Sunday, November 09, 2008
The Law Before Sinai Part Two
We looked at the first three commandments last time, but I want to look at the rest as well.
The Fourth Commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:8-11)
Yet, in Exodus 16, after the Israelites left Elim, God sent quail and manna to feed them. "Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day." (Exodus 16:27-30)
The Lord accused them of refusing to keep His commandments and laws--before Sinai.
The Fifth Commandment is "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)
After Ham's indiscretion, Noah pronounced the curse upon Canaan (Genesis 9:25-27). When Lot warned his sons-in-law of the destruction of Sodom, they treated him as a joke and died in the destruction (Genesis 19:14). Ishmael scoffed Isaac, which dishonored their father, and Ishmael was cast out (Genesis 21:9, 10).
The Sixth Commandment is "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)
When Cain murdered Abel, he cried out, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!" (Genesis 4:13) God told Noah, "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). Rebekah remembered this. And, so, when Esau threatened to murder Jacob, she responded, "Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?" (Genesis 27:45). This was clearly demonstrated in the destruction of Pharaoh's army. They had drowned the Israelites' children in the river (Exodus 1) and were then drowned themselves in the Red Sea (Exodus 14).
The Seventh Commandment is "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)
For Sodom and Gomorrah's depravity, "the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Genesis 19:24, 25). Jude said, "as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (v. 7). The men of Shechem were slain for defiling Dinah. "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled" (Genesis 34:25-27).
The Eighth Commandment is "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15)
Our sinful nature finds its root in this very commandment. Adam and Eve took the fruit which was not theirs to take and passed original sin to all their posterity. When Laban accused Jacob of stealing his idols, Jacob responded, "With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live." (Genesis 31:32) His sons agreed that stealing was a capital offense, "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves." (Genesis 44:9)
The Ninth Commandment is "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)
When God asked Cain the location of his brother, he replied, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) God said to him, "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand." (Genesis 4:11) Abraham lied about his wife to Pharaoh. "But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.' So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had." (Genesis 12:17-20) The same occurred with Abimelech (Genesis 20:8-10, 14-16).
The Tenth Commandment is "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." (Exodus 20:17)
We've just seen how the Lord plagued Pharaoh for his desire for Sarai. Notice again that this is Pharaoh, a pagan, who is punished for not keeping the Lord's commandment, and that before Sinai. And, again, the same happened to Abimelech.
The Fourth Commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:8-11)
Yet, in Exodus 16, after the Israelites left Elim, God sent quail and manna to feed them. "Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day." (Exodus 16:27-30)
The Lord accused them of refusing to keep His commandments and laws--before Sinai.
The Fifth Commandment is "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)
After Ham's indiscretion, Noah pronounced the curse upon Canaan (Genesis 9:25-27). When Lot warned his sons-in-law of the destruction of Sodom, they treated him as a joke and died in the destruction (Genesis 19:14). Ishmael scoffed Isaac, which dishonored their father, and Ishmael was cast out (Genesis 21:9, 10).
The Sixth Commandment is "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)
When Cain murdered Abel, he cried out, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!" (Genesis 4:13) God told Noah, "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). Rebekah remembered this. And, so, when Esau threatened to murder Jacob, she responded, "Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?" (Genesis 27:45). This was clearly demonstrated in the destruction of Pharaoh's army. They had drowned the Israelites' children in the river (Exodus 1) and were then drowned themselves in the Red Sea (Exodus 14).
The Seventh Commandment is "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)
For Sodom and Gomorrah's depravity, "the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Genesis 19:24, 25). Jude said, "as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (v. 7). The men of Shechem were slain for defiling Dinah. "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled" (Genesis 34:25-27).
The Eighth Commandment is "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15)
Our sinful nature finds its root in this very commandment. Adam and Eve took the fruit which was not theirs to take and passed original sin to all their posterity. When Laban accused Jacob of stealing his idols, Jacob responded, "With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live." (Genesis 31:32) His sons agreed that stealing was a capital offense, "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves." (Genesis 44:9)
The Ninth Commandment is "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)
When God asked Cain the location of his brother, he replied, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) God said to him, "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand." (Genesis 4:11) Abraham lied about his wife to Pharaoh. "But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.' So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had." (Genesis 12:17-20) The same occurred with Abimelech (Genesis 20:8-10, 14-16).
The Tenth Commandment is "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." (Exodus 20:17)
We've just seen how the Lord plagued Pharaoh for his desire for Sarai. Notice again that this is Pharaoh, a pagan, who is punished for not keeping the Lord's commandment, and that before Sinai. And, again, the same happened to Abimelech.
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