Commandments
1-4 deal with what it means to love the Lord their God with all their heart,
mind, soul, and strength. We find these words in Mark 12:29-30, referring to
Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
The
first commandment (Exodus 20: 3, Deuteronomy 5:7) is to have no other gods
before Yahweh. This appears as a simple and direct command. However, when we
read back to Genesis 3, the estrangement and alienation that humanity
experiences in its relation with each other and with creation has its origin in
forsaking the command of the Lord God. Even placed in a perfect spot, Eden,
humanity has a tendency to listen to other voices. However, the key to the
theological interpretation of biblical Israel begins in Exodus 31:18-32: 35. In
Exodus 32:4, Aaron takes gold from the people and casts into the image of calf.
“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
Already in the Mosaic period, the Israelites broke this commandment. Later, in
the period sacral kingship, Solomon would build altars in the high places for
his many wives who continued to serve foreign gods. Jeroboam would also build a
calf.
The
commandment seems to assume the existence of other gods, as do other passages.[1] The
point here is that we do reach an exclusive monotheistic claim later in II
Isaiah 45:21, “There is no other god besides me, a righteous God a Savior;
there is no one besides me.”
Thus,
when theology thinks of the unity of God, it has nothing to do with monism or
fascination of the number “one.” God is the divine reality itself in its
uniqueness.[2]
Israel rarely engaged in direct apostasy but rather, experimented with holding
to Yahweh while also mixing the gods of Canaan and other surrounding peoples.[3]
This
commandment has a connection with zeal as an expression of holiness. Theologically,
it relates to the transcendence and infinity of God. The holiness of Yahweh,
zeal, and the first commandment come together. The experience of the holy is a
primeval religious datum. We cannot deduce the concept of the holy from other
human standards of value. The holy is designated the great stranger in the
human world, a datum of experience that can never really be coordinated into
the world in which humanity is at home. The experience of the holy is that of
the wholly other. These people knew the region of the holy. If Yahweh
sanctifies an object, place, day, or person, people separate it and assign it to
God, for God is the source of all that is holy. People experienced the holy as
a power. It was something urgent and incalculable. The holiness of all that
Yahweh sanctifies derives solely from people bringing it into contact with
Yahweh. The term indicates a relationship. The attempt to regulate the holy
through ritual action reflects concern not have this unpredictable power brings
harm. The Old Testament expresses intensity and vehemence about holiness as it
binds it directly to Yahweh. Yahweh’s holiness wants to penetrate the whole of
the individual. Yahweh can receive glory in the acts of worship and in events
within history. It presupposes the hidden action of Yahweh in history, though
on special occasions this glory shows itself. The realm of the secular Yahweh
takes up as an expression of holiness. When that happens, Yahweh’s holiness
will have attained its utmost goal. Zeal suggests that God alone is worshipped,
an equivalent of jealously. The intolerant claim to exclusive worship is
something unique in the history of religion. Normally, worshippers had freedom
to incorporate other gods into worship. The first commandment reflects the
proof of saving history that Yahweh is the only God. These early stages reflect
henotheism rather than monotheism. These people gained steady recognition of
the one God through their history, culminating in the witness of II Isaiah.
