolatry. The covetous man worships Mammon, not God. “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, HATING COVETOUSNESS; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Isn’t it extraordinary that Jethro, the man of the desert, should have given this advice to Moses? How did he learn to beware of covetousness? We honor men to-day if they are wealthy and covetous. We elect them to office in church and state. We often say that they will make better treasurers just because we know them to be covetous. But in God’s sight a covetous man is as vile and black as any thief or drunkard. David said: “The wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.” I am afraid that many who profess to have put away wickedness also speak well of the covetous. A SORE EVIL “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” Isn’t that true? Is the covetous man ever satisfied with his possessions? Aren’t they vanity? Does he have peace of mind? Don’t selfish riches always bring hurt? The folly of covetousness is well shown in the following extract: “If you should see a man that had a large pond of water, yet living in continual thirst, nor suffering himself to drink half a draught for fear of lessening his pond; if you should see him wasting his time and strength in fetching more water to his pond, always thirsty, yet always carrying a bucket of water in his hand, watching early and late to catch the drops of rain, gaping after every cloud, and running greedily into every mire and mud in hopes of water, and always studying how to make every ditch empty itself into the pond; if you should see him grow grey in these anxious labors, and at last end a thirsty life by falling into his own pond, would you not say that such a one was not only the author of his own disquiet, but was foolish enough to be reckoned among madmen? But foolish and absurd as this character is, it does not represent half the follies and absurd disquiets of the covetous man.” I have read of a millionaire in France, who was a miser. In order to make sure of his wealth, he dug a cave in his wine cellar so large and deep that he could go down into it with a ladder. The entrance had a door with a spring lock. After a time, he was missing. Search was made, but they could find no trace of him. At last his house was sold, and the purchaser discovered this door in the cellar. He opened it, went down, and found the miser lying dead on the ground, in the midst of his riches. The door must have shut accidentally after him, and he perished miserably. A TEMPTATION AND A SNARE “They that will be, (that is, desire to be), rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” The Bible speaks of the deceitfulness of two things—“the deceitfulness of sin” and “the deceitfulness of riches.” Riches are like a mirage in the desert, which has all the appearance of satisfying, and lures on the traveler with the promise of water and shade; but he only wastes his strength in the effort to reach it. So riches never satisfy: the pursuit of them always turns out a snare. Lot coveted the rich plains of Sodom, and what did he gain? After twenty years spent in that wicked city, he had to escape for his life, leaving all his wealth behind him. What did the thirty pieces of silver do for Judas? Weren’t they a snare? Think of Balaam. He is generally regarded as a false prophet, but I do not find that any of his prophecies that are recorded are not true; they have been literally fulfilled. Up to a certain point his character shone magnificently, but the devil finally overcame him by the bait of covetousness. He stepped over a heavenly crown for the riches and honors that Balak promised him. He went to perdition backwards. His face was set toward God, but he backed into hell. He wanted to die the death of the righteous, but he did not live the life of the righteous. It is sad to see so many who know God, miss everything for riches. Then consider the case of Gehazi. There is another man who was drowned in destruction and perdition by covetousness. He got more out of Naaman than he asked for, but he also got Naaman’s leprosy. Think how he forfeited the friendship of his master Elisha, the man of God! So to day lifelong friends are separated by this accursed desire. Homes are broken up. Men are willing to sell out peace and happiness for the sake of a few dollars. Didn’t David fall into foolish and hurtful lusts? He saw Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and she was “very beautiful to look upon,” and David became a murderer and an adulterer. The guilty longing hurled him into the deepest pit of sin. He had to reap bitterly as he had sowed. I heard of a wealthy German out west, who owned a lumber mill. He was worth nearly two millions of dollars, but his covetousness was so great that he once worked as a common laborer carrying railroad ties all day. It was the cause of his death. “And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I COVETED THEM, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” He saw—he coveted—he took—he hid! The covetous eye was what led Achan up to the wicked deed that brought sorrow and defeat upon the camp of Israel. We know the terrible punishment