What Does This Mean?

Numbering the Commandments

We name the Ten Commandments, the Decalog, and the Commandments as the command of the Lord from Mt. Sinai, written by the finger of God on two tablets of stone in Exodus 20:1-17, in different ways. There is a numbering system used by modern Jews from the Talmud. Western Christianity, up to and through the Reformation, numbers the commandments another way. And, reformed Christians following the Reformation use yet another system of numbering the commandments.

First, are the commandments actually numbered at all? No, in the scriptures, there are no numbers given to the commandments themselves. They are simply the “commandments” or the “command of Moses.” There is, however, a distinction between the first and second tables of the law. “And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Second, why number them at all? We number the commandments for the benefit of teaching them to children and catechumens of all ages. The numbering is at once arbitrary and deliberate. It’s arbitrary in that the decalog doesn’t need to be only ten or as many as ten. It’s deliberate in that how we group the thoughts together does matter in teaching the Law of God.

The majority of variance exists between the first two and the last two commandments. The Talmudic numbering begins with “I am the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20:2) That differs from the Western Christian and Reformed Christians’ “You shall have no other gods.” (Exodus 20:3)

Both Talmudic and Western Christian systems group “You shall have no other Gods” with “You shall not make for yourself any carved image.” (Exodus 20:4) The Reformed alone make Exodus 20:4 into its own 2nd commandment. You may ask, what’s the difference?

There is a reason to retain the Western Christian grouping of other gods and carved (graven) images together. (Exodus 20:3-6) Just a little while later, in Exodus 36-38, Moses describes “graven” (unliving) images in great detail for the tabernacle. The distinction here is between images for the house of the Lord and “for yourselves.” The images for the house of the Lord are specifically commanded, not forbidden. So, the prohibition against images for yourselves must reside under the command to have no other gods.

A little later still, the congregation of Israel will be set upon by fiery serpents. God doesn’t take away the serpents from among them. He gives them a thing to see. “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” (Numbers 21:8-9) The lifeless image of a serpent on a pole is the life-preserving gift of God against the punishment for their grumbling. God does not break His own commandments here. He gave Israel an image that reminded them of the work of the Lord.

In a similar pattern, there’s no disagreement about grouping Exodus 20:8-11, concerning the sabbath/the holy day together. This serves to reinforce rather than detract from the v. 3-6 grouping. Things concerning having other gods and the sabbath day are in a similar group for teaching.

This more expansive teaching of the commandments is in line with the way the Lord Jesus Christ also teaches us to hear them concerning the fifth & sixth commandments. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. … You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)

For the ninth & tenth, we could easily go either way. All coveting could easily go together. My neighbor’s wife, livestock, or anything else I may seek to deprive from my neighbor. But pursuing it is certain to cause trouble. (Exodus 20:17) Or, we could retain the distinction in the name of the catechetical benefit of the 10 commandments rather than more or less.

Unsurprisingly, I think the text itself, the way Moses and Jesus present them to us, and the common division we have received best support the Western Christian numbering of the commandments: 1) No other Gods, 2) No misuse of God’s name, 3) Remember the sabbath (holy) day, 4) Honor father and mother, 5) No murder, 6) No adultery, 7) No theft, 8) No false witness, 9) No coveting neighbor’s house, & 10) No coveting neighbor’s wife or anything else.

In good practice, numbering the commandments provides a helpful way to teach them. We have a shared understanding of how to recall them and their content for a current application. We learn them by heart, and have the commandments always with us.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

[Twenty-first in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Joshua was a young man when God freed his people from Egypt. When the people of Israel arrived at the border of the promised land the first time, he was one of twelve spies Moses sent into the land. Most of the spies were afraid of the armies in the land, but Joshua was confident that with God’s help, Israel could defeat those who lived there. Because the people were afraid, God decided they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

During this time, Moses appointed Joshua as his trusted assistant and designated him as the leader who would succeed him. When Moses died, Joshua took Moses’ place. Not long after that, the Captain of the Army of the Lord appeared to him. Many theologians believe this general is the second person of the Trinity — the Angel of the Lord. Under his direction, Joshua parted the Jordan River and led the people into Canaan. The first challenge was the powerful city of Jericho, located where the Jordan River meets the Dead Sea.

Joshua and Jesus have the same name. It comes from the same Hebrew words that mean God saves. God told Joseph and Mary to name His Son Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. Joshua’s parents named him Hoshea, which means salvation. Moses changed his name to Joshua. In ancient times, a name was a kind of motto. Joshua depended on God to give the people of Israel victory in war. Because Joshua trusted God, he led the people of Israel to capture Jericho and the rest of the promised land. Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. When He did these things, He paid the price for our sins, won forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Jesus is more than just a man who died for us. He is literally God who saves us.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sinai and the Ten Commandments

God made the Israelites his people by saving them through the Red Sea. He led them by the pillar of cloud and fire, and then claimed them at Sinai. Before He gave them the Ten Commandments, He reminded them that He is the Lord their God, who brought them out of slavery in Egypt.

For the Israelites, the Ten Commandments and the laws that followed them described the kind of people God wanted them to be. These commandments are a summary of the whole of God’s law, showing them how to love the Lord with all their being and their neighbors as themselves. When they lived this way, it would be a testimony to the nations around them of who their God is.

