I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
The verse names the speaker of the commandments as the Lord, Israel's God and Maker, the only true and living God and compassionate Ruler of the world. It grounds His right to command and to require exclusive worship in His having freed Israel from Egypt and the house of bondage, so that they owed Him service. That deliverance was a mighty act against Pharaoh's opposition, hearing the oppressed, raising up Moses, opening the sea and overthrowing Egypt, to free them to serve Him, keep His law, and draw near to receive His will. Spoken aloud by His own voice and written by His own finger amid trumpet, thunder, lightning, cloud, fire and quaking mountain, the law had to be proclaimed anew because it had been lost sight of in bondage and idolatry. It is a transcript of His holy, just, good and unchangeable character, eternally binding and distinct from the ceremonial laws that ceased at Christ's death, and the Speaker was Christ Himself, the Redeemer who led Israel, spoke at Sinai, kept the law, and enables obedience.
Speaker and Deliverance
The preamble names the speaker of the commandments as the LORD, Israel's God and Maker, the only true and living God, compassionate guardian and Ruler of the world. The God who displayed His power over Egypt now gives His law, and the commandments that follow declare His sovereignty as above all things in heaven and earth, to be exalted as omnipotent. With the following three precepts this opening belongs to the first four of the ten that outline duty to the Maker, and faithfulness in that duty is the ground of faithfulness to others.
The verse grounds His authority and claim to obedience in His deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the house of bondage, for He had freed them from slavery so they owed Him their service. That deliverance stands behind the covenant obligation to obey His law at Sinai, including the seventh-day Sabbath, which the people pledged to keep. They had heard this declaration and made a covenant to obey, yet turned to idols and called them the deliverers from Egypt, with Aaron echoing its deliverance language while falsely crediting the golden calf with bringing them out. The history of rescue is illustrated by the crossing of the Red Sea and by later acts at the Jordan and Jericho, and though Israel received great privileges and blessings they failed to serve faithfully and ultimately rejected Jesus, the greatest gift given to them.
The deliverance was an act of mighty power accomplished notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition, that the people might keep the law given in Eden, and He brought them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. It came after He heard the cries of the oppressed in grievous bondage who wanted to be free to serve Him, and after He raised up Moses, taking a nation from another nation by signs and wonders and by dividing the Red Sea. He made a way through the sea and overthrew Pharaoh and his forces, showing that He was above the gods of Egypt. In awful grandeur He then made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress the people with the sacredness of His law and the importance of obeying it, the faith once delivered to the saints, spoken from Sinai by Christ the Redeemer.
He brought them out to be free to serve Him and to know His will, fear Him and obey Him. The purpose was to separate His people from the customs, habits and practices of the world and bring them near to Himself to prepare them to receive His word, to reveal His will and make His character known. From Egypt He led them to Mount Sinai where He revealed His glory and proclaimed amid thunder and lightning and with terrible majesty the law He had given in Eden, which is the transcript of His character, with words written on tables of stone by His finger. As Israel was brought out, so God's people are to live apart from worldly customs and show His goodness, mercy, justice and love, that others may recognize the way of life of those who serve Him. That deliverance brought the people to a place where they could keep all His precepts, including the Sabbath kept since creation and made a sign between Himself and His people, afterward recalled in the wilderness when manna was withheld on the seventh day and the double portion from the preparation day was preserved.
The verse opens His direct spoken words leading into the command to have no other gods before Him, for a people accustomed to having many gods. The words that follow forbidding other gods are His direct command and require wholehearted obedience in mind, soul and strength. He is the only true God and His people must obey His Word, keeping holy the seventh day as the memorial of creation which He blessed and set apart as a day of rest. The Decalogue proclaimed to the chosen people connects that proclamation with His authority and Israel's duty to worship Him rather than idols, its first four precepts requiring undivided devotion. Worshipers of the true God must put away every idol and anything that separates them from Him, letting nothing share their supreme affection and delight in Him.
Proclamation at Sinai
God Himself came down upon Sinai enshrouded in glory and surrounded by angels and spoke the Ten Commandments with His own audible voice in the hearing of all the people, instead of leaving them to be taught by another, and wrote them with His own holy finger upon tables of stone and placed them in the ark. The law so given is of divine and not human composition, unlike truths elsewhere expressed through human words, and its forceful proclamation by Christ from Sinai showed its fundamental importance, God's majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, its sacredness, and the importance of obeying it. It was proclaimed in awful grandeur, power and glory, above trumpet tones, with thunder, lightning, cloud, tempest, thick darkness, earthquake, smoke and fire, the glory of God like devouring fire resting on the summit while the mountain quaked and trembled and was made sacred and holy. That display was to make known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, to fill Israel with fear and lasting veneration for the Author, and to impress the people with the sacredness, importance and permanence of His law and the importance of obeying it.
The whole congregation stood afar off in fear, and even Moses feared and quaked, overwhelmed with terror at their guilt before a pure and holy God. They entreated that Moses speak with them as mediator and asked that God not speak with them directly lest they die, not understanding that Christ was their appointed mediator without whom they would have been consumed, nor what constitutes sin and righteousness and pardon through Him. They made a solemn covenant to be taken as His peculiar treasure when He condescended to come down and bring them to meet Him, yet soon broke it. The giving followed the journey out of Egypt into the wilderness to Sinai, where after deliverance from bondage God led them to Himself through forty years set apart from idolatrous nations and called them to obey His voice and keep His covenant to become a distinct people prepared to possess the promised land. Moses later recapitulated the same law for the generation that would enter Canaan, showing it important for all ages and to be kept today.
The public proclamation was necessary because the law already given in Eden at creation, given to Adam after his fall and preserved by Noah and kept by Abraham, had been well-nigh lost sight of during years of bondage in Egypt and idolatry. Abraham's descendants had not kept the covenant pledged by circumcision but had gone into idolatry and down into Egypt, and the people had become prone to forget, to transgress, and to confuse and mix God's requirements with heathen traditions, human customs and human practices. To leave them without excuse God Himself spoke and engraved it on stone so they could not mix tradition with His holy precepts; if they had kept the covenant and stayed separate there would have been no necessity to proclaim it from Sinai. Because minds blinded, impaired and debased by slavery were not ready to grasp the far-reaching principles of the commandments, further judgments, statutes and minute directions about duty to one another and to the stranger were given through Moses in the mount to explain, apply, simplify and guard the ten precepts so erring, transgression-prone man need not err and would be drawn to strict obedience. Those definite directions are the principles of the ten commandments given definitely, good for the obedient who shall live in them, with penalties annexed for continual disobedience and punishment inflicted under civil law so others would be restrained by fear.
Nature and Permanence of Law
The law that follows is a clear expression of character and requirements of the kingdom, covering the whole duty of humanity, a transcript of character and perfect revelation of will concerning the people, written by the finger of God on tables of stone so that none need fail to understand or make mistake, definitely made known as the laws of the kingdom to be afterward revealed to people of all nations and tongues as principles of government and to be studied. It is a revelation given so that all inhabitants of earth might understand eternal, unchangeable character, and knowing God by experimental knowledge requires obeying all the commandments given and bringing heart and mind into harmony with Him, while laying hold of these revelations enables advancement in learning and proficiency. Its precepts were spoken at Sinai and written on stone, of supreme importance, meaning life to the obedient and death to the disobedient, and their written words do not benefit readers unless their truth enters the heart and enlightens the mind.
It endures forever, belonging to the law spoken from Mount Sinai and connected with the Sabbath, rejecting replacement of the Lord's Sabbath with observance of the first day. It is binding on all people until the end of time, not merely on Israel or when obedience is convenient, an eternal standard of right-doing that cannot be changed. It existed before humanity and governed the angels, was made known to Adam and Eve, and its principles remained unchanged after the Fall, with its transgression bringing death and making Christ's sacrifice necessary. It points back to creation, applies to all people in every age and remains unchanged, with the solid-rock tablets signifying that precepts do not change, spoken at Horeb amid thunder, lightning and cloud displaying power and glory so the people would fear to transgress it.