Therefore, it does
not follow that from knowledge of the God of Israel that this God should be
identical with God. This God appears to outsiders to be the local God of this
people standing alongside other gods. We find here monolatry, the worship of a
single God, based on the ancient concept of the jealousy of Yahweh. For the
people of the covenant, no other god exists. Even to the faith awareness of
Israel it was not at first self-evident that this God is the only God
universally. Such an explicit proclamation awaits the time of exile and Isaiah
40ff. Therefore, this commandment establishes that the covenant between Yahweh
and these people involves an exclusive covenant.[4]
The motive behind ascribing the creation function of El and Baal to Yahweh is
the holy zeal of Yahweh, the exclusive claim to worship, that we find in this
commandment, as well as in Deuteronomy 6:14-15. This claims made it impossible
to think that the God of Sinai and the historical election and leading could be
different from the author of the world and its order.[5]
The beginning of covenant history dated back to creation as the theologians of
Israel reflected upon these matters.[6]
The however here is that Israel would have shared the belief of other religions
of the divine origin of creation. Yet, the ideas of the order and origin of the
world may not be new, but their character changes under the influence of the experiences
Israel had of the divine action in its history. This commandment is the basis
for the priority Jesus gives to the imminent rule of God over all other human
duties and concerns. This commandment was the motivating force behind the
development of the thought of the royal rule of Yahweh in ancient Israel, along
with the associated concept of the holy jealousy of the God of Israel, which we
find in Exodus 20:4, 34:14, and Deuteronomy 6:14-15.[7]
Martin Luther[8]
wonders what it means to have a god. For him, a god is that from whom we expect
all good and to whom we take refuge in times of distress. That in whom one
places one’s whole trust is god. Such confidence and faith of the heart is what
one gives to God and to an idol. If the object of such faith is right, then your
god is also true. Faith, or trust, or belief on the one hand, and God on the
other, belong together. That upon which one sets one’s heart and puts one’s
trust is one’s god. Therefore, the intention of the commandment is to require
true faith and trust of the heart that settles upon the only true God. God
wants us to expect every good thing from God. God wants us to cling to God in
times of distress. Therefore, one must not cling to another. To trust in much
money is trust in a god, Mammon. One may also trust in great skill, prudence,
power, favor, friendship, and honor, yet, they also have a god. After all, to
have a god is to have something in which one places his or her trust. People
place their trust in the pope, the saints, and witchcraft. One cannot have the
true God by placing God in a moneybag or in a chest. One can apprehend God only
through the heart and placing trust in God. God wishes us to turn away from
anything outside of God and in which may place our trust. God wants us to
consider God the source of help. The heart must know no other comfort or
confidence than God. One must not put trust in astrology. People so readily put
their trust in nothing. For Luther, the Roman Catholic mass has become an idol.
Luther says in a memorable statement:
We are to trust in God alone, and look
to Him and expect from Him naught but good, as from one who gives us body,
life, food, drink, nourishment, health, protection, peace, and all necessaries
of both temporal and eternal things. lie also preserves us from misfortune, and
if any evil befall us, delivers and rescues us, so that it is God alone (as has
been sufficiently said) from whom we receive all good, and by whom we are
delivered from all evil.
Though we receive much good from
human beings, it all comes from God, for all that exists are creatures of God.
We need to take this commandment seriously, examining our hearts to be sure
that we cling to God alone. If we cling to anything else for good or help, then
it has become our idol.
John
Calvin observes that this commandment encourages the people of God to exalt,
worship, and adore the Lord alone.[9]
Exalting anything else obscures the glory of the Lord. The people of God owe to
the Lord adoration, trust, invocation, and thanksgiving. In adoration, one
worships the Lord and brings the conscience into subjection to the Law. Trust
involves rest in the Lord, considering oneself happy to be in partnership with
the Lord. Invocation involves claiming the promise of divine aid at the only
resource in every need. Thanksgiving involves the gratitude that ascribes to
the Lord praise for the blessings we receive in this life. When we have true
knowledge of the Lord, the aim of our lives is to revere and worship the Lord,
enjoy divine blessings, and to come to the Lord in prayer in every difficulty.
The Lord becomes the sole aim of our actions. Superstition leads us away from
offering to the Lord such allegiance. Our minds need to arrive at contentment
with the one and true God. We must drive away fictitious gods. God will always
be the witness and spectator of the sacrilege of placing anything before the
Lord as the god one has chosen. We must remember that everything we design,
plan, and execute lies open to God, making mere external profession
insufficient.
The
second commandment (Exodus 20: 4-6 and Deuteronomy 5:8-10) is that they shall
make for themselves an idol, whether its form is something in heaven above, in
earth beneath, or the water under the earth. They shall not bow down to them or
worship them, for the Lord is a jealous God, punishing children for the
iniquity of parents to the third and fourth generations, but showing steadfast
love and mercy to those who love the Lord and keep the commandments to the
thousandth generation. The commandment finds an echo in other passages, of
course.[10]
Pésel has
been variously translated as idol (NRSV and NIV), “graven” (RSV), “carved”
(NJB), or “sculptured” (TNK) “image.” The original meaning was “a divine image
carved from wood or sculpted from stone, but later cast in metal.”[11]
The basic prohibition was against making physical representations of YHWH,
which could lead to idolatry.
We find further
discussion of this commandment in Deuteronomy.[12]
Deuteronomy suggests the image is inappropriate because God’s manner of
revelation is the word rather than a form discovered in nature. Childs agrees with Zimmerli and von Rad in
suggesting the image was simply not an appropriate response by Israel in
worship given to Yahweh. The image failed to deal adequately with the nature of
Yahweh. It encroached upon the freedom of God to relate to the world. The
self-revelation of God was not in a static image, but in the ambiguity of
history. The word of the Lord can offer new revelation for new times, while an
image will remain the same regardless of the historical circumstances. The
commandment protects the entry of God into the sphere of human life on terms
God chooses. However, we may need to shift focus away from the self-revelation
of God and toward human testimony to that revelation.
