It is Settled!

A series of lessons from the Bible

by Howell Lasseter

Moses Receives the Law

In Exodus 20:2-17, the 'Ten Commandments' are given to the children of Israel by God. From Exodus 20:22 through 23:33 are commands the Lord gave the Israelites 'before' Moses went up into the mount to receive the commandments written on tables of stone. Exodus 24:12 tells us they were written by the Lord. A very important event is recorded in Exodus 24:3: "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do." How soon people turn from a vow they have made to God! Within 40 days, the Israelites had turned from this commitment to doing all that God said to bowing down before a golden calf.

The anger of the Lord was kindled against the Israelites to the point that He would have destroyed them but for the intercession of Moses. When Moses came down from the mount and saw what Israel had done, the two tables of stone were broken when he threw them down. God told Moses to hew two more stones and bring them back up into the mountain. Again the laws were written on them. Another 40 days Moses is in the mount.

Some today say we are to keep the law of Moses. Without a doubt, this is a reference to the keeping of the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20:2-17. Was this the law of Moses in its entirety? No, it was (and is) not; the balance of Exodus, with Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy must be included to have the statutes and commandments of the law God gave to the children of Israel. Moses repeated the ten commandment law in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. But, commandments concerning the priesthood and their dress and work; the sacrifices; the tabernacle; the feast days; the law concerning the poor, slaves, and strangers (not Israelites) who wanted to remain with Israel - all were a part of the law of Moses. Is man today to obey them? To you who desire to, and claim to, live under the law of Moses - where are your animal sacrifices? Where are your feast days? Where is your stoning of any person who has committed adultery, who has stolen anything, or who has borne false witness?

Yes, one may say, "We don't live under these laws today, only the Ten Commandments. Notice what the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:10: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Emphasis mine - HL). Read the entire 27th chapter of Deuteronomy. Space prohibits printing the entire chapter here, but notice verse 26: "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." Next week, we'll look at the law we are under today.