The Ten Commandments

Transcript

GRS 2-23
6/12/2005
The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:8-26
Gil Rugh

We are going to the book of Exodus and the twentieth chapter in your Bible. Exodus chapter 20 and you have been here for our study of the book of Exodus, you are aware that we are in a very defining period of time in Israel’s history. According to chapter 19 and verse 1, three months earlier the Exodus had occurred from the land of Egypt and after 400 years of bondage of living in an alien land, God taken that family of 70 people and built them into a great nation, numbering in millions, 2 million and more people and over a three months period they journeyed to the region of Sinai. They will spend one year here and God is giving to them a New Covenant, not The Covenant, but for them the Mosaic covenant, a covenant that will be enforced to govern their conduct, their life as God’s people on earth until their Messiah comes. When Paul wrote to the Galatians and said that was the purpose of the law, it was like a school master for the pedagog and it will keep Israel on the path to be prepared for the coming of their Messiah.

In chapter 20, Moses is on the mountain with the Lord and the Lord is giving what we know as the Ten Commandments or the Ten Words as is often referred to several times in the Old Testament. Picked up with verse 7, and we have looked through the first several of these commandments, really picked up with verse 3 and we read down to about at the end of verse 7, in our consideration, which brings us to commandment in verse 7, that we were not to take the name of our God in vain and if they did it will result in punishment. Then verse 8, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Israel’s responsibility is the Sabbath and interestingly down to our day this commandment probably occasions as much discussion and disagreement in the church as any of the others. All of the other commandments are repeated in the New Testament and we note it, we are not under Mosaic Law. That does not mean we are lawless. There is the law of Christ. That is not the same as Mosaic Law. We have the commands and instructions that Christ gives to His church in the New Testament Epistles and 9 of the 10 commandments are repeated as obligatory on the church, so we do those commandments and obey them not because they are part of the 10 commandments but because they are part of the instructions and commands given to the church in New Testament. We do not observe the Sabbath day, we were talking about this commandment, when we stopped our study last time.

The Sabbath day is the seventh day, that is what the Sabbath is, the seventh. Israel was not allowed to make any adjustment in that day, that was the day God set aside that Israel was to honor him and offer Him their worship. Sometimes your expressions, like in the church Sunday is the Christian Sabbath, that is not so. There is no provision for us to change the Sabbath. In fact there are no instructions in the New Testament that Sunday should become a form of the Sabbath for the church. Now the church has the liberty and freedom to observe this day, but it is not set down that as the required day of observance for the church as Saturday was the seventh day for Israel in the Old Testament. God's instruction to Israel was patterned on the pattern of creation, and verse 11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy." .It was to be a special day, set aside for the Lord. Normal activities were restricted; only certain essential things were to be done. Turn over to Deuteronomy, chapter 5, and look at verse 12, "Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you, six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God, in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter your male servant, your female servant, your ox, your donkey any of your cattle or your sojourner will stay with you.” This was a blanket requirement. All activities ceased for the Sabbath. Verse 15, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Sabbath day is patterned on God's work of creation as we read a moment ago. But it is given specifically to Israel in the context of their being delivered from the land of Egypt. The Lord brought you out in verse 15, with a mighty hand. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. The Sabbath like all the rest of the Law was a shadow and in many ways what takes place in the law prefigured the coming of Christ. But, when Christ comes the Law is over, we no longer live with the shadow or the types. We live with the reality and the fulfillment.

Turn over to Colossians chapter 2 in the New Testament. Colossians chapter 2, there are a number groups that do observe the Sabbath day, The Seventh day Adventists are very prominent in our community, have a college here and of course their name comes from those who observe the seventh day Saturday. There is a group called the Seventh day Baptists and they believe that we have to observe the Sabbath day. However, in Colossians chapter 2 verse 16, Paul says “Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or Sabbath days. It is not just Saturday Sabbath, but as we will see as we move along there are other days that are designated to be observed as special Sabbaths, special religious observations and so on. These are all things seen in verse 17 which are a shadow of what is to come. The substance belongs t Christ. So again, many of these things served a purpose to prefigure and prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, they were part of God's plan to keep Israel on track and focused for the coming of their Messiah with the coming of Christ. These things have served their purpose. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 also refers to the matters of the law, being just a type and prefiguring of Christ.