The law of ten commandments is distinct from the laws regulating Jewish sacrifices and offerings, which ceased at the death of Christ, but the ten did not die with Him. Satan, unable to hinder the plan of salvation when Jesus was crucified and arose again the third day, with Jesus making even crucifixion and resurrection serve to His advantage, is willing to let professed believers in Jesus believe the sacrificial laws ended if he can push them further to believe the ten also died with Christ. The moral law points back to creation and remains unchanged, distinct from the ceremonial law given because of sin that used sacrifices to point forward to redemption, and Christ gave Moses religious precepts and statutes that explained and guarded the Ten Commandments, not all temporary types but remaining binding through every age. The sacrificial offerings and rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation prefigured the death of the Son of God and ceased to be binding after type met antitype in Christ, which Christ upheld during His life until fulfillment at His death, so that under the gospel believers are freed from those shadow rites but the ten remain binding to be kept in spirit as well as in letter, as Paul kept them after learning the difference between living faith and dead formalism and the mission of the Saviour as Redeemer of Gentile as well as Jew. Together with the ceremonial code the moral code serves as a schoolmaster to bring people to Christ.
It perfectly reveals will and principles of government for the people and for all nations, to be presented as the standard of righteousness at the judgment where obedience is prerequisite of salvation and people receive sentence of life or death by its righteous principles. It introduces the ten words spoken in awful grandeur, with four precepts of duty to God on the first table and six of duty to fellow man on the second, contained in brief in the two chief commandments to love God supremely and neighbor as self on which all the law and prophets hang, requiring implicit obedience with refusal being disloyalty to the God of heaven. Including claims to love God, reverence His name and keep holy His Sabbath, it can never be repealed while heaven and earth remain, is the origin of all enlightened law and government, and is the foundation of government in heaven and on earth. Obedience is required to every one of the ten precepts, not to nine-tenths, for they are like links of a chain where one broken link makes the chain worthless, so violation of one makes a person a commandment-breaker guilty of all. It lies at the foundation of all right laws, which those prominent in framing laws for the nation should understand, and it carries supreme wisdom and authority as foundation of all righteous and good laws, put into the mind and written in the heart becoming spirit and life with power to bring into subjection and enforce obedience. Those who have it take it as the only authority they can acknowledge or consent to obey, conforming to every good law of the land, but when requirements of rulers conflict with laws of God they obey God rather than men and sooner disobey all men than deviate in the least from commandment, and therefore cannot engage in war opposed to every principle of faith where truth could not be obeyed and conscience would be continually violated. It is the enduring standard of right action reflecting own character, not to be lowered to suit human wrongdoing but people are to rise to its exalted standard, while an inebriate's dulled senses prevent understanding and lead him to judge it by degraded condition.
That proclamation will stand to witness against the world in the day of judgment, and its principles will decide the destiny of every soul, requiring obeying every command in truth and righteousness. It was given as a guide for life and is also the rule by which people are judged, God's righteousness in ten words proclaimed amid thunder and flame. Its proclamation requires obedience and exacts strict regard, with definite penalty annexed to disobedience and sure punishment to follow transgression, proving retributive justice never fails as shown by plain recorded cases of punishment for breaking it.
Christ has not abolished the law represented by the stone tablets. Beginning the commandments by identifying God as the one who brought Israel out of bondage, they remain binding law, and refusing to obey after knowing Christ's life and sacrifice is grave sin, for His sacrifice vindicates rather than cancels claims and His example teaches obedience. The law given as rule for conduct condemns every unrighteous act, and Christ perfectly fulfilled its precepts, so that through faith repentant and obedient people receive His perfection to cover transgression. Obedience together with faith in Jesus is necessary for health, truth and happiness. Christ Himself spoke the Ten Commandments with His own voice on Sinai and will not revoke His own statutes, and He kept His Father's commandments, so those who break law and teach others to break it follow another leader, not Jesus. The law is perfect and unchangeable, not altered in jot or tittle because God is wise and unchangeable, and Satan in rebellion tried to find flaw to argue it must be changed, failed, drew thousands of angels to his side and was cast out, while those claiming a safer rule repeat his delusion in questioning authority and justice of government.
It is the plain word to be read and taught as written rather than replaced by human arguments, with authority resting with God so rejecting instruction makes controversy one with God. It begins revelation of will answering whether a person can be saved without keeping the Sabbath, speaking in Scripture to be searched, believed just as it reads and obeyed, with those willing to do what is shown to pray for opened understanding and follow every ray of light even when opposed to past belief. As words of the living God the ten carry greater force and value than customs, maxims, precepts and teachings of men handed down through rabbis, whom scribes and Pharisees made all-essential and of even more force, dwelling on them as of more value and keeping disciples back from advancing in knowledge and becoming efficient workers. God Himself spoke and wrote them with His own hand, making them of divine not human composition, unlike the rest of the Bible where God-given truths are expressed in words of men through union of divine and human.
The laws and commandments given at Sinai are to be obeyed and studied as guidance now, guarding against injustice and directing how to deal with one another, including loving one another and softening the heart. Pronounced in awful grandeur from the highest and grandest court, it is the highest education coming directly from the voice of God above all teaching from human unsanctified teachers, to be learned from God Himself by every truly sanctified soul living the Word, with obedience to all commandments as its lesson. Standing at the head as law to be vindicated by obedience of heart and mind and by strong arguments, it is to be printed in plain letters in a prominent place because hardly one in a thousand knows what the Bible says about the Sabbath, and had these been obeyed the wickedness now seen would never have existed. God makes the law clear and prominent so people can understand what is for their good, and sends warning before punishing transgressors.
Christ the Lawgiver
The speaker who introduces Himself as the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt and freed them from bondage is Christ the Redeemer. He was Israel's divine ruler veiled in the cloudy pillar, leading the hosts through the wilderness, speaking the Ten Commandments from Sinai with His own voice, and speaking truly still. By mighty power He delivered His people notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition, that they might keep the law already given in Eden, bringing them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. In awful grandeur, power and glory, with trumpet and thunder and lightning, fire and smoke, earthquake and devouring glory, He made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress them with the sacredness of the law and the importance of obeying it. He did not give a new law there but proclaimed aloud what already bound men, taking them into covenant as His peculiar treasure and making them exalted depositaries to hand it to all nations, for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The ten words at whose head this verse stands were spoken by Christ from Sinai, four precepts of duty to God on the first table and six of duty to fellow man on the second, summed in supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self. They are principles made known by the Sovereign of the world to govern mankind, requiring implicit obedience, so that refusal is disloyalty and violation of one makes a person guilty of all, like one broken link making a chain worthless. The same lawgiver later stood before the people in human form and taught through the lesson of the wounded traveler that the law they were to obey is a law of mercy and kindness coming from Himself. Christ knew the meaning and full reach of the precepts He had spoken, and in the Sermon on the Mount, on the Mount of Blessing, He explained their claims in their proper true light and showed how they were to be lived out in practical life. It is the same law from the beginning with no substituted or changed law, made the very foundation of the new covenant of the gospel, where the law is the tree and the gospel its fragrant blossoms and fruit.
He defended its great precepts against petty human rules and cleared away the traditions and errors that obscured it, for the divine law is not a cold code of commands and traditions but holy, just and good, the foundation of God's throne and the enduring standard of righteousness by which all shall be judged when the judgment sits and the books are opened. As Head of humanity He fulfilled all its righteousness to show that man can meet every specification of its requirements, and through the treasures of His grace the keeping of the commandments is made easier so that none need miss heaven. While living as a man He kept every commandment, vindicating God's justice in requiring obedience and proving that perfect obedience is possible. The Lawgiver who had delivered His people also had the right to pardon sin, a right vindicated through His death.
