Year 2 Week 17 Day 113-119 April 23-29, 2013
Week 17 Day 113-119 April 23-29, 2013 I. Invocation and Adoration: O Lord Jesus Christ, who (as at this time) didst burst the prison-house of the grave, and open to all that believe in Thy name the gate of a glorious resurrection, let the light of Thy truth, we beseech Thee, shine on all that dwell in darkness. Have mercy on the great land of (India, in the original). Bless all the rulers and peoples of that land. Bless, guide, and enlighten all who are inquiring after truth, and hasten the time, if it be Thy gracious will, when the knowledge of Thy name shall cover the world as the waters cover the sea; for Thine honor and glory. Amen. (Reginald Heber, author of the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, 1783-1826) Adoration through Psalm 68 We ll use this Psalm, not for today s Bible reading, but for the sake of focusing our thoughts on God. Read slowly this passage at least three times and each day gather one thought about this psalm that points to God s character and translate it into a prayer of adoration. II. Confession Pause now and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your sins and ask for forgiveness. III. Thanksgiving List, one by one, things for which you should give thanks.
IV. Scriptural Reflection: We shall continue the study of Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament. Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions that follow each day: Day 113 Exodus 20:1-17 (I) This is the Ten Commandments that Moses received from the Lord from Sinai. It is quite obvious that the first Four Commandments deal with our relationship with God, while the last Six deal with our relationship with our neighbors, i.e. fellow human beings. While the Ten Commandments do have universal application, they were primarily given within a covenant relationship now that Israel is a holy nation that belongs to the Lord. We shall reflect in details this week with the following divisions: Vv. 1-6: 1 st & 2 nd Commandments which are about whom we worship Vv. 7-11: 3 rd & 4 th Commandments which are about how we worship Vv. 12-17: 5 th 10 th Commandments which are about how we treat one another Each day, let s read and reread all Ten Commandments before we reflect on them carefully. We ll begin considering the first two Commandments, beginning with the Preface (vv. 1-2) (1) What are the main points in the Preface to the Ten Commandments? (2) Why is it necessary to give such a Preface? 1st Commandment (v.3): (3) Before you read the following definition, try to give your own definition to what is meant by God? (4) Webster gives the following definition of God: A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient, originator of the universe, the principal object on faith and worship in monotheistic religions. How is yours compared to Webster s? (5) Why do people worship gods in general? (6) Why do some people not worship any god at all? (7) Why does God prohibit His people, the Israelites, to worship any gods other than the Lord? (8) Why does He make it the first Commandment? (9) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
Day 114 Exodus 20: 1-17(II) 2 nd Commandment (vv.4-6): (1) Why do people feel the need to make something visible to worship, knowing that it is made by their own hands? (2) Does the prohibition of the making of idol extend to the painting of idols or gods? Why or why not? (3) Why do so many Christians or churches display the painting of the image of Christ? (4) Since this is the case, what s wrong in making images or icons of saints and praying to them? (5) Some argue that they are not really worshipping the icons or images of Christ or saints, but are using them to help them meditation. What do you think? (6) What is the purpose of vv. 5-6? Are they added for the sake of the 2nd Commandment only or for the 1 st Commandment as well? Why? (7) Why does the worship by God s people of any other god or reducing the Lord into any image or idol amount to hate? (8) What is the relationship with loving God and keeping His commandments? (See John 14:21 as well). (9) In what sense is God jealous? (10) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life? Day 115 Exodus 20: 1-17 (III) The 3 rd and 4 th Commandment deal with our relationship with God The 3 rd Commandment (v.7): (1) What does the word, misuse, generally mean? (2) What is in a name, especially God s? (3) How may we misuse the God s name? (4) What might prompt us to do so? (5) Read Matthew 5:33-37. How does the example of Jesus illustrate the misuse of the name of God? (6) Is there any other way that people (including you) might make use of God or His name? (7) If our relationship with God is not to be one of using Him, what should it be? (8) What warning is attached to this Commandment and why? (9) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
Day 116 Exodus 20: 1-17(IV) The 4 th Commandment (v. 8-11): (1) Instead of using Him, what is God s desire for us in relating to Him? (2) What is meant by to remember? (3) What is meant by holy? (4) What then is meant by remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy? (5) What is the basis given for this Commandment? (6) What has God s act of creation to do with this Commandment? a. Did God need to rest and so He stopped His work of creation? b. So why did He stop on the 7 th day? c. What does it signify to us in that we too should cease from work? d. From what kinds of work should we cease? e. How then shall we use this day in which we cease our work? (7) Since the resurrection of our Lord, the apostles had observed the Sabbath rest on the Lord s Day (i.e. Sunday). How then should you remember your weekly Sabbath in order to fulfill the essence of this Commandment? (8) How and what does the Sabbath distinguish the Israelites from the rest of the nations? (9) How and what does the Lord s Day distinguish us from the world? (10) If you have the time, read also Exodus 31:12-17 in which the Lord reiterated this Commandment and see what additional emphases there were. (11) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life? Day 117 Exodus 20: 1-17(V) The 5 th Commandment (v.12): (1) In dealing with how we must treat others, why does God cite how we treat our parents first? Can you think of at least three reasons? (2) What is the general meaning of to honor? (3) What then does it mean to honor our parents? (4) What if we consider them not worthy of honoring? (5) Can you think of any biblical example in which the father and/or mother might be considered unworthy of respect? What about Isaac and Rebekah? How did their children treat them? (See Genesis 31:35; 35:27-29) (6) How do you reconcile this Commandment with Genesis 2:24? (7) How does the Lord Jesus view this Commandment? (See Mark 7: 9-13)