While you are in the New Testament, you can turn to Acts chapter 20. There are a couple of indicators that the New Testament church began to meet on Sunday, perhaps because the resurrection of Christ occurred on the first day of the week, and that day took on particular significance to the early church. But important to remember there are no instructions or commands given to the church that requires it to observe Sunday. We are not bound to certain days. I am not saying it is a good idea to have a day set aside. I think that there are things to be set for having a day that we want to focus our attention in a special way, on our relationship with the Lord and focus on His ministry to us. Easy for our relationship to the Lord and that ministry and our fellowship with believers to get lost in all the other activities, however, there are no instructions given on that, but there are indicators that we have picked up and taken into our practice as a Church. Acts chapter 20 verse 7. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered to gather to break bread Paul began talking to them intending to leave the next day and he prolonged his message until midnight and so Eutichus fell asleep and fell off the window and died and Paul resurrected him. But you note verse 7, on the first day of the week we were gathered together seemed to indicates their pattern. They are gathered together for the breaking of the bread and Paul gives an extended sermon on that occasion. Look over in first Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 2, Paul says "Now concerning the collection of the saints as I directed the churches of Galatia so do you also on the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save that you may prosper, so that no collection is made when I come and again it seem to indicated there that some kind of meeting going on, on the first day. He doesn't just say that they are to gather together this collection some time, but it will seem that this is to take place on the first day and over time if that’s done, then when Paul comes he may not have to take a collection, the money will already being gathered again seeming to indicate that the church might have been together at a regular basis on the first day of the week. All kind of indicators indicate that the church did begin to take up their Sunday as the day when they would meet. The Sabbath not enforced for the church, it was for Israel, it is a identifying sign of God's delivering them out of Egypt of the covenant that he gave at Sinai with Israel.

Go back to Exodus chapter 31. Exodus chapter 31, look at verse 12, “The Lord spoke to Moses saying, now verse 13 “But as for you speak to the sons of Israel saying you shall surely observe my Sabbaths for this is a sign between me throughout your generations that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you therefore you are to observe the Sabbath it is holy to you. Every one who profanes it shall be put to death. For who ever does any work on it that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, Holy to the Lord, whoever does any work on the Sabbath shall surely be put to death." Here you can see the difficulty people have as the try to pull up pieces of the Law to observe, so they say all were require to observe the Sabbath, but what about the penalty for not observing the Sabbath or well we don't observe that and we lose sight of what James. The Law is a unit if you break one point you break the whole. We are not free to pick and choose in the Law, so the Law was enforces as a unit that includes the punishments that go with these requirements. Verse 16, “So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generation as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the sons of Israel forever." This is a sign and identifying mark for the nation Israel, it is not for the church. Now part of the confusion comes with those covenantal theology who see the church as the New Israel. Then they begin to blend and blur things. The church is not Israel, the church in not the New Israel, the church is never called Israel and so the observing of the Sabbath is between God and the sons of Israel, important to see that.

Turn over to Ezekiel chapter 20. Ezekiel chapter 20, you know we say bad theology always catches up to you and for those who fail to maintain the clear Biblical distinction between Israel and the church, when they blur Israel and the church many other areas of their theology now get confused and they are going to decide if they are going to keep parts of the Mosaic Law but not all of it. We will keep the moral code in the Mosaic Law, not the ceremonial and the civil. The problem is within the moral code there is a mixture of other requirements and then with moral code there are punishments required. Well then within the moral code we don't keep everything that is found there and we certainly do not carry out the punishments, so we begin to just mix up the Bible and it becomes confusing and who is deciding who is doing what. In Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 12, “I also gave them my Sabbaths for a sign between me and them." Now if you go back all the way to verse 1 of chapter 20. God begins to unfold how he has dealt with Israel. Verse 1-month it was certain of the elders of Israel who came to enquire of the Lord and sat before me. So verse 3, God says to Ezekiel “Son of man speak to the elders of Israel and say to them thus says the Lord God – He wants to speak about the judgment that will come. He refers to what he swore to them in verse 5 and verse 6, "On the day I swore to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt to the land that I had promised to them, what I told them to do to cast away their detestable idols, but they did not do it and so on." God acted for the sake of His name in verse 9. Verse 10, “So I took them out of the land of Egypt, brought them into the wilderness. I gave them my statutes, informed them of my ordinances by which if any man observes them he will live. I also gave them my Sabbath to be a sign between me and them.

