I’m spending a lot of time in Exodus. And what is surprising is the joy and pleasure that is coming from what many people see as either an irrelevant or outdated part of Scripture. These days, my attention is being focused more specifically on the 10 Commandments, as we hear them preached on Sunday mornings and as we begin to study and discuss them in the Tuesday women’s Bible studies. As I was preparing for our next study, I came across some new-to-me ideas in the commentary I am using (and as a good student of Bible study, I read the commentary after I had done my own study) that I hope will encourage your heart as well.
These ideas have to do with how we interpret and apply the Law as given in the Ten Commandments. The commandments seem so simple – in fact, we can boil them down to simple hand motions so that we can remember them (and I am not at all demeaning this – I love to have that tool to remember them!). But in fact, they dig deeper and are far more relevant to our lives today than we might care to think. How, you might ask? Let’s take a look…….
First, it is important to take the time to understand each of the commandments in light of the entire Bible. What does the rest of the Bible say about it? The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture applies here – what is said in one part of Scripture must be consistent with what is said somewhere else. God cannot (and does not) disagree with Himself! So when we read “You shall not murder” in Exodus 20:13, we might all pat ourselves on the back and say “Well, I’m good on this one. I haven’t ever murdered anyone!” But wait. Listen to what Jesus says: ”You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment”. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22) Ouch! Jesus is not correcting Moses – He is telling us what the Law really meant in the first place. Since Jesus took the time and effort to teach His disciples that He did not come to abolish the Law, but rather how they must learn new ways that it applies to them, we know that the commandments must have a place in our lives as well. By taking the time in our study to focus on the commandments, I see that they teach us who God is and what He loves and hates. This widens my understanding of the character of God so that my love for Him and desire to honor Him is growing.
This brings me to the next rule of interpreting the Law. This could be called the inside/outside rule. We must see that we are called not just to an outward behavior, but also to an inward, heart attitude that conforms to God’s commands. The last commandment – “You shall not covet…..” is a good example. This command is the only one that addresses a strictly internal behavior – desiring something that someone else has. But really, all of the commandments deal with our hearts, even if the command relates to an outward behavior. “Do not steal” (another command we might think we can pat ourselves on the back about) doesn’t just speak to the physical act of stealing. It has to do with our being content with what God has provided, not being greedy, but rather generous with what we do have, in the knowledge that it all belongs to God anyway. So the Law is about more than our actions – it covers our motives and the thoughts that lead to our actions.
The last rule of interpreting the Law could be called the two-sided rule. Each of the commandments has two sides – positive and negative. You may have noticed that most of the commands begin with “Do not…”. But this is not just telling us what not to do – it also infers the things that we are to do. Let’s consider “Do not steal” again. What would be the opposite of stealing? Perhaps it is looking for opportunities to bless others by giving generously to someone in need. This doesn’t have to be a monetary blessing – it could be an act of service, or just time with them to encourage them.
Or, if the command is given in the positive (“Remember the Sabbath.”), we must also consider what that command forbids us to do. If we are to obey this commandment, we must not ignore our privilege of worshipping God with His people, or of observing sabbath rest.
There are more of these ‘rules’ of interpreting the Law but I’m going to stop here before I lose my audience. Why has this been such an encouragement to me? Because the beauty of the Old Testament is revealed in its relevance to my life today and tomorrow and always. The God of the Old Testament is not different from the God of the New Testament – He is One and the same, and the 10 Commandments are as relevant to me today as they were to the new nation of Israel in Exodus 20. They show me that God cares about every aspect of my life. He cares about my actions and my thoughts. He tells me clearly what He loves and what He hates – no guessing necessary. He loves me enough to call me to a life under His Law that will cause me to thrive, even when things don’t go the way I think they should. Because I see the consistency in His Word from beginning to end, I am drawn to love the God who keeps getting bigger the more I study, who keeps deepening my faith despite disappointments and grief. He is bigger than my little life, and He is enough.
Commentary: Exodus, Saved for God’s Glory, by Philip Graham Ryken. Published by Crossway Books, Copyright 2005
Written by Colleen Grogan
