Exodus 20:1-23: "1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 13 You shall not murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.' 18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.' 20 And Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.' 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. 22 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me--gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves."'
The people of Israel must have at first thought that what God proposed was a great thing. For they had just witnessed His great power in sending plagues upon the Egyptians, and destroying Pharaoh and his army. So, when the Lord God proclaimed that He was going to be their God and they would be His people, they must have thought that was a great thing, to have such a God as this. Furthermore, upon hearing the commandments for the first time, they must have thought these were good things too, for they protected them from the cruelty of their neighbors. And since the Jews lived among the Egyptians, and probably had suffered these things from the Egyptians, they must have thought these commandments were a good thing too. Then they learned how strict our Lord God desired for them to be kept.
God wants us to keep His law perfectly, and not just in deed, but also in thought and word, too. And because of the fall of Adam into sin, "no one is able to fulfill God's Law in a manner acceptable to God. Unbelievers do not fulfill it at all, and even the obedience of believers in Christ is sadly deficient. Christ alone has fulfilled God's Law."* We can see this from the fact that every commandment contains something that is forbidden, and something that is required. Even if we were able to not do the thing forbidden, we would fail to do the thing required.
In the First Commandment, God requires that we fear, love, and trust in Him above all things, and forbids us to have other gods. In the Second Commandment, God requires that we call upon His Name in every trouble, that we pray to Him, praise Him, and give Him thanks at all times, He forbids us to take His Name in vain, that is, curse, swear, use witchcraft, or other satanic arts, lie, and deceive by His Name. In the Third Commandment, God requires that we sanctify the holy day, that is, hold His Word sacred, and gladly hear and learn it, and He forbids us to despise preaching and His Word. In the Fourth Commandment, He requires that we honor our parents, serve them, and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem, He forbids that we depise or anger our parents and other authorities. In the Fifth Commandment, God requires that we help and befriend our neighbor in his every bodily need, He forbids us to kill, that is, to hurt or harm our neighbor in his body. In the Sixth Commandment, God requires us to lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse, He forbids us to commit adultery and other sexual sins. In the Seventh Commandment, God requires us to help and improve our neighbor's property and business, and forbids us to steal, that is, to take our neighbor's money or property, or get them by false ware or dealing. In the Eighth Commandment, God requires that we defend our neighbor, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything, He forbids us to bear false witness against our neighbor, that is, deceitfully belie, betray, slander or defame him. In the Ninth Commandment, God requires that we help and be of service to our neighbor in keeping his inheritance or house, He forbids that we covet our neighbor's house, that is, craftily seek to get it, or obtain it by a show of right. In the Tenth Commandment, God requires us to urge our neighbor's wife, servants, or cattle to stay and do their duty, He forbids that we covet them, that is, estrange, force or entice them away.
Therefore, God not only forbids things in the Commandments, but requires things as well. And so, that we might learn how serious our Lord God is about these commandments of His, He adds these words, to the beginning of the Commandments: "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me." What does that mean? It means that God indeed threatens to punish all those who break His Commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath, and not act contrary to them.
But our Lord God also presents a promise with these Commandments, that is, that He would be "showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." This is great news! God will show mercy to us, if we keep His commandments. Uh, oh! That is impossible for us! "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?"**
Here we see our deliverer, our dear Lord Jesus. We also see why this text comes at this particular time in the Church Year. Tomorrow, Sunday, is Quinquagesima, it is the Sunday before Lent, which starts this coming Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. Lent has always been a time of catechesis, and among Lutherans, it has been a time of catechesis in the Ten Commandments. For as we study the Ten Commandments, we see how little we keep them, and that brings to the forefront of our minds, our sin and transgressions, and our great need of forgiveness. This leads us to proclaim with the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And this leads us to the cross. Where our dear Lord Jesus, after fulfilling the Law perfectly, something we were unable to do, but He was able to do perfectly on our behalf, He suffers and dies, taking on our punishment for transgressing the Commandments.
Therefore, the Lord God, the Great I AM, visits the iniquity of the fathers upon His very own Son, punishing that sin, not just for three or four generations, but for all the generations of man, that had come, and will come. He was punished once and for all, that all mankind might have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. And that is what He does for all those who have believed and been baptized, He shows us His love and mercy, that is, He doesn't treat us the way we deserve to be treated, but instead treats us the way His Son deserves to be treated. His Son, on account of His perfect sacrifice was rewared with life again, and now sits on the right hand of the Father judging the quick and the dead, proclaiming all those who believe and are baptized to be His children, His people, just like the people of Israel, who stood that day under the cloud, hearing our Lord's commandments.