Again here, Ezekiel, almost a thousand years after Moses, but still reiterating that the Sabbaths were given for Israel. God reiterating through Ezekiel so that the Sabbaths are a part of the covenant between Israel and me. So they are not a part of the church’s responsibility and obligation. The Sabbath was a sign of the Mosaic covenant. Just like the rainbow was a sign of the Noahic covenant in in Genesis 9. Circumcision was given as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 17.and the Sabbath was given as the sign of the Mosaic covenant. That Mosaic covenant no longer is enforced because the Messiah is come and its purpose was only to serve as a pedagog, the school master until the coming of the Messiah. That is why it is the only commandment of the ten not repeated in the New Testament. So we are going to be careful, we are not saying oh then it does not matter if we keep the other commandments. No it does, we must keep them, but we keep them not because they are part of the Ten Commandments, which are part of the Mosaic Law, we keep them because they are repeated and reiterated as required of the church today.
Back in Exodus chapter 20, we move to the 5th commandment in verse 12 of Exodus chapter 20, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” There was to be known what we would call juvenile delinquents in Israel. Young people were required, commanded to honor their parents both father and mother and in fact if they didn’t, the death penalty was prescribed. Turn over to Deuteronomy 21 and verse 18 “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son there is nothing new.“ We say Ah! Well this is a difficult day, this is a hard day to raise kids and well having teenagers and young people. Well, here we are 1500 years before Christ. “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother when they chastise him he will not even listen to them, then his father or his mother shall cease him bring him up to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. They shall say to the elders of the city, this son of ours is stubborn, rebellious, he will not obey us, he is glutton, he is a drunkard then all the men of his city shall stone him to death." That is pretty severe. "So you shall remove the evil from your midst and all Israel shall hear of it and fear". This is a severe punishment to tell how serious God is about that commandment. The command to honor – Honor your father and mother is to price them highly, to care for them, to show respect for, to obey. It is a term that is used frequently in the Old Testament to describe our proper response to God. Close to the idea of worshipping God, honoring him.
Leviticus chapter 19 verse 3 gives a pearl of command and uses the word to fear, to give reverence to, which is hugely a term referred to what we do to God, we give Him reverence, we give Him fear, but children are to give reverence, proper respectful fear to their parents and refusal to do so is not only a rebellion against parents it is a rebellion against God and that’s why it will not be tolerated. It merits the death penalty. So serious matter in rebellion against the parents in that sense is an indication of an unsaved heart, an unconverted heart, unregenerated heart that is in rebellion against God and does seem well you know my parents. You know, it does not qualify it here. There were all different kind of parents in Israel of course just like they are today and most kids can see why some other parents would have some advantages at times, but you have to honor your parents and that is the command. To curse one's parents, you go back to Exodus chapter 21 verse 17, “He who curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death." To curse your parents was equivalent to rejecting their authority, to stubbornly refuse to acknowledge their authority, they brought the death penalty. This is the first command with a promise attached to it. It is repeated in the New Testament. Go to Ephesians chapter 6, the letter written to the church at Ephesus. And Ephesians chapter 6 opens up “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right, honor your father and Mother which is the first commandment with a promise,“ and being so that it may well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” He goes on to give additional commands and instructions there for parents, “Fathers don't provoke your children and so on." So you see here this under the direction of the spirit is a command that is repeated. God expects this of children who are submissive to him that they will be submissive to the parental authority He has placed in their life.
Just an aside, there are some that I believe have gone to seed in this, some who have taken a position that you are under the authority of your parents until your marriage. So if you remain single, you are under your parent's authority even though your parents may be 80 and you may be 60. I don't think that is consistent with what is recorded here. Obviously we deal with children under parental authority, there does come a time when they stay as an individual adult, but you never free from the responsibility to show respect, proper honor and reverence to parents, because they are always your parents. That requirement will be there even though the relationship is obviously different with the passing of time and when you leave father and mother and cleave to your spouse and establish a new household, there are new responsibilities obviously, but they all carry over in the sense that doesn't mean I am not responsible to honor my parents and show them proper respect and reverence.
