The Ten Commandments
By
Bambi Francisco
May 2003
For the class on Christian Ethics
Prof. Edgar
If anyone is to have a thorough understanding of the 10 commandments, it is
instructive to note that there is a prologue – “I Yahweh your God, who has freed you
from Egypt, the house of slavery” – to the commandments. In other words,
it is only after the liberation from Egypt, or the gospel for Christians, that believers
receive the law. These rules of life are for a liberated people. The following report is
based on Professor Dr. J. Douma’s book, The Ten Commandments.
The First Commandment
“You shall have no other Gods before Me.” [Ex. 20:3]
Man has always had gods before him besides God himself. In the bible, people
worshipped Baal, Milcom and Chemosh. [I Kings 11:4-8] For the Israelites, the first
commandment could be readily applied to these gods. But for us, this commandment is
far reaching.
The gods of the Old Testament that men idolized were a foretaste of images or
symbols men would continually create to worship. If anyone were to deny having an
inclination to worship idols, the first commandment is a good starting point for self-
examination. “Estranged from the Creator of rain, thunder, and fertile fields, people
began to worship the creature instead of the Creator,” Douma writes.
Importantly, idols – whatever they may be -- had and still have very real powers to
enslave man. [I Cor. 8:4-7] Paul cautions that this inclination to worship could
“eventually master people as God surrenders fallen man to his own desires. [Rom. 1:24-
25]. “They become powers to which people ascribe divine honor,” Douma so aptly puts
it.
Idols come in all forms: Man’s strength, as pointed out in Hab. 1:11, or gold as
referred to in Job 31:24, money, covetousness or stomachs, as referenced in Matt. 6:24,
Col. 3:5 and Phil. 3:19, respectively. [Pg. 18]
For Karl Marx, his idol was his independence. As such, he was a slave to his own
self-conceit, Douma suggests. Marx said that a person is independent only if he can stand
on his own feet. He owes his existence to no one other than himself. But a person is
dependent if he lives his life by the “grace” of another, if he owes to another the
“perpetuation” of his life, as well as his creation. It makes no difference whether one
kneels before a deity or “stands arrogantly” on his own two feet, like Marx, says Douma.
In both cases men remain in slavery. [Pg. 33]
We should also remember that the first commandment does not liberate those who
follow it. Moreover, it is a choice. But a choice given to those already redeemed. The
Israelites were given the choice to follow God, after they were freed from slavery in
Egypt. Joshua poses that choice to them when he says “if it seems evil to you to serve the
Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your
fathers served… As for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Moreover, if we are
to follow this commandment, then we must follow it wholeheartedly. The Old Testament
and New Testament clearly demands from those who choose God, to love Him. “The
Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God.” [Matt. 22:34-40]
Second Commandment
“You shall not make for yourself an idol – in any form whatsoever – of anything in heaven above or in the sky, on the earth below or in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor worship them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a God who avenges Himself: I punish the sins of fathers upon children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, if they are unfaithful to Me: but I show favor to the most extended generation imaginable, if they are faithful to Me and respect My commandments. [Ex. 20:4-6]
The Roman Catholics and Lutherans view this commandment alongside the first.
But Douma argues that whereas the first commandment forbids us to worship other gods,
the second enjoins us in the matter of how we worship God. “If you stand with your back
to idols, then you must still learn to kneel properly before the God of Israel,” he explains.
Look no further than Deut. 4:15-18, where the Israelites are forbidden to make
carved or cast images in the form of animals, birds or fish, as a representative of God.
They were admonished after they created a golden calf to praise. [Ex. 32:4]. In the same
way, Jeroboam erected two golden bulls for people to worship to prevent them from
traveling to the temple in Jerusalem. [I Kings 12:28].
Douma asserts that to capture God in an image is to misunderstand His freedom,
majesty, and covenant. An image is man’s attempt to make something comprehensible,
that which is not comprehensible. To this end, man is attempting to control what cannot
be controlled, Douma suggests. [Pg. 41] God’s majesty, as elucidated metaphorically in
the Bible as fire to “the midst of heavens, with darkness, cloud and thick darkness,”
cannot be captured in an image. [Deut. 4:11-12] Lastly, Douma points out that when God
made his covenant, it was only his voice heard. The Israelites needed nothing more for
God to make His promise.
Image worshipping evolved into the worshiping of images of saints and Christ.
During the seventh and eighth centuries, theologian John Damascus, argued that the
incarnation of Christ served as the strongest argument for image worship. [Pg. 61]
These new images of saints and Christ replaced pagan images of gods, like the virgin
goddess Minerva or Apollo or Sebastian. But just as pagans believed that these images
could perform miracles, so too did those worshiping the saints. [Pg. 59] The
interpretation of the second commandment by Douma is that image making presupposes
a perspective to control divine power.
The Third Commandment
“You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh, your God, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished those who do that.” [Ex. 20:7]
The name Yahweh must not be spoken without meaning or with deceptive
intentions. Sorcerers misused the Lord’s name when they sought assistance. In the same
way man cannot use God’s name for selfish ambition. “This turns the name into an
instrument in service of a lie,” says Douma.
