Reimagining The Ten Commandments
I have realised lately how important language is. How when reading, we will insert a particular tone of voice into the words that are in front of us and discern meaning from intonation. Interestingly, this has been where the meaning of much of literature - in particular that of the Bible - can become misconstrued, or even blatantly misunderstood.
Our natural tendency is to abhor the idea of God. Especially one that claims to know what’s best for us. Because we are obviously somewhat independent, with free will in the decisions we make (though we are entirely relational as well - more on that another time). So when someone makes note of those legendary 10 rules written by the finger of God into stone in Exodus 20, there is a sigh and a “oh here we go, a dictator God with an agenda”. Or there is an attitude of “these are too hard for me to keep!” from those who maybe acknowledge God and His goodness, but not His power to help with the process of obedience to His law. Then there’s a third camp. There’s the camp that realises that these commandments are reflections of God’s character, His love, and His desire to make us wholly in His image once more.
But the language of the commandments very often is seen as filled with high expectations for a fallen mankind, and a little bit oppressive. “Tyrannical”, some neo-atheists may say.
On meditating on the word of God today, I wanted to marry the laws of God with His goodness and His offer of freedom. John 8:32 says “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” I have been between that feeling of complete ignorance and abhorrence for the expectations that this God has on us through the commandments, and knowing that there is freedom in obeying them. I just couldn’t find the connection between the wording of the commandments and the complete freedom on offer. A bunch of “thou shalt nots” and “worship me only” have been dredged up from the words, and it’s easy to come to the conclusion that there doesn’t seem to be “liberty” in this law.
It then hit me: how am I reading the sentences, the language, the intonation. Am I reading these as commandments? Or could I be reading these as promises?
The context of the time in which God gave the Israelites the two tablets of stone was just after their exodus from Egypt, from where God had delivered them out of slavery and towards a promised land. In Exodus 16 it is noted that God’s law had always been known to the people - though lost in the generations and the slavery. It was because God’s character and His law were one in the same. It was because conscience allowed for an understanding of right and wrong. Most of the words used in the commandments are attached to Man’s relationship to God (the first four commandments). It was this that God knew needed extrapolation. Which is what He did. He sought to remind people not just how to treat others (commandments 5-10) but to remind them of where they came from, of where they originated, and from whom their breath of life was given.
When looking at the language, we shiver and gawk at the “shall nots”. But understanding what “shall” actually means can dramatically change the understanding of the sentence and the image of perfect life for God’s creation. “Shall” refers to an expression of future tense. It also is used to express a strong intention or assertion. A desire. A hope. We could say “you will not have any other God’s before me” — how does that change the sentence? Still seems slightly oppressive until we understand it as a way of God saying “because I have brought you out of your bondage to Egypt,” (we see this now as a foreshadowing of each individual’s bondage to sin), “you now don’t have to have any other gods before me.” And as we grow to understand that other “gods” is not limited to deities of the ancient world but also addiction, materialism, and other worldly things holding us back from a relationship with our Creator, this promise that God provides is that we will be free from the distraction that keeps us from the one that loves us the most.
When we read the “shall nots” and “shall” commandments, we see that they are promises that God is making. He says “I have given you a new life where you will not have to worry about these things, where you will not want to do these things. I give you a beautiful reason not to. I have freed you. You don’t have to bow down to idols or practice idolatry. You can talk to me directly. I’m not held within the confines of objects. I am the maker of all things that are made. I want to bless you with so much more.”
My favourite commandment is the fourth. It reminds me that I and the entire universe are purposed and made by his very hands and words. That He created in six days, and then set aside the seventh day as the sabbath (a word which means “rest”) so that rather than implanting holiness into a place or a thing or a land, He makes the one thing that no one can stake claim to as “Holy” - and that is time. And in doing so He says “I am accessible to all people. I am accessible to everyone and everything. And I don’t want your fancy churches or your holy mosques or your little idols or your river Ganges. I made you to that I can spend time with you. And now I give us this time together specifically - no one can take that away from us except you yourself.” He says “in it you shall do no work, nor anyone around you or even your farm animals. You won’t have to do work, and in fact, today is the one day that I’m saying relax completely and abide in me. Share this day with me and with others in contemplation of our relationship. The Sabbath is a sign from God that He created us, and that He wants a relationship with us. Our abidance in the Sabbath keeping where we don’t work or play to our own leisurely ideas is so that we are keeping committed to the relationship we have with God and others. And it’s a beautiful gift from Him.
I think we’re misunderstanding what the ten commandments are really saying. God is essentially saying that with relationship with Him, we have no need to stray from His ideals as laid out in these laws. When we see that they are promises - that with Him as our Lord they are to say “you won’t be locked into sin” - we will realise that we don’t need to be legalistic and strain hard to keep these ten rules in order to “get to heaven”. Because heaven’s not the point. Following the rules isn’t the point. It’s that abiding in God and being in a strong relationship with our Maker allows for these rules (which should be seen as blessings rather than burdens) to be fulfilled and the gift of eternal life to be realised. Eternal life with someone you know and cherish deeply is much better than rocking up after checking of a list of commandments but not knowing the host of the eternal proverbial party that is heaven. But even then - sometimes it’s not where you are, but it’s who you’re with. And for me, personally, the one that loves me the most and gave His only begotten son so that I, and anyone else who would gladly receive it, could have eternal life - that person, that being is worth loving back.