Images
were only in the most exceptional cases actually identified with the deity
concerned. The cultic images of the religions do not confuse themselves with the
invisible God. They do give visibility to the specific form of deity. The deity
is believed to be present in the image, but not identical with it. The oneness
of God that we find here was an expression of the zeal that will not tolerate
any other gods.[13] Childs
will go on to say that images made no claim to give an exhaustive
representation of the being of the deity. The pagan religions know as well as
Israel did that deity is invisible, that it transcends all human ability to
comprehend it, and that human beings cannot capture it in a material object.
This did not deter them from consecrating ritual images to it. The images
reflects the means through which deity chooses to reveal himself or herself,
for the image is the bearer of revelation. They felt divine powers close to
them. The world is like a curtain that permits people to see the divine through
it. Deity became present in the image. With the presence of the deity there was
at the same time given the presence of its power, for it could now become effective
for people. The official worship centers for the worship of Yahweh focused on
the prohibition of images, even while local centers and private worship made
use of images. In official worship centers, the focus was the bare word of God
rather than a cultic image. The static divine presence in an image as an object
of power at the disposal of people could not reconcile itself to the nature of
the revelation of Yahweh. The image reduced the freedom of Yahweh to the image.
Nature was not a mode of being for Yahweh, so in one sense the gods of other
people confronted believers more directly than the people devoted to Yahweh
did. The hidden action of Yahweh in history kept this people in suspense as to
where the divine presence would become real.
Again, in the
organization of the Torah and the history of Israel, we see the breaking of
this commandment. We see it especially in Exodus 32:4, which is from the story
of J, where the Israelites build an image of a calf, and proclaim it as the god
who brought them out of Egypt. Joshua 24:14-24 has the theme of choosing between religious
alternatives. It comes from the writer of the theological history of Israel.
The basis is the gracious acts of Yahweh.[14] Joshua
is framing the religious alternatives — if the Israelites are unwilling to
serve Yahweh, they should “choose . . . whom you will serve” (v. 15). He leaves
little doubt that monotheism as an abstract religious concept is not at issue
in this passage. There is no suggestion that Joshua believed that the gods of either
his religious ancestors or “the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are
living” were figments of their devotees’ imaginations. Most of the Hebrew Bible
takes for granted the existence of other deities, and only in its later stages
(e.g., Second/Third Isaiah, dating from the period of and after the Babylonian
Exile of 587-539 B.C.) does the notion of other deities as human illusions come
to be widespread. We need to remember, however, that the idea of the existence
of divine beings distinguishable from God (e.g., angels, Satan, the second and
third persons of the Trinity) remains firmly a part of both Judaism and
Christianity today. See the parallel in Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (within its
context), where Moses insists that they choose between life and death — to
follow God’s renewed covenant or not to follow it, with corresponding
consequences. Although the people declare that they are prepared to accept the
responsibility of covenant fidelity to their god (vv. 16-18), Joshua
remonstrates that the people do not grasp the implications of serving “a
jealous God” (v. 19): they cannot serve any deity besides Yahweh. Verse 19
refers to “El the Zealous,” as early designation of God by the league. It
emphasizes the identity of God as holy and zealous. “You cannot serve the Lord,
for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your
transgressions or your sins.” This is not simply ironic language or “reverse
psychology,” but a reminder of the seriousness of their commitment. Pannenberg[15]
will stress that the result of this holy zeal of the Lord is that the
destructive working of divine holiness can also turn against the elect people
if it breaks free from its allegiance to God. The holiness of God carries a
threat of judgment upon an apostate people. To go back on it would be more
disastrous than never to have made the commitment (similarly the harsh
statements in the NT book of Hebrews and Jesus’ own words in Luke 9:62 and his
reminders in Luke to count the cost of being his disciple. God is holy, and we
are to be holy — completely set apart for God’s worship and use. God is jealous
and will not accept any disloyalty (parallels are frequent in Scripture between
adultery and spiritual idolatry). You cannot serve the Lord God and another god
— as in one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). There is to
be no “limping around” (Elijah — 1 Kings 18:21) between gods. See Jesus’
statements about not being able to serve both God and mammon (KJV). Further, if
Jesus is Lord (number one and only), then his followers follow him and his ways
exclusively (or do we?). Joshua reminds his hearers (including us) that if we
abandon our delivering God, then God will not be there for us to forgive us.
