THE TEN COMMANDMENTS THE HEART OF THE DIVINE COVENANT The prophet Moses calls to him, not only the elders and the leaderships, but all the people as well, and asks them to take into consideration, that the covenant between God and Israel, is not one concerning only the past, but is perpetually set. He reminds them of the Ten Commandments, and of how they asked him to approach God on their behalf, to receive the Law from Him. After speaking about purifying the Promised Land of idol worship, and of shedding innocent blood, Moses presents to us the backbone of the divine covenant; namely, the Ten Commandments, which conform to what came in Exodus 20:2-7, except for presenting a new interpretation of the celebration of the Sabbath, namely, that it is done in memory of the work of salvation by God of bringing the people of Israel out of the servitude of Pharaoh (15), instead of being in memory of creation (Exodus 20:11). He ends his talk by confirming that the obedience to the voice of the Lord is a condition for the enjoyment of the goods of the new life in the Promised Land (22- 33). 1. A present divine covenant 1 - 5. 2. The Ten Commandments 6 – 22. 3. Receiving the Law 23 – 33. 1. A PRESENT DIVINE COVENANT “And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearings today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them” (Deut 5:1). Moses calls the people to hear the commandment, to learn, to keep, and to observe it; something that he previously confirmed in his first sermon. God commands us, firstly to ‘listen,’ secondly to ‘learn,’ thirdly to ‘keep;’ namely to bring the commandment to the depths of the heart; to keep it as though in a safe place (1); according to the words of the Holy Bible: “Your word, I have hidden in my heart” (Psalm 119:11); then fourthly to practice it. It is not enough to store it in the ear through listening; nor in the mind through learning; nor in the heart through memorizing and longing; but we should translate it into practical work. He does not want us to fill our minds but with theoretical thoughts, or our mouths with empty words, to translate the commandment into action. Namely, beside keeping it in the heart; we should dedicate all our feelings, and body members to put it to work. By that, the commandment would come to fill the mind, sanctifies the body members, and flares the heart with love. The whole body should take part in executing it; that man is wholly sanctified through receiving the commandment and reacting to it. Nobody can claim that he consummates all the commandments to perfection, except the Lord Christ, as the commandments are like a mirror that, although it reveals what is inside the heart, yet it is incapable of renewing it or changing its nature. Or let us say, it is like headlights on the front of a car, that reveals the road ahead with all its obstacles, but falls short of repairing the road. That is why the apostle says: “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the Law no flesh 10 shall be justified” (Galatians 2:16). It is not possible to be justified by the works of the Law; firstly, because the Law is incapable of correcting what occurred because of our sins; and secondly, because no one can consummate the commandments of the law. What purpose then does the Law serve? It was given because of the transgressions, until the seed should come, “to whom the promise was made; and was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator” (Galatians 3:19) “Therefore the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:24, 25). Behold, the Law has come to be at our service, to hold our hands, and to bring us over to the cross, saying to us: ‘Come my little friends to the Savior. He is alone capable of justifying and glorifying you.’ Therefore, the Law is good, proclaiming the thought of God, revealing our helplessness, and provoking us to enjoy the fellowship of the everlasting glory. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The prophet Moses transforms the commandments and the statutes into a covenant; saying: “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb” (2). The commandments shown here by Moses, does God issue not just orders for man to obey, but, in their depths, are a covenant between God and man. 1. Looking at the commandments, the statutes, and the laws, as a covenant, gives special understanding to the relationship between God and man. God does not order and command as a Master whom His servants have to obey; Or a Creator, with whom His creation should not argue; But He lifts man up to debate with Him on an equal level. The believer sees in the commandments a fruit of a covenant that is set on his perfect free will. He deals with God as a reasonable being, who has the right to accept or reject, to debate and to argue. 2. This covenant is set between God and His present church. A new covenant that never gets old. It is not a covenant that was made between God and the previous generation, but is a current, and a going on one. “The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire” (Deut. 5:3, 4). Although it is a personal covenant, made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; yet it is set for the present generation to enjoy as well, as though set personally with them. God sets His personal covenant with the present Church, and with every believer as a living member in her; “not with our fathers… but with us.” The Hebrew version implies that it is “not just with our fathers, but with us as well.” Here, the prophet Moses puts on his people a personal responsibility; having been the first to dwell in the Promised Land as pioneers. Through this covenant, God talks with them “face to face” (4). 