Seder 59: Exodus 20---Numbering and Grouping the Ten Commandments

 The principles that God spoke from Mount Sinai in the third month of the first year of the Exodus are identified as the Ten Commandments in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; and Deuteronomy 10:4.  It has also been traditional to divide the ten into two groups, corresponding to love for God and love for neighbor.  

But the list does not come with numbers, and there are several traditions on how to number them.  Biblical scholar and pastor Michael LeFebvre advocates using literary clues in the text to guide us in formulating a numbering.  

He observes that there are fourteen imperative statements in the list, so some groups of these will need to be combined.  He also notes that there are five statements of purpose for the imperatives in the first part of the list (Ex 20: 2, 5, 7, 11, 12), and that the phrase "the LORD your God" appears five times (in verses 2,5,7,10,12).  These features suggest having one statement of purpose and one use of this phrase in each of the first five commandments.  Lefebvre has verses 2-3 as the first commandment, verses 4-6 as the second commandment, verse 7 as the third, verses 8-11 as the fourth, and verse 12 as the fifh.  This division corresponds to the numbering in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.  

In the case of the first commandment with this numbering, the statement of purpose precedes the imperative.  This purpose statement---"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery"---gives the setting for the entire list.  

LaFebvre sees the fifth item---respect for parents----as a hinge between the the groups of commandments.  The purpose statement in verse 12 indicates that Israel's future as a nation depends on each generation learning from the previous ones.  For Israel to succeed, each generation would need to honor its parents by learning from them.  

The literary structure in the rest of the list is different.  Gone are the purpose statements and mentions of "the Lord your God".  These are simply short statements of imperatives, starting in verse 13.  In the later account of Deuteronomy 5, the items are punctuated by a series of "ands."

The final two imperatives are combined into the tenth commandment on coveting.  These last two imperatives run in parallel.  The Exodus 20 version has the same verb in each imperative.  The penultimate imperative forbids coveting the "house"---i.e.. the household---of one's neighbor, and the final imperative lists several parts of a household.  

The "coveting commandment" serves to highlight the selfishness that leads to the violation of the previous commandments in the list.  The tenth commandment is unique in ANE law codes in prohibiting an attitude.  

Seder 59: Isaiah 34-35---Renewal in the Wilderness

 The image of a wilderness or desert (midbar in Hebrew) has multiple connotations in the Bible.  As a dry and desolate place, it can represent judgment or spiritual ruin.  An example is in the prophecy of Isaiah 34, where God announces that the nations will be judged for opposing his plan to bring blessing to the world through the descendants of Abraham (vv 1-4, 8).  

Edom is presented as an example.   The Edomites had a long history of opposing the Israelites, beginning in the fortieth year of the Exodus (Nu 20:14-21).  Later they rejoiced as Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians (Ps 137:7; Obadiah 10-14).  As a result, Edom would receive a punishment that the text compares to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were in that region (vv 9-10).  Their land would become unfit for human habitation, an abode of unclean creatures (vv 11-15).

On the other hand, the wilderness could be a place of revelation, renewal, and transformation.  We see this in the following chapter of Isaiah.  Isaiah 35 pictures a blossoming of the desert, with physical and spiritual healing for those who follow God.

Both of these wilderness motifs are present in the Exodus.  For the older generation of Israelite men, the wilderness became the place where they would die.  But the wilderness was also the place where God nurtured, fed, and taught the Israelites.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 1, 2025, Kyle Kettering explained that at Mt. Sinai, God presented to the Israelites and the world a way of life promoting well-being in every sense.    

 Kyle related a rabbinic midrash based on a hyperliteral reading of Exodus 19:8,11, which report that "all the people answered together and said, `All that the LORD has spoken we will do,'' and that after three days of preparation, God would come at Sinai "in the sight of all the people."

Taking "all" in these verses in the mathematical sense of "every single one," the sages reasoned that for all the people to be able to see, hear, and follow God, God must have provided healing for those who were blind, deaf, or had other infirmities.  This teaching ties in well with the imagery of Isaiah 35:5-6.  

Christians see one fulfilmment of Isaiah 35 in the miraculous healings performed by Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was pleased to heal people to enable them to follow God in wholeness.  That kind of wholeness is what God desires for all of us. 

Seder 59: Exodus 19 and Exodus 3---the Sinai Sign

 Early in the third month of the first year of the Exodus  (traditionally around the time of Pentecost), the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb), as we read in Exodus 19:1-2.  

God had told Moses at the burning bush that they would reach this place. "...And this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you:  when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain" (Ex 3:12).  

God said this in response to Moses' concerns that he was not worthy for the job of leading Israel out of Egypt, and that the people were not likely to be willing to follow him.  Readers have often asked how this sign would address these concerns.  

Jewish teacher Sharon Rimon mentions several possible answers.  One creative one proposes that God is telling Moses, "Just as I can appear to Israel at a rather ordinary mountain, so I can work with an obscure shepherd."  

