“Rules to Live By”
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring
Eden United Church of Christ
Hayward, California
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 5, 2014
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-17 (NRSV)
Today’s sermon is the sixth in a series that I am offering this fall. Each sermon is
associated with the Hebrew people’s exodus from Egypt and 40-year journey
through the wilderness to the Promised Land, which is described in the Torah, the
first five books of the Bible.
My first sermon in the series was based on the story of the “burning bush,” which is
also the story of Moses’ call to lead the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. The second
was about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the first Passover celebration. The
third was based on the snakebite story from Israel’s wilderness experience. The
fourth was about the Red Sea Crossing. And last Sunday’s sermon was about God’s
provision of manna and quail in the wilderness.
Today’s sermon is about the Ten Commandments. Biblical historians date the
Israelite’s embrace of the Ten Commandments at approximately 1250 BCE.
There are two renderings of the 10 Commandments in the Bible. The first is
found in Exodus, and the second in Deuteronomy. In both stories, Moses descended from a mountain carrying two stone tablets on which the commandments were etched, but the ordering of the commandments varies, depending on
which book one reads.
II
When I say “Ten Commandments,” what thoughts come to mind? Do you envision scenes from Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood classic, do you have flashbacks to
Sunday School or Confirmation days, or do you wonder what I’m talking about?
If you had to memorize the Ten Commandments in Church School or Confirmation, which version did you learn? Was it the one from Exodus 20 (which was the
original Ten Commandments that God gave Moses on Sinai, before the golden
calf debacle, which is the topic of next week’s sermon), or did you learn the ver-
sion that’s found in Deuteronomy 5 (which is part of the covenant renewal ceremony between God and the Israelites at Mt. Horeb)?
If you come from a Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopal, or
Presbyterian background, you probably studied the Ten Commandments from
one of the many catechisms that have been developed and handed down
through the centuries in one of those denominations.
Roman Catholics who are older than me probably studied the “Baltimore Catechism,” while Catholics who are my age and younger probably studied “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Greek Orthodox adherents have probably studied the “Orthodox Catechism.” Those who have been raised in the Episcopal
Church have studied “An Outline of Faith,” also known as the Episcopal catechism, which is found in back of The Book of Common Prayer.
Most Lutherans and people who grew up in UCC congregations that came out of
the Evangelical (Lutheran) tradition (in Germany) studied “Luther’s Shorter Catechism” in Church School and Confirmation.
Meanwhile, persons who have been raised in the Reformed traditions and people
who grew up in UCC congregations that came out of the German Reformed tradition most likely studied Calvin’s “Heidelberg Catechism.” If you grew up in the
Presbyterian Church, by comparison, you would have studied the “Westminster
Catechism.”
The “Heidelberg Catechism” still enjoys immense popularity in congregations that
emerged from the Reformed tradition in the UCC, especially in places like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Until about 20 years ago, confirmation students in
Northeast Wisconsin, where I went to college, had to memorize the “Heidelberg
Catechism” in German, in order to be confirmed.
If you grew up at Eden Church or in some other parish that grew out of the “Congregational” tradition, you probably studied the Ten Commandments, but you
probably didn’t study a catechism, and you probably weren’t required to do much
memory work.
III
The story about Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, which is our primary
Hebrew Bible text for today, is imbedded in the larger wilderness narrative of the
Hebrew people—a people who, at the time, had no law and no land. Back in
Egypt, the Hebrew people were subject to the Pharaoh’s law. Now that they were
free, they were no longer subject to the laws of some foreign authority, yet they
were in need of guiding principles to foster order among themselves.
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, “Rules to Live By,” 10/5/2014, p. 2 of 5.
The Ten Commandments helped to bring order out of the chaotic experience of
the wilderness. The Commandments defined the outer limits of conduct, through
succinct, unequivocal prohibitions, which (if adhered to) would protect the community from behavior that would otherwise destroy it. The commandments were
addressed to individuals, yet adherence to them served to promote the common
good.
The first commandment is the cornerstone of the ten. “I am the Lord, your God,
you shall have no other Gods before me.” Note that this first commandment was
first expressed in the covenant between God and Abraham and Sarah.
The first through the fourth commandments define the Hebrew’s obligations to
God, while the fifth through the tenth define prohibitions about how the Hebrews
were expected to relate to each other.
The Old Testament literature includes two kinds of laws. One is the apodictic,
and the other is the casuistic. An example of a casuistic law is, “When someone
steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen
for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep,” Ex. 22:1.
An apodictic law is a short, second person command or prohibition. The Ten
Commandments are the best examples of apodictic laws.