But the God who has redeemed us does invite us to exclusive service and ongoing
blessing. Verses 21-24, people declare allegiance in v. 21, 24, but Joshua
challenges in between. Not only must they recognize Yahweh’s supremacy, but
they must also “put away the foreign gods” that they had preserved from their
ancestral religion or the new gods they had incorporated into their
predominantly Yahwistic worship from their neighbors (v. 23). Even with the
warning, the people affirm their intention to serve the Lord. They are then to
(both literally and spiritually) put away any foreign gods they had and
“incline their hearts to the Lord” (notice the Deuteronomy/Jeremiah/NT-like
emphasis on heart-religion). And so, in verse 25, Joshua “made a covenant with
the people …, and made statutes and ordinances [covenant stipulations] for them
at Shechem.”
We see the
breaking of this commandment in the sin of Jeroboam, who builds a similar
image. In I Kings 12:26-33, Jeroboam has a concern that the people will revert
“to the house of David,” especially if they continue to go to Jerusalem to make
their sacrifices to the Lord. He made two calves of gold, one for Bethel and
the other for Dan. The point here, however, is that he as king is breaking the
first two of the Ten Commandments. He made a festival similar to that of Judah.
He offered sacrifices. “Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of
the land of Egypt.” Some biblical scholars think that that the calf was to be a
substitute for the Ark, and only later tradition turned it into an idol. The
use of the bull shows syncretism with Canaanite religion.
The
Hebrew prophets focused intensely on the issue of idol worship.[16]
One
final aspect of the commandments that those who consider the Old Testament to
be harsher in its judgment of humanity than is the New Testament often overlook
is the last phrase of the second commandment. We often hear it quoted that the
Old Testament advocates visiting the guilt of parents upon their children. It
does state in the second commandment (in both the Exodus and Deuteronomy versions),
that the sin of idolatry follows the sinner's descendants for three
generations. What is often overlooked, however, is that the blessing of
faithfulness to God follows the descendants of the faithful for a thousand
generations. This implies that for the Old Testament God, faithfulness is
remembered and rewarded for much longer than sin is remembered and punished.
Martin Luther says
that this warning shows us how angry God is with people who put their trust in
anything other than God.[17]
John
Calvin gives an extended comment upon this part of the commandment.[18]
The duty of the people of God is to cleave to God alone. God is jealous because
the true God will not bear a partner in divinity. A simple punishment of brief
duration, three or four generations, is in contrast to the divine kindness to
remote posterity for those who love the Lord and keep the Law. The Lord is like
the husband who chooses a people for holy wedlock, having its foundation in
mutual faith. The Lord is the true and faithful husband. The Lord expects
faithfulness from us. We must “not prostitute our souls to Satan.” Israel often
committed adultery. The Lord as the faithful husband experiences offense when
the people of God prostitute themselves with rivals. Now, the punishment stated
to the fourth generation seems inconsistent with Ezekiel 18:20, where the
prophet says that the son will not bear the iniquity of the father. Calvin
rejects the notion that the commandment refers only to temporal punishments.
The commandment to him means that the curse of the Lord is upon not only the
guilty individual, but also on the descendants. The guilty person experiences
deprivation of the Spirit of God, and therefore the children will follow in
that path. He thinks it just for God to punish the guilty in this way. He also
thinks that the mercy expressed in this part of the commandment is far greater
than the punishment. Yet, in neither case is there an inflexible rule, for
sometimes, the children of the wicked repent, and the children of the righteous
depart from the path their parents taught them. Yet, the threat and promise
remain to change behavior.
Unquestionably,
the focus of the commandment is that of physical representations that could
lead to idolatry. Modern persons have left that behind. Yet, we compare the
development of a worldview to the development of an idol, and thus, resistance
to the command to not make an idol and escape exclusive loyalty to God.[19]
Jesus (Matthew 6:24) draws a sharp distinction between serving God and
“mammon,” which one can interpret as property or wealth. In this case, Jesus
argues for the interpretation of the first two commandments that makes it clear
that any of us can have a god or image before God that claims our loyalty.
