Ten Commandments, carved in stone, considered a testament to God’s covenant with the Israelite people as brokered by Moses. It is in this development of the covenant that we see that people are required to become more active and participatory in their relationship with God. ... This one, at Mount Sinai, is the more rigorous understanding of a contractual obligation. The people live by these rules and God follows through on the promise of attendant care, rewards and benefits. Should the people renege on this deal, God has the legal right to opt out of the relationship and leave them to their own devices and the scheming of their enemies.
Ten Commandments, carved in stone. But we know in our life, and in life thousands of years ago: nothing is carved in stone, nothing is black and white. We live in a world full of grays. ... We could investigate the loopholes and questions of each of these 10 commandments. And I’m not saying that I disagree with any of them, it just seems a little sneaky of God to force the people to live by these rules when they’re so open to interpretation and context. It’s like we’re being set up to fail, that there’s always going to be a way for someone to say that we’re not obeying these laws.
Ten Commandments, carved in stone. Which kind of laws are they? Ones that are changeable and depend on people’s agreement and participation? On one hand, yes. But they are universal and unchanging in the sense that we do not break faith with others, by taking their possessions, subverting their relationships and besmirching their reputations. No community can break these commandments and survive as a life-giving gathering of support and care.
Ten Commandments, carved in stone. Permanently revered in the Ark of the Covenant, treasured and fought for many times over. Not so much for the ambiguous instruction they contain, but what they represent. The permanence of God’s care for us, a commitment to journey with us, the expectation that we question and wonder and think of our own answers.
These commandments teach that we all participate in our faith, in the expression of permanent unchanging truth of God’s love for justice, equality and fair treatment of all.
The preservation of trust within a community – of prioritizing the importance of God, one god, worthy of worship and praise. We keep faith with one another, through honesty and trust. Theft, betrayal, slander, murder, jealousy, these things all undermine a community.
God was trying to preserve the community and identity for a people that were struggling. They didn’t have a geographic home, there was no stable economy, the leadership structure was just beginning to emerge, how were they going to survive 40 years in the wilderness?
Focusing on their relationship with the divine, keeping the bond of trust and reliance on one another. That’s what the commandments intended to do – keep the community together while they faced great hardship and uncertainty.
The same goes for us: economic instability, emerging leadership strategy, uncertainty about the years ahead or where we’re going … and still we have a wealth of strength and resources – we have each other.
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