After sin brought the penalty of death, Christ bore the penalty and secured a period of probation, giving His life to atone for lawbreaking; this present lifetime is the opportunity to prove faithful to Him who gave His Son so that none need perish. God's grace does not permit transgression, but through Christ's merits God can justify the sinner who believes in Jesus and enable believers who share the divine nature to follow His example and obey every divine precept. The commandments express truth in its purity and the broad requirement of harmony with God's holy law — perfect obedience and unblemished righteousness, the same standard required in Eden and under the covenant of grace — and must not be set aside or weakened by human traditions. They present the standard to be reached and the law by which everyone will be tried, for human beings are not their own to do as they please because they have been bought with a price. The holy law spoken by God from Sinai is a part of Himself, and He as the great and holy One is a jealous God who tests every person to see whether he will obey. He will have holy men to carry His truth, for only strict observers honor Him by teaching it to others, and believers are urged to unite in proclaiming its necessity.
Love Duty and Witness
The ten commandments divide into two tables that together contain the whole duty of humanity, the first four defining duty to God and the last six defining duty to fellow humans. The opening words stand at the head of that law recorded in Exodus 20, identifying the Speaker as God and Maker and belonging with the following three commandments to the first table. Doing them is the doing that gives eternal life, and failure in either division means the law has not been kept. When pressed home the law convicts of breaking both the first four and the last six, requiring confession of sin rather than excusing it by its difficulty or parrying conviction to vindicate self.
They are summed in the two chief commandments on which all the law and the prophets hang: supreme love to God with all heart, soul, mind and strength, and love to neighbor as self. That love calls for purity and unselfish faithfulness, for obedience from the heart rather than mere theory, profession, or teaching without living by it. Loving the neighbor as self means not living for self nor seeking own enjoyment with disregard for the present and future happiness of others. It includes, where lasting harms such as enslavement were done, making efforts to repair them as far as possible.
Faithfulness to God is the ground of faithfulness to others, for loving God supremely leads to loving the neighbor as self, while unfaithfulness to God makes true faithfulness to the neighbor impossible. Those who keep the first four commandments will keep the last six, and faithfully keeping one set requires keeping the other. Keeping the law in this way produces tender, pitying love toward everyone for whom Christ died and consecrates the keeper as a missionary and laborer together with God, acting with wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, fruitful, impartial and without hypocrisy. To exalt the first four above the last six leads to failure in practical godliness and in the relations and duties of life, just as neglecting duty to God destroys the foundation of duty to others.
The law includes the seventh-day Sabbath as the sacred rest day chosen to be observed by all the world as God's memorial of creation. After creating the world in six days God rested on the seventh, was refreshed, blessed and sanctified it and set it apart for observance. That Sabbath was instituted in Eden, kept since creation, and proclaimed anew at Sinai after Israel was brought out of Egyptian slavery so they could obey His law. The fourth commandment is as binding as the other nine moral precepts, and observing the first day as the Sabbath contradicts God's law.
Setting aside any one of these commandments and presenting in its place observance of Sunday, a day that bears no sanctity, usurps an authority that infringes upon Jehovah's divine prerogatives. It insults God, profanes His holy day, assumes authority as gods, and compels men to transgress the laws of Jehovah. The Sunday sabbath is a child of the papacy set forth to be observed as the Lord's Sabbath, and human enactments that conflict with the laws of God bear not the stamp of divine approval. Those who thus set aside God's holy day will be dealt with by Jehovah, while His holy day must be taught decidedly and kept firmly even when efforts are brought to compel transgression.
The law proclaimed at Sinai is the same law given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, kept by Abraham, and repeated from its Eden institution. It had been lost sight of during the years of bondage in Egypt, and because Abraham's descendants did not keep the covenant marked by circumcision but went into idolatry and down into Egypt, there arose necessity for God to proclaim it from Sinai and engrave it on stone. Both Father and Son were present on Sinai's holy mount when the commandments already given in Eden were repeated. Its forceful proclamation showed its fundamental importance, God's majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, the law's sacredness, and the importance of obeying it.
Israel was taken into covenant as a peculiar treasure and holy nation united with a holy God, after being brought out of Egyptian bondage before the law was spoken. Sinai's public declaration did not create a new law but proclaimed aloud what already bound men, and it was not given exclusively to Israel to be confined to them. Israel were made exalted depositaries of the law to hand it down to all nations, a hedge distinguishing them, with their history written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. The deliverance was to separate His people from worldly customs, habits and practices, bring them near to Himself, prepare them to receive His word, and manifest in life and character the principles of His kingdom to every nation, kindred and tongue, with obedience as the condition of promised blessings.
The people heard this declaration of the Lord as Israel's God who brought them out of Egypt and the house of bondage, and made a solemn covenant to obey, grounding His claim to their obedience in that deliverance. Yet only a few weeks later they broke it, for Aaron echoed its deliverance language while falsely crediting the golden calf, proclaiming of it that these were the gods which brought them up out of Egypt. Their request for other gods was unbelieving and ungrateful in light of that deliverance and of God's continuing presence, with manna still feeding them and cloud and fire showing He had not forsaken them. That idolatry transgressed the law recently given, revealing the consequences of breaking God's commands and warning later generations against unbelief, disobedience and disregard of warnings.
The ten commandments written by the finger of Jehovah on two tables of stone are kept in the ark as a symbol of God's presence, signifying unchangeable precepts. The ark in the heavenly most holy place was seen when Jesus shut the door of the holy place and opened the door of the most holy in 1844. Keeping all ten commandments distinguishes God's people from those who worship the beast and receive its mark, bringing the dragon's hostility, and marks the difference between those who sincerely worship God and those who oppose Him. The Sabbath command in that law is the great test for this time and must be proclaimed definitely and with power as part of the third angel's message, which embraces the first and second angels' messages as present truth to be proclaimed everywhere with great distinctness.
Judgment and Daily Obedience
The law opened by the declaration of deliverance must be obeyed from the heart in daily life, not merely professed, assented to in theory, or taught to others. Its principles call for purity, supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self, cherished with transforming power and conscientious surrender of every habit, practice and sin that closes the door against Jesus. Outward Sabbath observance alone does not save, and claiming loyalty while neglecting practical benevolence and love for others misrepresents the law, discourages those who honor it, and turns others away from truth. Without this heart obedience the life is a lie, truth loses its vitalizing power, sin and lust strengthen, and there is no strength, confidence or efficiency as a worker for God. Living by the commandments, including love for others, helps lead people to Christ, and willing obedience to its first principles is needed for spiritual renewal.
As God's great mirror and great rule of right the law reveals the true condition of hearers, showing the offensive character of sin and personal guilt before a pure and holy God. Spoken by the voice of Jehovah from Sinai's summit above trumpet, thunder, lightning, cloud, tempest, thick darkness and glory as devouring fire, it overwhelmed the congregation standing afar off in fear, so that even Moses feared and quaked and the people entreated Moses to speak lest they die. Doing its first four and last six commandments is the doing that gives eternal life, and failure in either division means the law has not been kept. When pressed home it convicts of breaking both tables, requiring confession of sin rather than excusing difficulty or parrying conviction to vindicate self, calling sin by its right name without glossing over iniquity, and coming to Jesus Christ for cleansing by His blood. Hearing its solemn, binding, unchanging words as the Sovereign's claims can awaken sinners to responsibility and duty, showing the law perfect and converting the soul, while rejecting it obscures how sinful sin is because the law makes sin known. Those who refuse to submit stand with closed eyes on the very brink of ruin.
Its plain precepts were given for the good of the people, and obedience to them was essential to Israel's prosperity, while disregard and unrebuked flagrant violation brought indifference, hindered effort, and kept heaven's rich blessing from resting upon them. The living God who gave the law governs prosperity and adversity according to obedience or transgression, with definite penalty annexed to disobedience and sure punishment following, proving retributive justice never fails as shown by plain recorded cases. Making that law void adds to national guilt, especially for a nation receiving great light and blessings.
