Online Worship Service March 22, 2020
Exodus 20:1-17
I had a friend in University. He considered himself vaguely Christian, or something. Never went to church, didn’t read the Bible. But he liked the Ten Commandments. When I asked him why, he just shrugged and said “they just seem like pretty good common-sense rules to live by.” Good common-sense rules to live by.
Now, no doubt they are good to live by. But the truth is they’re far from simple common-sense rules. Because if they’re common-sense, why would any of us need to hear them? Moses could have just skipped coming down the mountain with the stone tablets.
We tend to forget that God’s people, the Israelites, are given these commandments when they’re wandering around in the desert. Thanks to God’s deliverance, they’d left slavery, oppression, and violence in Egypt for freedom. No doubt it came with a lot of excitement at first. Everyone was ready to turn over a whole new leaf. Start over. A new life of freedom.
Pretty soon, though, they found themselves hungry. They were grumbling, dissatisfied. Anxious about every meal, fearful about what the next day would bring. And pretty soon, too, they found themselves giving into fear, turning on each other, and worshiping idols. While their bodies may have been free from slavery, their hearts were still shackled to the power of sin. Life may have been different for a while, but soon enough, they found themselves sliding back into the same old lives and habits they’d learned in Egypt. As my friend and mentor, Richard Topping likes to say, “you can take the people out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the people.”
And it’s not just them. The bad news is that for the most part, we follow the same pattern. We can experience great growth of character. We can put old habits and mentalities behind. We can make moral progress by leaps and bounds. But the truth is that Egypt is always lurking in the background of our souls, always waiting to lure us back to the life of slavery. In the words of Al Pacino from the Godfather Part III… “just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in!” We’re always in danger of turning away from the freedom of Christ back to the slavery of sin. Back to selfishness, unkindness, to fear, anxiety, and mistreatment of ourselves and our neighbours.
Which is where the Ten Commandments come in. They aren’t simply rules to live by—commonsense or otherwise. They represent the life of freedom for people like us who are constantly taking two steps backward. A life that’s the opposite of slavery.
Now the first three commandments are all about our relationship with God. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt…” and you shall have no other gods before me. Second, therefore, make no idols, or graven images. And the third, not to take God’s name in vain. Not to use and abuse God for your own purposes.
It all begins with God, because God makes a different life possible for us. God is the deliverer, the freedom-bringer. In the words of the Apostle Paul—we are conquerors who him who loved us. It means we aren’t fated to live lives of fear, anxiety, or brokenness. It all begins with God, because with God’s power we’re able to face trial and temptation. We’re able to love our neighbors in ways not normally possible.
And, to that end, the last seven commandments spell out the life that is possible with God. Generally, we think of freedom as being able to do whatever we want, whenever we want. But according to the Bible, true freedom means being able to love our neighbors as ourselves.
First, we’re to keep the sabbath day because in Egypt, there is no rest. It’s work, work work. Build, build build. Back breaking labour non-stop. Sabbath means everybody deserves rest. Everybody can rest, without the world falling apart.
We’re to honour our mothers and fathers because in Egypt, the elderly are discarded as useless because they can’t produce for Pharaoh. In God’s kingdom, the weak, the least and the lost are prized as equal, beloved children, to be cared for by the strong.
We’re not to murder, not to kill, because in Egypt that’s how society functions. Under the threat of violence and retaliation. Disciples of Jesus refrain from violence because we know that violence begats violence. We can love in the face of hatred because we know the world is saved only through the self-giving love of God. Revealed in the cross of Christ.
We’re not to commit adultery because in Egypt human sexuality is a tool for exploitation by the powerful. And for the pleasure of the dominator. We know that sex is a gift of love from the Creator, and that in practicing monogamy, we are no longer slaves to a pure drive for pleasure at whatever cost. Instead, we come to experience vulnerability, mutual love and unity in its fullness.
We’re not to steal because in Egypt, theft is a way of life. There nothing belongs to the weak, only to the strong. Same thing with the commandment not to covet anything that belongs to our neighbor. Because we can be satisfied with enough, knowing that God’s creation provides for daily bread for all. We can be generous with each other, and not hold back. Because we know there’s always enough to go round. More than enough.
And we’re not to bear false witness, to lie, for the same reasons. Because Egypt is built on lies from beginning to end. We can be honest about our lives and the world because we know the truth. And that it sets us free.
Like I said, the Ten Commandments aren’t simply common-sense rules for life. They represent the life of freedom for people like us who are always turning back to Egypt. A life of freedom that is possible with God.
We live in strange times, for sure. Times of fear and anxiety. It’s times like these where we are especially likely to turn away from our God-given freedom, and to retreat into the slavery of our fears. Where ego and self-interest become common-sense. It’s times like these, though, where the world needs people who cling to love of God and neighbor as much as ever.
So, during these times, my brothers and sisters, may you, may we, cling to these commandments for dear life. May we be given the courage to leave Egypt in the rear-view mirror for good. And by God’s grace, be the people the world needs. AMEN.