The Ten Commandments: Preamble, Part 2

THE DECALOGUE: 
A SUMMARY OF GOD'S PRECEPTS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE

On Identity, Part 2 (Exod 20:2) 
 pdf

Dr. Paul Manuel—2005

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

When someone gives us a gift, we may not appreciate it immediately. Only after a while, do we grasp its true value.

A wealthy son wanted to get something special for his mother, who was widowed and living alone. He went to a pet store and asked the proprietor to recommend an animal that would be a good companion, adding that money was no object. After asking about the woman's interests, and discovering that she went to church regularly, the storeowner suggested a rare parrot. "It's $50,000, but it can recite the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and several other biblical passages." "I'll take it," the son said. "Can you ship it? I'd like to surprise her." The storeowner assured him that the bird would arrive the next day in fine condition. So, the son went home to await his mother's call. Sure enough, the next day, his mother called. "Thank you so much for the bird," she said... "It was delicious."

When someone gives us a gift, we may not appreciate it fully, right away. It was probably that way when God gave the Israelites the law. ¹

Last week, we began our new series on the Decalogue by noting that, despite the important role the Ten Commandments have played in our western legal tradition, some people would like to minimize their influence as well as their prominence. While they may appeal to social diversity as justification for this change, the stronger motivation is moral drift, as our culture is less and less concerned about meeting God's standard. If as Christians we want to stem the tide and help society maintain its ethical moorings, then we must be clear about what God has said, and He has established clear expectations in The Decalogue: A Summary of God's Precepts for God's People.

After freeing Israel from slavery in Egypt, God brings the people to Mt. Sinai, where He makes a covenant with them. It is a contract that He seems to pattern after an Ancient Near East suzerainty treaty, which spells out the relationship between a ruler (a suzerain) and his vassal(s). The preamble of that document introduces the dominant party, the suzerain, which is what God does in the opening words of...

Exod 20:2a I am the LORD your God....

He says to the Israelites that they should recognize who He is and that....

I. Because of God's identity, He demands the devotion of His people (v. 2a).

By referring to His actual name—represented in this verse as LORD, in all capital letters—He distinguishes Himself from other deities the Israelites will encounter, detestable gods whose worshipers "do all kinds of detestable things" (Deut 12:31b). It is not so with Israel's God, who says...

A. "I am the LORD"; I have a different character than other deities.

Yet another way the Lord distinguishes Himself from the gods of pagan nations is in His selection of one people. Whereas other nations may serve the same false god, Israel will be the only nation to serve the Lord. So He says...

B. "I am. . . your God"; I have a different commitment than other deities.

Despite the exclusive relationship God has with Israel, the instructions God gave to Israel do reflect what God also expects from other people, especially from those who want to serve Him. In other words, these commands are also relevant for Christians. Moreover, these commands reflect what God also expects from other nations, especially from those that want to prosper. In other words, these commands are also relevant for Americans. So, what we read here, while especially a concern for Israel, is not only a concern for Israel. Other passages in scripture indicate that it is also a concern for us—more on that later.

The preamble states briefly and simply that the one who makes this covenant is "the LORD, your God." The prologue goes on to explain why this matters and how it should affect the people's response,² that...

II. Because of God's activity, He deserves the devotion of His people (v. 2b).

Exod 20:2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

The Lord's plan is to fulfill a 500-year old promise that He made to Abraham and
that He repeated to subsequent generations, a plan He reveals in...³

Gen 17:8a The whole land of Canaan... I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you....

The patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—all had the advantage of experiencing what their descendants would one day inherit, because they actually lived in the land. In contrast, the generation of the exodus (and several generations before that⁴ had lived their entire life in Egypt and had never even seen the Promised Land. To them, God confirms that He is intent upon keeping His word.⁵

Exod 3:17 ...I have promised to bring you up out of...Egypt into ... a land flowing with milk and honey.

Here, in Exod 20, God alludes to the promise again...⁶

A. "I... brought you out of Egypt" to enter a new land.

Equally important is what else God has done. His original demand to Pharaoh was simply...⁷

Exod 7:16c Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert.