Its authority extends to physical life, for the Ten Commandments are God's law governing human existence, as truly divine as the laws of nature written upon every nerve, muscle and fiber. Violating the laws of the physical organism by appetite, passion and unhealthful, health-destroying, brain-enervating habits is sin against God and continual transgression of His law, just as breaking one of the ten is sin. Each prohibition contains or implies a promise, so obedience brings blessing while disobedience brings danger and unhappiness, and had its principles always been carried out the curse of disease now flooding the world would not exist. Knowingly disregarding God's principles in physical habits makes violation in other areas likely. Making natural law plain and urging obedience accompanies the third angel's message and prepares for the Lord's coming, for those under sinful habits cannot appreciate sacred truth; ignorance is now no excuse since God Himself instructs in sound philosophy and genuine experience on health reform and stirs the public mind to investigate it. Taking any course that needlessly expends vitality or beclouds intellect fails to glorify God in body and spirit which are His, yet in love He permits light to shine showing perfect life requires obedience to natural laws with all powers exercised to His glory. Its principles carried out are in harmony with health laws and do not conflict with them.
Reverence for the holy law spoken by Jehovah at Sinai calls for cleanliness and order, for before Israel could hear it God required sanctification and washing of clothes. This preparation showed expectation of orderly appearance in the sacred assembly, impressed His purity, and showed care for physical as well as moral well-being. Cleanliness in person, clothing and home is fitting for those who receive and honor the law, and it cannot be written in hearts of those remaining careless and filthy in person, clothing or homes.
In the household the commandments are God's law for His household on earth, rules for parents and children to be strictly obeyed with no sinless swerving. They plainly declare Thou shalt and Thou shalt not, are the royal, holy, perfect, immutable and eternal standard of character every soul must meet in judgment, given by Christ enshrouded in cloud through Moses, and must be respected, reverenced, taught and upheld. Parents must teach them diligently rising and sitting, going out and coming in, training children to respect authority and order, requiring a mother's word to be obeyed as law, bringing home and school habits into harmony with God's plans decently and in order with holiness pervading the home. Children are to be trained to respect and obey what must and must not be done, to honor father and mother and keep the way of the Lord, for neglect makes drunkards and criminals, while obedience sanctifies, checks skepticism, makes faith's foundation evident, and had the world obeyed thefts, robberies and murders would not fill jails. To love God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man.
In business and responsible work its principles must govern every line, practiced with fine, keen, clear perceptions of equity so God is honored and none oppressed. All business is to be done according to the first four and last six as life, with restraining influence restoring God's moral image by keeping souls in touch with the Creator. This requires ending unjust dealing, oppression, injustice, wickedness, taking advantage of those under jurisdiction, forcing human terms, ruling or ruining, and robbing God's family of individuality or rights. No plea of God's cause or working for it justifies presenting robbery for burnt offering or strange fire, which God does not accept and with which prosperity will not attend; God is never in league with dishonest practices, vindicates not a single touch of injustice, and His cause gains no advantage by injustice. Conduct contrary to these principles misrepresents His character, dishonors God, betrays Christ, lays stumbling blocks to ruin, and professing faith while endorsing sinful works, passing over offensive sins and commending evil violates them. Those called must stay in touch with God, watch, pray and work with eye single to His glory in sight of heaven, with tender, pure, true, compassionate hearts like Christ's, pure hearts and clean hands, adopting His maxims, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, refusing to let business crowd out love or excuse oppression, suffering, deception and selfishness.
Delivered after bringing Israel with mighty hand and outstretched arm out of Egyptian slavery while punishing enemies who refused His word, the law was to separate His people from worldly customs, habits and practices, draw them near, reveal will and character, and prepare them to receive His word at Sinai amid thunder, lightning and terrible majesty as transcript of His character written by His finger. Led through forty years set apart from idolatrous nations, they were intended as a distinct people prepared for the promised land and His purposes, with life-giving commandments whose neglect brought displeasure and punishment. Those who obey view world and religion altogether differently from pleasure-loving professors who shun the cross and violate the fourth commandment, for profession without corresponding faith and works avails nothing. Obedience is no bondage but the ground of standing free in Christ, and keeping the law in earth's lower school fashions character into divine likeness with Christ formed within, partaking divine nature, escaping worldly corruption through lust, garments freed from spot and wrinkle, qualified for heaven's higher grade to enter the gates, eat of the tree of life, and reveal to unbelievers what heaven's family shall be. Thus living out the law shows His goodness, mercy, justice and love as lights, making known His heavenly and earthly government to every nation, kindred and tongue.
The direction given at deliverance and continued in Sinai laws includes chastity, requiring strict purity, refinement and delicacy between men and women and forbidding looseness, liberties and transgression. Physicians in medical work must hold it in highest regard and live by it, for only those living by Sinai laws may be safely trusted, especially as physicians to women.
The chapter is to be studied as God's positive instruction from the great I AM, identifying His people and setting conditions of obedience, with its Sabbath command to be made known, magnified and vindicated. Proclaimed by the Creator in awe-inspiring majesty and written by His finger on stone so it would not be forgotten or corrupted, its words spoken by Him matter to everyone and its commandments are important to keep. Loyalty is required even under opposition, contempt and claims it is obsolete.
Disloyalty is rebellion against God and rejection of His supreme authority above earthly rulers, especially in Sabbath-breaking against the fourth commandment written by His own finger. Turning from known duty to avoid the cross, reproach or conformity to the world violates these duties, and transgression is serious rejection bringing judgments to awaken to sin. Israel having consented to be His special people was responsible to keep covenant by meditating on the heard words and teaching children even while Moses received them.
It remains the perfect, unchanging standard of holiness, righteousness and sanctification, one standard for master and servant, young and old, with no sinless departure, guiding all dealings and to be taught to children. Its binding requirements are living and authoritative, not dead letter, expressing justice, denunciation of sin, holy character and love among solemn vital foundations of faith; to hide it or teach it obsolete is deception rejecting Bible and denying Christ. It is the great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed at Sinai, written in the heart under the new covenant, a yoke binding to God's high, noble, elevating will in service with Christ rather than own inclinations, and the foundation on which character is built. Those meeting it receive blessing, those failing bring curse.
Its written revelation began with Moses after twenty-five hundred years without written word when those taught of God handed knowledge father to son, continuing sixteen hundred years from Moses to John recorder of gospel's sublimest truths. Its stone tablets kept in the sacred ark were hidden in a cave because of Israel and Judah's sins, never restored or disturbed. Its mount-spoken principles of holiness, justice and mercy divide into first four and last six, with which willingly sharing debts one helped create instead of leaving burden on others is in harmony, and its testimony joined to commandments cannot be separated though opposition aims to remove the Sabbath. The lawyer's failure concerned both duties to God and to people.
It carries supreme wisdom as foundation of all righteous and good laws, establishing God's supreme authority above earthly rulers whose just claims must ultimately be acknowledged. Put in mind and written in heart it becomes spirit and life with power to subdue and enforce obedience, taken as the only authority acknowledged; lovers of it conform to every good land law, but when rulers conflict with God they obey God rather than men, sooner disobeying all men than deviating least, and cannot engage in war opposed to every principle of faith where truth could not be obeyed and conscience continually violated. Its plain Thou shalt precepts promise life, its prohibitions guarantee happiness in obedience, and received in Christ it forms pure character bringing lasting joy and a wall of protection shielding from evils of transgression. Sin is sin against its plain heavenly principles, requiring every soul to bow in humility and contrition and come to Jesus whose blood cleanses all glossed-over iniquity, lest claiming heaven's will while departing stand on ruin's brink.
The Sabbath within it is the golden clasp uniting supreme obedience and reverence to God with union to fellow man, engraved on the first table as sign and covenant forever showing the Lord sanctifies His people and assuring eternal life; reverencing it leads to keeping the first three of duty to God while the last six reveal duty to man, so keeping it means obedience to all. Its ten holy precepts are the divine yoke to be worn rather than the world's burdensome yokes not conforming to them. Keeping them with whole heart, mind and strength in love to God supremely and neighbor as self is earth's test of all serving God, and only those first becoming saints thus will see His face and reign forever. The Sabbath command remains binding and central for this time, allowing no sinless swerving with God's will paramount; breaking it denies the Saviour, steps from beneath Christ's bloodstained banner to the prince of darkness under the enemy's black banner, with no safety or justification, demanding absolute surrender, conversion, co-partnership and faithful trading with entrusted goods, for every man will meet the Judge and receive according to works with no excuse for disobeying known truth.