that was meted out to Achan. God seems to have set danger signals at the threshold of each new age. It is remarkable how soon the first outbreaks of covetousness occurred. Think of Eve in Eden, Achan just after Israel had entered the Promised Land, Ananias and Sapphira in the early Christian Church. A ROOT EXTRACTOR “For the love of money is the root of cell evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The Revised Version translates it—“a root of all kinds of evil.” This tenth commandment has therefore been aptly called a “root-extractor,” because it would tear up and destroy this root. Deep down in our corrupt nature it has spread. No one but God can rid us of it. Matthew tells us that the deceitfulness of riches chokes the Word of God. Like the Mississippi river, which chokes up its mouth by the amount of soil it carries down. Isn’t that true of many business-men today? They are so engrossed with their affairs that they have not time for religion. They lose sight of their soul and its eternal welfare in their desire to amass wealth. They do not even hesitate to sell their souls to the devil. How many a man says, “We must make money, and if God’s law stands in the way, brush it aside.” The word “lucre” occurs five times in the New Testament, and each time it is called “filthy lucre.” “A root of all kinds of evil.” Yes, because what will not men be guilty of when prompted by the desire to be rich? Greed for gold leads men to commit violence and murder, to cheat and deceive and steal. It turns the heart to stone, devoid of all natural affection, cruel, unkind. How many families are wrecked over the father’s will! The scramble for a share of the wealth smashes them to pieces. Covetous of rank and position in society, parents barter sons and daughters in ungodly marriage. Bodily health is no consideration. The uncontrollable fever for gold makes men renounce all their settled prospects, and undertake hazardous journeys—no peril can drive them back. It destroys faith and spirituality, turning men’s minds and hearts away from God. It disturbs the peace of the community by prompting to acts of wrong. Covetousness has more than once led nation to war against nation for the sake of gaining territory or other material resources. It is said that when the Spaniards came over to conquer Peru, they sent a message to the king, saying, “Give us gold, for we Spaniards have a disease that can only be cured by gold.” Dr. Boardman has shown how covetousness leads to the transgression of every one of the commandments, and I cannot do better than quote his words: “Coveting tempts us into the violation of the first commandment, worshipping Mammon in addition to Jehovah. Coveting tempts us into a violation of the second commandment, or idolatry. The apostle Paul expressly identifies the covetous man with an idolater: ‘Covetousness, which is idolatry.’ Again: Coveting tempts us into violation of the third commandment, or sacrilegious falsehood: for instance, Gehazi, lying in the matter of his interview with Naaman the Syrian, and Ananias and Sapphira, perjuring themselves in the matter of the community of goods. Again: Coveting tempts us into the violation of the fourth commandment, or Sabbath-breaking. It is covetousness which encroaches on God’s appointed day of sacred rest, tempting us to run trains for merely secular purposes, to vend tobacco and liquors, to hawk newspapers. Again: Coveting tempts us into the violation of the fifth commandment, or disrespect for authority; tempting the young man to deride his early parental counsels, the citizen to trample on civic enactments. Again: Covetousness tempts us into violation of the sixth commandment, or murder. Recall how Judas’ love of money lured him into the betrayal of his Divine Friend into the hand of His murderers, his lure being the paltry sum of—say—fifteen dollars. Again: Covetousness tempts us into the violation of the seventh commandment, or adultery. Observe how Scripture combines greed and lust. Again: Covetousness tempts us into the violation of the eighth commandment, or theft. Recall how it tempted Achan to steal a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight. Again: Covetousness tempts us into the violation of the ninth commandment, or bearing false witness against our neighbor. Recall how the covetousness of Ahab instigated his wife Jezebel to employ sons of Belial to bear blasphemous and fatal testimony against Naboth, saying, ‘Thou didst curse God and the king.’ ” HOW TO OVERCOME You ask me how you are to cast this unclean spirit out of your heart? I think I can tell you. In the first place, make up your mind that by the grace of God you will overcome the spirit of selfishness. You must overcome it, or it will overcome you. Paul said: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” I heard of a rich man who was asked to make a contribution on behalf of some charitable object. The text was quoted to him—“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” He said that the security might be good enough, but the credit was too long. He was dead within two weeks. The wrath of God rested upon him as he never expected. If you find yourself getting very miserly, begin to scatter, like a wealthy farmer in New York state I heard of. He was a noted miser, but he was converted. Soon after, a poor man who had been burned out and had no provisions, came to him for help. The farmer thought he would be liberal and give the man a ham from his smoke-house. On his way to get it, the tempter whispered to him: “Give him the smallest one you have.” He had a struggle whether he would give a large or a small ham, but finally he took down the largest he could find. “You are a fool,” the devil said. “If you don’t keep still,” the farmer replied, “I will give him every ham I have in the smoke- house.” Mr. Durant told me he woke up one morning to find that he was a rich man, and he said that the greatest struggle of his life then took place as to whether he would let money be his master, or he be master of money, whether he would be its slave, or make it a slave to him. At last he got the victory, and that was how Wellesley College came to be built. In the next place, cultivate the spirit of contentment. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Contentment is the very opposite of covetousness, which is continually craving for something it does not possess. “Be content with such things as ye have,” not worrying about the future, because God has promised never to leave or forsake you. What does the child of God want more than this? I would rather have that promise than all the gold of the earth. Would to God we might all be able to say with Paul—“I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.” The Lord had made him partaker of His grace, and he was soon to be a partaker of His glory, and earthly things looked very small. “Godliness with contentment is great gain,” he wrote to Timothy; “having food and raiment, therewith let us be content.” Observe that he puts godliness first. No worldly gain can satisfy the human heart. Roll the whole world in, and still there would be room. May God tear the scales off our eyes if we are blinded by this sin. Oh, the folly of it, that we should set our heart’s affections upon anything below! “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.… Be thou not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall take nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” J I Packer - Be Content In the tenth commandment, “you shall not covet,” God’s searchlight moves from actions to attitudes, from motions to motives, from forbidden deeds to forbidden desire. The word for “covet” conveys the thought of seeking dishonest and dishonorable gain. Coveting appears here as first cousin to envy: you see what someone else has, and you want to grab it for yourself, as Ahab wanted to grab Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. In Colossians 3:5, Paul calls coveting idolatry, because the things coveted become your god, controlling your life. Coveting is a root of all social evil; desires that burst the bounds beget actions to match. David took Bathsheba (thus, by theft, breaking the eighth commandment) and got her pregnant (thus breaking the seventh) and then to avoid scandal arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed (thus breaking the sixth), and it all began with David coveting his neighbor’s wife, in breach of the tenth (see 2 Samuel 11). Similarly, Ahab’s coveting of Naboth’s vineyard next door led to the framing of Naboth by false witness (breaking the ninth commandment), his judicial murder (breaking the sixth), and his vineyard being forfeited to the crown—in other words, legally stolen (breaking the eighth). Then there was Achan (Joshua 7; note verse 21), and also Judas, whose coveting led him to break first the eighth commandment (John 12:6) and then the sixth and ninth together as he betrayed Jesus to death by a simulated act of homage (Matthew 26:48–50), all for money (Matthew 26:14–16; cf. 27:3–5). Perhaps Paul had Achan and Judas in mind, as well as folk known to him directly, when he wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Called to Contentment Put positively, “you shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s” is a call to contentment with one’s lot. The contentment which the tenth commandment prescribes is the supreme safeguard against temptations to break commandments five to nine. The discontented man, whose inner itch makes him self-absorbed, sees other people as tools to use in order to feed his greed, but the contented man is free as others are not to concentrate on treating his neighbor right. “There is great gain in godliness with contentment,” wrote Paul (1 Timothy 6:6). Scripture presents contentment as a spiritual secret. It is one dimension of happiness, which is itself the fruit of a relationship. Toplady focuses this superbly in a poem beginning “Happiness, thou lovely name, Where’s thy seat, O tell me, where?” He writes: Object of my first desire, Jesus, crucified for me! All to happiness aspire, Only to be found in thee. Thee to please and thee to know Constitute our bliss below, Thee to see and thee to love Constitute our bliss above. Whilst I feel thy love to me, Every object teems with joy; Here, O may I walk with thee, Then into thy presence die! Let me