3. Not like what ‘Eliphaz the Temanite’ said: “Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men. Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake” (Job 4:12-14). 4. The mediator of the covenant here is the prophet Moses, who stands in between God who dwells in heaven and the people at the foot of the mountain. The goal of his mediation is to present the Law to the people, and to let them hear the voice of the Lord and not to die. In this he is a symbol of the Lord Christ, the Mediator between God the Father and man, in which man enjoys the divine Word; 11 and becomes the subject of pleasure to God the Father. “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb” (2). Moses refers to the specific location, to let them feel their responsibility and privilege. 2. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Here, Moses repeats the Ten Commandments together with their interpretation. The old generation who heard the Ten Commandments was already dead, and their bones had decayed. The new generation was in need to hear those commandments and their interpretation, in the light of the experience of forty years in the wilderness. Some people may object and say that this is a repetition of what already came in Exodus 20, so let it be! The Book is confirming the importance of these commandments, and of the commitment to hear them more than once, as they are basic to the life of the believer. Yes, He previously spoke of the Ten Commandments, and here he reminds the people of them with some more detail. It is fitting for us not to get bored of hearing the commandment until we consummate it, in order to have the will of God work in us. The repetition of talk of the commandment should rather bring us joy, and as the apostle Paul writes: “For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe” (Philippians 3:1). “The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said…” (Deut. 4:4, 5) Indeed, He is an awesome God. A Consuming Fire! Yet He grants life to His people; saying: ”For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we had, and lived?” (Deut. 4 26) “He has shown us His great glory, and His greatness; and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives” (Deut. 4:24). So we comprehend the commandment, not as orders issued, but as being lifted up as though on a mountain, to encounter with God in His glory, speaking with us face to face, and we do not die. The Ten Commandments are considered the center of the Law, and the foundation of God’s covenant, and we can count the chapters 12 to 26 as a detailed application of its principles on the life of the people in the land of Canaan. While the people of the Old Testament cared to apply its outer appearance, our Lord Jesus reveals its depths. Christ made of it a Law “to enter life,” when He asked the young man to keep them to live (Matthew 19:18). And He made it as well, the Law of life for all His followers. The old people assumed that they are justified, just through having the commandment delivered to them. Whereas in the New Testament, having discovered that mankind are unable to keep all the commandments in their depths, we realize our need for the Lord Christ who justifies us with His blood, and supports us by His Holy Spirit, to help us keep the commandment. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth, or that is in the water under the earth. 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 upon the children of the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My 12 commandments” (Deut. 4:6-10). God, His name being ‘Jehovah,’ God of the covenant, enters in a fellowship and a relationship with His chosen people, as their own portion. And, in the fulfillment of time, He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This personal relationship between God and man is the foundation of the Christian faith. “He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children” (9), not in the crime itself, but as far as its consequences are concerned. That is the truth that we know by practical experience, the way we experience the promise of mercy “to thousands, to those who love Him and keep His commandments” (10). “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. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out from there by an outstretched arm, therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deut. 4:11-15). Man needs to separate the Sabbath for worshipping the Lord, and listening to His voice, so as not to run through a feverish struggle to create wealth or to acquire wisdom; but to have his life with meaning, according to the purpose of God and his guidance. This commandment is a prophecy about the coming eternal rest (Hebrew 4:9). By this the Jewish Sabbath changed into the Christian Sunday, where the true rest in Christ Jesus is. “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 5:16). This commandment concerns the most sacred human bond; namely fatherhood; as the name ‘Father’ refers first to God, then God gave man the honor to use it. Man can choose his friends, but his parents are a gift from God, chosen by Him as a way to bring man to the world, an exalted and unequaled gift. Honoring the parents comes in the second place following that of honoring God, the One with the highest authority. The Lord Christ rebuked the Jews for setting a human tradition, opposite to this divine commandment (Matthew 15:3-6), by which the son breaks the practical commandment to honor the parents; and disregards their material needs, through claiming to offer what he should provide them of sustenance, as a ‘Corban’ dedicated to the temple (Mark 7:8-11). And according to Origen: [Hearing that what their children were supposed to give them for their life necessities, became part of the ‘Corban,’ meant to be dedicated to God, caused parents to refrain from taking it from them.] He also says that the Pharisees, as lovers of money, used to pretend to collect it for the poor, depriving the parents of the gifts of their children support1. The Lord Himself made it clear that this commandment of the Law, saying: 1 The Author: The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Alexandria 1983, p. 343 (in Arabic). 