Exodus 20:1-17 - link to the NRSV text
Note: Also see my previous post on the Ten Commandments.
Why does God give us law?
For many people, the idea of God giving law means that God is punitive. God has to set up rules else everything will descend into chaos, and if you break those rules then you're going to get what you deserve. Break the law, and you will be punished. God becomes something on par with The Man, Big Brother, Microsoft: the great power that everything else must bow to. Law thus becomes strictly a list of dos and don'ts by which God judges and weighs humanity as determinative of their worthiness and holiness. Law is restrictive, controlling.
Within the concept of covenantal relationship, however, I think law has a little different character. God gives the law not because it is punitive; the law, in this case the Ten Commandments (or Words) serves as an ordering force for the life of the covenant community.
And this is something so often ignored when these commands are discussed: they are commands for the covenant people. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2-3). The scope of the commandments could be understood as restricted to those who have experienced the mighty grace and mercy of God.
And the law then sets out a pattern of life for the covenant people, of how they are to live in relation with God and with each other. And these two different relations are not distinct; how we relate to God has an impact on how we relate to others. And the bridge is found in verse 8-11, in the command about the Sabbath:
But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work-- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns (Exodus 20:10, emphasis added).
Covenant life with God has a material and physical manifestation; it is not restricted to private religious observance. Instead, the divine-human relationship pours out into all other relationships, demanding that others receive rest also, that one honors the family, that we do not damage each other through either action (murder, adultery, theft, false testimony) or animosity (coveting the possessions of someone else).
The law provides a pattern of religious and social action that provides a rhythm for day-to-day living. Maybe this idea provides some insight into Jesus' teaching when he said:
You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment...You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28).
Maybe Jesus is suggesting that these commands were about more than just right action, but about fundamental human-to-human and divine-to-human relationships. When actions like murder and adultery are even contemplated, Jesus suggests, the rhythm of covenantal living is interrupted.
But that's not the end of the story, for God's law ("teaching" may be a better translation of torah) is not punitive. This is not some impartial judge sitting high on a throne and pronouncing guilt for those who diverge. The one who gave the law gave it out of love and grace: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
The law, the Ten Commandments stand as a stark reminder of the rhythm that we are called to adhere to as the covenant people, and as a reminder of how much we struggle to do so. Yet the God who makes covenant, who makes relationship, is ready to continue to be in covenant. When the rhythm is interrupted, God comes to show us the way again. And isn't that part of what Lent is about? The reminder that our sin is ever present, our brokenness ever before us, but that in God's mighty acts we find new life, that we experience resurrection?
Shalom,
Geoff
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