God’s Covenant Stipulations—Lectionary Reflection for Lent 3B (Exodus 20)

God Gives Moses the Ten Commandments, Alex Levine

Exodus 20:1-17 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

20 Then God spoke all these words,

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; ³ you shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me ⁶ but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

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                If you are of a certain age, you may have grown up watching Moses (aka Charlton Heston) receive the Ten Commandments from God, most likely on Easter evening. We may know these commandments from that epic movie, or perhaps from political debates over placing the commandments in schools and courthouses across the country. It’s a lively debate in places like Arizona, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, and elsewhere. Secular opponents raise concerns over the separation of church and state, though there are religious reasons for not posting them in public places. One might ask why these religiously inspired words should be displayed in public spaces. After all, the opening commandments speak of one’s allegiance to God, and God alone. So, what is the motivation? Could it be an expression of Christian nationalism? Is it an attempt to impose a particular religious perspective on the public by Christians, even though these commandments were given in the context of God’s covenant with Israel?

                While debate rages over the placement of the Commandments in public spaces, on the Third Sunday of Lent the reading from the Old Testament is Exodus 20:1-17. This is the passage in Exodus where the commandments are first revealed. There is a slightly different version in Deuteronomy 5:1-21. It is important that we remember that whether we make use of the version in Exodus or the one in Deuteronomy, these ten or so stipulations serve as Israel’s guidelines for living in the covenant revealed to Israel through Moses. This is the third covenant we encounter in Year B of the Lenten season. The first covenant revealed is that made with all creation through Noah (Genesis 9). The second covenant is the one made with Abram and Sarai, whose names are changed to Abraham and Sarah as a sign that they will be the ancestors of nations (Genesis 17). These three covenants, the covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham and Sarah, and the covenant with Israel through the mediation of Moses, remind us that the God we as Christians embrace is a covenant-making God.  

                The reading from Exodus 20 includes the ten commands or stipulations, which God speaks to Moses, which Moses then relays to the people. As we see in Exodus 19, Moses serves as the mediator between God and the people because they are somewhat afraid of this God who appears with thunder and lightning. The commands we encounter in this passage serve as a sort of preamble to a larger list of commands, which begin in verse 22 and continue through chapter 31. It is only after God finishes speaking to Moses in Exodus 31:18 that the ten covenant stipulations are recorded on the two stone tablets. They are the work of God, who writes on the stone with God’s finger. While Moses is up on the mountain receiving all this guidance from God, the people get impatient, so they talk Aaron into creating a golden calf to represent God for them. So, when Moses finally descends from the mountain, carrying the stone tablets, he was so disturbed by the sight and sound of the people dancing around the golden calf that he throws down the tablets to the ground, shattering them (Exodus 32). While God wrote the first set of commands in Exodus 31, God commanded Moses to make a second set as the people left Sinai (Exodus 34:1-4). Of course, this set was not officially recorded by God, but the people now had a set of guidelines for covenant life as they moved toward the Promised Land.

                While the commandments were designed to define the nature and purpose of God’s covenant with Israel, in the intervening years they have, you might say, entered the public domain. In fact, as noted above, the commandments are often treated as if they are the foundation of the American legal system. They have been, you might say, secularized. The only problem is that the first commandment gets quite specific about one’s relationship with God. The opening word makes this clear: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;  you shall have no other gods before me” (Exod 20:2-3). It’s quite clear: “You shall have no other gods before me.” There is no room here for any form of idolatry, which is why the Hebrew people are forbidden to create “graven instruments” such as a golden calf. But even if we don’t make golden calves, are there other ways we can engage in idolatry and thus break these rules?