13 “Honor your father and mother,” should not be interpreted by mere words, namely, that man demonstrates vain appearances that he is honoring his parents, while leaving them poor, and in need of the actual necessities of life. He commanded children to be committed to sustain their parents, to give them back in their old age, the blessings they got from them during their childhood. On the contrary, the scribes and the Pharisees used to teach the children to tell their parents, ‘The gift I am offering to the temple, will benefit you, just as if I am giving it directly to you to purchase food.’ And it often happens that, while the fathers and mothers are in great need, their children offer sacrifices to the priests and the scribes to eat1. St. Jerome “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal” (Deut. 5:17-19). “You shall not murder.” This sixth divine commandment proclaims the holiness of human life. Life as a whole is a gift from God; on which we should look with respect and reverence. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Deut. 5:20; and Exodus 20:16). This ninth commandment, although it may look passive in its form; yet it is actually positive in its meaning; as it puts the truth against the vain; namely, speaks against the vain in favor of the truth. All our talk and testimony should be true, and our judgment should be just. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Deut. 5:21) “You shall not covet” (21 and Exodus 20:17). This commandment differs from those preceding it, in that it addresses what lies in man’s heart and not what appears of his outer behavior; something that only God sees whether is broken or kept. In its passive form, it speaks against coveting what belongs to others, whereas in its positive form, it teaches self-satisfaction and faith (Hebrew 13:5, 6). The little difference between how it comes here and how it came in Exodus 20:17 refers to the fact that, as the people here were about to enter Canaan, where they would start for the first time to have personal possessions, like fields for example, Moses warns everyone against coveting his neighbor’s field. In the so-called second letter of Clement the Roman, the author connecting between the true knowledge of God and the love of neighbor, says: [I wish, brethren, we know Him in our conduct by loving one another (John 13:35; 15:12; 1 John 3:11)… It is fitting for us to be compassionate toward each other, and not to be greedy; to get to know God through these works; and not through what are opposite2.] Fr. Caesarius of Arles, gave two sermons connecting between the Ten Commandments and the ten plagues3; in which he said: [The number of commandments came equivalent to that of the plagues, which came over the Egyptians, because of their arrogance and vain pride; as God presented His commandments to heal our serious wounds. You can realize how the commandments correspond to the ten plagues and in the same order. The first plague corresponds to the first commandment; likewise the second plague corresponds to the 1 Letter 123 to Agruchia. 2 So-called Second Letter of Clement 3:4. 3 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 100a. 14 second commandment; the third to the third; and so on up to the tenth1.] The first commandment concerns the One God, and not mixing between Him and the pagan idols (Exodus 20:3), came to deal with the first plague against the Egyptian, in which the water turned into blood. If the blood refers to carnal lusts, that came as a fruit of not believing in the One God, through the first commandment, the senses that were darkened would become wise and sanctified. Because the Egyptians intended to murder the Hebrew children and to shed their blood, God turned the water of their River into blood to let them drink from it2. We can say that the first commandment grants us to stick to the worship of the One God, so that our violent, lusty, and bloodthirsty nature would turn into one, which is mild and watered by the Holy Spirit. The second commandment concerns not taking the name of God in vain; as who does that would not be guiltless (Exodus 20:7), whereas he, who acquire the name of Jesus – the Truth – would bear the fellowship of the divine righteousness. We can say that this commandment is a cure against the second plague that concerns the invasion of the earth by frogs, which refer to the atheist heretics and philosophers who provide deceiving philosophies, devoid of divine spiritual wisdom, that bear likeness to the incessant croaking of the frogs among the muddy waters, providing noise for the ears, but no true nurture to the soul or to the mind3. The third commandment, concerns keeping the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8), It actually refers to the work of the Holy Spirit, the Grantor of freedom, the true comfort of the heart, and peace of the mind, through good conscience, who dwells in man to enjoy the spiritual Sabbath; drawing him to the heavenly spiritual a worship, instead of being confused by temporal things4. The fourth commandment, concerns honoring the parents (Exodus 20:12), confronting the fourth plague by the flies, as he who does not honor his parents would suffer the wickedness of the devil, and his torture5. The fifth commandment, against adultery (Exodus 20; 14), deals with the plague that struck the cattle. He who covets his neighbor’s wife or daughter, not listening to God’s words: “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding” (Psalm 32:9), would lose his human nature, as though turning into a beast in the form of man. If you have no fear of becoming like a beast, have fear of dying like one. The sixth commandment is “You shall not murder” corresponds to the sixth plague by boils that broke out in sores on man and beasts. The murderers are those whose souls are burnt by the fires of anger, becoming like ashes of a furnace. The murderer kills themselves, before killing any other. The commandment here asks us to avoid having our heart burned with anger, that causes deadly boils, but have our hearts filled by the love for others that gives a cure for the soul. The seventh commandment, “You shall not steal” corresponds to the very heavy hail that rains down on man, beast, and crop in the field. He, who takes unjustly what is not his, will have loss coming upon him like very heavy hail. He may think that he gained many visible things through his evil lusts, when he has actually lost many invisible ones, through the hail of God’s heavenly wrath. If those who steal can look into the fields of their hearts, they would realize the 1 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 1. 2 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 2. 3 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 3. 4 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 4. 5 Fr. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons 100, 5. 15 extent of their loss, through the destruction by hail, brought upon their own resources by their persecution of others. That is why the apostle Peter draws our hearts to the inner riches, saying: “Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4), so that we be rich, not before people, but before God. The eighth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” corresponds to the plague by the locusts that destroy crops of the field by their mouths. He, who bears false witness, destroys himself and his brothers by the false words of his mouth; against which the apostle Paul warns us, saying: “If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15). The ninth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” corresponds to the plague of the thick darkness. Indeed, he who covets his neighbor’s wife would be plagued by thick darkness; as nothing causes more blindness to the soul, and provokes great anger, than practicing such uncontrollable folly. The tenth commandment, “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s,” corresponds to the plague of the death of the firstborn. Everything man acquires for himself is to leave for his heirs, of whom the dearest is the firstborn. He, who robs his brother’s possessions that he intends to leave for his heirs, will be deprived of his firstborn himself through death, and not just of the inheritance he would get. Who is this dead firstborn, but faith that is the heart’s firstborn; as no one can do a good work, unless he has faith in his heart, as its firstborn. Fr. Caesarius ends his hundredth sermon by saying that, by the Ten Commandments, man would be liberated from the unjust persecution of the Egyptians, namely, from the spiritual persecution in his depths; his heart would be freed, and he would set forth to the Promised Land through divine help. We can divide the Ten Commandments into three integrated sections: (A) Commandments concerning our relationship with God: 1. Being bound to God alone and to no other (Commandment 1), whose secrets we got to know, through the incarnation of the Word (Matthew 11:27). St. Augustine1 states that when the Lord Christ spoke with the Jews about being made free by the truth, they answered him, saying, that they have never been in bondage to anyone (John 8:31-36), although Joseph was sold as a slave (Genesis 37:28), several prophets were captivated (2 kings 24; Ezekiel 1), the Israeli people fell into the servitude of Pharaoh (Exodus 1:14), and even in the very time of the Lord Christ, they were forced to pay taxes to the Roman Empire (Matthew 22:15-21). The Lord Christ’ intention was to set them free from the servitude of the ‘ego,’ the vain pride; but they understood freedom according to carnal concept. 2. Refraining from idol worship (Commandment 2); so as not to divert to idol worship [Setting idols in the heart, like selfishness; love of possessing etc.] The prophet Moses proclaims that God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. How can he, in the same book, confirm that the fathers shall not be put to death for their children, and the other way round? (Deut. 24:16) St. John Chrysostom answers, confirming that the first context concerns the children who consummate the measure of their fathers, and become more evil than them2. 1 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, trac. 41:2. 2 See In John, homily 56. 16 3. Not taking the name of the Lord God in vain (Commandment 3): In the old days, swearing in the name of God, as a sign of honoring God and fearing Him, was allowed. But in the New Testament, as man was lifted up to the level of spiritual maturity, it is fitting for him not to swear at all (Matthew 5:34). This commandment cares for the sanctification of the mouth. When the apostle Paul talked of the corruption of humanity; and that all have gone astray, he concentrated on the mouth, saying: “Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:13, 14). 