This Podcast ‘The Ten Commandments Explained’ creates the tense atmosphere of the Israelites standing at the foot of Mount Sinai:
POLO: Right, Priscilla and Maurice. We are going to look at the Ten Commandments.
PRISCILLA: Polo, isn’t that just a list of laws?
MAURICE: Some people see it like that, Priscilla. But we will also look at how Jesus gave them more meaning.
POLO: So, the Jews had been slaves in Egypt, and then God sent them Moses to lead them out of slavery.
MAURICE: Obviously, Moses could not do that in his own strength. So God sent various troubles on the Egyptians to force them to let the Jews go.
PRISCILLA: Oh, yes, I think it was known as the Ten Plagues.
MAURICE: That is right, Priscilla. Finally, Moses and the Jews. who were known as ‘The tribes of Israel’ arrived at a mountain called Mount Sinai, which was in the middle of a very dry desert.
POLO: Moses went up the mountain to meet with God, and during their conversation, God said:
GOD: If you will listen to my voice and keep your solemn agreement with me, you shall be my own treasure taken from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. You shall be a nation of priests, a people devoted to my service.
MAURICE: Then Moses came down and told the people what God had said. Moses then went up the mountain again, and God said he would appear to the people in a thick cloud upon the mountaintop, and the people would believe that Moses was speaking to God.
POLO: For the next two days, they had to wash and devote themselves to God. Then he would come. But apart from Moses, they must not even touch the foot of the mountain.
MAURICE: On the morning of the third day, the sky started thundering with flashes of lightning, and a thick cloud rested on the mountain. Then there was a very loud trumpet sound, and everyone trembled.
POLO: Moses led the people out of their camp to stand at the foot of Mount Sinai, which started to shake violently. God then came down surrounded by blazing fire.
MAURICE: Huge clouds of smoke went up, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.
POLO: Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder and told him to climb to the top of the mountain. There, God reminded and warned Moses not to let the people up the mountain. Then he told Moses about the Ten Commandments, which he must pass on to all the people. Maurice will give a shortened version of the Ten Commandments now.
MAURICE: Commandment one: I am the Lord your God, who brought you… out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
Commandment two: You shall not make a created image to bow down to it, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.
Commandment three: You shall not use the name of the Lord your God as swear words, nor use them lightly in an oath.
Commandment four: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy and special. Six days you shall work, but set aside the seventh day.
Commandment five: Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long.
Commandment six: You shall not murder.
Commandment seven: You shall be faithful to one marriage partner, and not live an unrestrained life.
Commandment eight: You shall not steal.
Commandment nine: You shall not bear false witness, nor falsely accuse others.
Commandment ten: You shall not lust after other people’s possessions. whether that is material things or their friendships and relationships.
POLO: The people were terrified when they saw the thunder and flashes of lightning, the mountain smoking, and the terrible sound of the trumpet. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
MAURICE: Moses said to the people, “Do not fear. For God has come to test you, that you may have a godly fear of Him, so you will not want to rebel against Him.”
PRISCILLA: Some people would say that they have kept all of those commandments.
POLO: Ah, it is good that you have said that, because Jesus gave us a much more practical way of understanding those commandments.
MAURICE: In the 6th commandment, ‘You shall not murder’, Jesus tells us that Everyone who is angry or insults another will be liable to judgment. Jesus suggests that we should speak to the person who has something against us and be reconciled to them.
POLO: The seventh commandment says, ‘You shall be faithful to one marriage partner and not live an unrestrained life. ’ Jesus expanded that to even if someone does this in their imagination, then they are guilty of breaking this commandment.
MAURICE: So, the Ten Commandments become much harder to obey. But there is good news. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 7 and verse 6, “But now we have been released from the Commandments because we have submitted to Jesus and our old way of life has died and no longer has control over us. We now serve God by the Holy Spirit’s power within us.”
POLO: Therefore, the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament had to be obeyed, and failure meant judgment. But, in the New Testament, the Ten Commandments have become the fruits of believing in Jesus, because God will help us to naturally follow those laws.
Link to Podbean podcast.