The third
commandment (Exodus 20: 7 and Deuteronomy 5:11) is that they are not to make
wrongful use of the name of the Lord their God. The Lord will not acquit anyone
who misuses the name of the Lord. The commandment protects the name of the Lord
from harm. The point was the attempt to control God through the magical use of
the name, which may explain the prohibition against images as well.[20]
The final edition
of the Torah and the theological history of Israel make it clear in dramatic
fashion that already in the Mosaic period, Israel broke this commandment.
Leviticus 24:10-16
A man whose mother
was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian came out among the people of
Israel; and the Israelite woman's son and a certain Israelite began fighting in
the camp. 11 The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name in a
curse. And they brought him to Moses-- now his mother's name was Shelomith,
daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan-- 12 and they put him in
custody, until the decision of the LORD should be made clear to them. 13
The LORD said to Moses, saying: 14 Take the blasphemer outside the
camp; and let all who were within hearing lay their hands on his head, and let
the whole congregation stone him. 15 And speak to the people of
Israel, saying: Anyone who curses God shall bear the sin. 16 One who
blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation
shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the
Name, shall be put to death.
Yahweh
has entrusted the knowledge of this name to this people, and therefore the name
is to receive honor.[21]
People interpreted
this commandment early as swearing falsely. However, the Hebrews continued to
use oaths. Though the word used had a wider range of meaning, it was not until
post-biblical times that interpreters exploited this possibility. Rabbis
interpreted it as making an oath in a frivolous manner. People will swear
incessantly and thoughtlessly about ordinary matters where there is nothing in
dispute. The word for “in vain” can mean both groundless and unreal. Is it a
false oath? Is it an oath of vanity? Jeremiah seemed to interpret it as
swearing falsely.
While profanity
(using such words as “God” inappropriately, as in a curse) would certainly
violate this commandment, the commandment more broadly opposes using God’s name
in any empty or meaningless way or exploiting the holy name of God in an oath
or in magical attempts to force God’s action.[22]
Acquitting, in connection with an oath or any judicial imposition, is widely
attested in the Bible. Antiquity considered the false oath one of the gravest
crimes.
Martin
Luther notes that as the first commandment and second commandments deal with
the heart, this commandment deals with the tongue. He considers this
appropriate, since the first objects that spring from the heart are words. One
misuses the name of God when one uses it falsehood or wrong of any kind. One
misuses the name of God in making a marriage vow and then violating it. False
preachers violate the word of God. One can clothe oneself in the name of God and
make a show of it, but know in the heart that one does not intend to speak
truly. Deception is bad enough, but to do so with the cloak of the name of God
increases the shame.[23]
Here
is the way John Calvin interprets this commandment.[24]
The people of God are to hold the name of God sacred. We must not use it
“irreverently or contemptuously.” In the positive form of the commandment, we
are to treat the name of God with veneration. We need to guard our minds and
tongues so as to speak of God with reverence. We need to be mindful of divine
excellence, offer proper respect to the Bible, and we must praise every work of
God. However, the commandment particularly refers to oaths that offer a
perverse use of the divine name. An oath is calling God to witness that what we
say is true. One can do this faithfully, as in Isaiah 19:18 and 65:16, as well
as Jeremiah 12:16. Offering such an oath calls us to venerate the Lord. When
human testimony fails, we appeal to God as witness. Making an oath is a form of
worship of the Lord. We insult the Lord if we make an oath falsely, and God
will judge for it. We also dishonor the Lord if the oath is superfluous.
Introducing the name of God frivolously in daily conversation is something the
people of God must avoid. Calvin views what he has said as a description of the
moderate use of oaths. He rejects the Anabaptists of his day, who condemn all
oaths, based upon Matthew 5:34 and James 5:12. In their interpretation,
according to Calvin, the Son opposes the Father who gave this commandment.
Calvin thinks that Jesus wanted to restore the true meaning of oaths, thereby
condemning oaths that transgressed this commandment. Yet, Jesus still affirms
oaths authorized by this commandment. Jesus also rejects the subtle approaches
to oaths that spare the name of the Lord, but still abuse the nature of taking
an oath. An example would be, “By the name of the king.” Paul himself made an
oath in Romans 1:9 and II Corinthians 1:23. Calvin accepts the occasion of
oaths required by public officials in court. For Calvin, the people of God need
to regulate their oaths, so that they testify to the glory of God and promote
the edification of others.
According
to Matthew 26:57-68, religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy. The origin
of this may be claiming messiahship, but it could also have its origin in his
statements against the Temple. In either case, if that was the accusation, it
would be in accord with the Old Testament that such person must die.