Intent on keeping the people in bondage, Pharaoh at first refused, then tried to place conditions on their travel.

Exod 8:25b ... sacrifice to your God here in the land.

When that did not work, he said...

Exod 10:1 la . . . Have only the men go [but leave the women and children behind]

When that did not work, he said...

Exod 10:24c . . . your women and children may go [but] leave your flocks and herds behind.

After ten plagues, Pharaoh finally got the message that God was not interested in negotiating a compromise, and the Egyptian ruler said... 

Exod 12:3 lb Leave.... 32a Take your flocks and herds.. .and go.

As a result, Israel gained its freedom. God did not just relocate them; He redeemed them. So, He says in Exod 20...

B. "I...brought you out of...slavery" to enjoy a new life.

When God tells Moses to go to his brethren in Egypt, it is with the prospect of deliverance⁸

Exod 6:6 "[S]ay to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

That sounds good, but the fine print is that when the Israelites leave Egypt, they will trade one master for another, one form of servitude for another. That is how God views it and says so in...⁹

Lev 25:55a-b . . . the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt.

As the people encounter difficulties in the wilderness, they wonder if their situation has actually improved. It is the question they put to Moses.

Exod 14:12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

They want to know: What good is trading one master for another?¹⁰

God did not deliver you from physical bondage, but He did deliver you from spiritual bondage. That is how Paul describes your previous condition in...¹¹

Rom 6:17a ...thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin.... 18a You have been set free from sin....

The apostle goes on to explain the obligation you now have to serve the one who redeemed you.

Rom 6:22a . . . you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God....

Well, what good is it to trade one master for another, one form of servitude for another? How does it improve your situation? . . . The difference, for Israel and for you, is that...

• The old master cares nothing for the servants and wants to exploit them.
• The new master cares deeply for the servants and wants to bless them.¹²

That does not mean serving the new master is easy. It is demanding, but it is also rewarding. That is what David tells us in...

Ps 19:8b The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.... 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Paul writes in...

Rom 6:22a [Having] become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

In other words, the cost of serving God is more than offset by the compensation of serving Him.¹³

Slaves do not necessarily have a choice in what they do, but God gave the Israelites a choice: They could either serve Him or not. Considering the effort He made to secure their freedom from physical bondage, He could easily and rightfully demand, even force, their submission. Instead, He asks for their willing devotion. Chapter 19 records their decision.

Exod 19:8a-b The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said."

Considering the effort God made to secure your freedom from spiritual bondage, He could easily and rightfully demand, even force, your submission. Instead, He asks for your willing devotion. Was your response the same? ... "I will do everything the Lord has said."

Later, when the Israelites discover what He expects, some of them may regret their having made that commitment earlier, because God's commands influence—intrude on many areas of life they prefer to control themselves. So, He has to remind them (several times) that obedience is the appropriate response to what God has done for them...as it is also for you.

Two examples came to my attention. Both of them contrast our desire to do what we want, with God's call to do what He wants. Both of them appeal to what God did for us as the reason to heed what God wants from us.

• First, because people are inclined to do what they want with their weekend, God reminds them...¹⁴

Deut 5:15 .. .you were slaves in Egypt and... the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

It is His time; do not misuse it.

• Second, because people are inclined to do what they want with their health, Paul reminds them...

1 Cor 6:19 ...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

It is His temple; do not abuse it.

What are you doing that does not accord with your redemption by God and your submission to God? Are you misusing God's time or abusing God's temple? The extent to which you meet or fail to meet God's expectations is the extent to which you prove yourself to be or not to be one of His people. In which direction does the evidence point for you?

This chapter marks the formalization of a treaty between God, the suzerain, and Israel, the vassal. In a brief preamble and prologue, the Lord sets the stage for the precepts that follow. While He addresses them specifically to the people He redeemed from the physical bondage of slavery, these Ten Commandments have relevance for us, the people He redeemed from the spiritual bondage of sin. Keep in mind that they are A Summary of God's Precepts for God's People and are not all He expects. They are worthy of our consideration, though, as is their context in this verse (Exod 20:2) On Identity.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here