The verse names the speaker of the commandments as the Lord, Israel's God and Maker, the only true and living God and compassionate Ruler of the world. It grounds His right to command and to require exclusive worship in His having freed Israel from Egypt and the house of bondage, so that they owed Him service. That deliverance was a mighty act against Pharaoh's opposition, hearing the oppressed, raising up Moses, opening the sea and overthrowing Egypt, to free them to serve Him, keep His law, and draw near to receive His will. Spoken aloud by His own voice and written by His own finger amid trumpet, thunder, lightning, cloud, fire and quaking mountain, the law had to be proclaimed anew because it had been lost sight of in bondage and idolatry. It is a transcript of His holy, just, good and unchangeable character, eternally binding and distinct from the ceremonial laws that ceased at Christ's death, and the Speaker was Christ Himself, the Redeemer who led Israel, spoke at Sinai, kept the law, and enables obedience.
Speaker and Deliverance
The preamble names the speaker of the commandments as the LORD, Israel's God and Maker, the only true and living God, compassionate guardian and Ruler of the world. The God who displayed His power over Egypt now gives His law, and the commandments that follow declare His sovereignty as above all things in heaven and earth, to be exalted as omnipotent. With the following three precepts this opening belongs to the first four of the ten that outline duty to the Maker, and faithfulness in that duty is the ground of faithfulness to others.
The verse grounds His authority and claim to obedience in His deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the house of bondage, for He had freed them from slavery so they owed Him their service. That deliverance stands behind the covenant obligation to obey His law at Sinai, including the seventh-day Sabbath, which the people pledged to keep. They had heard this declaration and made a covenant to obey, yet turned to idols and called them the deliverers from Egypt, with Aaron echoing its deliverance language while falsely crediting the golden calf with bringing them out. The history of rescue is illustrated by the crossing of the Red Sea and by later acts at the Jordan and Jericho, and though Israel received great privileges and blessings they failed to serve faithfully and ultimately rejected Jesus, the greatest gift given to them.
The deliverance was an act of mighty power accomplished notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition, that the people might keep the law given in Eden, and He brought them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. It came after He heard the cries of the oppressed in grievous bondage who wanted to be free to serve Him, and after He raised up Moses, taking a nation from another nation by signs and wonders and by dividing the Red Sea. He made a way through the sea and overthrew Pharaoh and his forces, showing that He was above the gods of Egypt. In awful grandeur He then made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress the people with the sacredness of His law and the importance of obeying it, the faith once delivered to the saints, spoken from Sinai by Christ the Redeemer.
He brought them out to be free to serve Him and to know His will, fear Him and obey Him. The purpose was to separate His people from the customs, habits and practices of the world and bring them near to Himself to prepare them to receive His word, to reveal His will and make His character known. From Egypt He led them to Mount Sinai where He revealed His glory and proclaimed amid thunder and lightning and with terrible majesty the law He had given in Eden, which is the transcript of His character, with words written on tables of stone by His finger. As Israel was brought out, so God's people are to live apart from worldly customs and show His goodness, mercy, justice and love, that others may recognize the way of life of those who serve Him. That deliverance brought the people to a place where they could keep all His precepts, including the Sabbath kept since creation and made a sign between Himself and His people, afterward recalled in the wilderness when manna was withheld on the seventh day and the double portion from the preparation day was preserved.
The verse opens His direct spoken words leading into the command to have no other gods before Him, for a people accustomed to having many gods. The words that follow forbidding other gods are His direct command and require wholehearted obedience in mind, soul and strength. He is the only true God and His people must obey His Word, keeping holy the seventh day as the memorial of creation which He blessed and set apart as a day of rest. The Decalogue proclaimed to the chosen people connects that proclamation with His authority and Israel's duty to worship Him rather than idols, its first four precepts requiring undivided devotion. Worshipers of the true God must put away every idol and anything that separates them from Him, letting nothing share their supreme affection and delight in Him.
Proclamation at Sinai
God Himself came down upon Sinai enshrouded in glory and surrounded by angels and spoke the Ten Commandments with His own audible voice in the hearing of all the people, instead of leaving them to be taught by another, and wrote them with His own holy finger upon tables of stone and placed them in the ark. The law so given is of divine and not human composition, unlike truths elsewhere expressed through human words, and its forceful proclamation by Christ from Sinai showed its fundamental importance, God's majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, its sacredness, and the importance of obeying it. It was proclaimed in awful grandeur, power and glory, above trumpet tones, with thunder, lightning, cloud, tempest, thick darkness, earthquake, smoke and fire, the glory of God like devouring fire resting on the summit while the mountain quaked and trembled and was made sacred and holy. That display was to make known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, to fill Israel with fear and lasting veneration for the Author, and to impress the people with the sacredness, importance and permanence of His law and the importance of obeying it.
The whole congregation stood afar off in fear, and even Moses feared and quaked, overwhelmed with terror at their guilt before a pure and holy God. They entreated that Moses speak with them as mediator and asked that God not speak with them directly lest they die, not understanding that Christ was their appointed mediator without whom they would have been consumed, nor what constitutes sin and righteousness and pardon through Him. They made a solemn covenant to be taken as His peculiar treasure when He condescended to come down and bring them to meet Him, yet soon broke it. The giving followed the journey out of Egypt into the wilderness to Sinai, where after deliverance from bondage God led them to Himself through forty years set apart from idolatrous nations and called them to obey His voice and keep His covenant to become a distinct people prepared to possess the promised land. Moses later recapitulated the same law for the generation that would enter Canaan, showing it important for all ages and to be kept today.
The public proclamation was necessary because the law already given in Eden at creation, given to Adam after his fall and preserved by Noah and kept by Abraham, had been well-nigh lost sight of during years of bondage in Egypt and idolatry. Abraham's descendants had not kept the covenant pledged by circumcision but had gone into idolatry and down into Egypt, and the people had become prone to forget, to transgress, and to confuse and mix God's requirements with heathen traditions, human customs and human practices. To leave them without excuse God Himself spoke and engraved it on stone so they could not mix tradition with His holy precepts; if they had kept the covenant and stayed separate there would have been no necessity to proclaim it from Sinai. Because minds blinded, impaired and debased by slavery were not ready to grasp the far-reaching principles of the commandments, further judgments, statutes and minute directions about duty to one another and to the stranger were given through Moses in the mount to explain, apply, simplify and guard the ten precepts so erring, transgression-prone man need not err and would be drawn to strict obedience. Those definite directions are the principles of the ten commandments given definitely, good for the obedient who shall live in them, with penalties annexed for continual disobedience and punishment inflicted under civil law so others would be restrained by fear.
Nature and Permanence of Law
The law that follows is a clear expression of character and requirements of the kingdom, covering the whole duty of humanity, a transcript of character and perfect revelation of will concerning the people, written by the finger of God on tables of stone so that none need fail to understand or make mistake, definitely made known as the laws of the kingdom to be afterward revealed to people of all nations and tongues as principles of government and to be studied. It is a revelation given so that all inhabitants of earth might understand eternal, unchangeable character, and knowing God by experimental knowledge requires obeying all the commandments given and bringing heart and mind into harmony with Him, while laying hold of these revelations enables advancement in learning and proficiency. Its precepts were spoken at Sinai and written on stone, of supreme importance, meaning life to the obedient and death to the disobedient, and their written words do not benefit readers unless their truth enters the heart and enlightens the mind.
It endures forever, belonging to the law spoken from Mount Sinai and connected with the Sabbath, rejecting replacement of the Lord's Sabbath with observance of the first day. It is binding on all people until the end of time, not merely on Israel or when obedience is convenient, an eternal standard of right-doing that cannot be changed. It existed before humanity and governed the angels, was made known to Adam and Eve, and its principles remained unchanged after the Fall, with its transgression bringing death and making Christ's sacrifice necessary. It points back to creation, applies to all people in every age and remains unchanged, with the solid-rock tablets signifying that precepts do not change, spoken at Horeb amid thunder, lightning and cloud displaying power and glory so the people would fear to transgress it.