The
fourth commandment (Exodus: 20: 8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15) says they are to
remember the Sabbath day, keeping it holy. They shall labor six days. The
seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord for their children, slaves, and livestock.
In Exodus, the reason is that the Lord created in six days and rested on the
seventh. In Deuteronomy, they are to remember that they were slaves in Egypt,
the Lord delivered them with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. The fourth
commandment is the positive command to remember the Sabbath, leaving one day
undisturbed by any use for the benefit of people, for it belongs to God and
sets a standard undefiled by any kind of human business. Sabbath allows
identification with the Lord in worship and identification with those in
society most in need of rest.
The corruption of
creation by humanity is obvious, but the keeping of Torah and especially the
Sabbath had the purpose of upholding the original order of creation. The
Christian view goes beyond this by viewing the coming of Christ as the
completion of creation that overcomes all the corruption that has come into it.
Therefore, Christian theology does not need to insist upon the original
perfection of creation.[25]
The
Torah and the theological history of Israel make it clear in a dramatic little
story that the Israelites in the Mosaic period broke this commandment.
Numbers 15:32-36
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a
man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him
gathering sticks brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to the whole congregation. 34
They put him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35
Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall be put to death; all the
congregation shall stone him outside the camp." 36 The whole
congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the
LORD had commanded Moses.
Sabbath
suggests that one day become undisturbed by any use for the benefit of people,
for it belongs to God and sets a standard undefiled by any kind of human
business. The text does not mention a cultic celebration of any sort on this
day. One might assume that they celebrated by abstaining demonstratively from
productive labor, and symbolically handing the day back to God.
Mesopotamia and
Greece had days they did not work. However, the reason was because they
considered the day unlucky. They also had a connection with the phases of the
moon.
Israel considered
Sabbath a day of joy and pleasure, not a day of abstinence and asceticism.[26]
Sabbath is a time to identify with the creator and to identify with the slave
and servant in need of rest.
Martin Luther says
that God gave the commandment for the bodily needs of the common people, those
who have worked hard during the week and now receive refreshment. We also
receive a day in which to offer praise to God and receive instruction. Since
evil is already to take residence in the heart, we need the Word of God in the
heart, the lips, and ears. If the heart is idle, the devil will enter. The Word
always bears fruit, for it awakens new understandings, pleasure, devoutness,
pure hearts, and pure thoughts. These words are creative and living words.[27]
John
Calvin has the following observations on this commandment.[28]
In ceasing our work, we are to meditate
on the kingdom of God. Yet, since Jesus has said things against Sabbath
observance, we need to approach this commandment differently. First, Sabbath is
a type for spiritual rest, allowing God to work in them. Second, we need a
stated day to hear the Law and perform religious rites, meditate upon the works
of God, and thus have training in piety. Third, servants and those who work
under the authority of others should have a day of rest from their labor.
This
commandment invites a reappraisal of work and leisure that is both theological
and practical. To heed it is to be set free from the twin slavery of
worshipping our own deeds and abusing the work of others, and set free for the
joy of collective effort and shared success. It is to link arms with the
creative impulse of the cosmos.
Christians
in their history have turned Sabbath into a matter of controversy rather than
exquisite gift. The New England Puritans, often cited for the distortion of the
Sabbath through the strict enforcement of blue laws and the like, defined
salvation as falling in love with God. Love of God, love of neighbor, love of
music and beauty, love of life itself, these things touch the core of the
meaning of Sabbath. They are what make us human. The Sabbath does not mean that
all is complete and novelty ends. The word rest implies that work is normative
in our lives.
Abraham
Heschl makes the point that Sabbath demonstrates the holiness of time. God
considered time as holy before God considered a place as holy. Time is the
essential gift of God to humanity, for without it, humanity does not exist.
Sabbath is about God and time, in that God does not move above time, but in
time.
Karl
Barth makes the holy day part of the ethics he derives from creation. It
becomes part of his spiritual guidance to those who accept God as their creator
and seek to lead a life in light of that faith.[29]
For him, to be a human being means to live in responsibility before God. The
command of God claims this responsibility from humanity. The ethical event will
always be the claim, decision, and judgment of God. In this respect, the good
and evil in human actions will always reveal themselves. He wants first to
consider the particular thing that God wants from human beings in relationship
to God under the concept of the commanded holy day. In this concept, God claims
the whole time of humanity, and therefore a special and particular part of
time. The concern of the Sabbath commandment is with that human action that
consists in rest from personal work and therefore in readiness for the Gospel.
