Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.
I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Exodus 20
The first 17 verses are probably recognizable to you as what are called the Ten Commandments. Permit me to share my brief impressions of them (using the NRSV). I'll number the commandments as tradition has it, but also am including the specific verse numbers in the passages.
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me.
The footnote for "before" says "or besides." Perhaps meaning "in addition to me."
Might I suggest that we all have our "Egypt" and have all been enslaved in some way. It is faith in a better life that makes a better life possible. Maybe the LORD is exactly that: the LORD is faith.
And that faith can only be internal, exclusive to you. All other "gods" are external. When they seem to be more powerful than you, they put you in the position of questioning your faith. Then you're right back into slavery.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Belief in the spiritual power of man-made objects, or the attempt to portray God in sculpture for worship, is a superstition that may very well "curse" a family for generations. They represent an errant belief that one is at the mercy of external powers. Errant beliefs lead to disastrous actions.
God is not an external being. God's power dwells in you.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
If you blame God for your actions, or you treat someone poorly because you think God has judged them, you will persist in error and things will not work out for you. You still believe you're at the mercy of an external force. God is in you.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
If you're unable to relax and rest, you show a lack of faith that things will work out. And your exhaustion will only lead to mistakes.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Let go of bitterness and be free of family strife, the worst of all strife. Be thankful instead for who you are and where you came from.
13 You shall not murder. (NRSV footnote says "or kill")
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Just as God dwells in you, so does God dwell in others, in all. You do not benefit by harming them, by breaking promises to them, by taking from them, by damaging their names. You don't have to live at their expense.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
I don't recall where I've read this, but it's important: this commandment isn't saying it's wrong to desire people or possessions, but it's wrong to desire what specifically belongs to your neighbor. It's wrong to dwell on your neighbor, to resent your neighbor. It is misspent energy, and it might lead you to break one of the other commandments.
To sum up the Ten Commandments: your well-being depends on you and your faith. No other person can destroy the LORD who is within you, and no external object has any spiritual power.
Verses 18-21 hearken back to the awesomeness of the event of the revealing of the Ten Commandments, which I wrote about in my Exodus 19 installment. It's a dramatization of the awesome life-changing event working internally about how faith in God really works.
Verses 22-26 seems to indicate that any external worship of the LORD must be practical and utilitarian, and not a reason to show off wealth or human artisanship. It suggests that anyone can build an altar to the LORD. The real altar is in you.
James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!
(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)