The Ten Commandments

The highlighted image is a painting by Lucas Cranach. Cranach was a painter and printmaker in Wittenberg, Germany. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther, and created illustrations for many of the pamphlets Luther wrote and published. Can you guess which commandment each panel is illustrating?

In this coming Sunday's Hebrew Bible reading, we will hear about the covenant laws God makes with Israel - the Ten Commandments. The concept of the Ten Commandments is likely familiar to most of us, but there's much more to learn! Below are a few fun facts about the Ten Commandments (which don't necessarily fit well in the context of a sermon).

Did you know?

-The Ten Commandments are also called the Decalogue, meaning "Ten Words"

-They can be found in the Bible two places: Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

-The numbering of the commandments is not uniform across faith traditions. The Jewish numbering differs from the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox numbering, which differs from the numbering used by the Reformed, Anglican, and other Protestant denominations. See a detailed chart here.

-The commandments are listed in Exodus 20, but God doesn't give the tablets to Moses until Exodus 31:18. What's included in between? Lots of other laws, instructions for rituals, plans for building the tabernacle, and more. 

-After forty days and forty nights (code for "a really long time"), Moses comes down Mt. Sinai with the tablets, only to find that his brother Aaron made a golden calf for the people to worship when they got tired of waiting for Moses (ack! There goes the first commandment!). In his rage, Moses breaks the tablets. In Exodus 34, God instructs Moses to cut two new stones, which God inscribes with the words again. 

-The ark of the covenant was constructed to hold the tablets, so that the Israelites could carry them during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

-The Ten Commandments are explained in Luther's Small Catechism. Though we often think of the commandments as a list of things not to do, in his explanations, Luther takes a broader view, and gives positive instructions as well. For example, the fifth commandment is "You shall not murder." Luther writes, "We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life's needs." 

The law is important, and functions both as a curb to our behavior and a mirror that shows us our sin and drives us to Christ. As Lutherans, we understand that law and gospel are held together as the Word of God - God's commands and God's promises. 

Bonus resources: 

-Watch the Godly Play story "The Ten Best Ways".

-Download the free Small Catechism app, and read Luther's explanations of the Ten Commandments.

-I have a fun mnemonic for remembering the Ten Commandments in order that I love to use as part of our Confirmation classes - I hope to share it on Trinity's YouTube channel and Facebook page later in the week!