The Strand Study Bible
EXODUS EXODUS Exodus 20 Subject Head The Ten Commandments are recorded twice in the OT; here at Sinai (Exo 20:1-17) and forty years later on the plains of Moab (Deut 5:6-21). They were written on two tablets, each tablet containing the full text. One tablet belonged to Israel and the other to God, so that both parties to the covenant had a copy. The Ten Commandments as such are not the basis of salvation (Seriously, how can we keep what we can’t even quote?). According to Galatians 3:24, CHRIST (and what He did for us on Calvary) is the only basis for our salvation. 20:3 Interestingly enough, when the Ten Commandments were given, there was no commandment against atheism , only against polytheism ( no other gods ). Before the rise of Ionian science by Thales of Miletus of Greece around 600 BC, mythology and polytheism controlled the way men thought. In fact, for the first 3,400 years of human history (from c. 4,000 - 600 BC) there was no such thing as atheism, therefore, it was not a problem during the days of Moses. After all, Moses knew a man ( Amram , his father) who knew Levi . Levi knew a man ( Jacob , his father) who knew Abraham ( Psa 104:6-9 ). Abraham knew a man ( Shem , Noah’s son) who knew Lamech (Shem’s grandfather). And Lamech knew Adam . When you are that close to the time of creation, you are not apt to deny the existence of a Creator. Abraham Lincoln once said: I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. 1 NOTE – Atheists cannot seem to find God for the same reason that a burglar cannot locate a policeman –they simply aren’t looking. There is absolutely no reason to fear the atheist; whenever a man denies the existence of God, he places himself outside the realm of reason ( Religious Note after Dan 1:21). Joe Gibbs in Game Plan for Life notes: . 20:4 Whether you make it up in your mind or with a piece of wood , making a graven image ( god) to suit yourself is called “idolatry.” 20:5 Sadly, parents who have little or no character tend to raise children who have little or no character. It’s called “learned behavior.” Three or four generations of “bad behavior” and it’s not hard to visualize God visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations (Exo 34:7, Num 14:18, Deut 5:9 and Jere 32:18). Nevertheless, as true as that is, it is not the emphasis behind this verse. What God meant here was that, due to the parents, the accumulative effects of some sins will naturally visit (or, effect) the home life of our children, placing them at a definite disadvantage in life. Ellicott’s Bible Commentary notes: 210 Atheism teaches that our beliefs are the product of our brains, which in turn are the product of mindless, unguided processes. If that is so, why should we believe anything our minds tell us, including scientific theories? Atheism thus undermines the validity of the very human reason on which science depends. 2 Any child can break the chains that were forged upon them by their parents. The responsibility of one’s actions, ultimately, is on the individual (Deut 24:16, Ezk 18:2,3,20 and Exo 32:34), not the individual’s family members. Therefore, there is no such thing as generational curses. 20:7 To “ take the name of the LORD in vain ” is to use God’s holy name for purposes other than worship ( Gen 26:5 – point #3). There are three ways we can break the third commandment: (1) We can “swear” by God’s name (and not keep our word - Eccl 5:1-6, Mt 5:33-37 and I Sam 14:24-45); (2) We can “swear” using God’s name (Lev 22:32 and Mt 12:36-37); and (3) We can “swear” by blaspheming God’s name (Lev 24:10-16). Whereas the first two violations of this commandment fall under the personal laws and result in “reaping what we sow” (Eccl 5:6), the last violation of this commandment falls under the moral laws and results in death. 20:11 According to The Englishman’s Hebrew-Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament , the Hebrew word for “ made ” is gah- sah . 4 According to Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies , the word gas-sah means, “ to work, to produce by labor; specially to make, i.e. to form, to construct, to prepare, to build .” 5 Thus, Gas-sah refers to the “ reworking , i.e., reconstruction ” of the earth, not the initial creation of the earth ( Gen 1:1 d ). 20:12 Religion that does not begin at home ( Honour thy father and thy mother ) usually does not begin. A good relationship with one’s earthly “parents” paves the way to a good relationship with the HEAVENLY FATHER . NOTE – There were three indignations against parents that were considered worthy of capital punishment: (1) hitting one’s parents (Exo 21:15); (2) cursing one’s parents (Lev 20:9); and (3) habitual rebellion (Deut 21:18-21). Children that will take a swing at their parents (their earthly authority) will ultimately take a swing at God (their heavenly authority). Thus, a society that destroys the family destroys itself. Look out America! 20:15 God summed up all 613 laws ( Prov 3:3 ) by giving us ten rules to live by. Whereas the first four deal with our relationship to Him, the last six deal with our relationship with other people. God’s eighth rule for life, “ Thou shalt not steal ,” is the foundation of our entire economic system, because it recognizes the fact that one has a right, a God-given right, to work, earn, save, and own. Thus, to take away from one that which is rightfully his is wrong in the sight of God. 1 “Goodreads.” goodreads.com. 14 Jan 2008
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