Many Old Testament scholars think that the Ten Commandments were originally
just ten wordsthat when uttered would conjure up a clear and more elaborate
meaning. Unlike the casuistic laws, the Ten Commandments, as apodictic laws,
did not include an “if-then” warning. Some argue that the absence of the “if-then”
warning is indicative of the fact that the Ten Commandments were meant to
serve as guiding principles rather than threats to the Hebrews.
Other scholars point out, by contrast, that the lack of penalty associated with
each of the commandments was reflective of a “don’t-even-think-about-it” spirit
behind the laws. (N.b., the penalties for failure to adhere to the Ten Commandments show up in later parts of the Torah, and the penalties for failing to fulfill
these Commandments were extremely harsh. The most common penalty for
breaking the Commandments was death.1
IV
Given the fact that terms like “Commandment” and “Law” have such negative
connotations in our time, many of us may wonder how we as contemporary
Christians ought to relate to the Ten Commandments.
1
See HarperCollins Study Bible NRSV annotations for Ex. 20. In case you’re wondering where our Puritan ancestors got
their material—look no further.
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, “Rules to Live By,” 10/5/2014, p. 3 of 5.
Here’s my view: the Ten Commandments have an enduring value for our time,
especially if we understand the original role that they played in the lives of the
ancient Hebrews, and allow them to serve that function in our time. So what follows is an explanation of the role that the Ten Commandments played among the
ancient Hebrew people.
Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim says that the Ten Commandments
originally served as “Israel’s Bill of Rights.” Like the U.S. Bill of Rights, the Ten
Commandments were foundational laws for the Hebrew people. Also like the
U.S. Bill of Rights, Fretheim says, there was room for growth and interpretation in
the Decalogue. As our nation matured, the U. S. Bill of Rights was extended,
amended, and reinterpreted. The same happened with the Ten Commandments.
Consider, for example, that the Ten Commandments are found in both Exodus
20 and Deuteronomy 5, but that the commandments are defined differently, and
interpreted differently in each. Consider too that nine of the Ten Commandments
are each found elsewhere in the Old Testament, but that Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are the only two places where the ten are found together.
The definition and interpretation of the Ten Commandments varies throughout
the Hebrew Bible and throughout Christian history. A quick study of the several
catechisms that have been developed by our various Christian denominations
provides evidence of this process.
Given the historic and evolutionary process through which the Ten Commandments have come, I propose five purposes or roles for the Decalogue in our time.
1) One role for the Ten Commandments in our time is that they remind us that
law can contribute to the order and structure of our communities. The
historic delivery of the Ten Commandments to the Hebrews underscores the
value of law for the human community. Laws speak to our shared values as a
community, to our vision, and to how we expect to relate to each other. Laws
help create order, stability, and assurance. Adherence to laws supports cultures in which families and neighborhoods can be nurtured, education can be
advanced, religion can flourish, and commerce can develop.
2) Another role for the Ten Commandments in our time is to remind us that
there is more than one way to define and interpret God’s law. The multiple renderings of the Ten Commandments in scripture, and in the Christian
catechisms, suggest that there is no one set way to articulate this ancient
covenant between God and Israel, or to apply it to our lives. Each generation,
including our own, must study the scriptures, and interpret and apply both the
Law and the Gospel for our own time.
3) A third role for the Ten Commandments in our time is to point us toward
God’s hope for the human community. It is not enough for communities of
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, “Rules to Live By,” 10/5/2014, p. 4 of 5.
faith to avoid the negative; we must learn to affirm the positive to which the
Commandments point.
4) Yet another role for the Ten Commandments in our time is to help us realize
that there are many modern evils that are not specifically addressed or
anticipated by ancient law. So we must become students of ethics and become communities of discernment and accountability for each other, and for
our wider world, in order to be faithful to the ancient and modern covenants in
which we participate.
5) A final proposal that I’ll mention today—which may be the most important
one—is that the Ten Commandments are central to the covenant that
Christians, Jews, and Muslims share in common with God. Though the
Ten Commandments are worded a bit differently, and have been interpreted a
bit differently within and among these three great religions, the Ten Commandments have historically been—and could again serve—as the basis upon which people of goodwill restore and maintain civility in Alameda County,
the United States, the Middle East, and our global community.
V
Given how chaotic interpersonal relationships can be in any generation—from
individual families and communities to the larger society and world—it is helpful
to return to the Ten Commandments, which offer enduring guidance not only for
us as Christians—but for Jews and Muslims, and perhaps our entire global village. If we return to and redouble our commitment to live by the spirit of these
laws, we can restore order and healing in our lives, our communities, our nation,
and our world. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring, “Rules to Live By,” 10/5/2014, p. 5 of 5.