The Ten Commandments part 1 of 3

How many of you knew that the 10 commandments were written by the finger of God, while the remaining 613 laws were written down on parchment paper by man? Interesting info, isn't it?

When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God. [Exodus 31:18]

The Ten Commandments

written by Mary Fairchild

Shortly after God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, they traveled through the desert to Sinai where they camped in front of Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai, also called Mount Horeb, is a very significant place. There God met and spoke with Moses, telling him why he had rescued Israel from Egypt. For God had chosen these people to be made into a holy nation of priests for God, his treasured possession.

One day God called Moses to the top of the mountain and he gave him the first part of his new system of laws for his people - the Ten Commandments. (These Ten Commandments summarized the absolutes of spiritual and moral living that God intended for his people. For a modern-day paraphrase of the Ten Commandments visit: Ten Commandments - Paraphrase.)

God continued to give direction to his people through Moses, including the civil and ceremonial laws for managing their lives and their worship. Eventually God called Moses to the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time he gave him instructions for the tabernacle and the offerings. When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of stone inscribed by the very finger of God. They contained the Ten Commandments.

Meanwhile, the people of Israel had become impatient while waiting for Moses to return with a message from God. Moses had been gone for so long that the people gave up on him and begged Aaron (Moses' brother) to build them an altar so they could worship. So Aaron collected offerings of gold from all the people and built an idol cast in the shape of a calf. Then they held a festival and bowed down to worship their idol. So quickly they had fallen back into the idolatry they were accustomed to in Egypt and disobeyed God's new commands.

When Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone, his anger burned when he saw the people given over to idolatry. He threw down the two tablets, smashing them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Then Moses destroyed the golden calf, burning it in the fire. Moses and God proceeded to discipline the people for their sin. Later God instructed Moses to chisel two new stone tablets, just like the ones he had written with his own finger.

Points of Interest from the Story:

• The Ten Commandments were spoken to Moses in God's own voice and then later written on two tablets of stone by the very finger of God. They are extremely important to God. After Moses destroyed the tablets inscribed by God, he made Moses write new ones, just like the ones he had written himself.

• The Ten Commandments are the first part of God's law system. In essence, they are a summary of the hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament Law. They offer basic rules of behavior for spiritual and moral living. They were designed to guide Israel into a life of practical holiness. These laws still instruct us today, for they expose sin and show us God's standard. Without the sacrifice of Christ we are utterly helpless to live up to God's holy standard.

• Moses destroyed the tablets in his anger. The breaking of the tablets was symbolic of the laws of God being broken in the hearts of the people. Moses had righteous anger at the sight of sin. Anger at sin is a sign of spiritual health. It is appropriate to experience righteous anger, however, we should always be careful that it does not lead us to sin.

Questions for Reflection:

While Moses was gone, why did the people beg Aaron for something to worship? The answer, I believe, is that humans are created to worship. We will either worship God, ourselves, money, fame, pleasure, success or things. An idol can be anything (or anyone) you worship by giving it more importance than God. Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences and author of The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life, said, "When you follow the trail of your time, energy, and money, you find a throne. And whatever or whomever is on that throne is the object of your worship!" Do you have an idol that is keeping the one true God from being on the center of your throne of worship?