Introduction: At Sinai, God establishes a covenant with His people. He is the Initiator of the contract. As the Initiator, God gives grace to His people and enters a relationship with them. God wants Israel to be His special people, His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Israel’s success will rest on their positive response to God’s loving guidance and to the mighty acts He performed on their behalf in Egypt and on the way to Sinai. God has already invited them to follow Him and proved that He plans to give them a bright future. If they only will keep His teachings and seek to cultivate a genuine relationship with Him, then God will be able to lead them in an unprecedented way to the Promised Land. They need to learn who He is and what He does for them in order to admire, love, obey, and worship Him. The gift of the Decalogue revealed the principles for a happy, balanced, and prosperous life.
Lesson Theme
Lesson Theme
By leading Israel out of Egypt and guiding them through the Red Sea and the wilderness to Mount Sinai, God desired to bring them to Himself (Exod. 19:4). For about a year, He taught them through this process. God was like a loving parent to His people, instructing them in what was best for their prosperity. The people saw how God defeated the Egyptian deities and cared for them through the plagues and their escape from Egypt. Then God gave them the most precious gift: the Decalogue, to teach them how to fear Him (Exod. 20:20). We reflect in this lesson on the different functions of God’s law.
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
The Decalogue forms the heart of God’s revelation and biblical ethics and presupposes salvation. It is the Magna Carta of biblical teaching, and its summation, the norm of all norms. It forms the substance and foundation of divine standards for all humanity; its principles are eternal. The Pentateuchal account of the giving of the Decalogue underlines that it was announced by God (Exod. 19:19; Exod. 20:1; Deut. 5:4, 5, 24) and also written by Him (Exod. 24:12, Exod. 31:18, Deut. 5:22). It was given twice to Moses as a special gift (Exod. 32:19; Exod. 34:1; Deut. 10:1, 2). In the book of Exodus, the Decalogue is called “the Testimony” (Exod. 31:18, NKJV) and “the words of the covenant” (Exod. 34:28, NKJV). The phrase “the Ten Commandments” is not used in the Hebrew, although they are referred to as being “commandments” in Exodus 20:6. Instead, the Decalogue is three times called “the Ten Words” (Hebrew: ‘aseret haddebarim; see the Hebrew usage in Exodus 34:28, Deut. 4:13, Deut. 10:4).
In both Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Decalogue lies at the beginning of the law collections and their interpretation. There are two versions of the Decalogue, with very slight differences; the first one is recorded in Exodus 20:1–17 and the second one in Deuteronomy 5:6–21. The second version presented orally by Moses to Israel occurred almost forty years later, just before they entered the Promised Land (Deut. 1:3, 4; Deut. 4:44–47), where now he emphasizes the redemption given them in the Exodus. When Paul summarized the law as being love, he quotes from the Decalogue (Rom. 13:8–10, Gal. 5:14). Love is indeed the sum of God’s law because He is the God of love (1 John 4:16).
Even though particular laws of the Decalogue were already known in a nutshell before Sinai, God Himself chose to formally present the Decalogue to His people and to humanity. That’s because these commandments reflect, in a systematic way, who He is, His character, and His values.
The function of the law is not to teach us to gain salvation through its observance. That is, we should keep the law of God not in order to be saved but because we are saved. The law is not a source of life but instead is the means by which we manifest and express the life we have.
In the Bible, the law of God also is seen in a very positive light (Matt. 5:16, 17; John 14:15; Gal. 3:21; 1 Cor. 7:19). One may create poems on the law (such as Psalm 119, a masterpiece), sing about the law (Psalm 19), and meditate on it day and night (Ps. 1:2, Josh. 1:8) because it keeps one from evil and gives wisdom, understanding, health, prosperity, and peace (Deut. 4:1–6, Proverbs 2, 3).
The Decalogue has several crucial functions:
God’s law is a warrant of freedom (Gen. 2:16, 17; James 2:12). It is like a fence that creates a large free space for life and warns that beyond a specific point lies danger, problems, complications, and death. There is no future for those who step outside the circle of freedom.
The law is a mirror (James 1:23–25). In it, we can see how dirty we are and how much we need to be cleansed. The Decalogue reveals our sinfulness; however, it cannot purify us from sin or guilt (Rom. 3:20).
God’s law is a signpost. As such, it leads us as a paidagogos, or schoolmaster, to Christ (Gal. 3:24). It points to Jesus, who cleanses, forgives our sins, and changes our lives (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 John 1:7–9).