4. Keeping the Sabbath (Commandment 4; see also Exodus 20). In a previous detailed study dealing with this subject1, we noticed that this commandment, in essence, is not a heavy one for the believer to be committed to; but is actually a feast that reflects the spirit of joy over all the congregation, over every believer together with his household, with the strangers under his roof, and the hired hands working for him. It even reflects on the beasts in his fields. The books of the Old Testament gave special concentration on the commandment of keeping the Sabbath; with the intention of anticipating the coming of the Savior, the Giver of the true comfort, who is to save us from the bondage of the devil. And as St. Clement of Alexandria says: [We hold fast to the spiritual Sabbath until the Savior comes, when we shall have rest from the sin2.] And St. Augustine says: [In Him, we rest and see; see and love; love and praise. Such will be the end with no end!3] The difference is more apparent in the fourth commandment. In the book of Exodus (31:13), God commands us to keep the Sabbath, because, as He created the world in six days, it is fitting for us to sanctify the seventh day, namely, to dedicate it to extend worship and thanksgiving to the Creator. Whereas here, He gives it a new interpretation, namely, sanctifying the Sabbath for the sake of His salvation works, and the renewal of our life, as He has set us free from the servitude to the devil (Pharaoh), and brought us over to the heavenly Canaan. Now the Lord Jesus became our Sabbath, in whom God the Father finds His pleasure (comfort) in us, and we find ours in Him. The Lord reminds His people of the bitterness of servitude that they had in the land of Egypt, counting their exodus as the Sabbath or comfort in which they enjoyed freedom. The true Sabbath is therefore, to present to others the spirit of freedom, to spare their souls the feeling of humiliation. The Sabbath is for the soul to set forth with love toward all brethren, and even toward beasts and birds, longing for everyone to enjoy true comfort. If the Sabbath was the exodus of man from the servitude of the devil, our Sabbath became on Sunday, the day of our exodus under the leadership of the Lord Christ, hidden in Him, to set forth from the servitude of the devil to the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (B) Commandments concerning our relationship with our relatives in the lord: 5 Honoring the parents: (Commandment 5): Following the commandments concerning the relationship of the believer with God, Those concerning his relationship with man are given, starting with his relationship with his parents. If one does not know how to honor his parents whom he sees and touch, how could he honor 1 The Author: Leviticus, chapter 23. (in Arabic) 2 The Author: Christ in the Eucharist, Alexandria 1973, p. 125. (in Arabic) 3 City of God, 22:30. 17 God, his heavenly Father? In this commandment the prophet Moses added what the apostle Paul quoted in his epistle to the Ephesians (6:3): “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (16). The prolongation of life does not imply the literal meaning, but man’s enjoyment of good things. The days that the fetus John the Baptist spent in his mother’s womb, was filled with more fruits than those of the elders of Israel who denied faith and opposed the truth. That is why it is said, “a single day for the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a single day” (Cf. Ps. 90:4). God’s counting is different from ours. The wise Solomon says: “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked, nor he will prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12, 13). C- Commandments concerning our relationship with the congregation in the Lord: The final five commandments came together as one commandment: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Deut. 5:17-21). By this, the prophet Moses confirmed the unity of the commandments. And as said by the apostle James: “For whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10) 6. “You shall not murder” (Commandment 6): The Lord Christ made it clear that man may murder by his tongue (Matthew 5:22). 7. “You shall not commit adultery” (Commandment 7). The Lord of glory commanded us to have the inner purity of heart (Matthew 5:28). 8. “You shall not steal” (Commandment 8). 9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Commandment 9). 10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his house, or his field” (Commandment 10). When man’s heart is preoccupied with God, he gets fulfilled, and would be overflowing with love, instead of coveting what is his neighbor’s. Indeed, God’s laws would loudly moan when seeing great corruption on earth1. St. Basil the Great “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone, and gave them to me” (Deut. 5:22). The prophet Moses moreover clarified that these commandments were given in the midst of an atmosphere of amazing awe. If fire in itself is horrible, its horror increases amid the darkness. Saying: “And He added no more;” the prophet Moses means that God’s commandments are complete, and do not need anything more. “Fire, cloud, and thick darkness” (22): The people heard the thunder, but it was only Moses who heard the words (John 12:29; Acts 9:7). Moses was the 1 St. Basil the Great: Letters 46:1. 18 intermediary between God and the people (Galatians 3:19), as a symbol of the Lord Christ. “He wrote the commandment on two tablets of stone, and gave them to me” (22). The words were engraved on two tablets of stone, so that no one can change anything in them. The two tablets of stone refer to the heart of man that became like stone; and in need of the divine commandment to be engraved by the finger of God on it. The prophet Moses placed the two tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which refers to the divine presence. St. John the beloved says: “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven; and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightning, noises, thundering, an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:19). 