One can also be guilty of misusing God’s name without mentioning it. Anyone who
mocks the poor insults their Maker. [Prov. 17:5]. We are taught in Lev. 19:14 that cursing
a deaf person or putting a stumbling block in front of a blind person, is a violation of the
third commandment as well. Moreover, one cannot degrade God’s majesty to a “second-
rank” deity who could accomplish no more than other gods, says Douma. This is
illustrated in Isa. 37:4, in which an Assyrian king boasts that the Lord will deliver his
people, at the same time he compares the Lord to other gods. This is a reproach to God,
and clearly blasphemous of his name, Douma asserts. In fact blasphemy is committed by
anyone who so much as despises the “word” of the Lord. [Num. 15:30-31]
For anyone who forgets God, or treats him with disrespect, they too are in violation
of the third command. “Riches induce one to ask lightly, Who is the Lord? But poverty
can have the same effect, when poor people assault God’s name on account of their
poverty. [Prov. 30:8-9].
What about using God’s name in vain? No government punished swearing or
cursing, observed by H. Bullinger, a theologian during the Reformation. And, while
modern profanity is not intended to be blasphemous, one should not “camouflage the
evil” warned against misusing God’s name. “We are dealing with more than an
impoverished vocabulary,” says Douma. It is not just a “peccadillo… at the very edge of
modern consciousness.” Swearing is a symptom of unbelief, if it is not a conscious
demonstration of unbelief. As Douma puts it: A person exposes his deepest emptiness
through his vocabulary. [Pg. 83]
The exceptions to the rule are in oath taking, which is an appeal to the name of God.
It was accepted in biblical times as it is today. Assertory oaths are sworn to confirm the
validity of our statements; promissory oaths are sworn to confirm presidents, and other
officials into office. The asserory oath can be extended to private oaths as well when
one’s reputation is at stake. Jacob and Laban’s oaths in the Bible are examples of this
private oath taking that is permissible.
The Fourth Commandment
“Remember the Sabbath” [Ex. 20:8-11]
Apparently, no commandment has occasioned more controversy than the
commandment of the Sabbath. Sabbath is first referred to in Exodus 16. This raises the
question of whether the Sabbath is a creation ordinance if it is not mentioned prior to the
fall. Douma is hard pressed to find evidence that the Sabbath was a creation ordinance.
Douma’s exegesis of the Sabbath also determines that the New Testament never
“explicitly” mentions the Sabbath. Nor does the Bible explicitly state that Sunday has
replaced the Sabbath, though the disciples did gather to pray on Sunday. [John 20]
Additionally, there is no mention that men must observe a day of rest, while Paul tells us
in Rom. 14:5 that we should not esteem one day above another. [Pg. 113] Nevertheless,
while Douma questions the validity of the Sabbath as being a creation ordinance, his
exegesis does support the tradition of Sunday worship as a day of rest, or, in effect, the
day in which the Sabbath is to be observed, as commanded.
The Israelites were commanded to observe Sabbath in order to be refreshed. The
Sabbath was a feast day commemorating their liberation from Egypt. Jesus reminds us
that, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” [Mark 2:27]
Indeed, Sabbath is a joyous day for man, Douma observes, and, importantly, man finds
his deepest joy in the Lord. [Pg. 115] Jesus observed the Sabbath by regularly attending
synagogue. [Luke 4:16] He makes use of the day to instruct His listeners [Mark 1:21]. It
is clear therefore that the Sabbath was occasioned for learning God’s word.
The Sabbath has many similar characteristics as Sunday. Sunday was the Lord’s
Day, recalling the resurrection of Christ, and salvation of believers, in the same way that
the Sabbath commemorated salvation and freedom from bondage for Israelites. Both days
possess this special liberating quality, and are for days in which God’s word is sought.
“On both days, worship occupies a special place.” [Pg. 121] Douma does make
emphatic, however, that Sunday observance is not a divine ordinance, but an
ecclesiastical one, since Scripture does not state this explicitly. It is natural that believers
would observe their liberation on the day of Christ’s resurrection. If God’s revelatory
truth is revealed through Christ, then it must follow that the fourth commandment is not
tied to the Jewish Sabbath, but the Lord’s Day. [Pg. 138]
It is worth pointing out what God ordains as rightful and appropriate acts on Sunday
is a complex issue, with no uniform prohibitions. But Douma reminds us to be cognizant
that this day of rest is a healthy regulation for society, and, that Sunday is “for man, who
may not need to be a slave to his work.”
The Fifth Commandment
“Honor your father and your mother. Then you will have a long life in the land Yahweh your God is giving you.” [Ex. 20:12]
This commandment teaches us to honor our parents as well as authority. People
often ascribe this respect to biological and sociological developments since parents pass
on their knowledge to children. But Douma asserts that children rely on parents for a
different kind of instruction. It is the instruction to follow the Lord’s commandments,
which God commands parents to convey to their children. [Deut. 6:6-7] Through the
honoring of parents by following their instruction, children become equipped with the
skills and knowledge to live a long and fruitful life. In Prov. 3:1-2, it reads: “My son, do
not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for the length of days and long
life and peace they will add to you.” In order for a child to receive long life, he should
therefore heed and respect his parent’s instruction. [Pg. 164]
Moreover, there is freedom in following our parents that is similar to the freedom the
Israelites had in keeping the commandments given to them after the Exodus. [Ex. 20:12]
A person is truly free when he loves God and keeps His commandments. It can therefore
be said the same for children when he loves his parents.
In Exodus, Leviticus and Proverbs, children are told not to “curse” their parents.
Rachel show deference to her father by calling him “Lord.” [Gen. 31:35] The Bible also
teaches us in Matt. 15:4-9 and Tim. 5:4 to care for parents when there is financial need.
But obedience does not require worshipping. We must remember that God stands above
our parents, and it may be necessary to choose Him over parents. This instruction is
strongly worded in Luke 14:26, where it says that anyone unable to hate his father and
mother cannot be His disciple. [Pg. 175]
To be sure, a person cannot simply be disobedient to one’s parents, nor can parents
abuse their children or provoke them. After all, Paul found it possible for an unbeliever
and a believer to stay together in a marriage. [I Cor. 7:12-16] Children must demonstrate
obedience “in the Lord.”[Pg. 177] As said Eph. 6:1, children must obey their parents only
“in the Lord.”
This commandment extends to “all in authority over me,” according to the
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 39. This is justified when one looks at the broad
definition of fatherhood in the Bible. In Gen. 17:4, we are told that Abraham was the
“father of many nations.” [Pg. 179] We are also told not to curse kings, even in our
thoughts. [Eccl. 10:20] And, it is clear in Rom. 13:1-7 and elsewhere that obedience to
government is required. We must render obedience because governments are ordained by
God, and exist under God. Resisting the government ordained by God is therefore
nothing short of resisting God himself, Douma contends. In cases where the rights of the
citizen are “brutally and continually violated by the government,” a revolution can be
taken up. But those leading the revolution are the ones that represent the people they are
freeing, and the probability of success must be high to limit the casualties. [Pg. 204]
The Sixth Commandment
“You shall not kill unlawfully”
This commandment is directed at the protection of human life. We are to have the
utmost respect for life. It is not because life is a goal in and of itself, but rather because
life is designed for service to God, Douma reminds us. Therefore in order to carry out
God’s will, we are not only commanded not to kill, but at times to administer justice, like
capital punishment, in order to preserve life. In Gen. 9:6, we are told that, “Whoever
sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made
man.”
What is unlawful is specifically an action that does not serve society, but violates it.
[Pg. 214] Violation of the sixth commandment encompasses such killings as murder,
voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide. But the
commandment also pertains to legal forms of killings in our society as well, such as
abortion. Scripture says that a child is knit together by God’s hands in his mother’s
womb. [Ps. 139; Job 10:8-12]
Killing extends just beyond the deed. God hates the root of all murder: envy, anger,
vindictiveness and hatred. Taking the commandment further, there is an implicit
command to love our neighbor. The Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 40 says that we
are not to “battle, insult, hate or kill our neighbor by thought, word, look, or gesture.”
Instead, we are to be patient, gentle, and merciful to our friend and enemies. [Pg. 229]
We are taught to have this disposition towards others because it prevents hatred
from manifesting itself outwardly in ways that can sap the life out of someone without
bloodshed. Jesus teaches us on the Sermon on the Mount that someone who is angry
without a cause, or calls another stupid or an idiot, will have to answer to the Sanhedrin
and “shall be in danger of hell fire.” [Matt. 5:22] In I John 3:15, it reads, “Whoever hates
his brother is a murderer.” [Pg. 230]
In addition, we should not take vengeance into our own hands. In the Sermon on the
Mount, we are instructed to offer someone the left cheek, if he slaps us on the right.
[Matt. 5:39] Taking one’s life in self-defense is another matter, however. In Exodus, we
are told a person is not guilty if he strikes a thief with a deadly blow. Yet the next verse
assigns guilt to this person if this act is done during daylight, suggesting that one needs to
utilize all resources and exhaust all peaceable means before engaging in such an act. [Pg.
234]
Capital punishment is also condoned in the Bible. Because we are to respect human
life, we need to protect it. God calls the government to us the sword in God’s service to
execute judgment on one who violates society. [Rom. 13:4] In the case of war, the Bible
is not a pacifist as numerous wars were fought at God’s command. This we see in Deut.
20:16, where it says, “Completely destroy them… your God has commanded you. But in
Deut. 10, we are also taught restraint, when God says that before attacking a city, “make
its people an offer of peace.” To this end, the position of a “just war” was created. War
may be waged if it meets these criteria: 1) made by a legitimate government, 2) for a
legitimate cause, 3) consideration of costs and benefits, 4) means proportionate to the
offenses, 6) recognition of the differences between soldiers and civilians.
The Seventh Commandment
“You shall not commit adultery.”
This commandment appears to evolve in scope and meaning throughout the Bible. It
appears in the Old Testament that this commandment is specifically applied to married
women who have sexual intercourse with a man, regardless if he is married or not. It