Back in Exodus chapter 20, you know many of you remember in Romans chapter 1, one of the signs of those who are in rebellion against God and manifesting their hatred of God and their opposition to God is they are disobedient to parents, the end of Roman chapter 1. So serious matter that rebellion against parents is an indication of heart of rebellion against God, an unregenerated heart that needs the saving grace of God to change. But even a child that was unregenerated in Israel was required to confirm to the law of Israel or face the death penalty. But before we see as elaborated in the rest of scripture that rebellion is characteristic upon unregenerated people. That is why we have problem with the rebellion of young people today. Back in Exodus chapter 20 verse 13 “You shall not murder” and we were familiar with this. More than King James has it as “Thou shalt not kill” but I think murder is obviously what is entailed. Misguided people who do not understand scripture often try to grab a verse out of scripture to support a position that they have taken that has nothing to do with scripture. So those who are against the death penalty or who are Pacifists say what the Bible says, thou shalt not kill. But obviously in the context of the scripture the command here is not to murder. The law clearly distinguishes between murder and other acts of killing, putting a distinction between premeditated and accidental killing.
Turn over to chapter 21 of Exodus verse 12, “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die. He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death. He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” And on it goes.
Here there is distinction between actual # death there was no plan here. You know I lost control of my horse so my camel ran over somebody. I swung my axe back and I did not know he was behind me and I killed him. That would not be premeditated Exodus 21:14 However if a man does not act presumptuously to kill him craftily, there was a provision for manslaughter. There is still a penalty. There is a place you can flee, but he is confined. If he leaves that place then he can be killed for his crime by the avenger of the blood. So, there is a provision for manslaughter, but it is not the same as the provision for premeditated murder. But then you see there are other capital offences. So it is to make a mockery of scripture to say well one of the Ten Commandments is “thou shalt not kill”. And that is the reason why we should not have capital punishment. Well did you go on and read chapter 21 where God gives a whole list of things that are capital offences an are to be punished by execution God wouldn't violating His own word. . I sometimes wonder how some of these arguments even see the light of day. Reason that murder is a capital offence is it strikes at the very image of God. Go to Genesis chapter 9 and verse 6. Genesis 9, Part of the covenant that God establishes is with Noah which becomes foundational for human government. Verse 5 “Surely I will require your life blood, from every beast I will require it, from every man, from every mans brother I will require the life of the man. Whoever sheds blood by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man.” A serious offence of murder is you have struck at the image of God. That makes it a capital offence. God has put his image in man. God made man in his own image and likeness and even the fall and the sin though it mars the image it does not remove it. Though one someone murdered someone else, they have struck at the image of God.
Turn over in the New Testament, James chapter 3 with the back of the New Testament. Think of that still the foundation for capital punishment and earthly nations have the right as God established with the nation Israel before establishing laws and within that there will be capital offences. In James chapter 3 verse 9, “Talking about the danger of the tongue and the damage it does. "With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse men (and now note this ) who have been made in the likeness of God." That is a serious thing about the sin of the tongue. When we curse another human being, we are cursing speaking against one who is in the likeness of God. We need to be very careful about that. Alright, in the Old Testament there were no Pacifists. Israel was to be given clear instructions for war. They are going to be given clear instructions on how to deal with their enemies, clear instructions for destroying their enemies, clear instructions for annihilating the Canaanites in the land. Acts of war now viewed as acts of murder. There were not part of it was forbidden in the command thou shalt not kill. Again it would set the scripture against itself. God will command to Israel “Thou shalt not kill and then gave them instructions as you move into the land of Canan. You destroy men, women and children; you kill them with the sword. That’s not in violation, that's not viewed as murder. So when someone goes to war and they kill someone on the opposing side, they are not guilty of striking at the image of God and creating that offence. That’s viewed differently in scripture. So, you have to careful what He is talking about acts of murder here.
