The Ten Commandments
One of the more unfortunate aspects of religion is our tendency to fixate on an icon or sound bite that speaks to us individually (or collectively to a subset of us). We then lift out that phrase or icon and anticipate that it will explain everything to everyone. Sadly, this is not true.
The Ten Commandments have become such an icon or sound bite in the American culture wars. To the faithful, they explain everything in straightforward terms. This is how we should behave. Period. Done. Move on. Unfortunately, this, like all dogmatic approaches, creates unintended hostilities. The problem is that the Ten Commandments, like most parts of the Bible, are not that simple. So, let's take a look closer look at them.
First, we need a little background. Remember the story. The Hebrew people had just come out of Egypt They were wandering around and in need of some structure. Moses went up to commune with God and got some instructions. Several important things happen in this story. One is that God reveals a new name to Moses. YAHWEH. Then, once they are finished, Moses comes down from the mountain to learn that less faithful minds have prevailed in his absence, and the Hebrews have created an idol to worship.
Now. First, the name God reveals is very important. Before this time, the Hebrew scriptures used a generic term, Elohim, to designate God. Now, however, God has revealed a name. YAHEW. This is significant in at least two ways. First, now the Hebrews will begin a new and more organized understanding of their God. Second, the name itself is the underpinning of the development of Monotheism as we know it. God has revealed a name that means: "I am that I am." in other words, God is, as theologian Paul Tillich has said, "the ground of all being."
Secondly, we come to the surprise of the Golden Calf. As we read the text many centuries later, we wonder how this happened. Well, the group of slaves that left Egypt was an amalgamation of peoples, not just the Hebrews. Remember that at this point in Hebrew history, they were all "henotheists." While worshipping their God, they did not discount the existence or power of other Gods. So, being in a new, uncharted territory, they were easily persuaded that their difficulties were because they were now in the territory of another God, and they needed to pay homage to that God.
So. Moses gets angry, breaks the tablets he has brought down from the mountain, destroys the Golden Calf, and goes back up to speak with God. Now, we can see the reasoning for the very first Commandment. You shall have no other Gods before me.
Also, there is some debate about whether the Commandments are divided into two sections. The first section, comprised of the first five commandments, concerns people's responsibilities toward God. The second five commandments concern living within a faithful community. Other scholars believe that all ten Commandments are structured to support faithful worship and obedience to YAHWEH. Indeed, it is clear that the primary responsibility of the Hebrew people is to protect and perpetuate the worship of YAHWEH.
As we look back on this, thousands of years later, our understanding of the nature and intent of these Commandments is colored by the history of Christianity. We see them in a much more simply than their original intent.
First, for Christians, there is no question of "other Gods." Or is there? The development of Christianity has indeed replaced the God YAHWEH with Jesus. The doctrine of the Trinity was created to help explain and justify this transition. While the Trinity is firmly rooted in modern Christian thought and practice, it was not until three hundred years after Jesus' death that it was formulated and became a firm part of Christian orthodoxy. But that is a discussion for Christology not here.
So.. The first Commandment establishes the ground rules. God is telling His people that they owe Him their worship and obedience. After all, He brought them out of slavery.
The second Commandment: Exodus 20:4-6: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
This Commandment is pretty clear, for the most part. Roman Catholicism has muddied the water a bit with the introduction of Saints and statues of the Virgin Mary. While believers offer prayers before statues of Mary and some Saints, the theory is that they are not transgressing this commandment because these are not Gods, and prayers offered to them are for advice, not worship. This makes more sense when we realize that the original context of the Commandment was in the henotheistic ancient world. In that world, gods and goddesses were pictured and worshipped in stone. YAHWEH was letting His people know that He could not be captured in any image. This, along with the enigmatic name He gave Moses, underscores the mystery and majesty of the one God.
The third Commandment: 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.” This commandment is intended to protect the image and respect due to God. It gets confused in our culture as a prohibition against swearing. That is not exactly what was meant at the time. The name of God, as the name of all people, was considered to have great power. The ancient Hebrews and their neighbors all believed that if someone knew your name, they could have power over you. They could use your name loosely and defame your reputation. Using the name of God out of a worshipful context would be profane. Notice we are talking about the name of God, the word God.
However, it underscores the danger of idle use of words. Jesus would later remind people in Matthew 12:36, 37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Fourth Commandment: Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Okay! Well, this is one that almost all Christians violate every week! While there are a couple of Protestant denominations that celebrate the Sabbath (which is Saturday), most celebrate Sunday as "The Lord's Day" in recognition of the Resurrection. Each Sunday was to be celebrated as a "little Easter." We have somehow managed in our quest for convenience and profit, forgotten that bit about work on the Sabbath, whether it is Saturday or Sunday. In a multi-religious society, it would be discriminatory to force non-Christians to close up shop and not be able to work on what is not their religious day. We used to do that. When I was a child, nothing except drug stores and gas stations were open on Sundays. I have a feeling that it was not respect for non-Christians that changed that practice.
The clear intent of this Commandment was to ensure that all people had a full day both to rest and reflect on the gifts their God had given them. YAHWEH was well aware of how commerce could become a god in itself.
The Fifth Commandment: Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” This Commandment marks the transition toward the community. On the one hand, God emphasizes honoring parents because they are the continuity of the faith. What they have taught is to be respected and continued. However, it also clarifies the children's responsibilities to parents in a community where the elderly will need care. These were tribal people. Each tribe was a small nation unto itself, and elders were responsible for law and order.
The Sixth Commandment clearly establishes community order: Exodus 20:13 states, “You shall not murder.” This is often translated as Thou shall not kill. What society could survive without such a prohibition? It is sometimes thought of as a prohibition against all killing. However, at that time, God was aware that wars would require what some would consider "righteous killing." I am not sure the dead soldier would agree, but there we have it. As long as politicians feel the need to take over other countries, we will have this problem.
The Seventh Commandment: Exodus 20:14: “You shall not commit adultery.” Well, this one needs some careful explanation. It is one our society ignores on a pretty regular basis. However, its original intention was to keep bloodlines pure. That is why in Judaism, heritage is traced through the mother; if a mother is Jewish, then the child is. There was a worry about who the father might be. Keep in mind, however, that at this time in Hebrew history, men were allowed multiple wives or concubines. This commandment has more to do with the legalities of the community and family heritage than with morality. Sexual mores were somewhat different in those days.
The Eighth Commandment: Exodus 20:15: “You shall not steal.” This one transcends time pretty well. Keep your hands to yourself and off other people's stuff. Again, it is a basic community rule. What is yours should be yours. It is a commandment that stands the test of time, even when most sealing is now done by manipulating invisible accounts in the cyber world. Yet it remains pretty clear.
The Ninth Commandment: Exodus 20:15: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This is an important commandment in that reputation was and is a critical part of our selves. Giving false witness, i.e., telling lies about someone, could damage their reputation. That could jeopardize their livelihood. Remember that word of mouth was the only real advertising method at that time. There was no media to assist or internet to search. Protecting a reputation was critical in many ways.
The Tenth Commandment: Exodus 20:15: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” This Commandment is a good sequel to the previous one. Not only should you not steal, but you should not want to steal. In other words, be happy with what you have, not looking at someone else and wishing you had what they have. This means a healthy perspective on life, your own and others. Taken with all the other commandments if a community followed them all, it is unlikely we would want something someone else has---except that God was well aware of human inability not to see and not want. Lust is a form of covetousness if that lust is directed at someone else's spouse.
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