Exodus 19 ended with Moses going down the mountain to speak to the people. Chapter 20 begins with God speaking and giving the Ten Commandments. So, I wondered if God was speaking with all of Israel or just Moses. So, I googled. Enduringword.com – a. And God spoke: It is proper to believe that God spoke these words to Israel as a whole, as they assembled together at the foot of Mount Sinai. Biblehub.com refers to Deuteronomy 5:22 which reads “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice…” The verses before Verse 22 are the Ten Commandments reviewed and verses after Verse 22 talk about the people being afraid to hear from God in His glory and His greatness. They feared that they would die. This research has changed my thinking that God only spoke to Moses when He initially gave the Ten Commandments. Now, on with the summary – God spoke saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
The Ten Commandments
- You shall have no other gods before Me. (God first)
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth (God only); you shall not bow down to them nor serve them (just in case of disobedience and the carved image was made). 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. (Only God or else suffer the consequences – Follow The Rules).
- 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. (Are you guilty?)
- 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. (Are you taking a day of rest?)
- Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- 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.
The people witnessed the thunderings, lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking. When they saw all of this, the people trembled and stood afar off. They told Moses, for him to speak with them and they will hear. They didn’t want God to speak with them because they thought they would die. Moses told the people not to fear because God had come to test them that His fear would be before them to keep them from sinning. Have you ever been tested by God to see if you would be obedient? Again, the people stood afar off, but Moses went near the thick darkness where God was. Have you ever been drawn towards someone or something of which everyone else was seemingly afraid? God told Moses to tell the Israelites that they have seen Him talk to Moses from heaven. God reiterates that the people should not make anything to be with Him, like gods of silver or gold.
God told Moses that an altar of earth was to be made for Him. The altar was to be for sacrifices for burnt and peace offerings, their sheep and oxen. In every place where God records His name, God promised to come to them and bless them. Has God recorded His name in your heart, in your life, in your home? God said that if the altar was made of stone, it shouldn’t be made of hewn stone, because it would become profaned if they put a tool on it. Also, they shouldn’t go up steps to His altar so that their nakedness wouldn’t be exposed on it. Most googled commentaries stated that based on the make of the garments of worship, for an act of decency, they shouldn’t go up any steps.
The next stop is Exodus 21.
To God Be The Glory!
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Hello Fellow Bloggers:
The information of who was God talking to when the Ten Commandments were given is an “AHHH” moment. That is newly learned information to me.
The TEN Commandments are clear and concise. There is nothing to ponder about. They are straight forward.
You ask “Have you ever been tested by God to see if you would be obedient?” That answer is yes. Sometimes I passed, sometimes I failed.
Question: Have you ever been drawn towards someone or something of which everyone else was seemingly afraid? Yes. The comfort that God gave me with a situation or person outweighed the fear.
God has definitely recorded His name in my heart, my life, and in my home. Thank you God!
See you in Exodus 21.
Thank you, Pennee, for your wonderful comments, always!