The law of ten commandments is distinct from the laws regulating Jewish sacrifices and offerings, which ceased at the death of Christ, but the ten did not die with Him. Satan, unable to hinder the plan of salvation when Jesus was crucified and arose again the third day, with Jesus making even crucifixion and resurrection serve to His advantage, is willing to let professed believers in Jesus believe the sacrificial laws ended if he can push them further to believe the ten also died with Christ. The moral law points back to creation and remains unchanged, distinct from the ceremonial law given because of sin that used sacrifices to point forward to redemption, and Christ gave Moses religious precepts and statutes that explained and guarded the Ten Commandments, not all temporary types but remaining binding through every age. The sacrificial offerings and rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation prefigured the death of the Son of God and ceased to be binding after type met antitype in Christ, which Christ upheld during His life until fulfillment at His death, so that under the gospel believers are freed from those shadow rites but the ten remain binding to be kept in spirit as well as in letter, as Paul kept them after learning the difference between living faith and dead formalism and the mission of the Saviour as Redeemer of Gentile as well as Jew. Together with the ceremonial code the moral code serves as a schoolmaster to bring people to Christ.
It perfectly reveals will and principles of government for the people and for all nations, to be presented as the standard of righteousness at the judgment where obedience is prerequisite of salvation and people receive sentence of life or death by its righteous principles. It introduces the ten words spoken in awful grandeur, with four precepts of duty to God on the first table and six of duty to fellow man on the second, contained in brief in the two chief commandments to love God supremely and neighbor as self on which all the law and prophets hang, requiring implicit obedience with refusal being disloyalty to the God of heaven. Including claims to love God, reverence His name and keep holy His Sabbath, it can never be repealed while heaven and earth remain, is the origin of all enlightened law and government, and is the foundation of government in heaven and on earth. Obedience is required to every one of the ten precepts, not to nine-tenths, for they are like links of a chain where one broken link makes the chain worthless, so violation of one makes a person a commandment-breaker guilty of all. It lies at the foundation of all right laws, which those prominent in framing laws for the nation should understand, and it carries supreme wisdom and authority as foundation of all righteous and good laws, put into the mind and written in the heart becoming spirit and life with power to bring into subjection and enforce obedience. Those who have it take it as the only authority they can acknowledge or consent to obey, conforming to every good law of the land, but when requirements of rulers conflict with laws of God they obey God rather than men and sooner disobey all men than deviate in the least from commandment, and therefore cannot engage in war opposed to every principle of faith where truth could not be obeyed and conscience would be continually violated. It is the enduring standard of right action reflecting own character, not to be lowered to suit human wrongdoing but people are to rise to its exalted standard, while an inebriate's dulled senses prevent understanding and lead him to judge it by degraded condition.
That proclamation will stand to witness against the world in the day of judgment, and its principles will decide the destiny of every soul, requiring obeying every command in truth and righteousness. It was given as a guide for life and is also the rule by which people are judged, God's righteousness in ten words proclaimed amid thunder and flame. Its proclamation requires obedience and exacts strict regard, with definite penalty annexed to disobedience and sure punishment to follow transgression, proving retributive justice never fails as shown by plain recorded cases of punishment for breaking it.
Christ has not abolished the law represented by the stone tablets. Beginning the commandments by identifying God as the one who brought Israel out of bondage, they remain binding law, and refusing to obey after knowing Christ's life and sacrifice is grave sin, for His sacrifice vindicates rather than cancels claims and His example teaches obedience. The law given as rule for conduct condemns every unrighteous act, and Christ perfectly fulfilled its precepts, so that through faith repentant and obedient people receive His perfection to cover transgression. Obedience together with faith in Jesus is necessary for health, truth and happiness. Christ Himself spoke the Ten Commandments with His own voice on Sinai and will not revoke His own statutes, and He kept His Father's commandments, so those who break law and teach others to break it follow another leader, not Jesus. The law is perfect and unchangeable, not altered in jot or tittle because God is wise and unchangeable, and Satan in rebellion tried to find flaw to argue it must be changed, failed, drew thousands of angels to his side and was cast out, while those claiming a safer rule repeat his delusion in questioning authority and justice of government.
It is the plain word to be read and taught as written rather than replaced by human arguments, with authority resting with God so rejecting instruction makes controversy one with God. It begins revelation of will answering whether a person can be saved without keeping the Sabbath, speaking in Scripture to be searched, believed just as it reads and obeyed, with those willing to do what is shown to pray for opened understanding and follow every ray of light even when opposed to past belief. As words of the living God the ten carry greater force and value than customs, maxims, precepts and teachings of men handed down through rabbis, whom scribes and Pharisees made all-essential and of even more force, dwelling on them as of more value and keeping disciples back from advancing in knowledge and becoming efficient workers. God Himself spoke and wrote them with His own hand, making them of divine not human composition, unlike the rest of the Bible where God-given truths are expressed in words of men through union of divine and human.
The laws and commandments given at Sinai are to be obeyed and studied as guidance now, guarding against injustice and directing how to deal with one another, including loving one another and softening the heart. Pronounced in awful grandeur from the highest and grandest court, it is the highest education coming directly from the voice of God above all teaching from human unsanctified teachers, to be learned from God Himself by every truly sanctified soul living the Word, with obedience to all commandments as its lesson. Standing at the head as law to be vindicated by obedience of heart and mind and by strong arguments, it is to be printed in plain letters in a prominent place because hardly one in a thousand knows what the Bible says about the Sabbath, and had these been obeyed the wickedness now seen would never have existed. God makes the law clear and prominent so people can understand what is for their good, and sends warning before punishing transgressors.
Christ the Lawgiver
The speaker who introduces Himself as the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt and freed them from bondage is Christ the Redeemer. He was Israel's divine ruler veiled in the cloudy pillar, leading the hosts through the wilderness, speaking the Ten Commandments from Sinai with His own voice, and speaking truly still. By mighty power He delivered His people notwithstanding Pharaoh's opposition, that they might keep the law already given in Eden, bringing them to Sinai to hear its proclamation. In awful grandeur, power and glory, with trumpet and thunder and lightning, fire and smoke, earthquake and devouring glory, He made known His majesty and authority as Ruler of the world to impress them with the sacredness of the law and the importance of obeying it. He did not give a new law there but proclaimed aloud what already bound men, taking them into covenant as His peculiar treasure and making them exalted depositaries to hand it to all nations, for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The ten words at whose head this verse stands were spoken by Christ from Sinai, four precepts of duty to God on the first table and six of duty to fellow man on the second, summed in supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self. They are principles made known by the Sovereign of the world to govern mankind, requiring implicit obedience, so that refusal is disloyalty and violation of one makes a person guilty of all, like one broken link making a chain worthless. The same lawgiver later stood before the people in human form and taught through the lesson of the wounded traveler that the law they were to obey is a law of mercy and kindness coming from Himself. Christ knew the meaning and full reach of the precepts He had spoken, and in the Sermon on the Mount, on the Mount of Blessing, He explained their claims in their proper true light and showed how they were to be lived out in practical life. It is the same law from the beginning with no substituted or changed law, made the very foundation of the new covenant of the gospel, where the law is the tree and the gospel its fragrant blossoms and fruit.
He defended its great precepts against petty human rules and cleared away the traditions and errors that obscured it, for the divine law is not a cold code of commands and traditions but holy, just and good, the foundation of God's throne and the enduring standard of righteousness by which all shall be judged when the judgment sits and the books are opened. As Head of humanity He fulfilled all its righteousness to show that man can meet every specification of its requirements, and through the treasures of His grace the keeping of the commandments is made easier so that none need miss heaven. While living as a man He kept every commandment, vindicating God's justice in requiring obedience and proving that perfect obedience is possible. The Lawgiver who had delivered His people also had the right to pardon sin, a right vindicated through His death.
