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| Another View Should the Ten Commandments be displayed on government property? While we believe in keeping the Ten Commandments we also should point out that we are referring to the Ten Commandments as we find them written in Exodus 20 of the Old Testament Bible. Some commandment displays are not true to the biblical blue print. Basically in modern times 3 versions emerged:
The Protestant How does the government know which of these versions to display? Some commandment displays have been edited which results in serious theological alterations. Some commandments have been edited and shortened. The Biblical display of the 10 commandments was inside the ark of the covenant also known as the mercy seat. The commandments condemn sin but the mercy seat provides an escape for the sinner from the consequence of the second death if he chooses to obey God's Word. That is quite a different theological context than displaying them in American government buildings. Worldly governments cannot and do not dispence mercy like God can. We also should recognise that the only commandments showing some parallels with earthly laws are 3 out of the 10: 6th, `thou shalt not kill', 8th, `thou shalt not steal' and 9th, `don't lie'. Our court system has no parallels to the 1-3, 6th and 10th. At times misguided church people want to enforce the 4th commandment by erroneously making Sabbath into Sunday and enforce Sunday keeping. That is plainly wrong. Can't they read? The Bible also teaches tolerance to our fellow men and the example of the three friends of Daniel in Babylon prohibits the state to interfere in the religious believes of its people. The Bible also prohibits religious institutions to use the power of the state to influence people's believes, a function only properly accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Before a religion can assume it is called of God to influence the conscience of people who are not among its followers, they need to examine if they themselves are obeying the Word of God. The truth is, that most of Christianity does not obey God in all of His precepts. Today nominal Christians claim to obey God's law and yet go to church on a day not ordained by God. This day is, and increasingly so, will become the test of faith on our Creator God. Laws establishing a false day of worship, are unbiblical and will usher in the end time events. These events are painful but will culminate in the glorious appearing of Jesus and the holy angels returning as he has promised. (This in response to increased radio chatter on such topics as heard in the evening of 8-21-05.) The people of this country have transgressed God's Ten Commandment laws so obviously for so many years that upholding it as a tradition is merely a wink and not a serious conversion to obey the Words spoken by our Creator God. And so we find that God didn't display His set of tablets for all to see. Why? He wanted them written in our heart, mind and physical being. While we cannot put up memorial stones in city halls, we can post the Law of God in our own homes.
The Biblical Account of Writing the Law:
Moses, having been raised in all the wisdom and skills of Pharaonic Egypt meaning that he could read and write Hieroglyphics, lead armies and knew Egyptian law, was chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt and became their first `Supreme Court' judge. [Exodus 18:13-27; Deuteronomy 16:18] The Bible says that God gave to Moses two tables of testimony on which he wrote the law with his own finger, Exodus 31:18. On these God wrote the 10 devarim (words, commandments |
| Analysis of the first four `devarim' or `commandments'. (Work may still be in progress) Adapted from Dr. Ed Metzler's `Discovering the 3-Dimensional Structure of the Ten Commandments' but rendered slightly different in some places as indicated. Legend: The light blue dots on the tablets above indicate where one commandment ends and the other begins. The green brackets below indicate the upper edge turning letters. |
| The Introduction or according to the Jews, The First of the Ten Words (Devarim) in Hebrew |
Simplified reading from left to right: Anki Iahuhalhik Asher Hotzetikah me-Eretz Mitzrayim mi-Beit Avadim. I am Yahu thy God which brought thee out of Egypt (the) House of Bondage. [Comments: where `min' translates into `from' or `out of'] |
| The Introduction or according to the Jews, The First Commandment in Hebrew |
Simplified reading from left to right: Lo yiheyeh lkha Elohim Acherim al-Panai! No (thou shalt not) have (other) gods before (me). [Comments: where `echad' and `eth' are apparently made up of the same 3 letters `aleph', `chad' and `daled' where `echad' means `other' and `eth' translates into `before'] |
| The Second Commandment in Hebrew |
