Freedom Needs Formation: Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:1-17
We are in a sermon series on Old Testament stories that provide context and depth for the New Testament. We’re talking about Exodus today. Last week we heard the story of how God heard the cries of the Hebrew slaves and sent Moses to go to the king, the Pharaoh, and demand that he let the slaves go free.
One problem. Pharaoh said, “No!” God sends a plague to get his attention, but the hard-hearted ruler wouldn’t budge. So, God sends a more devastating plague, but Moses is refused again. The pattern repeats. God sent ten plagues before Pharaoh let them go, but after they left, he sent his army to hunt them down. Just when it looked like the Hebrews were trapped between the sea and an army, Moses struck the water with his staff, the sea parted, and the people escaped to safety in the wilderness, but the army drowned.
Once they are free, they wander in the wilderness for forty years, relying on God for their water, food, and survival.
Because God loves them and wants them to flourish, boundaries are set to prevent them from mistreating or abusing one another. So, rules are given. Lots of rules. The Ten Commandments are just the preamble, the table of contents, for the rules that run through the rest of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Jesus summed up the rules by saying Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.
The commandments begin with a reminder of what they’ve been through. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
You’re free, but freedom needs structure and boundaries. I didn’t bring you out just for you to be terrible to each other. Like a mother saying to a misbehaving child. I didn’t go through 28 hours of labor, change your stinking diapers, put food on your plate, work two jobs for you to become a selfish, spoiled brat and act like that.” God is saying, I didn’t shatter Pharaoh’s power and listen to you whine in the wilderness just so you could take turns playing Pharaoh to each other.”
What God wants is to provide the conditions for the highest of human flourishing.
- No other gods. I pulled you out of slavery. I am the one who has your back. Therefore, you shall have no other gods before me. Not your career, not your country, not your position in the community will give you the security God offers. If power becomes your god, people become tools. If money is your god, neighbors become competitors, and outsiders are threats, and productivity is all you care about.
- Have no idols. Don’t ever think of this as a god you can manipulate and shrink down to control. Don’t hand your soul over to things that make oppression seem normal: fear, violence, celebrity, wealth, judgment, intolerance, and the like.
- Name in vain. I learned this one as avoiding a particular swear word. The others were vulgar, but one was a violation of a commandment. But it’s not quite that because that word didn’t exist in Hebrew when this was written. Vain means vaporous. In the original language, it refers to the story of Jacob tricking his father into giving the blessing that was supposed to go to his brother, Esau. When the father gets suspicious, Jacob invokes God’s name to sell his lie. God gave me the ability.
The third commandment is broader than a particular swear word. It’s about using religious language to justify and sell your agenda. I wish anyone running for public office understood that wrapping religious rhetoric around your ideas doesn’t make those ideas godly; it may be a violation of the third commandment.
Fourth. Remember the sabbath and keep it holy. On this Labor Day weekend, it’s good to notice that this is the first labor law in history. Not only are you supposed to take a day off, but you’re also supposed to give the day off for anyone in your employment, even the animals. That is, don’t create a system that uses people up. It’s my favorite commandment. Take time off. Enjoy life. Be grateful for what you have; life shouldn’t always be spent trying to get more. It’s a commandment for our own flourishing and happiness in life. It’s my favorite commandment.
Fifth. Honor your parents. It doesn’t say obey. Not about little kids submitting, but adults to take care of the elderly, to respect what they’ve been through, the wisdom they impart. The word honor means to give weight to. That means you don’t have to agree, but respect. The interest was in caring for the elderly in the community.
Sixth. Do not murder. Okay. Seems easy enough. But what about the killing that is done in our names by the government? When is it justified, when is it murder? To me, taking the commandment seriously means paying attention and building systems of accountability and truth-telling for every life taken in our names.
Seventh. Do not commit adultery. Unless…. This commandment invites us to reflect on fidelity in our relationships. What does it mean to treat others honorably, lovingly? How can we continually develop into more trustworthy people for those who care about us?
Eighth. Do not steal. Other people are not material for your raw appetite. Don’t steal time away from God, from yourself, those you are committed to.
Ninth. Do not lie. In a time of so much spin, propaganda, Russian-boosted misinformation, be careful about what you’re absorbing, posting, and suggesting.
Tenth. Do not covet. Again, it has the parallel story where Jacob passed himself as Esau by wrapping himself in hairy skin. It goes deeper than jealousy. It’s about trying to pass off yourself as something you’re not, trying to live someone else’s life instead of your own. Be yourself, the one God created and loves, just as you are.
The commandments aren’t there to make you feel guilty. They are there for you to find the fullness of a meaningful life that loves God and your neighbor. Try to think about them in terms of how you can be more intentional in your love of God and neighbor. So that we can reach the highest level of human flourishing. Freedom needs formation. Amen.