but thyself possess, Total sum of happiness! Real bliss I then shall prove, Heaven below, and heaven above. Knowing the love of Christ is the one and only source from which true contentment ever flows. Jesus diagnosed, however, one mortal enemy to contentment: worry (see Matthew 6:25–34). But, he said, for a child of God (and every Christian is that) worry, which is in any case useless, since it can improve nothing (verse 27), is quite unnecessary. Why? Because “your heavenly Father knows” your needs (verse 32) and can be relied on to supply them as you “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (verse 33). Not to see this, and to lose one’s contentment in consequence, shows “little faith” (verse 30). The God whose fatherhood is perfect can be trusted absolutely to care for us on a day-to-day basis. So to realize that while planning is a duty and worry is a sin, because God is in charge, and to face all circumstances with an attitude of “praise God, anyway” is a second secret of the contented life. Nor is this all. Look at Paul, a contented man if ever there was one. From prison he wrote, “Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content … I have learned the secret of facing … abundance and want. I can do all things [i.e., all that I am called to do] in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11–13). The open secret to which Paul alludes here is fully spelled out in Hebrews 13:5ff.—“Put greed out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I will not fail you or desert you, and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord to help me, I fear nothing: what can man do to me?” (JB). To realize the promised presence of one’s loving Lord, who both orders one’s circumstances and gives strength to cope with them, is the final secret of content. Directing Desire We are all, of course, creatures of desire; God made us so, and philosophies like Stoicism and religions like Buddhism which aim at the extinction of desire are really inhuman in their thrust. But desire that is sinfully disordered needs redirecting, so that we stop coveting others’ goods and long instead for their good, and God’s glory with and through it. When Thomas Chalmers spoke of “the expulsive power of a new affection,” he was thinking of the way in which knowledge of my Savior’s love diverts me from the barren ways of covetous self-service, to put God first, others second, and self-gratification last in my concerns. How much do we know in experience of this divine transforming power? It is here that the final antidote to covetousness is found. Exodus 20:18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. NET Exodus 20:18 All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking– and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance. NLT Exodus 20:18 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. ESV Exodus 20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off LXE Exodus 20:18 And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared and stood afar off, KJV Exodus 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. NIV Exodus 20:18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ASV Exodus 20:18 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. CSB Exodus 20:18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. NKJ Exodus 20:18 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. NRS Exodus 20:18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, YLT Exodus 20:18 And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off, NAB Exodus 20:18 When the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the mountain smoking, they all feared and trembled. So they took up a position much farther away NJB Exodus 20:18 Seeing the thunder pealing, the lightning flashing, the trumpet blasting and the mountain smoking, the people were all terrified and kept their distance. GWN Exodus 20:18 All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram's horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. All the people perceived - Ex 19:16-18 stood at a distance - Ps 139:7,8 Jer 23:23 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FEARFUL WITHDRAWAL AT GOD'S MANIFEST PRESENCE! Now the divine delivery of the Decalogue is completed. The question is how will Israel respond? Remember their response to Moses in Exodus 19:8+ "All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD." Is this still Israel's response? Responding to Moses was one thing, but now they have just experienced a "close encounter" of the God kind, a theophany, more accurately a verbal one with supernatural "special visual effects." All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking - There was no danger of going to sleep during this "sermon". God had their attention. But the subsequent course shows that an emotional response to God's revelation does not equate with a fear of Him which causes one not to sin. Proverbs 16:6 affirms this declaring "by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil." The mountain was smoking presumably because "the mountain was burning with fire." (Dt 5:23) Alan
Êxodo 20
