They
are among the most famous, familiar, and influential precepts known to
humanity. They have offered a framework of moral, ethical, and spiritual
conduct which continues to prove lofty, indeed, loftier, than anything we have
ever seen before or since. So profound has been their influence that they have
been rightly viewed as the foundation of the western legal system, the rule of
law, and of moral society. It also inspired a legendary movie by Cecil B.
DeMille, starring Charlton Heston.
Of
course, we are talking about the Ten Commandments, God’s law as given to Moses
on Mount Sinai. Known as עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, Aseret
ha’Dibrot, the 10 Commandments have had a profound influence on the Hebrew
people, the Old and New Testament, and the world. They are mentioned twice in
the Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21. Since Deuteronomy is
the retelling of the Law to the generation of Israelites born in the
wilderness, it is fitting that it be repeated (Deuteronomy means the ‘second’ [recitation]
of the law).
There are some echoes of the Ten Commandments among
ancient civilisations, particularly the Hittites and Mesopotamian empires. One
specifically is the Code of Hammurabi, which is similar in some ways but
glaringly different in others. Hammurabi refers to the Babylonia gods, thus
making it polytheistic. He also talks about himself a lot, too. The 10
Commandments talked about the one true God and Moses, ‘the law-giver,’ is not
mentioned at all.
From this we can draw the principle that when men make
the laws, they are often above them. When God makes the law, then the law is
above man. Rule of law ultimately derives its legitimacy from the fact that God
is the ultimate source of laws and rights, and no human should be allowed to
infringe of them. ‘Not under man, but under God and law,’ a phrase
posted at the Harvard Law School, sums it up excellently.
Background: Under the leadership of Moses, the children of Israel made a wholesale
escape from the bondage of the land of Egypt. They were at the foot of Mount
Sinai (which could be the traditional site in the Sinai Peninsula, though there
is a growing school of thought that it is Jebel il Louz in NW Saudi Arabia -
after all, Paul speaks of Mount Sinai being in Arabia [Galatians 4:25]).
Chapter 20 of Exodus begins with the phrase: And
God spake all these words. So we learn that the 10 Commandments were oral
at first and they came directly from God. So what you read following are God’s
words. These commandments were written on 2 tablets of stone by the finger of
God (Exodus 31:18), which eventually were housed inside the Ark of the Covenant
(Exodus 25:21; Deuteronomy 10:2,5). Because Moses was the one to receive the
law, he is called the great law-giver. However, this is a little misleading: it
is God who is the great law-giver, Moses was the law-receiver.
TO BE CONTINUED
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