The Decalogue is God’s promise to us. By proclaiming these laws, God promises that these standards will be part of our lives if we maintain a close relationship with Him. He is the Guarantor who will enable these standards to become our permanent lifestyle. We will be so intimate with Him that we will not desire what is prohibited. We shall happily stay in fellowship with Him, asking Him to perform this obedience in us by the power of His grace, Word, and the Holy Spirit.
In the Decalogue, commandments four and five are given in the Hebrew language as positive commands in the form of the infinitive absolute that has two meanings in legal material: a command or an emphatic promise (see E. Kautzsch, ed., _Gesenius_’ Hebrew Grammar [Oxford: Clarendon, 1910], pars. 113bb and 113ee). The other commandments are expressed as negative commands employing the negation particle l'o (“not”), plus jussive (like imperfect form). In addition to the fact that the meaning of such a Hebrew expression is a permanent prohibition, thus a commandment, it has been suggested that it also conveys a future situation, thus a promise (see Jacques B. Doukhan, Hebrew for Theologians: A Textbook for the Study of Biblical Hebrew in Relation to Hebrew Thinking [Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1993], p. 41). In light of this suggestion, a proper translation could be “you will not . . .” and not “you shall not. . . .” Support for the understanding of the Decalogue as a promise may be found in Judges 6:23, wherein the Lord promises Gideon: “ ‘You shall not die’ ” (NKJV). The grammatical construction in this sentence is exactly the same as in the Decalogue.
The Hebrew meaning of the term dabar, used to describe the Ten Commandments, does not necessarily mean “commandment” but “word” or “promise.” It depends on the English versions, but see, for example, the use of the noun dabar as “promise,” in 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Chronicles 1:9; Nehemiah 5:12, 13; and Psalm 105:42; and the uses of dabar as a verb, with the same meaning of “promising,” in Deuteronomy 1:11, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 9:28, Joshua 9:21, Joshua 22:4, and Joshua 23:5.
Ellen G. White confirms our interpretation with the following statement regarding the function of the Decalogue: “The ten commandments . . . are ten promises.”—Manuscript 41, 1896 [published in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105]. “In every command or injunction that God gives there is a promise, the most positive, underlying the command.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 76. She stresses that “the voice of God from heaven” speaks “to the soul in promise, ‘This do, and you will not come under the dominion and control of Satan.’ ”—Letter 89, 1898 [published in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105].
The law’s seeming restrictions are only for our good in order to maintain happiness and life (Mic. 6:8, John 10:10). The law is the norm of conduct for those who trust God and are saved by His grace through faith in Christ.
The place of the law in the new covenant is amazing—it is planted in the heart. The law is internalized (see Matt. 5:21–48) and should be seen not as a burden but as a joy. Those who live the Decalogue properly follow its promises with right motives, obeying its precepts out of gratitude and thankfulness for what God did, and is doing, for them. Grace does not change the law, but our attitude toward it does change. Paul is against legalism and against the misuse of God’s law but not against the law itself (Rom. 7:9–12).
Jesus Christ is the telos of the law (Rom. 10:4), meaning He is its goal and purpose—not the end—in the sense of a termination or cessation of its validity. Christ is the hermeneutical key that unlocks the law’s true meaning and purpose. Thus, it would be incorrect to state that Christ invalidated, terminated, superseded, or abrogated the law. Christ gives meaning to the law.
As Joshua reminded his audience, we are not able to obey God: “ ‘You are not able to serve the Lord’ ” (Josh. 24:19, NIV). However, when we ask God to take our weakness, He will make us strong. He will give us His Holy Spirit who will move us to obey Him (Ezek. 36:27). Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10, ESV). Obedience is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
Ask your students the following questions:
As humans, we can decide to do what is right only under the influence of God’s grace. We need to decide to obey Him, but we have no power to fulfill our decision or to follow Him. We need help in our fragility and weakness, help from outside of ourselves. The good news is that He provides willingness (which is a response to His call of love) and power to obey (Phil. 2:13). In a practical sense, how do you see these provisions at work in your own lives?
Whatever God commands, He enables His followers to do. Ellen G. White states that “all His biddings are enablings.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 333. From that perspective, the Ten Commandments are actually ten beatitudes. In what sense, and how, can God’s commandments enable believers to obey God?