Another possibility is that when Moses tells the Israelites that they will be going to Sinai to worship God, they will understand that he does not want to bring them out of Egypt for his own personal gain.  Instead, they will be going to Sinai at God's behest for a special calling.  

Seder 59: Exodus 20---The Ten Commandments

 At Sinai God spoke the "ten words" or "ten commandments" directly to the Israelites (Exod 20:1; 34:28). The numbering is not specified in Exodus 20 (or Deut 5, where they are repeated), and there are three different traditional numberings---one Jewish and two Christian ones.  

In Jewish tradition the first "word" is in verse 2:  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

This preamble to the commandments is important.  It reminds us that the commandments are given in a context of grace to a people that has already been rescued.  They are loving instruction for a redeemed community, not a means of earning salvation.  

Verse 2 also states why the Israelites have an obligation to heed this instruction.  It comes from the one who delivered them, bringing them out of the "house of slavery."  The Israelites should never romanticize their time in Egypt, as they had a tendency to do  (e.g., Exod 16:3).  It was a place of slavery.

The fact that the commandments were given publicly in a place outside the land of Israel is significant.  These words are the basis of the Sinai covenant, and they are also important instruction for all people.  

There are many wonderful books on the Decalogue, and Exodus commentaries give great discussions of their meaning and significance.  One commandment whose scope is often underestimated is given in Exodus 20:7:  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."

The word for "take", nasa, means to "bear" or "carry."  The Israelites carry God's name in the sense that the are his representatives, and what they do will reflect upon his reputation in the world.  They are not to misrepresent him.  That's the full meaning of this commandment, going well beyond questions of the taking of oaths or use of language.   This is brought out in many sources now, most notably in Carmen Imes' book Bearing God's Name.  

Seder 59: Exodus 19, 1 Peter 2---God's Treasured Possession

 With the Exodus the Israelites changed masters.  They went from being slaves to Pharaoh to being servants of Yahweh, the King of the Universe.  

God rescued them for a purpose, and he revealed that purpose to them at Mt Sinai.  They were to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exod 19:6), God's instruments in the program he began with Abraham to bring blessing to all nations (Gen 12:1-3).  

As God's representatives, the Israelites were to 

• be an example to the nations;
• proclaim the truth, as Moses had to Jethro in Exod 18;
• intercede on  behalf of the nations;
• preserve God's word and promises.

The covenant made at Sinai would define how a whole nation of Abraham's descendants could carry out these things.  

The Israelites accepted God's "marriage proposal," saying "I do" (v 8).  They then had to undergo a program of purification in preparation for God's upcoming appearance (vv 9-15).  

We can compare Israel's preparation period at Sinai with the experience of Jesus' first disciples who waited for Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5, 13-14).   Through this remnant of Israel God began the New Covenant community.  

Peter later drew upon Exodus 19 and some additional scriptures to describe that community in 1 Peter 2:9-10: 

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Peter's references to a holy nation and royal priesthood come from Exodus 19.  The "chosen race" comes from Isa 43:20-21, where God refers to "my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."

The Greek for "his own possession" in 1 Peter 2:9 is eis peripoiesin.  Carmen Imes (Bearing God's Name, p 170) points out that this Greek term is found in the LXX only in Mal 3:17, a prophecy in which God speaks of taking a righteous remnant of Israel, a subset of his larger "treasured possession."

In 1 Peter 2:10, Peter refers to Hosea 2:23, a promise that God would readopt Israel and renew his covenant with them, so that they would again be his people.  Early Christians also saw in this prophecy a hint that God would be taking people from the nations, those who were formerly "not his people," and making them his people.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on June 12, 2021, Rob Wilson emphasized the importance of unity among the people of God.  He reminded us of a Jewish tradition, based on Exodus 19:2, that Israel (singular), as a single witnessing body, camped before Mt Sinai to hear the word of God. 

Seder 59: Psalm 50---Israel on Trial

 Psalm 50 is a prophetic oracle given through "Asaph the seer" (2 Chr 29:30).  In it the God who appeared at Sinai comes forth from Zion, calling heaven and earth as witnesses as he puts his people on trial (vv 1-6).

The Israelites cannot be accused of neglecting to offer sacrifices to God (verse 8).  But when they offer them in the attitude that they are just fulfilling an obligation, or are proud of themselves for offering one of "their animals," or hope to manipulate God through the sacrifices, then they are no better than the pagans.  Pagans believed that the gods needed to be fed, and that they could control the gods by feeding them.  But God, the owner of all the animals, does not need to be fed and has no interest in pagan sacrifices (vv 9-13).   

Instead, God wants his people to come before him with sacrifices given in thanksgiving, sincerity, and humility (vv 14-15).  

God also warns that it is useless to be pay lip service to his covenant while living in disobedience and approving of others who are disobedient (vv 16-20).  God is patient, so one may not be punished immediately for such behavior (v 21), but judgment will come eventually (v 22).  The final word:  "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"