By demanding human abstention and resting from personal work, the Sabbath
explains that that commanding God who has created humanity, as well as enabled
and commissioned humanity to personal work, is the God who is gracious to
humanity in Jesus Christ. Thus, it points humanity away from everything that
human beings can achieve and back to what God is for humanity and will do for
humanity. The command to celebrate the Sabbath claims from humanity that which
on the basis of human self-understanding humanity can understand only as a
sacrifice of its human nature and existence, and against which humanity can
really only rebel as life rebels against death. God takes the case of humanity
into divine hands and therefore out of those of humanity. The Sabbath
commandment demands the faith in God that brings about the renunciation of
humanity, its renunciation of itself, of all that humanity thinks, wills,
effects, and achieves.
For
Barth, the Sabbath has two benefits. It makes humanity free from itself and
therefore free for itself in a special way, absolving human beings temporarily
from their work. It makes humanity free for God in the sense of an opportunity
to hear the Word of God. Without rest from work and participation in divine
service, we cannot obey the Sabbath commandment. The Sabbath commandment can
have its ground in the necessities of physical, psychological or social
hygiene, and therefore set on a humanitarian basis. The Sabbath day is also the
establishment and victory of a well-founded law of life and freedom. To observe
the holy day means to keep oneself free for participation in the praise,
worship, witness, and proclamation of God in the congregation, in common
thanksgiving and intercession. The blessing and profit of the holy day
definitely depend also on this positive use of its freedom. Its observance
means resting, of course, but in the more positive sense, it means celebrating
of a festival. This festival is the divine service of the congregation.
He
concludes with four groups of questions. First, the holy day does not belong to
humanity, but to God. We must not treat the day as if it belongs to us. Second,
the meaning of Sunday freedom is joy in the celebration of a feast. Yet, part
of that celebration, may include recreation in some kind of free work, which
can become a liberating activity. Third, the holy day is the gift of God to
humanity in relationship to others. Fourth, on the Christian interpretation,
the holy day is not the last day of the week, but the first.
In
one way of reading the New Testament, this commandment does not fare well. Mark
tells us several stories that suggest Jesus had an issue with the leaders of
his day regarding the Sabbath. Jesus heals the mother-in-law of Peter on the
Sabbath (Mark 1:29-31), his disciples “work” on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28), he
heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (3:1-6). Further, Paul in
Romans 14:1-12 discusses people who honor one day better than others, while
others honor all days the same. The point appears to be a discussion of Jewish
holy days and possibly Sabbath days. It seems both Jesus and Paul were willing
to treat this commandment in a different way than the commonly accepted
practice in their day among their fellow Jews.
[1] Exodus
22:20 (NRSV)
20 Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord
alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
Exodus 23:13 (NRSV)
13 Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not
invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.
Exodus 34:14 (NRSV)
14 (for you shall worship no other god, because the Lord,
whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).
Deuteronomy 13:2-3 (NRSV)
2 and the omens or the portents declared by them take
place, and they say, “Let us follow other gods” (whom you have not known) “and
let us serve them,” 3 you must not heed the words of those prophets
or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know
whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
Psalm 31:6 (NRSV)
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
[2]
Barth, Church Dogmatics II.1 [31.1]
452.
[3]
Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.3 [69.2]
101-2.
[4]
Pannenberg (Systematic Theology, Vol I, 148, 191)
[5]
Pannenberg (ibid, Vol II, 11)
[6]
Von Rad (Theology of the Old Testament, Vol I, 139)
[7]
Pannenberg (Systematic Theology Vol II, 330)
[8]
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism,
2-29.
[9]
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion, Book Two, Chapter 8, section 16.
[10] Leviticus
26:1 (NRSV)
You shall
make for yourselves no idols and erect no carved images or pillars, and you
shall not place figured stones in your land, to worship at them; for I am the Lord
your God.
Deuteronomy 27:15 (NRSV)
15 “Cursed be anyone who makes an idol or
casts an image, anything abhorrent to the Lord, the work of an artisan, and
sets it up in secret.” All the people shall respond, saying, “Amen!”
[11]
(Koehler-Baumgartner, The
Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament — HALOT, article
7652).