Simplified reading from left to right: Lo................. ta-Asseh...lkha....Pessel.........We-khol Temunah .................. Asher ..... ....... ba-Shamayim ........ Thou shalt not make (any) graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath |
| The Second Commandment continued |
Simplified reading from left to right: v Asher bmi Mitachath l Eretz Lot Shachah v h l Hem v Lot Adab mki Anoki ... or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them not serve them: for I... [Comments: where `asha' translates into `make', `semel' into `image', `echad' into `anything', `Shemayim' into `heaven' and the syllable `...mayim' into `water', `maal' into `above' and the last sylable `..al' into the conjunction `on' or `in', `asher' into `which' or `that', `erets' into `earth', `shachah' into `bow down', `hem' into `them', `lot' into `thou shalt not', `abad' into `serve', `mit-tachath' into `beneath', `anoki' into `I (myself)';] |
| The Second Commandment continued |
Simplified reading from left to right: .............Iahuahlik................Qana...........Poqed...........Avon.....Avat....Ben.imv.Al...Shelishi(mv)Al.Rebii ... the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the children unto the third and fourth (generation).. Comments: `Iahualik' into `the Lord thy God', `qana' into `jealous', `paqad' into `visiting', `avon' into `iniquity', `al' into `unto' or `and', `shelishi' into `third', `rebii' into `fourth',[100] |
| The Second Commandment continued |
Simplified reading from left to right: ............................sane..............in.Asah..Chesed.l......Eleph...l........Hem...L..Aheb.(An)i.L.Shamor...i....Mitsvah ... of them that hate me and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Comments: `sane' into `hate', `asah' into `to do' or `show', `chesed' into `mercy', `eleph' into `thousands', `hem' into `them', `l' into `that', `aheb' into `love', `ani' into `me' of which only the `i' is given, `al' into `and' of which only the `l' is given, `mitsvah' into `commandments', |
| The Third Commandment |
Simplified reading from left to right: .......Lo..ta-Asseh Ikha Pessel we-khol Temunah Asher ba-Shamayim...... Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Comments: `lot' into `thou shalt not', `tissa' into `take the', `et' into `of', `shem' into `name', `iahulik' into `Lord thy God', `shav' into `vain', `adon' would be `Lord', `achaz' would be `hold', `naqi' would be `guiltless'; |
| The Fourth Commandment in Hebrew |
Simplified reading from left to right: Zhakor/Shamor et Yom ha-Shabat le-Kodesho! Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. According to the reconstruction only the beginning sentence of the fourth commandment appeared on the tablet. But the commandment continues, "Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: ' in it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy manservant nor thy maidservant nor thy cattle nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." Comments: If we follow Exodus 20:8 the word would be `zhakor' into `remember', if we follow Deuteronomy 5:12 the word would be `shamor' which means `keep'**; Translate `iom' into `day', `shabath' into `Sabbath', `shamar' would be `keep', `ha/hu' translates as `it' and takes the place of the direct article "the" as in "the seventh day/ `hu shebii iom'", `qodesh' would be `holy', the last `sh' from `qodesh' doubles now as `shesh' which means `six' and therefore the two shin of `six' following that last shin in `qodesh' are not written, `asah' would be `made', `abad' into `labour', `melakah' into `work', `shebii' into `seventh', `la' into `no' or `not', `ben' into `son', `bath' into `daughter', `ebed' into `manservant', `amah' into `maidservant', `baqar' into `ox', `chamour' into `ass', `behemah' into `cattle', `stranger' would be `magur', `mib-bayith' into `within', `shabbathon' would be `rest', `qodesh' would be `hallowed'. **We chose `remember' because that probably was the intended word right after Israel left Egypt where they kept the Sabbath already at least during the last stretch of time of their stay there. The Hebrew word `zakhor' (remember) is also found on a famous stone from the old Israelite city of Chorazin in Galilee on a stone known as the `Seat of Moses' which is a stone chair used by the reader of the torah inside a synagogue. The inscription on this stone chair reads, "Remember for good Yudan the son of Ishmael who made this `stvh' and its steps; may he take part with the pious."[`Biblical Archaeology Review', Sep/Oct, 1987, p. 32, 33] ***the colored words represent the seal of God: His title `The Lord', his office `made' indicating He was the `Creator', his realm `heaven and earth', the whole universe. The Seal of the President of the United States also contains these three identifications: `George Bush', `President' of the `United States of America'; his name, title and realm. Therefore, the fourth commandment proclaims on which day and who it is we are to worship, the Creator God, Lord of the whole universe. [See also Leviticus 23:3] |
