The Ten Commandments, certainly a most unusual event in our world’s history, when God descended in fire and lightings and billowing smoke, with ground shaking, and noise and loud trumpet blast, then spoke the words of the Ten Commandments to about two million Israelites assembled at the foot of the mountain… quaking in fear at the sight…
“On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.”
Exodus 19:16-19 NLT
“Then God gave the people all these instructions:
1 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me.
2 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
3 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
4 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
5 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
6 “You must not murder.
7 “You must not commit adultery.
8 “You must not steal.
9 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
10 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.””
Exodus 20:1-17 NLT
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The Ten Commandments, spoken by God Himself, and written by His own finger into the two tablets of stone, were the major component of the Old Covenant.
“He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments—which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets.”
Deuteronomy 4:13 NLT
“When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.”
Exodus 31:18 NLT
“Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.” Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.””
Exodus 24:6-8 NLT
This blood represents the blood of Jesus, the blood which will ratify the New Covenant, and which will confirm God’s solution, the real solution to the sin problem. This blood is a serious reminder of the cost to God for providing these Covenantal promises. It demonstrates His love in action, and hopes for a heartfelt willing obedience to this Covenant obligations.
The Ten Commandments and the Covenant God made with His people at Mount Sinai – were the basis of relationship of commitment between God and the emerging nation of Israel. They responded by saying: “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.” But as the sad record of history shows, we utterly failed to live up to this commitment.
Even though God knew in advance that this was coming, He was serious when He made that Covenant. He had great plans for Israel. He gave them every chance to see and understand what He was doing – hoping that they will choose life – and live. Hoping they will choose Him and give Him their hearts. Give Him their loyalty and allegiance.
Apart from the Awesome Divine Powers exhibited in Egypt, and the exodus itself, and at the Red Sea, and at Mount Sinai – we read of God’s divine powers He pledged to exercise on Israel’s behalf against their enemies – as He walked ahead of them as their Leader. As their God and their King. We read of the extraordinary vision God unfolded at that time concerning the power and glory and influence Israel would have in this world – if they keep faithfully to the terms of that Covenant. If they obey and live in God’s ways. He certainly wasn’t giving up on them. He hoped, and waited, and pleaded…
“Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever. But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.””
Psalms 81:13-16 NLT
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““See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars. “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives. “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you. “Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.””
Exodus 23:20-33 NLT
““Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.”
Deuteronomy 4:32-34 NLT
“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.”
Deuteronomy 8:2-6 NLT
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.”
Deuteronomy 8:7-10 NLT
Yes. There is condition. If you will keep my commandments. It seems everything in life hinges on conditions. God said: If you obey Me…
Yes. There were few. The precious few. God calls them ‘the remnant’. There always are a few. They recognise God’s love and faithfulness. They see it as a great privilege to be thus invited to serve the living God. And they give Him everything they’ve got. Thrilled to obey Him. To follow Him. To trust Him. To wait for Him. To hope.