This love and mercy is for thousands of generations, which is to say, it is for all generations. This means it is for you and for all! Certainly there are those who reject and despise this gift, who desire to remain a slave, in bondage to sin and death. And we must certainly continue to proclaim the Word of God in its truth and purity, continue to proclaim the Ten Commandments, so that people might realize their sin, and their grave condition, so that they might repent and believe, and be baptized, so that they too might have our Lord God's love and mercy. This is the task of the Church, it is what our Lord God has given us to do, while here on this Earth, and we pray that He would bless our efforts, so that His love and mercy may fill the whole world, and sin and death may be driven back by our Lord God.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
* From "Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism", Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland", page 114.
** Romans 7:14.
In the First Commandment, God requires that we fear, love, and trust in Him above all things, and forbids us to have other gods. In the Second Commandment, God requires that we call upon His Name in every trouble, that we pray to Him, praise Him, and give Him thanks at all times, He forbids us to take His Name in vain, that is, curse, swear, use witchcraft, or other satanic arts, lie, and deceive by His Name. In the Third Commandment, God requires that we sanctify the holy day, that is, hold His Word sacred, and gladly hear and learn it, and He forbids us to despise preaching and His Word. In the Fourth Commandment, He requires that we honor our parents, serve them, and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem, He forbids that we depise or anger our parents and other authorities. In the Fifth Commandment, God requires that we help and befriend our neighbor in his every bodily need, He forbids us to kill, that is, to hurt or harm our neighbor in his body. In the Sixth Commandment, God requires us to lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse, He forbids us to commit adultery and other sexual sins. In the Seventh Commandment, God requires us to help and improve our neighbor's property and business, and forbids us to steal, that is, to take our neighbor's money or property, or get them by false ware or dealing. In the Eighth Commandment, God requires that we defend our neighbor, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything, He forbids us to bear false witness against our neighbor, that is, deceitfully belie, betray, slander or defame him. In the Ninth Commandment, God requires that we help and be of service to our neighbor in keeping his inheritance or house, He forbids that we covet our neighbor's house, that is, craftily seek to get it, or obtain it by a show of right. In the Tenth Commandment, God requires us to urge our neighbor's wife, servants, or cattle to stay and do their duty, He forbids that we covet them, that is, estrange, force or entice them away.
Therefore, God not only forbids things in the Commandments, but requires things as well. And so, that we might learn how serious our Lord God is about these commandments of His, He adds these words, to the beginning of the Commandments: "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me." What does that mean? It means that God indeed threatens to punish all those who break His Commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath, and not act contrary to them.
But our Lord God also presents a promise with these Commandments, that is, that He would be "showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." This is great news! God will show mercy to us, if we keep His commandments. Uh, oh! That is impossible for us! "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?"**
Here we see our deliverer, our dear Lord Jesus. We also see why this text comes at this particular time in the Church Year. Tomorrow, Sunday, is Quinquagesima, it is the Sunday before Lent, which starts this coming Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. Lent has always been a time of catechesis, and among Lutherans, it has been a time of catechesis in the Ten Commandments. For as we study the Ten Commandments, we see how little we keep them, and that brings to the forefront of our minds, our sin and transgressions, and our great need of forgiveness. This leads us to proclaim with the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And this leads us to the cross. Where our dear Lord Jesus, after fulfilling the Law perfectly, something we were unable to do, but He was able to do perfectly on our behalf, He suffers and dies, taking on our punishment for transgressing the Commandments.
Therefore, the Lord God, the Great I AM, visits the iniquity of the fathers upon His very own Son, punishing that sin, not just for three or four generations, but for all the generations of man, that had come, and will come. He was punished once and for all, that all mankind might have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. And that is what He does for all those who have believed and been baptized, He shows us His love and mercy, that is, He doesn't treat us the way we deserve to be treated, but instead treats us the way His Son deserves to be treated. His Son, on account of His perfect sacrifice was rewared with life again, and now sits on the right hand of the Father judging the quick and the dead, proclaiming all those who believe and are baptized to be His children, His people, just like the people of Israel, who stood that day under the cloud, hearing our Lord's commandments.
This love and mercy is for thousands of generations, which is to say, it is for all generations. This means it is for you and for all! Certainly there are those who reject and despise this gift, who desire to remain a slave, in bondage to sin and death. And we must certainly continue to proclaim the Word of God in its truth and purity, continue to proclaim the Ten Commandments, so that people might realize their sin, and their grave condition, so that they might repent and believe, and be baptized, so that they too might have our Lord God's love and mercy. This is the task of the Church, it is what our Lord God has given us to do, while here on this Earth, and we pray that He would bless our efforts, so that His love and mercy may fill the whole world, and sin and death may be driven back by our Lord God.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
* From "Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism", Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland", page 114.
** Romans 7:14.
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