Ten Covenant Words

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Opening Prayer

Lord God, I come before You today. I desire honesty and integrity that I may probe my actions and motivations. Lead me in Your way.

Read Deuteronomy 5:1-22

^[1] Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. ^[2] The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. ^[3] It was not with our ancestors that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. ^[4] The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. ^[5] (At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: ^[6] “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ^[7] “You shall have no other gods before me. ^[8] “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ^[9] You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ^[10] but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. ^[11] “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. ^[12] “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. ^[13] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ^[14] but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. ^[15] Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. ^[16] “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. ^[17] “You shall not murder. ^[18] “You shall not commit adultery. ^[19] “You shall not steal. ^[20] “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. ^[21] “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” ^[22] These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

Meditate

“Keeping the commandments is an expression of gratitude for the things God has already done. It is grace and not our own good behavior that is the basis of our relationship with God. This principle runs throughout the biblical text” (Tremper Longman III).

Think Further

“The Ten Commandments”–an often-heard phrase, even if people are unsure of their contents–are sometimes reduced to not murdering and stealing. Rarely is their context known or thought relevant. Our reading frames the commandments with strong reminders: “The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain” (2-5,22). In Hebrew the name is “Ten Words” (4:13; compare “Decalogue” from the Greek), hence verse 22, “these words the Lord spoke” (NRSV). Using “commandment” in English unfortunately encourages us to start recitation at verse 7, so bracketing out the opening verse 6. Unlike laws that are expressed in the third person, the “words” are addressed directly to people (“you”) who have been “brought. . . out of the land of slavery” (6) and they elaborate a “covenant” relationship (2). As universal morals imposed from without, independent of a relationship with the God who gave the Decalogue, these commandments lack spiritual value.

Central in position and most detailed is the Sabbath word (12-15). While Christians from the beginning have differed in their interpretation (Rom. 14:5-6; Col. 2:16-17), the goal of “rest” from tasks and slavery, enjoying the presence and providence of God with one another, runs throughout Scripture (Gen. 2:2-3; Exod. 16:25-30; Mark 2:23-38; Heb. 4:1). Whereas Exodus 20:11 links the Sabbath with creation, Deuteronomy associates it with deliverance from oppression, ensuring that others share the rest. The Sabbath word brings together one’s relationship with God and with the wider community, whether family members, servants (employees), domestic animals or the “foreigner residing in your towns.” It is “a further bulwark against idolatry (relating to God) and exploitation of work (relating to humans)” (E. J. Woods; c.f.Amos 8:4-5). In societies where profitability and productivity determine work hours and days, and people are valued accordingly, observing the Sabbath highlights other priorities.

Apply

In what ways have you experienced God’s “Ten Words” to be a freeing gift of God, enhancing community life?

Closing prayer

Lord, I live by Your providence and grace; I offer You my thanksgiving and praise.

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