(8) Why does this commandment carry a special blessing? (9) How does the Apostle Paul look upon this blessing? (Ephesians 6: 1-3) (10) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life? Day 118 Exodus 20: 1-17(VI) 6th Commandment (v.13) (1) How important is this Commandment? (2) What is meant by to kill? (3) What about manslaughter? (See Deut. 19:3, 4, 6 and Josh 20:3) (4) What about legal execution of a convicted killer (Numbers 35:30)? (5) Why then does God also take life? (6) What does Jesus say is the essence of this Commandment? (Matthew 5:21-26) 7th Commandment (v.14) (7) What is your definition of adultery? (8) Webster defines it as a voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful husband and wife. How evil and destructive then is the sin of adultery? (9) How does the world view adultery these days? (10) How does Jesus interpret this Commandment? (See Matthew 5:27-32) (11) What insight does the Apostle Paul add to this Commandment? (I Corinthians 6: 18-20) (12) What is the best way to avoid committing this sin? (Psalm 119: 9 & 2 Tim 2:22) (13) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life? Day 119 Exodus 20: 1-17(VII) 8th & 10th Commandments (v. 15 & 17) (1) How would you define stealing? (2) What is the underlying cause for stealing? (3) Is poverty a valid excuse for stealing? (4) How is the 10th Commandment related to the 8th? (5) Do you think the 10 th Commandment is related to contentment? (See I Timothy 6: 6-8) (6) How do you define contentment?
(7) Is the prayer in Proverb 30:7-9 an effective prayer for keeping the 10 th Commandment? Why or why not? (8) Can you think of other ways that might help us keep this Commandment? (9) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life? Note: We shall consider the 9 th Commandment and Jesus comment on the Greatest Commandment next week.
V. Meditative Reflection Day 113 Displaying The Ten Commandments I am the LORD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Exodus 20:2) As the Lord is about to pronounce the Ten Commandments which Jesus, in essence, summarizes as the Commandments on which all the Law and Prophets hang (Matthew 22:40), He prefaces with these words, I am the LORD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Commentators, in general, see these opening words as of utmost importance with comments like, indispensably prior to all that is to follow, the center and focus of the whole Pentateuch (i.e. the Five Books of Moses), and the very heart of the whole Old Testament. (See Durham, WBC, Exodus, p.284) The importance of this preface lies in at least two aspects: (1) Who is the one laying down these commandments: it is none other than God whose name is the LORD the Great I AM. It is a reminder that He is the only True God whose existence, as indicated by His name, is above all created beings, in heaven above or on earth below. He defines everything that exists and whose existence is not defined by or in reference to any other names. Therefore He is answerable to no one, but everyone or everything is answerable to Him. (2) The LORD is now your God : meaning there is now a covenantal relationship between the LORD and Israel and it is within that covenantal relationship that these commandments are given. They were formerly slaves with no status (Durham s translation), but now they are the people of the LORD a treasured people, a holy nation, and a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19: 5-6). This new status carries with it a tremendous privilege of being loved (treasured), a very special status quite apart from all the nations (a people separated for the Lord), and a sacred trust (as priests, middlemen between the LORD and the nations). These commandments are a must to keep in order that they can befit their new status and fulfill their trust. As important as these Ten Commandments are, (and they also fully reveal not only God s requirements for His people, but His attributes), the Apostle Paul would explain later that, ultimately they are meant to show them that they, by themselves, are not able to keep the Commandments and to draw them to repentance and faith in the atoning work of
God through the shedding of blood in sacrifices which eventually is brought to its completion in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans 3:20-24). Since this is the case, I really wonder why we would insist to display the Ten Commandments before the court. Shouldn t the symbol of forgiveness, the cross, be a more appropriate display, because it is not the Law, but the sacrifice of Christ the answer to all human sins? Day 114 Whose Image is Being Forbidden? You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Exodus 20:4) Allow me to quote the following excerpts from Durhams and Calvin s commentaries on the 2 nd Commandment as follows: The question is, whose image is being forbidden to Israel, Yahweh s, or those of the gods rival to Yahweh The first commandment states definitively that each individual who would enter the covenant with Yahweh is to have no other gods. Only disobedience of that command would allow the use of images of foreign gods the worshiper who has made a commitment