Alright back in Exodus chapter 20 the seventh commandment verse 14 “You shall not commit adultery." The word adultery applies to both men and women. The death penalty for adultery was the same for a man and the same for a woman. I will say that because it came to be that adultery became acceptable for man, but not acceptable for woman. Remember when the woman was caught in adultery and they brought her to Jesus and said “Here is the woman, caught in the very act of adultery, where is the man." If they caught her in the very act of adultery she was not alone, but they bring the woman. They are in violation of their own law. They are trying to put Jesus on the horns of a dilemma, "What are we going to do with her. The Law says she should be stoned," but you understand the Law said he should be stoned too. They are not interested in the law. They are looking for an excuse to discredit Jesus. The penalty for adultery is death. Why don't we turn to Leviticus chapter 20, we read a few verses beyond the 1. Leviticus chapter 20, and you see if we keep going back, go to Deuteronomy, go to Leviticus because they is ongoing repeating and elaboration of what gives in His law, further clarifying it because remember here if you will is the constitution by which Israel is to live. This is the governing conduct, civilly, religiously and morally as an earthly nation. Leviticus chapter 20 verse 10, "If there is a man who commits adultery with other man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." I want you to note encompassed in all of this are all kind of sexual sin. .So as God elaborates here in Exodus chapter 20 verses 10 to 21, He includes all kind of sexual immorality and impurity as he elaborates the command “You shall not commit adultery." That’s just not narrowly here sexual sin between two married. He unfolded here and elaborate that all kinds of sexual immorality and impurity will be included by his elaboration down through verse 21 of Exodus chapter 20. Of course this command for sexual purity for God's people is repeated numerous times in the New Testament and in the Book of Hebrews chapter 13 we are told that in marriage the bed is undefiled, but the adulterers and fornicators God will judge. Its settled # was in the sexual relationship within the marriage, the sexual relationship is pure and intended by God that needed to be said. People somehow get the idea that sex in marriage is something you know defiling about that. Even in the early church, the church fathers in that they were those who thought that you know abstaining from marriage and thus any kind of sexual relationship was a better way, but there are advantages to it. Paul deal with that in 1 Corinthians 7, the fact of matter in marriage the bed is undefiled. So between husband and wife that’s where God intended the expression of sexual desires. Outside of that it will bring God's punishment. Note adulterers and fornicators God will judge. We tend to think because nothing happened, we got away with it, seems o.k. It will be alright. You understand, God is keeping account. So, even though those were sins that are done secretly and often hidden, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro over the face of the earth beholding the evil and the good. Adulterers and fornicators God will judge. People parade in the world, they have no problem. People live together. It is just a common thing you know, you watch a program on Home and Garden and about people looking to buy house and here so and so and their partner. They live together in this place, but they are looking to buy, nobody is even embarrassed or ashamed by. I mean it doesn't matter, same sex, opposite sex, doesn't matter we live together to buy a house. Oh this is just so fine. Let's say what has happened. Well nothing has changed. Men and women are I rebellion against God, but there are consequences that will come to adulterers and fornicators. God will judge. So there is a command obviously binding on the church in crucial area of the sexual sin becomes prominent, acceptable in the world and the church battles what becomes acceptable in the world begins to make its way into the church, not only this area, but this area obviously.
Back in Exodus 20, verse 15, the eighth command, "You shall not steal." Some of these are really I want to say abrupt, but they are very short. Now again, as we have seen like the commandment not to commit adultery, not to commit murder, they get elaboration by God later on. Here commandment is not to steal and this forbids any kind of dishonest gain, direct or indirect. We cannot dishonestly acquire what belongs to another and I cannot cover and say well, you know its not mine, though I got it indirect, I am not steal and I am to characterized by honesty in all dealings. You know, some of these kind of laws we have in our society because remember Israel is an earthly nation that is going to conduct itself and so all societies have these kind of laws that govern their conduct and so Israel does as an earthly people. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Courts of Law can only be effective if people tell the truth. I mean we build on that don't we and we require person to take an oath that they will bear the consequences and they don't tell the truth and their punishment will be severe because everything fall apart if they were no consequences for lying in court. You just go to and lie it won't matter because there will be no punishment. I didn't do the crime. I just went to court and lied about what I knew about the crime, but since I didn't do the crime its alright for me to lie. No you see the whole judicial system will collapse. I realize the lying does go on, but the presence of penalties is intimidating and thus serves a restraint and it was in Israel over in chapter 23 of Exodus verse 1. You shall not bear a false report, do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. So, important in lying yourself with those who would lie, bear false testimony. You don't even join the masses, verse 2, in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice. So, you see how we are elaborating what was commanded. You don't bear false witness against your neighbor, now as we move along it is getting elaborated. You don't testify in a dispute so to turn aside after a multitude. In other words it doesn't matter if a large number of people are jointed together in this false witness. You don't do it and verse 3 you are not to be partial to a poor man in his dispute. Same issue, you quite say well you know the rich deserve it and I am going to side with the poor man.