3. RECEIVING THE LAW “So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and you said: ‘Surely the Lord our God has shown His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.’ Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever. Go and say to them, Return to your tents. But as for you, stand here by Me, And I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land you shall possess” (Deut. 5:23-33). The people, not bearing to see anymore of that fire on the mountain, or of that awesome divine voice coming out of the darkness, asked the prophet Moses to take upon himself receiving the Law on behalf of all of them. Out of fear of dying, together with a true longing to hear more and more, they asked Moses to consummate the path on their behalf. It is amazing, that their request was not much long after their recent intention to stone him to death (Exodus 17:4). To show how God cared for them, and how much He was preoccupied by them, Moses said:: “The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken”(28). Caring for them, God seeks that their hearts would be full of deity, to conform to what they uttered with their tongues, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever”(29). With their lips they reveal that they seek 19 more of the divine talks and laws that God gives via Moses on their behalf. But God seeks their hearts and not just their lips. Their hearts here proclaim an obvious longing, a true desire, and a deep love, and demonstrate a free human will. Although their hearts have grown cold, yet God can turn them into a flaring divine fire. And although they have turned into solid stones, yet, on them, He can engrave His commandments with His divine finger, to make out of them, as though (two tablets of testimony), holy for the Lord, and witnesses to His divine word. To demonstrate His great longing for our salvation, hear what God promised the people, despite their numerous transgressions, if they would walk along the straight path, saying: “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever” (29). And debating with them, Moses says: “And now, Israel, What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him?”(Deut. 10:12). He, who cares so much for our love, and does everything to this effect, did not have compassion on His own Only-Begotten Son for the sake of His love for us. Counting it His pleasure if we reconcile with Him anytime, how could He not welcome us and love us if we repent?1 St. John Chrysostom God assigned the prophet Moses a messenger to receive the Law from His divine mouth, saying to him: “As for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess” (31). It was said to Moses: “For the place where you stand is a holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). No one can stands on it, if not with faith, holding fast with his heart. In another location we read: “As for you, stand here by Me” (Deut. 5:31). Each of these expressions, God uttered to Moses with the meaning: Stand with Me. Stand fast in the Church, because the place itself is holy, the same ground is fruitful by holiness, and fertilized by the crops of virtues. Stand then in the Church. Stand where I shall appear to you, and where I shall be with you. Wherever the Church is, there will be the greatest place set for the comfort of your mind, where you will find help for your soul; where I appear to you in the burning bush. You are the bush and I am the fire, flaring in the bush; I am in the body; I am the fire; I grant you light; I consume your thorns; namely your sins; and grant you My grace. Standing fast in your heart, I shall drive away the wolves seeking to find a prey2. St. Ambrose “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deut. 5:32). By saying that, he wants us to be careful to do as the Lord has commanded, namely to accept with joy His divine will to replace our own, or accept Him to conform our will to His will. If by this we would lose our own weak will, yet we would enjoy what is greater; to bear by our own free will, that of God working in us. 1 Letters to the Fallen Theodore 1:15. 2 St. Ambrose, Letter 63:41,42. 20 The goal of this divine will is to walk along the way of truth and righteousness, being the straightforward way that will lead us to the bosom of God the Father, and will bring us to inner glories, together with a fellowship of heavenly glory. Who is this way but Him who says: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” 21 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY (Chapter 5) I WILL NOT TURN ASIDE FROM YOU; TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT You have granted me Your commandments, a way of truth. Your Spirit carries me along the royal way; Not to turn aside to the left by lusts and abominations, But to stick to the royal way to reach the bosom of Your Father. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You presented to me the Ten Commandments from the midst of the fire; To make my heart a flaring fire that speaks inside me. To engrave on my heart Your divine commandments. And to make out of my depths, an ark of covenant for You. Let me keep Your commandments by Your fiery Spirit. Not to see any other god. Let my heart accommodate You, to bear in it the humanity beloved by You. Let me become for You a living icon; Let me be like You, who have no one like You.
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