Exodus 34:28: So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (ESV)

Now that the summary of each Old Testament book is completed, it seems fitting to insert a smaller series related to the Old Testament before continuing on to the New Testament. The next ten weeks will focus on the Ten Commandments and what they have to do with living for God through Christ (hint: a lot).

The Ten Commandments

The ten words, known as the "Ten Commandments," were given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4). They summarize the way in which God commanded his people to treat him and each other. As such, they hold much use for us and how we think about living for God through Christ. It is impossible to live for God through Christ and flout his commandments.

We notice that the Ten Commandments are referred to as the words of the covenant (Exodus 34:28). Does not this mean that the commandments do not apply to us, since we are members of the new covenant and not the mosaic?

It's a fair question, and one whose answer varies according to the person answering and their overall view of how to read the Bible. However, upon examining the commandments more carefully, it seems clear that there is only one commandment about which there is any confusion, and that is the fourth, which we will discuss in its place. By and large, there is little to no discussion needed for the rest.

Why is this? Nine of the Ten Commandments are not specific to Israel, and even the one is grounded in creation. The Ten Commandments are not a quirky set of persnickety whims; they form the basic framework for the love of God and neighbor.

Interestingly, the moral commands in the New Testament that command or forbid things similar to the Ten Commandments tend to more or less assume an understanding of the basic moral standards that are explicitly stated in the Ten Commandments. Of course, even in this, the Ten Commandments are stating, in the vast majority of cases, a moral code that was already understood. We can look as far back as Cain´s murder of his brother, Abel, in Genesis 4 to see that there was an understanding of murder. It hardly needs to be said that worshipping the wrong God or treating God with disrespect is morally wrong. Similarly, we do not need to be told not to kill, commit adultery, or lie in order to know these things are wrong. Even in the case of the fourth commandment, do we really need it in order to understand that we have limits on time and energy to respect?

So, when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, he was not adding much in the way of new material to the contemporary moral understanding of the universe. Instead, God was reasserting what was already known, but in the context of a covenant with a people.

The Ten Commandments and the Old Covenant

The fact that the Commandments were given as part of a covenant is pregnant with meaning. It sets basic morality specifically in the context of a relationship with God, one which everyone has by virtue of the Creator-creature relationship, but here there is now a fundamental change. The covenantal context of the Ten Commandments means that Israel is not a people who live their lives and then are judged. Instead, the idea is that Creator and creatures "do life" together. God is offering to be involved on a regular basis with the people.

This prompts us to harken back to the time when God did a similar thing, which was with the original creation in Eden. Adam and Eve were involved with God in a regular basis, living life more or less in his presence and enjoying his company. But they fell. Now, God is offering to do life again with a new people, the Israelites.

It is at this point that we do well to compare these commandments to the single one given in Eden. There is perhaps no better illustration of the fallen condition of humanity outside of Eden than the number and types of commmandments given in the two places. There are ten times the commandments, and they are far more concerned with lots of sins.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that there is a parallel between Adam and Eve in the garden and the Israelites in the wilderness. God is more or less offering a do-over, but with more restrictions and boundaries set in place. And when we consider this, it seems all but inevitable that it will end in failure. Or, we might say, it is inevitable that another way will have to be found. And that is precisely what is happenig in the Law. God is showing the standard, the real standard, which must be maintained. But the people will show that they cannot keep it, even with the many provisions for their sin. It is presumed that sin will occur, and still the people break it flagrantly. Another way will have to be found. And, as it turns out, it is precisely the law and the covenant in which it is given which will become the launching pad for the one the people finally need, the Messiah.

The Ten Commandments and Today

Far from being irrelevant for our lives today, the Ten Commandments do what the book of James says it does; they are a mirror showing us about ourselves what we otherwise would not be able to see. We look at the Ten Commandments and we see a standard which we at once know is right and yet are aware that it is unattainable. We are indeed wretched sinners.

Nevertheless, the Ten Commandments are helpful for knowing how our lives ought to be regulated. Lest we be tempted to take the two great commandments, love for God and neighbor, and over-simplify them, the Ten Commandments spell out what it will look like, albeit often negatively, to obey the two great summary commandments.

The Ten Commandments merit our study today so that we may know what Christ accomplished for us in living a life without sin. They also help us know what it looks like to pursue righteousness, holiness, and purity, not in order to fulfill the law and so be saved, but as an expression of the righteousness, holiness, and purity which are already ours by faith in Christ Jesus.