Well you are not to be partial even to a poor man. Say well boy, you know I think the rich take advantage of people. They have plenty. That is not the issue, the issue is what is right, what is truth. So, see the elaboration that comes along as the law develops. In this context that is the law is further elaborated it would require two or more witnesses in capital cases for example to confirm it because even though the Law forbids bearing false witness, the fact is sometimes people do it and so as the law is further elaborated it will require two or more witnesses particularly in capital offences where the death penalty could be in place. You don't convict a person on one testimony and in Deuteronomy 19 verse 19, specifies that if a witness against some is caught lying then that false witness is to be punished with the punishment that he was trying to get for that person he was falsely testifying against. So, in other words if you are found telling a lie trying to get someone convicted of murder and that’s the death penalty and you are find out that you bore false witness against him then you are to get the death penalty. So, again you see these things are built into the law to try not only reflect God's character, but the God's people would function in a way that is pleasing to Him.
Back in Exodus chapter 20, verse 17, the Tenth Commandment. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his oxen, nor his donkey and or anything that belongs to your neighbor. You are not to desire something with an evil motivation. You are lusting for it for yourself, which obviously leads then to looking for ways to get it. God is not concerned just with the actions. He is concerned with the condition of the heart. He has already said you can't steal, but God is the one who searches the heart. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things, who can know it, I the Lord search the heart. I try the reins. I am looking at the mind and the decisions that being made. Jeremiah 17, verse 9 and 10, you shouldn't covet though it didn't come that just went on to my heart, I love to get that for myself, I love to have what he has for myself. I want some of his possessions, I want his wife, I want. The Lord is looking at the heart that is a judgeable matter. Paul referred to that when he wrote to the Corinthians and said in the coming day when the Lord who will judge the motives of men’s hearts. What is going on in the heart that is what comes out in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus talks about lusting in the heart. You have committed adultery. Well how does anybody know what is going on in the heart. You know what is going on in your heart and God knows.
And so it is with coveting and several times throughout the Old Testament, there is this reminder to Israel. Refer to Jeremiah, but there are some references you have there that also referred to God dealing with the heart. Ultimately what happens when I am covetous. I am expressing dissatisfaction with what has given me, that’s the bottom line. I am not happy with what God has given me. Why do have a nicer house than me? Why do have a nicer car? Why do have a better job, which is another way of saying God I am not content with what you have done for me. I am not content with what you have given me. I want which you have given them. In other words I am telling God, He didn't do the right thing. I see my problem is really with God. In every area of sin, every area of rebellion my problem is with God and obviously covetousness will lead to sinful acts. James chapter 1, verses 14 and 15 talks about how sin comes to fruition, begins with that lust in the heart and the ultimate end of lust conceiving is gives birth to sinful acts. Look I don't know how that happened you know. Oh he is interested in what people say. You know we don't know what would have motivated them to do that, I mean they never did this before. Oh how many mass murderers are there? Most murderers committed one murder, I mean they act like look this is just amazing. As though the only people who murder are people who do it every other day. I mean just this is the way it is, is it. But, you know what happens adultery just doesn't happen. Oh, I was walking down the sidewalk and next thing I knew we were in bed together. It is not the way it happens. That happens somehow relationship and usually it starts with the mind and what a person is thinking about, which leads them with coveting and desiring that person for themselves and as that is mould over and the desire builds and pretty soon we were looking, you know we are working it out in our mind, the next thing you know we are carrying it out. Not only happen in sexual relation, it happens with stealing, I mean properties included there as well as people. You shall not covet these things.
How do people get in trouble with embezzling and stealing and you think they are going get away with that. Man you start thinking. You started desiring and we have to be careful. How did people get into problems with their credit cards and debts. Oh I will like to have more than God has given me and pretty soon I begun to desire so much I have got to have it and so I go and buy it and they are very happy for you do it, but I again what I am doing. I am not saying it is wrong to borrow. I am not saying it is wrong to use your credit card. I am saying it is wrong to get in over your head and be controlled by that and thus end up owing more than you can pay. Now we got financial pressures. Now we got tensions. Now, what I didn't see. I didn't foresee this would happen. Well, then I need to be careful with my life and my planning and to consider what if when it comes to covetousness and I always get a kick out of the advertisements that are trying to promote something and they are trying to tell you this is what deserve. I try to question myself just why do I deserve that. Why do I deserve that new car? They are probably right. I just have to think through, why they are right. I deserve and I am sure why I not work hard. You know pretty soon I am coveting and lusting and desiring. Then I am thing if all I can get it, then the opportunity for then itself how did I get into this trouble. So, that’s the command not to covet and of course in the New Testament as we looked in James and James chapter 4 talked about the kind of conflicts and divisions and so on that come out of that kind of covetous spirit and other portions of the New Testament speak.