                As we ponder these commands, some of which relate to God’s relationship with the people of Israel and others with the people’s relationship with each other, though these latter commands are encompassed by the commands dealing with the divine relationship, it is worth noting that eight of ten are posed in negative terms. That is, they open with the words “Thou Shalt Not!” That is because, as Ron Allen and Clark Williamson point out, “negative mitzvoth deal with the parameters of behavior.” Therefore, they conclude that “Torah is given that we may have life and well-being” [Preaching the Old Testament, p. 95]. That context is defined by the opening words where God reminds the people that God had brought them out of Egypt. These words form for Jews, the first command. From there we hear God forbid worship of other gods as well as make images of them. After all, the God who called Israel out of Egypt cannot be imaged. No words, images, or metaphors can fully capture the nature of God. Thus, as Allen and Williamson point out: “Banning images protects God’s communion with us as much as it does God’s transcendence” [Preaching the Old Testament, p. 96]. Not only are we not to worship other gods or make images of them, but we should not wrongfully use God’s name. This is not a prohibition against cussing (though I’m not a big fan of cussing and swearing—it’s the way I was raised). What this command does is call attention to misuses of God’s name. As Allen and Williamson note, we might think here of the way politicians use God’s name in support of their policies and proposals, including support for the nation in times of war. We might also think of “Empty talk, chap grace, easy religion, self-interest parading as piety: the church should speak against all wrongful use of the name of God” [Preaching the Old Testament, p. 96]. The final command that focuses on the divine-human relationship also serves as a transitional command. That is the command to keep the Sabbath, a command that speaks of the nature of God and our relationship with God, but also speaks to how we live with each other. Perhaps you are like me and you find it difficult to make time for sabbath rest. I am a doer, but this command asks us to slow down a bit so we can focus our attention on God. Why might this be important? Consider again how the passage opens. Think of how God self-identifies. It is not as creator but as liberator.

                With God’s self-introduction in mind, we can interpret this command as to the keeping of the Sabbath. Thus, Rabbi Barry Schwartz writes: “Note that while God could have been introduced as the creator of the world, God is instead presented as liberator of the people. The Torah surely reminding us that the demanding and commanding God is first and foremost the liberating God. Concurrently, the text is also teaching us that there cannot be revelation without liberation. [Barry Schwartz, Path of the Prophets, p. 33]. With that in mind, we can better understand the purpose of this command to keep the Sabbath. With God as liberator, then true freedom comes to us through our relationship with God who invites us to rest from our labors. Sabbath laws often become burdensome, but for a people who had been enslaved and who could not rest from their labors, not that they are free, they can receive the Sabbath rest as a gift of God.

                While the opening set, the first table of the Law (Torah) addresses the covenant relationship between God and God’s people, the second set or table addresses the way the covenant people live with each other. While these commands might have value for the wider public, they are specifically designed to define the covenant community. This second set defines the way God’s people are to live with each other. You might say that the first table of the Law can be summarized with the Shema, that declaration regarding our relationship with God, such that we are to love God with our entire being. It’s why we shouldn’t embrace other gods (Deut. 6:4-5). The commands we encounter in the second table of the Law can be summarized by the command to love one’s neighbor (Lev. 19:18).  When it comes to the second great command that speaks of loving our neighbors, we hear prohibitions of such things as murder, stealing, bearing false witness. While these commands don’t appear controversial, keeping them is not easy. We might not kill anyone, but what about bearing false witness? Have you ever shared anything on social media that might not be true? After all, it’s easy to repost things that look plausible but might be false and even destructive. Then there is the word about coveting, which has been suggested as being the foundational command.

When we covet something or someone, this internal urge or desire can lead to engaging in acts that were already prohibited, such as stealing, killing, bearing false witness, and more. So, unlike the other rules, including honoring one’s parents, the rules regarding covetousness speak to something internal. Allen and Williamson write concerning this command: “If the tenth word had only to do with so-called ‘externals,’ it would add nothing to the first nine because not stealing and committing adultery have already been addressed. A major educational task of the Christian community is to educate the feelings and desires of its members, to help the community practice being the people it is given to be” [Preaching the OldTestament, p. 98]. This is something that Jesus understood when he spoke of internal feelings and urges in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:21-30).  

                As we consider these nine to ten words that describe the covenant relationship, we might consider them to be mediating words. In addition to the ten words, there are another six hundred and thirteen rules or mitzvot that make up the entirety of Torah (Law). The entirety of the Torah, however, can be summarized, as Jesus himself did, in those two commands to love God and neighbor (Matt 22:34-40).

                As we continue our Lenten Journey this word from Exodus 20 reminds us that God makes covenants and those covenants involve behavioral expectations. They are not intended to enslave us but to liberate us, for the God revealed on Sinai is the God who brings freedom. As we consider these words, might we also find true freedom in service to the liberating God? Yes, there are stipulations, but they are designed to free us to love God and our neighbor.