Notes
Notes
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Part I: Overview
Key Text: Exodus 19:4–6
Study Focus: Exod. 19:1–20:20
Introduction: At Sinai, God establishes a covenant with His people. He is the Initiator of the contract. As the Initiator, God gives grace to His people and enters a relationship with them. God wants Israel to be His special people, His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Israel’s success will rest on their positive response to God’s loving guidance and to the mighty acts He performed on their behalf in Egypt and on the way to Sinai. God has already invited them to follow Him and proved that He plans to give them a bright future. If they only will keep His teachings and seek to cultivate a genuine relationship with Him, then God will be able to lead them in an unprecedented way to the Promised Land. They need to learn who He is and what He does for them in order to admire, love, obey, and worship Him. The gift of the Decalogue revealed the principles for a happy, balanced, and prosperous life.
Lesson Theme
Lesson Theme
By leading Israel out of Egypt and guiding them through the Red Sea and the wilderness to Mount Sinai, God desired to bring them to Himself (Exod. 19:4). For about a year, He taught them through this process. God was like a loving parent to His people, instructing them in what was best for their prosperity. The people saw how God defeated the Egyptian deities and cared for them through the plagues and their escape from Egypt. Then God gave them the most precious gift: the Decalogue, to teach them how to fear Him (Exod. 20:20). We reflect in this lesson on the different functions of God’s law.
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
The Decalogue forms the heart of God’s revelation and biblical ethics and presupposes salvation. It is the Magna Carta of biblical teaching, and its summation, the norm of all norms. It forms the substance and foundation of divine standards for all humanity; its principles are eternal. The Pentateuchal account of the giving of the Decalogue underlines that it was announced by God (Exod. 19:19; Exod. 20:1; Deut. 5:4, 5, 24) and also written by Him (Exod. 24:12, Exod. 31:18, Deut. 5:22). It was given twice to Moses as a special gift (Exod. 32:19; Exod. 34:1; Deut. 10:1, 2). In the book of Exodus, the Decalogue is called “the Testimony” (Exod. 31:18, NKJV) and “the words of the covenant” (Exod. 34:28, NKJV). The phrase “the Ten Commandments” is not used in the Hebrew, although they are referred to as being “commandments” in Exodus 20:6. Instead, the Decalogue is three times called “the Ten Words” (Hebrew: ‘aseret haddebarim; see the Hebrew usage in Exodus 34:28, Deut. 4:13, Deut. 10:4).
In both Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Decalogue lies at the beginning of the law collections and their interpretation. There are two versions of the Decalogue, with very slight differences; the first one is recorded in Exodus 20:1–17 and the second one in Deuteronomy 5:6–21. The second version presented orally by Moses to Israel occurred almost forty years later, just before they entered the Promised Land (Deut. 1:3, 4; Deut. 4:44–47), where now he emphasizes the redemption given them in the Exodus. When Paul summarized the law as being love, he quotes from the Decalogue (Rom. 13:8–10, Gal. 5:14). Love is indeed the sum of God’s law because He is the God of love (1 John 4:16).
Even though particular laws of the Decalogue were already known in a nutshell before Sinai, God Himself chose to formally present the Decalogue to His people and to humanity. That’s because these commandments reflect, in a systematic way, who He is, His character, and His values.
The function of the law is not to teach us to gain salvation through its observance. That is, we should keep the law of God not in order to be saved but because we are saved. The law is not a source of life but instead is the means by which we manifest and express the life we have.
In the Bible, the law of God also is seen in a very positive light (Matt. 5:16, 17; John 14:15; Gal. 3:21; 1 Cor. 7:19). One may create poems on the law (such as Psalm 119, a masterpiece), sing about the law (Psalm 19), and meditate on it day and night (Ps. 1:2, Josh. 1:8) because it keeps one from evil and gives wisdom, understanding, health, prosperity, and peace (Deut. 4:1–6, Proverbs 2, 3).
The Decalogue has several crucial functions:
God’s law is a warrant of freedom (Gen. 2:16, 17; James 2:12). It is like a fence that creates a large free space for life and warns that beyond a specific point lies danger, problems, complications, and death. There is no future for those who step outside the circle of freedom.
The law is a mirror (James 1:23–25). In it, we can see how dirty we are and how much we need to be cleansed. The Decalogue reveals our sinfulness; however, it cannot purify us from sin or guilt (Rom. 3:20).