Ten Commandments were often grouped into two groups. The first four deal with man's relationship to God and the last six deal with mans relationship to man. Jesus summarized all the commandments by combining Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5 and Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18 "You are to love to God and love your neighbor," Matthew 22 verses 37-44. That is the foundation for the whole lot. Everything else flows out of that. We just talked about coveting. Well if I really love my neighbor, then I am not desiring what they have for myself. No, I love my children, I am glad if they have more than me. There is selfish reasons in that, they will be able to take care of me in my old age, but we do, we love them, we are glad for their success. We are glad for what they have. We love them. So if I love my neighbor as myself then the six commands relating to how I deal my neighbor and others that will cover and the verse four if I love God, then I will be honoring Him and putting Him first and so on, so you can summarize it all in those two. You can summarize the ten into ten really become a condensed version and what is going to be developed through the rest of the Old Testament. We finish out chapter 20 verses 18 to 21, talk about the awesome scene at Sinai. We have talked about some of these things. We don't have to go into that began thunder, the lightning and son on. A reminder that our God is an awesome God and He is our Heavenly father, but He is God to be feared and revered and that balance He is a loving heavenly father, but He is the one to be respected and honored and feared # consequences for disobedience and rebellion. So for Israel, they have this manifestation here. God has given these things to the people that He has loved, that He has chosen to be His own special possession out of all the nations of the earth, but don't think that that means you have a freedom to do or not do. He is the awesome God. The verses 22-26 give guidelines for Israel's worship, but again repeating things that we have seen, guiding them in their worship.

Verse 24 talks about the burnt offerings. The burnt offerings were given to atone for sin. The peace offerings or the fellowship offerings as they also known were given to express the relationship of fellowship that these people have with God. Though the burnt offerings that represent the payment for sin. The peace offerings or fellowship offering to represent the communion that they have with God as His people. Guidelines on what is acceptable and worship. You have to be careful God is not interested in what we make, verse 25. And there will be provision made when the temple is built, but specific guidelines given for how this is to be carried out. Proper decorum regarding dress and any display of nakedness associated with the worship of God and remember that they wore robes in those days. So, it would like skirts today. Well obviously you are going up steps you have to be careful. There is guidelines here for those basic things. Later on there will be instructions given for the Bermuda shorts to be worn under the robes for the priests. They weren't called Bermuda shorts in those days, but shorts that will go down to the middle of thigh to be worn under the robe for that very purpose. We were in China number of years ago and they ride bikes everywhere and the ladies all wear dresses and skirts, but they all wear like we will call Bermuda shorts under the skirts and dresses for decorum. So, here those kind of practical guidelines given here in verse 26, just the guideline regarding proper dress in Exodus chapter 28, verses 42 and 43, you get the instructions for the kind of shorts to be worn by the priest, so that there is no distraction, which would be dishonoring to God involved in worshiping Him. Often # and those kind of things were associated with false worship something we are to keep in mind. We have to be a people with proper decorum in all of our lives as God's people and of course in our worship of Him as well. We are not Israel, but many of these carry over. We do see in the instructions given to Israel. God has high standards for His people. Because the people that belong to God, belong to the God who is hold, who is awesome, who is to be revered, who is to be obeyed and who brings great blessing to His people and even though some of the specifics of the commands and instructions will defer for Israel and for the church, the principles established are the same. We belong to the living God, that is an awesome honor and privilege, but it brings with it a set of requirements and obligations that we are privileged to manifest before a watching world that we belong to the living and his character is to be seen in us and that was to be true of Israel when the Old Testament and it is to be true of the church in the present day.

Let us pray together. I thank you Lord for your gracious calling of the nation Israel that belong to You. Thank you Lord for the giving of Your Law at Sinai to govern the conduct of your people that they might be a living testimony before the nations of the world that they are people of God. We know the sad history of Israel and yet Lord we see the working of Your grace that it will some day bring them to the promised completion of your plan for them and a Kingdom ruled by your son. Lord we will take to heart the seriousness of these matters as the church that is being called together as your people in this day that we indeed belong to the living God and our God is an awesome God, who want to be revered and faithfully served. We would be a people with whom Your Holiness is clearly displayed. May the truth of Your word may gets impact upon our lives as we serve in these days in Christ's Name. Amen.