Notes on the 10 Commandments, Ex. 20

1) OK obviously this is a huge task. let me recommend the great book on the 10C by Patrick Miller and the work of Nancy Duff to bring Paul Lehmann;’s book on the Decalogue to publication. Commentaries on Exodus or DT pften have really insightful things to say about some of the commandments as well.

2) Please note that the 10C are accompanied by a theophany in the preceding chapter. In other words, chapter 20 starts in a worship setting on the mountain where Moses received a call, the source of the water to Meribah,and it is now extended to all the newly formed people.

3) For a spriritual exercise, work on one commandment a week. One can still find immense profit in the reformed discussion of positive and negative force of each commandment in the Westminster Longer Catechism. For instance the command on false witness then has the flip side of honoring the truth.

4) for preaching it makes sense to me to pick a commandment, any commandment and work with it and maybe seeing how it fits within the whole of the two tablets.

5) to me both the taking of the Lord’s name in vain and bearing false witness include, maybe even presuppose a courtroom setting.

6) If one wishes to take a more synoptic approach, going to the Fretheim God and Creation book’s section on law and creation could be a good place to start.

7) It seems to me that the commandments that are not so obvious would be from the first table and then the difficult issue of coveting.

8) I read the command against killing as homicide or manslaughter. Wilma Bailey of CTS sees it as more all-encompassing, but I remain unpersuaded.

9) One could look at the places where more material is given, including punishments or compare Ex. to the DT. 5 list, especially on sabbath.To speak on sabbath as spirutal practice would be exemplary for anxious, driven, Americans.

10) Many baby boomers are sandwiched between children and aging parents. Note that the honor one’s parents command is for adults.