After sin brought the penalty of death, Christ bore the penalty and secured a period of probation, giving His life to atone for lawbreaking; this present lifetime is the opportunity to prove faithful to Him who gave His Son so that none need perish. God's grace does not permit transgression, but through Christ's merits God can justify the sinner who believes in Jesus and enable believers who share the divine nature to follow His example and obey every divine precept. The commandments express truth in its purity and the broad requirement of harmony with God's holy law — perfect obedience and unblemished righteousness, the same standard required in Eden and under the covenant of grace — and must not be set aside or weakened by human traditions. They present the standard to be reached and the law by which everyone will be tried, for human beings are not their own to do as they please because they have been bought with a price. The holy law spoken by God from Sinai is a part of Himself, and He as the great and holy One is a jealous God who tests every person to see whether he will obey. He will have holy men to carry His truth, for only strict observers honor Him by teaching it to others, and believers are urged to unite in proclaiming its necessity.
Love Duty and Witness
The ten commandments divide into two tables that together contain the whole duty of humanity, the first four defining duty to God and the last six defining duty to fellow humans. The opening words stand at the head of that law recorded in Exodus 20, identifying the Speaker as God and Maker and belonging with the following three commandments to the first table. Doing them is the doing that gives eternal life, and failure in either division means the law has not been kept. When pressed home the law convicts of breaking both the first four and the last six, requiring confession of sin rather than excusing it by its difficulty or parrying conviction to vindicate self.
They are summed in the two chief commandments on which all the law and the prophets hang: supreme love to God with all heart, soul, mind and strength, and love to neighbor as self. That love calls for purity and unselfish faithfulness, for obedience from the heart rather than mere theory, profession, or teaching without living by it. Loving the neighbor as self means not living for self nor seeking own enjoyment with disregard for the present and future happiness of others. It includes, where lasting harms such as enslavement were done, making efforts to repair them as far as possible.
Faithfulness to God is the ground of faithfulness to others, for loving God supremely leads to loving the neighbor as self, while unfaithfulness to God makes true faithfulness to the neighbor impossible. Those who keep the first four commandments will keep the last six, and faithfully keeping one set requires keeping the other. Keeping the law in this way produces tender, pitying love toward everyone for whom Christ died and consecrates the keeper as a missionary and laborer together with God, acting with wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, fruitful, impartial and without hypocrisy. To exalt the first four above the last six leads to failure in practical godliness and in the relations and duties of life, just as neglecting duty to God destroys the foundation of duty to others.
The law includes the seventh-day Sabbath as the sacred rest day chosen to be observed by all the world as God's memorial of creation. After creating the world in six days God rested on the seventh, was refreshed, blessed and sanctified it and set it apart for observance. That Sabbath was instituted in Eden, kept since creation, and proclaimed anew at Sinai after Israel was brought out of Egyptian slavery so they could obey His law. The fourth commandment is as binding as the other nine moral precepts, and observing the first day as the Sabbath contradicts God's law.
Setting aside any one of these commandments and presenting in its place observance of Sunday, a day that bears no sanctity, usurps an authority that infringes upon Jehovah's divine prerogatives. It insults God, profanes His holy day, assumes authority as gods, and compels men to transgress the laws of Jehovah. The Sunday sabbath is a child of the papacy set forth to be observed as the Lord's Sabbath, and human enactments that conflict with the laws of God bear not the stamp of divine approval. Those who thus set aside God's holy day will be dealt with by Jehovah, while His holy day must be taught decidedly and kept firmly even when efforts are brought to compel transgression.
The law proclaimed at Sinai is the same law given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, kept by Abraham, and repeated from its Eden institution. It had been lost sight of during the years of bondage in Egypt, and because Abraham's descendants did not keep the covenant marked by circumcision but went into idolatry and down into Egypt, there arose necessity for God to proclaim it from Sinai and engrave it on stone. Both Father and Son were present on Sinai's holy mount when the commandments already given in Eden were repeated. Its forceful proclamation showed its fundamental importance, God's majesty and authority as Ruler of the world, the law's sacredness, and the importance of obeying it.
Israel was taken into covenant as a peculiar treasure and holy nation united with a holy God, after being brought out of Egyptian bondage before the law was spoken. Sinai's public declaration did not create a new law but proclaimed aloud what already bound men, and it was not given exclusively to Israel to be confined to them. Israel were made exalted depositaries of the law to hand it down to all nations, a hedge distinguishing them, with their history written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. The deliverance was to separate His people from worldly customs, habits and practices, bring them near to Himself, prepare them to receive His word, and manifest in life and character the principles of His kingdom to every nation, kindred and tongue, with obedience as the condition of promised blessings.
The people heard this declaration of the Lord as Israel's God who brought them out of Egypt and the house of bondage, and made a solemn covenant to obey, grounding His claim to their obedience in that deliverance. Yet only a few weeks later they broke it, for Aaron echoed its deliverance language while falsely crediting the golden calf, proclaiming of it that these were the gods which brought them up out of Egypt. Their request for other gods was unbelieving and ungrateful in light of that deliverance and of God's continuing presence, with manna still feeding them and cloud and fire showing He had not forsaken them. That idolatry transgressed the law recently given, revealing the consequences of breaking God's commands and warning later generations against unbelief, disobedience and disregard of warnings.
The ten commandments written by the finger of Jehovah on two tables of stone are kept in the ark as a symbol of God's presence, signifying unchangeable precepts. The ark in the heavenly most holy place was seen when Jesus shut the door of the holy place and opened the door of the most holy in 1844. Keeping all ten commandments distinguishes God's people from those who worship the beast and receive its mark, bringing the dragon's hostility, and marks the difference between those who sincerely worship God and those who oppose Him. The Sabbath command in that law is the great test for this time and must be proclaimed definitely and with power as part of the third angel's message, which embraces the first and second angels' messages as present truth to be proclaimed everywhere with great distinctness.
Judgment and Daily Obedience
The law opened by the declaration of deliverance must be obeyed from the heart in daily life, not merely professed, assented to in theory, or taught to others. Its principles call for purity, supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self, cherished with transforming power and conscientious surrender of every habit, practice and sin that closes the door against Jesus. Outward Sabbath observance alone does not save, and claiming loyalty while neglecting practical benevolence and love for others misrepresents the law, discourages those who honor it, and turns others away from truth. Without this heart obedience the life is a lie, truth loses its vitalizing power, sin and lust strengthen, and there is no strength, confidence or efficiency as a worker for God. Living by the commandments, including love for others, helps lead people to Christ, and willing obedience to its first principles is needed for spiritual renewal.
As God's great mirror and great rule of right the law reveals the true condition of hearers, showing the offensive character of sin and personal guilt before a pure and holy God. Spoken by the voice of Jehovah from Sinai's summit above trumpet, thunder, lightning, cloud, tempest, thick darkness and glory as devouring fire, it overwhelmed the congregation standing afar off in fear, so that even Moses feared and quaked and the people entreated Moses to speak lest they die. Doing its first four and last six commandments is the doing that gives eternal life, and failure in either division means the law has not been kept. When pressed home it convicts of breaking both tables, requiring confession of sin rather than excusing difficulty or parrying conviction to vindicate self, calling sin by its right name without glossing over iniquity, and coming to Jesus Christ for cleansing by His blood. Hearing its solemn, binding, unchanging words as the Sovereign's claims can awaken sinners to responsibility and duty, showing the law perfect and converting the soul, while rejecting it obscures how sinful sin is because the law makes sin known. Those who refuse to submit stand with closed eyes on the very brink of ruin.
Its plain precepts were given for the good of the people, and obedience to them was essential to Israel's prosperity, while disregard and unrebuked flagrant violation brought indifference, hindered effort, and kept heaven's rich blessing from resting upon them. The living God who gave the law governs prosperity and adversity according to obedience or transgression, with definite penalty annexed to disobedience and sure punishment following, proving retributive justice never fails as shown by plain recorded cases. Making that law void adds to national guilt, especially for a nation receiving great light and blessings.