God’s law is a signpost. As such, it leads us as a paidagogos, or schoolmaster, to Christ (Gal. 3:24). It points to Jesus, who cleanses, forgives our sins, and changes our lives (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 John 1:7–9).
The Decalogue is God’s promise to us. By proclaiming these laws, God promises that these standards will be part of our lives if we maintain a close relationship with Him. He is the Guarantor who will enable these standards to become our permanent lifestyle. We will be so intimate with Him that we will not desire what is prohibited. We shall happily stay in fellowship with Him, asking Him to perform this obedience in us by the power of His grace, Word, and the Holy Spirit.
In the Decalogue, commandments four and five are given in the Hebrew language as positive commands in the form of the infinitive absolute that has two meanings in legal material: a command or an emphatic promise (see E. Kautzsch, ed., _Gesenius_’ Hebrew Grammar [Oxford: Clarendon, 1910], pars. 113bb and 113ee). The other commandments are expressed as negative commands employing the negation particle l'o (“not”), plus jussive (like imperfect form). In addition to the fact that the meaning of such a Hebrew expression is a permanent prohibition, thus a commandment, it has been suggested that it also conveys a future situation, thus a promise (see Jacques B. Doukhan, Hebrew for Theologians: A Textbook for the Study of Biblical Hebrew in Relation to Hebrew Thinking [Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1993], p. 41). In light of this suggestion, a proper translation could be “you will not . . .” and not “you shall not. . . .” Support for the understanding of the Decalogue as a promise may be found in Judges 6:23, wherein the Lord promises Gideon: “ ‘You shall not die’ ” (NKJV). The grammatical construction in this sentence is exactly the same as in the Decalogue.
The Hebrew meaning of the term dabar, used to describe the Ten Commandments, does not necessarily mean “commandment” but “word” or “promise.” It depends on the English versions, but see, for example, the use of the noun dabar as “promise,” in 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Chronicles 1:9; Nehemiah 5:12, 13; and Psalm 105:42; and the uses of dabar as a verb, with the same meaning of “promising,” in Deuteronomy 1:11, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 9:28, Joshua 9:21, Joshua 22:4, and Joshua 23:5.
Ellen G. White confirms our interpretation with the following statement regarding the function of the Decalogue: “The ten commandments . . . are ten promises.”—Manuscript 41, 1896 [published in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105]. “In every command or injunction that God gives there is a promise, the most positive, underlying the command.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 76. She stresses that “the voice of God from heaven” speaks “to the soul in promise, ‘This do, and you will not come under the dominion and control of Satan.’ ”—Letter 89, 1898 [published in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105].
The law’s seeming restrictions are only for our good in order to maintain happiness and life (Mic. 6:8, John 10:10). The law is the norm of conduct for those who trust God and are saved by His grace through faith in Christ.
The place of the law in the new covenant is amazing—it is planted in the heart. The law is internalized (see Matt. 5:21–48) and should be seen not as a burden but as a joy. Those who live the Decalogue properly follow its promises with right motives, obeying its precepts out of gratitude and thankfulness for what God did, and is doing, for them. Grace does not change the law, but our attitude toward it does change. Paul is against legalism and against the misuse of God’s law but not against the law itself (Rom. 7:9–12).
Jesus Christ is the telos of the law (Rom. 10:4), meaning He is its goal and purpose—not the end—in the sense of a termination or cessation of its validity. Christ is the hermeneutical key that unlocks the law’s true meaning and purpose. Thus, it would be incorrect to state that Christ invalidated, terminated, superseded, or abrogated the law. Christ gives meaning to the law.
As Joshua reminded his audience, we are not able to obey God: “ ‘You are not able to serve the Lord’ ” (Josh. 24:19, NIV). However, when we ask God to take our weakness, He will make us strong. He will give us His Holy Spirit who will move us to obey Him (Ezek. 36:27). Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10, ESV). Obedience is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
Ask your students the following questions:
As humans, we can decide to do what is right only under the influence of God’s grace. We need to decide to obey Him, but we have no power to fulfill our decision or to follow Him. We need help in our fragility and weakness, help from outside of ourselves. The good news is that He provides willingness (which is a response to His call of love) and power to obey (Phil. 2:13). In a practical sense, how do you see these provisions at work in your own lives?
Whatever God commands, He enables His followers to do. Ellen G. White states that “all His biddings are enablings.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 333. From that perspective, the Ten Commandments are actually ten beatitudes. In what sense, and how, can God’s commandments enable believers to obey God?
Notes
Notes