to worship only Yahweh must not compromise that worship by making it easy, that is, by adopting for his own use shaped images to provide a concrete center for worship, as practice common to all of Israel s neighbors A paraphrase of the commandment might even be, Not a one of you is to have a shaped image for the worship of Yahweh. (Durham, WBC, Exodus, p. 285/6) Now we must remark, that there are two parts in the Commandment the first forbids the erection of a graven image, or any likeness; the second prohibits the transferring of the worship which God claims for Himself alone, to any of these phantoms or delusive shows. Therefore, to devise any image of God, is in itself impious; because by this corruption His Majesty is adulterated, and He is figured to be other than He is. There is no need of refuting the foolish fancy of some, that all sculptures and pictures are here condemned by Moses, for he had no other object than to rescue God s glory from all the imaginations which tend to corrupt it. And assuredly it is a most gross indecency to make God like a
stock or a stone. Some expound the words as if it were allowable of God, provided it be not adored; but the expositions will easily refute their error And we have already said, that all rites which do not accord with the spiritual worship of God, are here forbidden: and this is enough and more than enough to put to flight all such misty notions (Calvin s Commentaries, Vol. II, 108-110) Day 115 Taking the name of the Lord in Vain Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7) When it comes to the 3 rd Commandment, the more wooden translation of the King James Version is preferred. But the word to take also carries the meaning of to use, to lift up, to raise, to carry or even to wear. So, the key issue here is not only with what purpose we are to make mention of the name of the Lord, but how we are to relate to our God, as Augustine says in his opinion what is called in Scripture the name of God is in fact, the stamp of the personal character of God (Augustine, On Prayer 24.2-3). The key, in my opinion, of this Commandment is to guard against turning this covenantal relationship with the Lord into one of utility. It appears that with Jesus warning against swearing in the name of God in Matthew 5:33-37 and His warning that if we say more than yes or no, it is of the devil, the Israelites, with their external piety, had made use of the Lord s name to gain the trust of their neighbors to cover what likely was their lie. This behavior was something that took after their pagan neighbors. Pagan worship is basically one of utility. Those who come from a traditional Chinese background would understand it very well. I still remember growing up in Hong Kong, there was a temple by the name of Big Fairy Wong which had to be the most popular temple at the time, because its name has been associated with the idiom, Am I Big Fairy Wong? which means am I that powerful to grant you your wish? The temple was popular presumably because its god always granted the wish of the worshipers. But with the 3 rd Commandment, the Lord makes it clear that His relationship with His covenantal people cannot be turned into one of utility, but one based on love, as the previous Commandment has already highlighted.
With these Ten Commandments, the Lord has distinguished Himself from all other gods and idols of the pagan world that He is seeking a love relationship with the people He created. It was mind-boggling then, it is till today! Day 116 A Command to rest! Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exodus 20:8) Allow me to share with you the insight of a 5 th /6 th Century church father by the name of Caesarius of Aries on the 4 th Commandment (which the early fathers counted as the 3 rd ): The third precept is Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. In this third commandment is suggested a certain idea of freedom, a repose of the heart or tranquility of the mind which a good conscience effects. Indeed, sanctification is there because the Spirit of God dwells there. Now look at the freedom or repose; our Lord says, Upon whom shall I rest but upon the man who is humble and peaceable, and who trembles at my words? (Isaiah 66:2) Therefore restless souls turn away from the Holy Ghost. Lovers of strife, authors of calumnies, devotees of quarrels rather than charity, by their uneasiness they do not admit to themselves the repose of a spiritual Sabbath. Men do not observe a spiritual Sabbath unless they devote themselves to earthly occupations so moderately that they still engage in reading and prayer, at least frequently, if not always. As that apostle says, Be diligent in reading and in teaching ; (I Timothy 4:13) and again, Pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:17) Men of this kind honor the Sabbath in a spiritual manner. (ACMS, OT. III, 105) May I add that the basis of this command to rest is the fact the Lord rested after His six days of creation, not that He needed to rest, but that His work of creation has been completed. And thus, irrespective of whether we think we have completed what we need (or sometime want) to complete within our work-week, we need to learn to rest in the complete work of the Lord and observe our Sabbath just the same. Day 117 Honoring our Parent Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
