Review Of Exodus 20

— by Victor Fawole

I welcome everyone to Exodus 20 – where we read of the “Big Ten” – the heart of God’s Law to Israel. When Israel chose to enter into a condition-based covenant with God, they were expressing their willingness to submit to His authority. We are to take the Law as the national constitution of Israel under God. It was specifically given to them at a certain time and in a certain place. The Law dictated how they should live in order to be blessed by God. It dictated their conduct and their worship. The Law revealed the unmatchable standard of holiness that God expected of them.

Let us review these commandments. I will quote New Testament references that connect with each commandment. Drawing their parallels with New Covenant instructions for every believer does not mean we are under the law for righteousness; rather, it means that we understand the heart of God as regards oue relationship with Him and our relationship with men. Let us move on…

1. THE VERTICAL
The first four commandments are primarily vertical, directly guiding their walk with God. Again, I’d love to state clearly that we are not under the Law in matters of righteousness. These New Testament parallels / instructions are to guide our relationship with God. Let us check them out:

• Command 1: NO OTHER GODS

1Cor. 8:4-6 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

There are two subtle ways that many people have other gods. The first way is in what we love. I mean our desires. Because of our fallen nature, we all must fight against the love of self, the love of money and the love of the world (2Tim. 3:1-5). The second way is in what we trust. When we trust in our wisdom and strength to get out of problems, we are taking them as gods. When we trust in our talents and wealth, we take them as gods. When we trust in our good works to get into heaven, we take them as gods. Our trust should be in God alone! (Psa. 20:7)

• Command 2: HAVE NO IDOLS

1John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

This command is about worshipping the true God in the right way. God refuses to be worshipped by means of images. Idols confuse the Creator with His creation. Idols make one worship the creation rather than the Creator. Paul reminded Gentile believers of how salvation is a rejection of idols (1Thess.1:9-10).

God is jealous when His people worship other gods. His holiness cannot cope with a rival, just as a husband cannot tolerate having a rival. In fact, in a greater sense! (Isa 54:5) He wants to be the FIRST and ONLY. All glory belongs to Him, and to Him only. Idolatry is spiritual adultery, and it is one special sin that God visited and punished regularly amongst the Israelites. It was punishable up to the fourth generation, in the sense that children are naturally influenced by their parent’s disobedience and naturally affected by the consequences. Children nurtured in an idolatrous environment tend to imbibe and practise the same idolatry, and put themselves in the path of God’s wrath. As believers, we should be careful not to entertain things that clearly connote idolatry in our homes. Idolatry puts a believer in communion with demons (1Cor. 10:19-20).

• Command 3: DO NOT MISUSE GOD’S NAME

Jam. 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgement.

Taking the name of God in vain is equal to treating God’s being, nature and essence as worthless. There are at least three common ways that people take the name of God in vain:

• Profanity:
  This is using the name of God in statements or discussions linked with blasphemy and cursing.
• Frivolity:
  This is using the name of God in a superficial, stupid way. Pastor Dammy once called our attention and cautioned us from consuming comedy skits that use God’s (or Jesus’) name in a superficial way. The name that guarantees salvation must not be treated with frivolity.
• Hypocrisy:
  This is proclaiming the name of God but acting in a way that brings reproach to Him. There are people who use the name of God to fleece or extort people in a manipulative manner.
• Command 4: KEEP THE SABBATH

Col 2:16-17 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Remember that when God gave Israel manna, He had already taught them the principle that the Sabbath day was a special day (Exo. 16:22-30). This command has been reviewed by the introduction of the New Covenant, as we now celebrate the Lord’s Day. When we compare the Sabbath day with the Lord’s day, we find some interesting contrasts:

• The Sabbath was a memorial for the work of Creation; the Lord’s day is a memorial for the work of redemption.
• The Sabbath reminds us that God’s work of creation is great; the Lord’s day shows us that God’s work of redemption is greater. God created us by speaking, but He redeemed us by bleeding.
• The Sabbath shows the great wisdom of God in making us; the Lord’s day shows His miraculous wisdom in saving us.

To understand the true grace perspectives of Sabbath, I recommend that you listen to this teaching by Pastor Dammy: What Grace Says About The Sabbath Day

2. THE HORIZONTAL
The last six commandments are primarily horizontal, as they essentially deal with how they were to treat one another. Jesus identified most of them as sins that come from one’s heart (Matt. 15:19). Again, while we are not under the Law in matters of righteousness, we have parallel instructions in the New Testament to guide our relationship with men. Let us check them out:

• Command 5: HONOUR YOUR PARENTS

Eph. 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honour your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Obedience of children to their parents is a foundation stone for a healthy and stable society. Honouring one’s parents includes loving them, caring for them, respecting them, and submitting to their authority. This command is wise and good, because if the younger generations are constantly at war with older generations, the foundations of society will be destroyed. This is the only command in Scripture that promises long life as a reward. One way to know those who have a depraved mind is disobedience to parents (Rom. 1:30; 2Tim. 3:2).

