Exodus 19
1In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
It's only been 3 months. The people were probably wondering how long they would be in the wilderness for.
Next station is the Sinai wilderness.
3And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
This place is where a lot of things happened.
5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Is this a new covenant? We've had the Noah Covenant, and the Abram Covenant (passed to Isaac), the Jacob Covenant. "If ye will ... keep my covenant". The people didn't really have to do anything at this point to keep the covenant. About the only thing demanded of them from the previous covenants (other than the 7 Noahide laws) was circumcision.
Moses goes and tells the elders what God said, which really wasn't very much.
9And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
God said they would hear when he speaks, it didn't say they would be able to understand him.
11And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
Nobody knows where mount Sinai is.
12And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:
13There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
God actively killed Er and Onan, he now needs people to either stone, or shoot (arrows) people who disobey him. 16And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
Why god needed to showboat with the thunders and lightnings is unknown. He was leading them with the smoke and with the fire. Why did he now need to show off with a big godlike display?20And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
At the top, god told Moses that the people weren't supposed to go up to the mountain, and that the priests aren't supposed to either. Then he said for Moses to bring Aaron up.
Exodus 20
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Guess what we've got now... that's right, the 10 commandments.
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The Decalogue is one of my favorite parts of the bible. Exactly why, I'm not sure. I just love the way that it has been manipulated to mean so many different things.
Commandment #1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Oddly, me isn't capitalized.
4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Commandment #2. No graven images.7Thou 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.
Commandment #3. No taking the name of the LORD in vain. God's name isn't god. This references the YHVH (Jehovah) name. Jews won't even write God, they put G-d, for fear of breaking this commandment.
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Commandment #4. Remember the sabbath.
12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Commandment #5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
13Thou shalt not kill.
Commandment #6. Thou shalt not kill.
14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Commandment #7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15Thou shalt not steal.
Commandment #8. Thou shalt not steal.
16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Commandment #9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Commandment #10. Thou shalt not covet.
The Catholics take out #2, because they really like their graven images. Then they split #10 into two.
What do those mean? The first four commandments deal with worshiping god. The final are laws for living in an organized society. You'll note that most of the laws deal with the "neighbor". Who is the neighbor? The neighbor is someone just like you. To them, it was a fellow Hebrew. Somone who left Egypt with them. People who had gone through the exact same thing.
Commandment #6, is a prohibition against murder. It doesn't mean don't kill anyone ever. How can you know that it doesn't mean don't kill anyone ever? Later we'll see the punishments for breaking these laws, most of them carry the death sentence. If you can't kill, you can't have a death penalty.
22And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
Moses makes sure to let the people know that it was god who spoke to him, and that they all saw it.
Exodus 21
Now we get some more laws.
2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
A Hebrew slave can only be in your care for 6 years. After that, he is released. If he was married when purchased, then the wife can leave with him. If the master gives him a wife, then the wife and all kids belong to the master.
5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
If you love your master, you will be nailed to a door. Did they have doors while wandering around in the wilderness?7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
You can sell your daughter. She doesn't count to the 7th year freedom thing.
The master can't sell her to foreigners. (Was this a problem wandering around in the wilderness)? If he bought her for his son, he has to treat her like a daughter. If he has another wife, she can't have less of a role as a wife.
12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
If you hit a person to death, you will be killed. Remember the "thou shalt not kill" commandment. If you break it, you get put to death.
15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
If you hit your father or mother, you will be killed.
16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Kidnapping is punishable by death.
17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
It's not bad enough to just HIT your parent's if you curse them, you get the death penalty.
If two guys fight, and one gets injured but survives, you only have to pay lost wages.
If a man hits his servant, and it dies, the guy will be punished; however, if he doesn't die, you can beat him all you want.
21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
"He is his money". That's an awesome phrase. It means the slave is property. It's not a person, it's property.
22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
Why is a pregnant woman watching men fight?
24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Where have I heard "eye for eye" before? Oh yeah, the Code of Hammurabi. Remember, Hammurabi was probably one of the kings who took Lot. Eye for an eye is Code # 196.
Next is some laws that deal with ox. We don't really need to know those because... I don't have any oxen, and don't know anyone that has some. If you do need to know these because you have had incidents with ox, let me know.
Points to ponder:
1. Why did god make such a big show up on the mountain with thunder and lightning?
2. Why did god have to threaten people with death, why not just actually kill them? What's funny is the people were threatened with being stoned for touching the mount, meanwhile they were threatened with being killed because if they saw god, they would die.
3. Are the ten commandments actually good rules for society? Are these actually the ten commandments that are on the tablets? You'll note, the word tablet wasn't used yet.
4. Are these laws all stolen from the Code of Hammurabi? Was Moses taught these laws while he was being schooled as an Egyptian Noble?
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