Guzik has an interesting comment - In following generations, Israel interpreted the law downward so it could be more easily obeyed, removing the heart and intent of the law. Jesus exposed this shallow understanding of the law in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17–48). This progressed to the point where Saul of Tarsus could say and mean of himself, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, [I was counted] blameless (Philippians 3:6). John Currid observes (I am not 100% sure I agree but is worth mentioning) writing that the Israelites "apparently fled from the mountain. When the commandments were delivered the people were standing ‘at the bottom of the mountain’ (19:17). Now they are standing ‘at a distance’. The Hebrew for ‘at a distance’ usually means ‘far away’ (see 1 Sam. 26:13; Isa. 22:3; 23:7)." Handfuls of Purpose - James Smith The Effect Produced. 1. THEY WERE APPALLED. “They removed and stood afar off” (chap. 20:18). This was all the nearness their good works could bring them. “Who is able to stand before this Holy Lord God?” (1 Sam. 6:20), said the men of Beth-shemesh. None without a Mediator. No man can come unto the Father but by Me. To approach God apart from the Cross of redemption is to come unto “fire and to blackness and darkness and tempest” (Heb. 12:18). 2. THEY DESIRED A MEDIATOR. “They said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and let not God speak with us lest we die” (chap. 20:19). The need of a Mediator is felt when sin is known (Job 9:30–33). The terrors of Sinai reveal the need of Calvary. Here is a mount that we must touch or die. “There is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). The New Way. “An altar shalt thou make, … and I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee” (chap. 20:24). Two kinds of sacrifices are named: “Burnt-offerings” and “Peace-offerings.” Christ is both; through the altar of His Cross He offered Himself unto God as a whole burnt-offering, that He might make peace through the blood of His Cross. God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. There I will meet you, and I will bless you. Jesus said, “I am the Way” (John 14:6). God’s eyes and heart are there perpetually (1 Kings 9:3). “By the deeds of the law shall no man be justified.” “By grace are ye saved.” The fiery fingers of the law points to the peace-speaking blood of atonement. “Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight” (Matt. 11:26). DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OLD AND NEW COVENANTS Augustine gave an insightful comment on the differences... “Notice how it happened there (OLD COVENANT) and how it happened here (NEW COVENANT). There, the people stood a long way off; there was an atmosphere of dread, not of love. I mean, they were so terrified that they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself, and do not let the Lord speak to us, lest we die.’ So God came down, as it was written, on Sinai in fire; but he was terrifying the people who stood a long way off, and ‘writing with his finger on stone,’ not on the heart [Exodus 20:19]. “Here (NEW COVENANT), however, when the Holy Spirit came, the faithful were gathered together as one; and he didn’t terrify them on a mountain but came in to them in a house. (Acs 2:2+) There came a sudden sound, indeed, from heaven, as of a fierce squall rushing upon them; it made a noise, but nobody panicked. You have heard the sound, now see the fire too (Acts 2:3+), because each was there on the mountain also (Mt Sinai, Mt Zion = Jerusalem), both fire and sound; but there, there was smoke as well, here, though, the fire was clear. ‘There appeared to them,’ the Scriptures says, you see, ‘divided tongues, as of fire.’ Terrifying them from a long way off? Far from it. Because ‘it settled upon each one of them, and they began to talk in languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ [Acts 2:1-4+] Hear a person speaking a language, and understand the Spirit writing not on stone but on the heart.” (Augustine, Sermon 155.6) Exodus 20:19 Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die." NET Exodus 20:19 They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die." NLT Exodus 20:19 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!" ESV Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." LXE Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, Speak thou to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die. KJV Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. NIV Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." ASV Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. CSB Exodus 20:19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die." NKJ Exodus 20:19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." NRS Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." YLT Exodus 20:19 and say unto Moses, 'Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.' NAB Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we shall die." NJB Exodus 20:19 'Speak to us yourself,' they said to Moses, 'and we will obey; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die.' GWN Exodus 20:19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we'll listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we'll