· Commandments 1-3 –Laws that enhance our relationship with God
· Commandment 4 –Brings balance to our lives
· Commandments 5-10 –Enhance our relationship with community
Three Key Jewish Feasts of Commemoration – Exodus Narrative:
· Passover (Pesach) – Celebrates God’s Deliverance from Captivity for the People of God
· Tabernacles (Sukkot) – Celebrates God’s Provision for the people of God in the Wilderness
· Pentecost (Shavuot) – Celebrates God’s Formation and Identity of the People of God by the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai – Mosaic Covenant.
3 Types of Covenants in Scripture:
· Grant Covenant (Unconditional)- A covenant when a greater and lesser person came into covenant, and the greater one took on all of the obligations. The lesser one only needed to receive the covenant.
· Parity Covenant (Kinship Treaty)- A covenant when two equal parties came together, as in a marriage. Each party took on a small list of obligations in the covenant. This type of covenant had a small set of obligations and was very evenly divided between the two parties. It was most commonly utilized to forge family relationships or welcome people into the family.
· Vassal Covenant (Suzerain Treaty)- A covenant when a greater and lesser person came into covenant based on the greater one’s ability to destroy the lesser one. Instead of destruction, the greater one offered the lesser one safety in exchange for the ability to collect taxes and tribute, take slaves, and so forth.
Ex. 20:2 - “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of slavery.”
Commandments 1 & 2
Exodus 20:3-6 - Do not have other gods besides me.4Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.5Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,6but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands. (CSB)
1st Commandment – “Do not have other gods besides me”
Darrell Johnson – “The Manufacturer is telling us that we were made in such a way that only the Living God can satisfy the longings of our hearts. We were not only made by God; we were made for God.”
2nd Commandment – “Do not make an idol for yourself”
· Why do people lie? People often lie because they want people to think well of them, and therefore their reputation has become an idol.
· Why do people steal? People steal because they want something they don’t have, and therefore money or possessions have actually become an idol and other god in their lives.
· Why do people murder? People usually murder in fits of rage and anger because they are consumed by vengeance and justice is their idol.
· Why do people commit adultery? People commit adultery because they are consumed by desire. Lustful desire, and often, the desire to be accepted/wanted. Therefore, personal desire has become an idol.
Luke 22:20 - In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.