The Ten Words

After Moses leads the Israelites out of Pharaoh’s bondage, he sojourns with God on Mount Sinai and receives the rules from God that He expects His people to follow and obey.

This is accomplished through a covenant, God’s selection of the Chosen and their adoption of his statutes and ordinances for living.

It’s a mutual deal, a matter of choice.

An affirmative decision to accept limits on an individual’s freedom to exist in a way that is separate and distinct from others where God will physically agree to dwell with those who behave accordingly.

In essence, there’s a new sheriff in town, and if you want me to hang out with you, here are the rules.

In Exodus, God provides Moses with the Decalogue (the “Ten Words”, aka the Ten Commandments) and a list of various ordinances regarding daily life (including dietary and sexual practices) and the orderly process of ritual worship through animal sacrifice (to be conducted by a special group of priests from the Tribe of Levi out of sight inside a specific area (called the “holiest of holies” --- the location which contains a box holding the sacred texts (called the Ark of the Covenant, whose lid is called the “mercy seat”) and is where God physically dwells while among the people) inside of a structure called the Temple).

Moses receiving the Tablets of The Law

And Moses provides The Law to the people.

Unfortunately, Moses has to provide the people with The Law four separate times (once verbally, then written in a book, and twice thereafter in stone tablets---the first written by the finger of God) before God agrees in a second covenant to lead his chosen people to the Promised Land.

A good example of things to come occurs at Horeb, where the Israelites begin to quarrel and carp about life because they have no water in the wilderness.  By God’s command, Moses strikes the earth with his staff, and water flows from the rock.

The location is therefore named “Massah” and “Meribah”, meaning “Test” and “Quarrel”.

Horeb is apparently also known as Mount Sinai, where Moses gets pretty bent out of shape when he comes down the mountain with the stone tablets containing The Law as written by the finger of God and sees everyone raving it up around the golden calf that his brother Aaron, of all folks, built at the demand by the Israelites for a new god.

The Adoration of the Golden Calf

A fairly blatant violation of the commandments that Moses had just previously read aloud and subsequently wrote out by hand for the people.

The breach of the first covenant (which necessitated the second covenant).

I think this might be a tough group to deal with and reach.

One of the things I wasn’t previously aware of was that after Moses had the golden calf burned, he had it ground into power, put into water, and forced the Israelites to drink it, causing those who had rebelled to be subjected to a plague.

And which (since I've read a bit ahead) will be known as "the water of bitterness that brings the curse".

The price of rebellion.

Although this might cause one to wonder if being a people chosen by God is something for everyone, there is still a huge separation between God and humankind, where only the highest priest may engage in sacrifice for God.

In fact, the Temple garments of the high Priest have bells sewn onto the hems, in order that the Priest not come upon God unexpectedly while in the holiest of holies, and in order to allow those outside the inner temple to know that the Priest has not been killed by God.

That’s what it means “to have bells on”.

There is still some inconsistency as to whether humans can or cannot see God and survive.  Moses initially had to turn away from God so as to not to see his face lest he die, and God could only be seen via other means such as the Burning Bush, or from the rear as God passed.

Moses and the Burning Bush

Over time, however, Moses developed such a relationship with God that he could see Him face to face.  He could speak face to face with God “as one speaks to a friend”.

Moses is now at least the third human to actually see God and live to tell about it (although there is a passing reference that his brother Aaron, Aaron’s two sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders also saw God on Mount Sinai/Horeb).

That experience changed Moses drastically, however, and causes his face to shine so brightly that when he wasn’t in the temple he was required to walk amongst the Israelites covered by a veil. 

His people out of human bondage, the rules having been laid down, and a covenant made to adopt them, God’s journey with the Israelites is ready to begin!

And I’m still on schedule!