| The Fifth Commandment in Hebrew |
Simplified reading from left to right: Kabed et- Avikha we-et-Imekha! Honour thy father and mother. |
| The Principles of The Ten Commandments Known Before Sinai |
| I) | "... Put away the strange gods that are among you ..." Genesis 35:1-4. | VI) | "... and Cain rose up ... and slew him ...", Gen. 4:8-11, 23, 24; 9:5,6. |
| II) | "... put away the strange gods that are among you ..." Gen. 31:19, 34, 35; 35:2-4. | VII) | "... I suffered thee not to touch her ...", Gen. 20:5-9; 38:24; 39:7-9. |
| III) | "After the doings of the land of Egypt where ye dwellt, shall ye not do ..." Leviticus 18:3, 21, 24, 27. | VIII) | "... and Rachel had stolen ...", Gen. 30:33; 31:19, 30, 32, 39; 44:8. |
| IV) | "And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it ..." Gen. 2:1-4, 8:10, 12; 29:27, 28; Exod. 16:4, 22, 23, 25-30. | IX) | "... she called unto the men ... he mocked me ... and fled ..." Gen. 39:7-20. |
| V) | "... Cursed be Canaan ...", Gen. 9:22-25. | X) | "The Tenth Commandment had to be broken before the 8th commandment was broken. |
| The Ten Commandments in the New Testament |
| I) | "Then saith Jesus unto him . . . it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:10; Acts 14:11-15; 1.Cor. 8:4-6. | VI) | "Thou shalt not kill", Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:18; James 2:11. |
| II) | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1.John 5:21; 1.Cor. 10:14; Acts 17:29. | VII) | "Thou shalt not commit adultery", Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:18. |
| III) | "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed." 1.Timothy 6:1; James 5:12. | VIII) | "Thou shalt not steal", Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:18. This commandment may not only imply possessions or physical objects but also someone's time, including God's time set aside for us to worship Him according to the 4th commandment. |
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More Reason it out
IV)
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"For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, If thy shall enter into My rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." Hebrews 4:4–10. "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Matthew 24:20. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Revelation 1:10. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Matthew 4:10; Luke 23:56. In other words keep the 7th day Sabbath holy.
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"Thou shalt not bear false witness." Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:18. In other words do not accuse your fellow human being falsely.
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| V) | "Honour thy father and thy mother", Matthew 19:19; Ephesians 6:2. In other words since you honor God so honor your parents. | X) | "Thou shalt not covet" and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." , Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:19. In other words don't desire your fellow human being's property or possessions, don't be greedy. |
EALs
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Indications of Awareness of Ten Commandment Like Morals in the El Amarna Letters
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EA#127 EA#180 EA#287, 288 |
Acting deceitfully. Being faithful. Killing as a wrong deed. |
9th Commandment. 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th Commandments. 6th Commandment. |
"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, is this a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Benjamin Franklin in a letter to Richard Price, Oct. 9, 1790 "The association of religion with terror, and its ability to engender fear in the heart of America, in combination with legislation and policy changes that enable expanded powers of government surveillance have ominous implications for the nations religious traditions." "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." - Psalm 20:7 Notes & References
[050] The first set of tablets may have been made of precious blue Sapphire (aluminum oxide) stone according to Exodus 24:10. If so, certain prophetic connections become relevant, i.e. From Ezekiel 1:26; 10:1 we learn that the throne of God is described that way and from Numbers 15:38-39 we know that the color blue represents the truth of God, the `commandments of the Lord'. The institution which changed God's law (Dan. 7:25) uses symbolic colors to underscore their power, except the color blue. That is when the prophecy of 2.Thess. 2:3,7 (NIV, "man of lawlessness") becomes relevant for they cannot face up to the truth of God. |
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