God's Top Ten
Exodus 20:1-17 and Psalm 19
by Rev. Richard Gehring

            Probably many of us at some time in our younger days memorized the Ten Commandments in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School or some such event.  We may not still be able to recite them all in order, but I think we could probably at least come close to listing the various prohibitions and exhortations that are included.
            There is something very appealing about having Ten Commandments.  For one thing, ten is a nice, round number.  For another, the commandments provide us with something concrete, something that we can point to and say, "So that's what we're supposed to do."  We need to know what's expected of us.  We like lists that are brief and concise that outline exactly what we can and can't do.  And that's pretty much what the Ten Commandments do.  But the fact that the list is short is by no means an

indication that it is simple either to completely understand or to follow.
            Take for example the sixth commandment which we all remember in King James English as "Thou shalt not kill."  If you want to find out where someone stands on political and moral issues, ask

them what those four simple words mean.  For example, does the prohibition against killing apply to war?  What about capital punishment?  Does it speak to the issue of abortion?  Or euthanasia?  For that matter, does the command apply only to killing people or can we take it as an argument against hunting or even eating meat?  Just what does "Thou shalt not kill" really mean?
            Well, I don't have time today to do an in-depth analysis of all Ten Commandments.  Each one could be the text for a separate sermon itself.  But it is helpful to look at the set of commandments as a whole to see the context in which they are set, and to see how they are interrelated.
            We usually begin our list of the Ten Commandments with verse 3, "You shall have no other gods before me."  But Orthodox Jews hold that the commandments actually start with verse 2, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."  This hardly sounds like a command to us.  It is simply a statement of fact which, on the face of it, doesn't demand any action on the part of the hearers.  But this sentence is crucial for understanding all that follows.  It sets the context for understanding exactly when and why the Ten Commandments were given.
            The Lord begins by reminding the people of Israel just who God is.  God is not some distant being that looks down impassively on the earth, just watching what happens.  Nor is God merely someone who gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.  No, God is the one who has just led this rag-tag bunch of slaves out of captivity and crushed the greatest military power in the world at that time.  The Lord is a God who cares and a God who acts.
            This "preamble,"  if you will, thus sets the tone for the Ten Commandments that follow.  These are not merely rules that God just made up in order assert control over the Israelites.  The Ten Commandments are part of the covenant between God and the people of Israel.  God has already shown mercy and established justice by delivering the people from their oppression.  Now God outlines the response that is expected from the Israelites in return.
            Immediately after this "preamble," then, comes what most of us Christians regard as the first commandment:  "You shall have no other gods before me."  Given the context in which the Ten

Commandments are set, this becomes the first commandment not only in terms of the order in which they written but also in terms of being the most important.
 What God is really asking for in this commandment is to be in relationship with the people of Israel.  God had already chosen these people and demonstrated the seriousness of that commitment. Now God asks only that the people reciprocate, that they recognize the Lord's sovereignty over them and not bow down to other gods.  The other nine commandments which follow are then specific ways in which we make sure that God is first.  They spell out how it is that we should relate to God and to one another in order to recognize and proclaim God's sovereignty over us and to break the power of other gods in our lives.

            Some years ago, a denominational publication ran a ten-week series in which various writers from across the country were invited to each write an article on one of the commandments.  In the first of the series, a retired pastor in Ohio, shares the following insights:  "The names of the rival gods are not the same as they were in Old Testament times.  The allurements they offer, however, and the responsiveness of human nature have not changed.
            We do not encounter Dagon, Baal, Chemosh, Ashtaroth, and Molech these days.  Taking their place are the gods of security.  The gods of success.  Sex.  Science.  State.  And others like

these.  The enticement of `the other gods' in the first commandment have become more sophisticated and subtle.  Misplaced and divided worship takes place almost unconsciously.  The impostors bidding for God's place are not easy to recognize." (Gospel Herald, Feb. 9, 1993, p. 3)
            I think this assessment of the Ten Commandments and their role in our society is right on target.  We still battle with many gods today, although we may not name them as such.  Perhaps for our sake we need to rephrase some of the commandments:  "Do not bow down to the god of Violence which