• Command 6: DO NOT MURDER

1John 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

From our human perspective, murder is the physical act of taking another’s life. But God defines murder as any thought or feeling of deep-seated hatred or malice against another person. It is more than just a physical act. However, this command does not prohibit nations from armed conflicts or wars to protect their citizens from external aggression. Also, it does not prohibit governments from imposing capital punishment for serious crimes after a fair trial with conclusive evidence. It does not forbid law enforcement officers from using deadly force when necessary to protect the innocent. And, it does not forbid self-defence or defence of one’s family or of innocent victims if law enforcement officers are not on the scene.

• Command 7: NO ADULTERY

1Cor. 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

This command can either save or destroy a marriage and family, depending on whether it is obeyed or disobeyed. God requires moral purity even to the thought level, to protect the sanctity of the home and help us express the value that God places on faithfulness in relationships. Permit me to recommend Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: Emotional Stability Over Desires

• Command 8: NO STEALING

Eph. 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Recognizing God as our Creator and Provider is the best way to obey this command. We will understand that since everything ultimately belongs to God, we have no right to steal what He has given to someone else. A believer in Christ should not steal (Tit. 2:10, 1Pet. 4:15). Rather, he should work hard with his hands to provide for his own needs, and also share with the needy (Prov. 13:11, Eph. 4:28). A thief is too lazy to work and too selfish to share. Only Christ can transform a burglar into a benefactor.

People will most likely steal if:

• 1. There’s no chance of getting caught
• 2. It’s something they really need and can use
• 3. It’s a small item that won’t be missed
• 4. You know the organisation can afford it
• 5. They feel that everyone else takes little things

• Command 9: NO FALSE WITNESS

Col. 3:9-10 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

A society cannot function without righteous justice. Bearing false witness (giving false or half-true testimonies) undermines our integrity, undermines relationships, and damages other people. To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. Without a trustworthy judicial system, based on eyewitness testimony from reliable, truthful witnesses, societies are at the risk of the breakdown of law and order. When this happens, chaos ensues and the innocent suffer. To learn the proper use of our tongues, permit me to recommend Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: Proverbs About The Tongue

• Command 10: DO NOT COVET

Eph. 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Covetousness is the craving to have what someone else has. It stems from dissatisfaction with what we have, and jealousy towards those who have something better. It is strongly linked to idolatry (Col. 3:5, Luke 12:15). This command has to do with contentment and trust in God as the Faithful Provider of everything we need, not everything we want (1Tim. 6:6-10). Permit me to recommend Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: Proverbs About Your Greed

Knowing that believers are not under the law, how then should we approach the law in our continuous battle against temptations? Permit me to recommend Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: The Plaster of Temptation

3. THE WITHDRAWAL

Exo. 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.

For a long time, the Israelites have always enjoyed the blessings of God’s presence and displays. They were protected by the terror of God. They were delivered by the power of God. They have been blessed in spite of their lugubrious actions. But the moment law entered the matter, the modus operandi changed! Their first reaction after receiving the law was fright. Their fear did not connote reverence; rather, it was a shaking fear. They drew back and kept their distance. Instead of desiring to draw near, they now desired to draw away from God’s presence. How sad! In Christ, we are brought near (Eph. 2:13). We enjoy our Abba in nearness and dearness.

Exo. 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.”

Oh, wow! This fear really drove them farther from God! They have mentioned dying on several occasions since getting out of Egypt and here they repeat it again. The beauty of the gospel is that it brings life and life more abundantly. A solid thinking that is established in the gospel gravitates towards life and more life.

The Israelites asked Moses to be their mediator. This has been a yearning of man – desiring to have someone who would act as a link between (the imperfect) us and (the perfect) God.

Job 9:1-2, 32-33 Then Job answered and said: “Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God?… “For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both.

The holiness of God is a problem to man. We cannot approach God because we are sinners and He is righteous. We all need a mediator, and that is Christ.

1Tim. 2:5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time

Heb. 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Since Jesus is both God and man at the same time, He became our Mediator. Through the cross, He built a bridge between God and man. His mediation is the only means of salvation.

Dear Gogolights, let us rejoice in our Mediator who brought the New Covenant of grace to us. We are no longer bound by law for righteousness. Rather, we have received the robe of righteousness as a gift through faith. This is our blessedness in Christ.

Tag five people and tell them: Jesus is my Mediator!

God bless you for reading. We shall continue tomorrow.

Grace to you, Church!