Its authority extends to physical life, for the Ten Commandments are God's law governing human existence, as truly divine as the laws of nature written upon every nerve, muscle and fiber. Violating the laws of the physical organism by appetite, passion and unhealthful, health-destroying, brain-enervating habits is sin against God and continual transgression of His law, just as breaking one of the ten is sin. Each prohibition contains or implies a promise, so obedience brings blessing while disobedience brings danger and unhappiness, and had its principles always been carried out the curse of disease now flooding the world would not exist. Knowingly disregarding God's principles in physical habits makes violation in other areas likely. Making natural law plain and urging obedience accompanies the third angel's message and prepares for the Lord's coming, for those under sinful habits cannot appreciate sacred truth; ignorance is now no excuse since God Himself instructs in sound philosophy and genuine experience on health reform and stirs the public mind to investigate it. Taking any course that needlessly expends vitality or beclouds intellect fails to glorify God in body and spirit which are His, yet in love He permits light to shine showing perfect life requires obedience to natural laws with all powers exercised to His glory. Its principles carried out are in harmony with health laws and do not conflict with them.
Reverence for the holy law spoken by Jehovah at Sinai calls for cleanliness and order, for before Israel could hear it God required sanctification and washing of clothes. This preparation showed expectation of orderly appearance in the sacred assembly, impressed His purity, and showed care for physical as well as moral well-being. Cleanliness in person, clothing and home is fitting for those who receive and honor the law, and it cannot be written in hearts of those remaining careless and filthy in person, clothing or homes.
In the household the commandments are God's law for His household on earth, rules for parents and children to be strictly obeyed with no sinless swerving. They plainly declare Thou shalt and Thou shalt not, are the royal, holy, perfect, immutable and eternal standard of character every soul must meet in judgment, given by Christ enshrouded in cloud through Moses, and must be respected, reverenced, taught and upheld. Parents must teach them diligently rising and sitting, going out and coming in, training children to respect authority and order, requiring a mother's word to be obeyed as law, bringing home and school habits into harmony with God's plans decently and in order with holiness pervading the home. Children are to be trained to respect and obey what must and must not be done, to honor father and mother and keep the way of the Lord, for neglect makes drunkards and criminals, while obedience sanctifies, checks skepticism, makes faith's foundation evident, and had the world obeyed thefts, robberies and murders would not fill jails. To love God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man.
In business and responsible work its principles must govern every line, practiced with fine, keen, clear perceptions of equity so God is honored and none oppressed. All business is to be done according to the first four and last six as life, with restraining influence restoring God's moral image by keeping souls in touch with the Creator. This requires ending unjust dealing, oppression, injustice, wickedness, taking advantage of those under jurisdiction, forcing human terms, ruling or ruining, and robbing God's family of individuality or rights. No plea of God's cause or working for it justifies presenting robbery for burnt offering or strange fire, which God does not accept and with which prosperity will not attend; God is never in league with dishonest practices, vindicates not a single touch of injustice, and His cause gains no advantage by injustice. Conduct contrary to these principles misrepresents His character, dishonors God, betrays Christ, lays stumbling blocks to ruin, and professing faith while endorsing sinful works, passing over offensive sins and commending evil violates them. Those called must stay in touch with God, watch, pray and work with eye single to His glory in sight of heaven, with tender, pure, true, compassionate hearts like Christ's, pure hearts and clean hands, adopting His maxims, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, refusing to let business crowd out love or excuse oppression, suffering, deception and selfishness.
Delivered after bringing Israel with mighty hand and outstretched arm out of Egyptian slavery while punishing enemies who refused His word, the law was to separate His people from worldly customs, habits and practices, draw them near, reveal will and character, and prepare them to receive His word at Sinai amid thunder, lightning and terrible majesty as transcript of His character written by His finger. Led through forty years set apart from idolatrous nations, they were intended as a distinct people prepared for the promised land and His purposes, with life-giving commandments whose neglect brought displeasure and punishment. Those who obey view world and religion altogether differently from pleasure-loving professors who shun the cross and violate the fourth commandment, for profession without corresponding faith and works avails nothing. Obedience is no bondage but the ground of standing free in Christ, and keeping the law in earth's lower school fashions character into divine likeness with Christ formed within, partaking divine nature, escaping worldly corruption through lust, garments freed from spot and wrinkle, qualified for heaven's higher grade to enter the gates, eat of the tree of life, and reveal to unbelievers what heaven's family shall be. Thus living out the law shows His goodness, mercy, justice and love as lights, making known His heavenly and earthly government to every nation, kindred and tongue.
The direction given at deliverance and continued in Sinai laws includes chastity, requiring strict purity, refinement and delicacy between men and women and forbidding looseness, liberties and transgression. Physicians in medical work must hold it in highest regard and live by it, for only those living by Sinai laws may be safely trusted, especially as physicians to women.
The chapter is to be studied as God's positive instruction from the great I AM, identifying His people and setting conditions of obedience, with its Sabbath command to be made known, magnified and vindicated. Proclaimed by the Creator in awe-inspiring majesty and written by His finger on stone so it would not be forgotten or corrupted, its words spoken by Him matter to everyone and its commandments are important to keep. Loyalty is required even under opposition, contempt and claims it is obsolete.
Disloyalty is rebellion against God and rejection of His supreme authority above earthly rulers, especially in Sabbath-breaking against the fourth commandment written by His own finger. Turning from known duty to avoid the cross, reproach or conformity to the world violates these duties, and transgression is serious rejection bringing judgments to awaken to sin. Israel having consented to be His special people was responsible to keep covenant by meditating on the heard words and teaching children even while Moses received them.
It remains the perfect, unchanging standard of holiness, righteousness and sanctification, one standard for master and servant, young and old, with no sinless departure, guiding all dealings and to be taught to children. Its binding requirements are living and authoritative, not dead letter, expressing justice, denunciation of sin, holy character and love among solemn vital foundations of faith; to hide it or teach it obsolete is deception rejecting Bible and denying Christ. It is the great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed at Sinai, written in the heart under the new covenant, a yoke binding to God's high, noble, elevating will in service with Christ rather than own inclinations, and the foundation on which character is built. Those meeting it receive blessing, those failing bring curse.
Its written revelation began with Moses after twenty-five hundred years without written word when those taught of God handed knowledge father to son, continuing sixteen hundred years from Moses to John recorder of gospel's sublimest truths. Its stone tablets kept in the sacred ark were hidden in a cave because of Israel and Judah's sins, never restored or disturbed. Its mount-spoken principles of holiness, justice and mercy divide into first four and last six, with which willingly sharing debts one helped create instead of leaving burden on others is in harmony, and its testimony joined to commandments cannot be separated though opposition aims to remove the Sabbath. The lawyer's failure concerned both duties to God and to people.
It carries supreme wisdom as foundation of all righteous and good laws, establishing God's supreme authority above earthly rulers whose just claims must ultimately be acknowledged. Put in mind and written in heart it becomes spirit and life with power to subdue and enforce obedience, taken as the only authority acknowledged; lovers of it conform to every good land law, but when rulers conflict with God they obey God rather than men, sooner disobeying all men than deviating least, and cannot engage in war opposed to every principle of faith where truth could not be obeyed and conscience continually violated. Its plain Thou shalt precepts promise life, its prohibitions guarantee happiness in obedience, and received in Christ it forms pure character bringing lasting joy and a wall of protection shielding from evils of transgression. Sin is sin against its plain heavenly principles, requiring every soul to bow in humility and contrition and come to Jesus whose blood cleanses all glossed-over iniquity, lest claiming heaven's will while departing stand on ruin's brink.
The Sabbath within it is the golden clasp uniting supreme obedience and reverence to God with union to fellow man, engraved on the first table as sign and covenant forever showing the Lord sanctifies His people and assuring eternal life; reverencing it leads to keeping the first three of duty to God while the last six reveal duty to man, so keeping it means obedience to all. Its ten holy precepts are the divine yoke to be worn rather than the world's burdensome yokes not conforming to them. Keeping them with whole heart, mind and strength in love to God supremely and neighbor as self is earth's test of all serving God, and only those first becoming saints thus will see His face and reign forever. The Sabbath command remains binding and central for this time, allowing no sinless swerving with God's will paramount; breaking it denies the Saviour, steps from beneath Christ's bloodstained banner to the prince of darkness under the enemy's black banner, with no safety or justification, demanding absolute surrender, conversion, co-partnership and faithful trading with entrusted goods, for every man will meet the Judge and receive according to works with no excuse for disobeying known truth.