Indeed, as the 1 st Commandment forms the basis of the following three Commandments in living out the covenantal relationship with the Lord who has chosen them, the 5 th Commandment also serves as the foundation of the following five Commandments in living out relationship within the covenantal community and beyond. Some commentators might have gone too far to saying that the reason why the Lord sets our relationship with our parents as foundational to all our human relationships is because parents are representatives of the Lord on earth. However, it is true that the Giver of Life has chosen our parents as the human source in giving us our lives. As such, they are the ones to whom we owe our existence. If we do not even honor and respect the human source of our life, how then can we extend honor and respect to any human being on earth. This is the curse of the modern era in that because of the collapse of the traditional family and the advancement of genetic engineering, more and more people are disassociating with our biological parents in forming the basic family unit. No wonder the world is going down the destructive path as foretold by the Apostle Paul: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lover of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. (II Timothy 3: 2-5) I know this is a sign of our time the last days, but this is exactly why we, Christians, have to behave so unlike the world, starting with the foundational truth of loving, honoring and respecting our parents. Some might question if we should extend this to parents whom we consider unworthy of our honor. I believe the words of our Lord in Matthew 5:46 have already answered this objection. Day 118 Thou Shall not Kill You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13) You might be interested to know that in the Old Testament, different terms are used to denote different kinds of killing, and some scholars opine that the word used in the 6 th Commandment is strictly confined to murder. However, Durham has shown that this word is also used for manslaughter (i.e. unintentional killing, in Deut. 19:3, 4, 6 and
Josh 20:3) and for legal execution of a convicted killer (as in Numbers 35:30). Therefore, to understand this commandment purely based on word study is not the most helpful. However, since there are separate provisions governing manslaughter and legal execution of convicted killers, this Commandment appears to be addressing murder in the main, and would exclude killing in battle as the Lord is the one who ordered the killing of Israelites enemies like the Amalekites (in fact numerous times, including ordering their extermination in I Samuel 15:3 ). God does not contradict Himself. However, this does not mean that God does not regard life as sacred. On the contrary, this commandment fully reveals life as so sacred that those who take away the life of another person purposely has to be held accountable, and the death penalty is meant to signify the gravity of such a crime (Numbers 35:16). But as heinous as the crime of murder is, it is not unforgivable, by this I mean forgiveness in terms of reconciliation with God, not necessarily the sparing of one s physical life. The criminal on the cross who was received into paradise the very night of his death is a case in point. For him to be condemned to be punished by death on the cross, this criminal would have murdered, perhaps, quite a people in his life. And yet, as he repented of his sins right before his death, he was forgiven, although he still had to face the death penalty he deserved under the Roman laws. I do not wish to get into the debate about the validity of the death penalty in today s society, but the original intent of this Commandment is clear in that, apart from imposing a penalty which is commensurate with the severity of the crime committed, it also serves as a deterrence and perhaps even an awakening of the hardened soul of a criminal. In this respect, Ted Bundy comes to mind (of course, assuming that his death-role repentance was genuine, which only the Lord would know.) Day 119 Keeping of Commandments begins with the Heart You shall not covet your neighbor s house. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17) Of the last six commandments that deal with how the Israelites should treat their neighbors within the covenant community, the last one makes it clear that it begins with the heart.
While one might argue that to honor one s father and mother is already a matter of the heart, it is easily measurable by observing if one would provide for their parents in their old age. Whether one has committed murder or adultery or has stolen, these are crimes that must be proven by evidence of the action. But the last commandment is really a matter of the heart. If interpreted literally, one s desire or lust, though hard to be judged by the covenant community, will be judged by the Lord. This last commandment actually shows that all the rest of the commandments are to be held by the same standard. To God, it is always the motive that counts. As a result, when Jesus points out that anger or hatred is the root sin of murder and the engagement of adulterous thought in the mind has already violated 7 th Commandment, He is not really saying anything new. No wonder when Jesus quotes directly from the Commandments in Matthew 5, He uses the You have heard formula (5:21, 27, 33 etc.) to show that they have been hearing but have never understood the Commandments all along (13:13-14). I continue to hear Christians who pride themselves in using the Ten Commandments as their golden rules of life, I hope they understand that, even as Christians, these Commandments continue to function as a mirror show them their inability to keep them, and draw them back to repentance and to see forgiveness in Christ (I John 1: 8-9).
VI. A Time for Silence You have meditated much with your intellectual faculty today. Now have a moment of silence (the length is up to you, 5 or even 30 minutes), and ask God quietly, Lord, is there any important message from you today that I might have missed? Show me, your servant is listening? VII. Supplication Use the following chart to cover people and ministries that you want to remember before the Lord, apart from praying for yourself: Sunday Your Family Other People Church Ministries Other Ministries City & World Others Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday VII. Benediction May the risen Lord Jesus watch over us and renew us as He renews the whole of creation. May our hearts and lives echo His love. In Jesus name. Amen. (Celebrating Common prayer, 1992)