die!" Speak to us yourself - De 18:16 Ac 7:38 let not God speak to us- Ex 33:20 Ge 32:30 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE PEOPLE CALL MOSES TO BE THEIR MEDIATOR Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen - The people plead with Moses, “You speak with us.” The imperative (Speak) is made doubly emphatic by the addition of the personal pronoun, as it is by the “promise” that they will “hear, listen attentively” to whatever Moses has to say to them. The idea of listen is not just to hear what Moses says, but to heed or obey what he says. At least at this moment, that was their intent, but as we see, they repeatedly failed to truly listen to Moses. Moses records a parallel description in Dt 5:25-28 ‘Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we will die. 26 ‘For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 (HERE THE PEOPLE CALL MOSES TO BE THEIR MEDIATOR) ‘Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.’ 28 “The LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. Guzik - After this, the people asked that God not speak with them directly, and that Moses be the messenger (Exodus 20:18–19). After this, Moses went back up the mountain to receive more revelation from God for the people (Exodus 20:21). (Enduring Word Commentary - Exodus 20) But let not God speak to us, or we will die - In their fear they want God to stop speaking. They have mentioned dying several times since coming out of Egypt and here they mention it again. MacArthur suggests their exclamation is because in the presence of pure holiness, the people perceived "such was the gap between them and their holy God that they feared they were not fit to live in His presence." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) In one sense of course they were correct, but that was true even of Moses who was also a sinner. The writer of Hebrews seems to be alluding to this event writing... For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind (Ex 19:16,19, Ex 20:18), 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words (Ex 20:1-17, Dt 5:24) which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.” (Hebrews 12:18-21+) Oswald Chambers - Must I listen? And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. Exodus 20:19. We do not consciously disobey God, we simply do not heed Him. God has given us His commands; there they are, but we do not pay any attention to them, not because of wilful disobedience but because we do not love and respect Him. “If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments.” When once we realize that we have been ‘disrespecting’ God all the time, we are covered with shame and humiliation because we have not heeded Him. “Speak thou with us … but let not God speak with us.” We show how little we love God by preferring to listen to His servants only. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we do not desire that God Himself should speak to us. Why are we so terrified lest God should speak to us? Because we know that if God does speak, either the thing must be done or we must tell God we will not obey Him. If it is only the servant’s voice we hear, we feel it is not imperative, we can say, ‘Well, that is simply your own idea, though I don’t deny it is probably God’s truth.’ Am I putting God in the humiliating position of having treated me as a child of His while all the time I have been ignoring Him? When I do hear Him, the humiliation I have put on Him comes back on me—‘Lord, why was I so dull and so obstinate?’ This is always the result when once we do hear God. The real delight of hearing Him is tempered with shame in having been so long in hearing Him. (My Utmost for His Highest) Exodus 20:20 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 may remain with you, so that you may not sin." NET Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you so that you do not sin." NLT Exodus 20:20 "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!" ESV Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." LXE Exodus 20:20 And Moses says to them, Be of good courage, for God is come to you to try you, that his fear may be among you, that ye sin not. KJV Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. NIV Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." ASV Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. CSB Exodus 20:20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not sin." NKJ Exodus 20:20 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." NRS Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin." YLT Exodus 20:20 And Moses saith unto the people, 'Fear not, for to try you hath God come, and in order that His fear may be before your faces -- that ye sin not.' Do not be afraid - 1Sa 12:20 Isa 41:10 test - Ex 15:25,26 Ge 22:1,12 De 8:2 13:3 fear - Ge 20:11 De 6:2 Dt 10:12 Jos 24:14 Ne 5:15 Job 28:28 Pr 1:7 Pr 3:7 Isa 8:13 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries TWO PURPOSES OF GOD'S PERSONAL PRESENTATION Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid - Moses first addresses their shaking fear. The Septuagint has tharseo in the present imperative commanding them to "Be of good courage." As John