[12] Deuteronomy
4:9-20 (NRSV)
9 But take care and watch yourselves
closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let
them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your
children and your children’s children— 10 how you once stood before
the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, “Assemble the people for
me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me as
long as they live on the earth, and may teach their children so”; 11 you
approached and stood at the foot of the mountain while the mountain was blazing
up to the very heavens, shrouded in dark clouds. 12 Then the Lord
spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;
there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, which he
charged you to observe, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them on two
stone tablets. 14 And the Lord charged me at that time to teach you
statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to
cross into and occupy.
15 Since you saw no form when the Lord
spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely, 16
so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves, in the
form of any figure—the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness
of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies
in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground,
the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And
when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all
the host of heaven, do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them,
things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples everywhere under
heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the
iron-smelter, out of Egypt, to become a people of his very own possession, as
you are now.
[13] Pannenberg
(Systematic
Theology, Vol I, 180, 444)
[14] Notice
verse 14’s significant “therefore.” Based on Yahweh’s gracious acts for Israel,
Israel is to respond accordingly. Observe the verbs: “Revere,” “serve” and the
dual “put away the gods … and serve the Lord” (parallels the dual biblical
understanding of repentance — to turn from sin and to turn [back] to God and
God’s ways). “To serve” and “servant” appear in 12 verses of Joshua 24. The
meaning encompasses both obedience and worship. Joshua sets the example (hint
to preachers): Verse 15: “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
It may seem strange to our own cultural customs, but Joshua spoke/acted for his
entire household. It’s not that others in his household had no mind or tongue
of their own, but frequently in the cultures of the OT (and NT — see the baptisms
of entire households in the book of Acts, upon the coming-to-faith of the head
of the household) an entire household is considered a single entity, so the
head of the household speaks/acts for the family/clan unit. Verses 17-18 give
some evidence of a liturgical unity. The people declared that they would indeed
serve the Lord who had delivered not only their ancestors but who had brought
them to this place at this time. Verse 18b: “Therefore we also will serve the
LORD, for he is our God.” See Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (the shema).
[15] Pannenberg,
Systematic Theology Volume 1, 399.
[16] Jeremiah
spoke strongly:
Jeremiah 10:3-5 (NRSV)
3 For the customs of the peoples are false:
a tree from the forest is cut down,
and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;
4 people deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a
cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
nor is it in them to do good.
II Isaiah did as well.
Isaiah 44:12-20 (NRSV)
12 The ironsmith fashions it and works it
over the coals, shaping it with hammers, and forging it with his strong arm; he
becomes hungry and his strength fails, he drinks no water and is faint. 13
The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it
with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human
beauty, to be set up in a shrine. 14 He cuts down cedars or chooses
a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He
plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it can be used as
fuel. Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down
before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he
roasts meat, eats it and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Ah, I
am warm, I can feel the fire!” 17 The rest of it he makes into a
god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, “Save
me, for you are my god!”
18 They do not know, nor do they
comprehend; for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds
as well, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is
there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also
baked bread on its coals, I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make the
rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He
feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself
or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”
[17]
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism,
32.
[18]
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion, Book Two, Chapter 8, sections 18-21.
[19]
Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.3 [69.3]
255.
[20] Pannenberg
(Systematic
Theology, Vol I, 181, 360)
[21] Exodus
3:13-15 (NRSV)
13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the
Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and
they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God
said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the
Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to
you’:
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.
Exodus 6:3 (NRSV)
3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
as God Almighty, but by my name ‘The Lord’ I did not make myself known to them.
[22] Jeremiah
7:9 (NRSV)
9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery,
swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have
not known,
Hosea 4:2 (NRSV)
2 Swearing, lying, and murder,
and stealing and adultery break out;
bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Zechariah 5:4 (NRSV)
4 I have sent it out, says the Lord of
hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of anyone who
swears falsely by my name; and it shall abide in that house and consume it,
both timber and stones.”
[23]
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism,
49-56.
[24]
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion, Book Two, Chapter 8, sections 22-27.
[25] Pannenberg
(Systematic
Theology Vol II, 163)
[26] Hosea
2:13 (NRSV)
13 I will punish her for the festival days
of the Baals,
when she offered incense to them
and decked herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
and forgot me, says the Lord.
Isaiah 58:13 (NRSV)
13 If you refrain from trampling the
sabbath,
from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call the sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
serving your own interests, or pursuing your own
affairs;
[27]
Martin Luther, The Larger Catechism, 78-102.
[28]
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion, Book Two, Chapter 8, sections 28-34.
[29]
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol 3,
53.1.
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