leads you to kill."  "Do not bow down to the god of Lust which leads you to be unfaithful."  "Do not bow down to the god of Greed which leads you to thievery."  And so on.  For, indeed, all of the commandments stem from the one command to keep the Lord our God first.
            Seen in this context, then, the commandments are not a burden to us.  They are not a list of harsh requirements that we must follow or face severe and immediate consequences.  The Ten Commandments are rather an invitation for us, an invitation to be in a covenant relationship with God.
            It is common in our society to resent rules.  We have a misguided view of freedom that leads us to believe that we should be able to do whatever we want.  And when we approach the Ten Commandments with this attitude we feel indignant that our freedoms are being restricted.  I am reminded of an old joke that illustrates this attitude quite well.  It seems that, according to this story, when Moses came down from the mountain he said, "I've got good news and bad news.  The good news is that I got it down to ten; the bad new is adultery's still in."
            Developmental psychology tells us that all children need structure.  They need to know what is expected of them.  If they are being punished, they need to know why.  Those who are punished merely on the whim of their parents are being abused.  And those who have no guidance whatsoever are being neglected.  Either abuse or neglect often manifests itself in antisocial behavior. 
            What is true of children in this regard is also true for all of us as God's children.  We, too, need guidance and direction.  We need to know what God expects of us.  We need rules to help us know how we should relate to God and how God expects us to relate to one another.
            There are still those who, like rebellious children, question, "Who does God think he is anyway, telling us what we can and can't do?"  The answer to that should be obvious:  God is God.  God is the one who saves us just as the people of Israel were saved from oppression.  But because so many of us are unable to recognize what God has done for us, we are unwilling to respond to God by walking in the light and keeping the commandments.
            Sometimes we try to make the commandments a little easier to swallow by not calling them commandments.  I understand that some children's Sunday School material, for example, refers to our

text for today as "The ten best ways to live."  I can understand not wanting to make this list of rules sound arbitrary.  For as we have seen they are not arbitrary.  They flow out of God's saving acts and God's desire to establish a covenant relationship.  But at the same time, I do not wish to dilute the

power that the Ten Commandments are meant to have.
            Rather than being resentful of having the Ten Commandments, we should be grateful.  We should be grateful that God cares about us enough to give us some structure, some guidance on how

to live an acceptable life.  We should rejoice that God has saved us and invites us into a relationship, a covenant set forth and summarized in ten beautiful, wonderful commandments.
            The words of Psalm 19  provide us with an example such rejoicing.  The psalmist revels in the covenant that God established with Israel.  Listen to these words which exalt the glory and graciousness of God as revealed through the law:
    "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
            the decrees of the LORD are sure, making the wise simple.
            the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
            the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;
            the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
            the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether
            More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
            sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb."(Psalm 19:7-10
            That is a very different view of God's commandments than we normally experience.  Why do we not share the psalmist's joy?  Why do the Ten Commandments so often seem a bitter pill to

swallow instead of sweeter than honey?  Perhaps it's because we still see them as a burden, something we must do to appease an angry God rather than as an invitation to relate to the God who has given us salvation.  The Ten Commandments are an opportunity, not an obligation.
            The proper role of the law and our motivation for keeping the commandments are summed up well by a story from Walter Wangerin, a contemporary Christian author.  I'd like to close with his story this morning.  It seems that Wangerin's son, Matthew, had a terrible habit of stealing comic books when he was a child.  The first time it happened, Walter marched his son to the library from which he had stolen them to return the books and receive a stern lecture on stealing from the librarian.  The second time, the theft was from a store.  So Walter went over the Ten Commandments thoroughly to make sure that Matthew understood how wrong it was to steal.  Then he burned the comic books in front of his son. 

            When it happened yet a third time, Walter was desparate.  Not knowing what else to do, Wangerin took his son Matthew over his knee and gave him a sound spanking.  At the end of the spanking, the father left the room and burst into tears.  After that encounter, the stealing stopped.
            Some time later, Matthew asked his mother if she knew why he had stopped stealing comic books.  "Of course," she answered, "It was because Dad spanked you."  "No, Mom," replied Matthew, "It was because he cried."[Told in chapter 17 of Wangerin's The Manger Is Empty (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989), "Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine."]
            God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel not to punish them, but to establish a relationship with them.  God desires that same relationship with each and every one of us.  The commandments of God in scripture are a cherished reminder of that covenant.  And we are called and invited to follow the commandments not because we will be punished if we don't, but because God our Father, the one who gave us life and who rescues us, is grieved when we choose others first.