NL205: Hear O Israel
October 6, 2019
Deuteronomy 5:1-21; 6:4-9
Initial Thoughts
Greatest hits of Deuteronomy and possible the Hebrew Bible:
Decalogue/Ten Commandments
Shema - Greatest Commandment (according to Jesus)
Build on what people already know- they know of (if not all) the 10 Commandments and remind them that Dt. 6 is what Jesus considers to be the greatest commandment.
Karl Jacobson and Rolf Jacobson introduces a new 5 week series of preaching:
Series II -- “Free at Last! Free at Last!” (5 Weeks)
10/6/19 Deuteronomy 5 & 6: The Ten Commandments
10/13/19 Ruth 1: The fidelity of Ruth and Naomi
10/20/19 2 Samuel 5: David moves the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
10/27/19 1 Kings 12: The Kingdom divides, as the North leaves the South
11/3/19 1 Kings 18: God gives Elijah victory over the prophets of Baal
Bible Study
Commandments - How people living in the freedom of Yahweh, a God abounding in steadfast love and grace (Ex. 34:6-8), live:
Law is a continuing act of salvation.
Begins with “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
God’s saving work in Exodus includes the giving of the Law. Cannot separate God saving the people from Egypt from the Law.
Relationship with God, and what makes the people distinct, is captured especially in the second set of the Decalog.
Universal nature of the Law is seen in tying Sabbath to creation. Living with these parameters is both for the people, and for all of Creation.
Second person singular phrasing makes the Law not just about the people, but about individuals and how they relate to God and to others.
Parallel found in Exodus 20:
Explanation for Sabbath is different. Exodus: Because God rested, you should too. Deut: Remember that you were a slave in Egypt
Covet Commandment: Deut Separates wife from the rest of household goods. Exodus: wife is included with other things that “belong to your neighbor.”
Order of Commandments:
Augustine of Hippo changes the traditional order of the commandments by combining the first two and separating the 10th into 2 commandments (separating coveting property from coveting a spouse)
Discrepancies based on a comparison of Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20
There is a more thorough explanation and table here: http://www.bible-researcher.com/decalogue.html
Introduction:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;”
Salvation comes first not second- God’s grace is the foundation upon which the Commandments are based
Relationship with God:
1.) 7 You must have no other gods before me.
2.) 8 Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 Do not bow down to them or worship them because I, the LORD your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents' sins—even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. 10 But I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3.) 11 Do not use the LORD your God's name as if it were of no significance; the LORD won't forgive anyone who uses his name that way.
4.) 12 Keep the Sabbath day and treat it as holy, exactly as the LORD your God commanded:13 Six days you may work and do all your tasks, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. Don't do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your oxen or donkeys or any of your animals, or the immigrant who is living among you—so that your male and female servants can rest just like you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That's why the LORD your God commands you to keep the Sabbath day.
Relationship with Others:
5.) 16 Honor your father and your mother, exactly as the LORD your God requires, so that your life will be long and so that things will go well for you on the fertile land that the LORD your God is giving you.
6.) 17 Do not kill.
7.) 18 Do not commit adultery.
8.) 19 Do not steal.
9.) 20 Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
10.) 21 Do not desire and try to take your neighbor's wife. Do not crave your neighbor's house, field, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
These Laws, unlike things like Codex of Hammurabi, and even our own legal system, does not include companion punishments.
“Do not” language actually opens up human possibility. It is not a prescription for behavior, but sets limits on what is acceptable.
Lack of punishment and 2nd person language places the onus of following the law on self, not on an outside source.
Enforceable only by the keystone at the beginning, that God is your God.
Living by these Laws is a part of Created Order, not just rules for which you can be punished. God’s will is for all creation to live within these guidelines. If they were followed, it is not just about lack of punishment, the whole world order would shift so as to be more aligned with God’s will and purpose.
Equal commandments
We do not treat them equally- Keeping the Sabbath is not equal to murder
What would happen is we kept the commandments equally
You can focus on simply one commandment or do a sermon series. Examples:
3 - wrongful use of the Lord’s name: how often is the name of God used to justify power, empire, domestic abuse, political gain, liberal or conservative agendas?
4 - Sabbath: Perhaps the most overlooked- people are tired, yet what example to their pastors show them? Do we as churches hold up the Sabbath? You do as the pastor keep the “Sabbath”? Why not? Why is it less important?
10 - Coveting: TV, radio, media all teach us to covet - the latest iphone, body image. “The only time you should worry about your neighbor’s bowl is if there isn’t enough in it.”
How do we balance out the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ greatest commandments?
Love is the foundation: the Ten Commandments are included in Jesus’ commandments not in opposition
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen