Sunday Sermon Snippet 09.28

“Then God spoke all these words…” Exodus 20:1

This weekly posting of the Sunday Sermon Snippet comes from Sunday’s sermon on Exodus 20, entitled, “The Ten Words.”

This sermon was simply laying the groundwork for a more extensive study and treatment of the Ten Words in the weeks ahead. And part of what we need to understand in the commands that God has provided as a gift is that they are not only relevant for us today, but were directly addressing very specific kinds of bondage that Israel suffered under centuries ago in the land of Egypt. See the snippet below for a bit of reflection on the original and enduring benefits of the Ten Words.

And if you’d like to check out the whole sermon, just click here.


From Slavery to Liberation

I am indebted to Christopher Wright for revealing to me that The Ten Words are both a pathway to prosperity and flourishing for all humanity for all time, and they also functioned as a very specific corrective to the life of slavery that Israel had lived under Egypt, and the pathway to a covenantal life of freedom under Yahweh’s rule, in his place.

In Egypt, they labored under a harsh ruler who refused to recognize Yahweh as God. The refreshing and life-giving guideline in The Ten is that there is no God but Yahweh (#1) and that bowing down to any other idol and false god (#2) — like Egypt was littered with — is prohibited for its utter foolishness.

In Egypt, they were not even aware of the powerful and divine name of God — Yahweh. The Ten Words open up their understanding that with the new knowledge of this Name which brings inestimable benefits and privileges to them as a people, they must not misuse it in any way, for any personal, malevolent, or frivolous purpose (#3).

In Egypt, maybe the harshest oppression was the absence of any rest. No vacations. No holidays. No days off. Constant and unrelenting labor. Unceasing work. This is inhumane, and anti-human. The Ten Words usher in a new way of being human — we are not defined by our work, and are designed to need and enjoy rest and shalom. This is commanded (#4), and is a gift, and is holy.

In Egypt, Israel’s family life had been attacked at fundamental levels, destroying the bonds of the most basic of societal and national structures. The Ten Words usher in a rebuilding of what had been torn down, protecting internal family authority structures (#5) and restoring sexual integrity (#7).

In Egypt, Israel suffered under state-sponsored genocide — a reality we are intimately familiar with, as our nation is bathed in the blood of millions of babies through state-sponsored sacrifice on the altar of supposed sexual “liberation.” The Ten Words reinstate the sanctity of life (#6).

In Egypt, Israel had been economically exploited and robbed of what was theirs, in a system that promoted the strong taking from the weak, driven by their own insatiable desires. The Ten Words re-establish basic community standards regarding property rights and societal norms of behavior in this arena (#8, #10).

In Egypt, Israel could not appeal to any system of true justice. The Ten Words provide a court of appeal free from false charges and testimony (#9).

The Opportunity of Disenchantment

Brothers and sisters, do you see? There is a way forward here. There is a pathway out of melancholy and malaise. For a world in shambles, a broken nation of our fellow citizens in the grip of bondage and oppression due to their idolatry and seeking for joys in ways and places where it cannot be found — the great opportunity for us as disciple of Jesus the Messiah is that those around us — in the words of Tim Keller from years ago — those around us are experiencing, and even many in the church are experiencing, a great “disenchantment.” In the old stories, that meant that the spell cast by the evil sorcerer was broken and there was the chance to escape. Such times come to us as individuals — and a people — when some great enterprise, pursuit, or person on which we’ve built our hopes fails to deliver what we thought was promised. It very rarely comes to an entire society.

But that time is here, and now.

And the only way forward is to discern the enslaving aspects and idols of our culture, to reveal all the counterfeit gods, and then turn back to the true one.

And….to turn back to his words, The Ten Words, and the whole instruction that he has provided for a prosperous life, a flourishing life, and a promised land. Beginning Oct. 19, we’ll spend 5 Sundays doing just that.

If you’d like to check out the whole sermon, just click here.

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