In the same ways, God loves us, so He saves us in Baptism through water and His Word. At the font, God rescues us from the kingdom of darkness, gives us His Name, and brings us into the family of Christ. We do not work our way into His household — He brings us in. At Sinai, God wasn’t simply giving laws. He was giving Himself — His rescue, His name, His promises, and a way of life shaped by love.

So now, when teaching children the Ten Commandments, we can say to them: “This is how God wants us to live.” But there is much more to it. The commandments show us how to thank God for making us His children. They are the everyday pattern of gratitude, the way redeemed people live in the world.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Bread from Heaven

[Twentieth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Once the people of Israel were safe on the other side of the Red Sea and the joy of freedom faded, they realized they had to provide for themselves. They grumbled at Mara that they were thirsty, and God provided water to drink. Once they reached the Wilderness of Sin, they grumbled that they had nothing to eat. God told Moses that he would provide them with bread in the morning and quail at night to eat.

When the people saw the bread God provided, it looked so strange to them that they said, “What is it?” They called it Manna, which means “what is it? ” in Hebrew. Moses answered that it was the bread God had provided for them. God provided this food for six days, doubling the amount on the sixth day. On the Sabbath, manna did not come.

From the time people first planted crops until this very day, bread has been a staple food. God fed His people in the wilderness with manna to teach them to trust their Heavenly Father for daily bread.

God would do other miracles with bread. The prophet Elijah would feed the widow and her son with bread, flour, and oil that never ran out. Elisha would feed one hundred men with a few loaves. Later, Satan would tempt Jesus to make stones into bread rather than trust Him. Jesus quoted what Moses said to Israel about Manna: man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.. (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus fed crowds in the desert with a few loaves and fish. The crowd knew what it meant. Jesus was the Messiah, and like Moses and Elijah.

Jesus also used bread in another way. During His Last Supper, He took bread, broke it, blessed it, and gave His body for them to eat. To this day, when we gather for communion, Jesus feeds us with His body — the true Bread from Heaven. When we receive this bread, we are given strength for our journey through this life to life everlasting.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Exodus

[Nineteenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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The night of the first Passover, the people of Israel prepared for the darkest of the plagues God sent to Egypt to free them from slavery. They killed a perfect lamb for the feast. They spread the blood on their doorposts to mark their homes. They prepared dinner quickly and prepared to leave Egypt in haste. They made their bread without leaven. They wore traveling clothes.

That night, God himself visited every home in Egypt and took the life of every firstborn in Egyptian households. He did this through the destroying angel. The outcry was great, and Pharaoh finally let God’s people go, telling them to leave quickly.

God led the people out of Egypt to the shore of the Red Sea, where they camped. He did so with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In this pillar, the Angel of the Lord was present to lead them. Soon, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued Israel with his army. The pillar moved from before the people to stand between them and the Egyptians.

God directed Moses to hold his staff over the waters of the Red Sea. Winds blew for hours, parting the sea. God then had Moses lead the people through the sea on dry land. Once they were on the other side, the pillar of the cloud of God’s presence moved from between Israel and the Egyptians to the front of the people. The Egyptian army charged into the sea, where the wheels of their chariots bogged down. God then had Moses put down his staff. The sea closed over the Egyptian forces, drowning them. The people of Israel were now free and safe.

When Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and spoke about Christ’s coming Exodus (a word that gets lost in translation; most English versions use “departure” for it). Through His death and resurrection, He would lead all God’s people through death to life. St. Paul tells us that the cloud and the Red Sea were a kind of baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-2), which points to the Sacrament of Baptism. In baptism, our sinful nature is drowned, and we are free to serve God as His redeemed people.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The First Passover

[Eighteenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Nine times, God sent plagues on Egypt to show Pharaoh and his people that their gods did not have the powers claimed for them. Nine times, Pharaoh had agreed to let the people of Israel go to worship God. Nine times, God brought the plague to an end, and Pharaoh went back on his word. Now, the last and greatest plague would be sent. Every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, other than those of the Hebrews, would die. This was the reverse of what a previous pharaoh had tried to do by ordering the firstborn male babies to be killed. Now the one that had escaped, ironically at the hand of a daughter of Pharaoh, would pronounce God’s answer to that outrage.

God marked the day by establishing a feast. A young lamb would be killed for each Hebrew family. The blood of that lamb would be spread on the doorframe of each of their homes. The lamb itself would be the entrée of a feast called Passover because on that night, the Angel of the Lord, the Son of God (Exodus 12:23) passed over every house marked in this way. and prevents the destroyer from entering.

The death of Pharaoh’s heir and every firstborn in Egypt was finally enough. Pharaoh let them go, and their Egyptian neighbors gave the people of Israel riches so they would leave quickly.

Every year since that first Passover, Jewish families remember that day of freedom. The Passover is a kind of Old Testament sacrament, bringing union with the God who saves. Luther believed that the Passover, sacrifices, and circumcision drew their power to forgive from the cross, which was yet to come, just as our sacraments draw their power to forgive from the cross, where the Lamb of God, Jesus, was sacrificed for us.

By instituting the sacrament of Holy Communion during the Passover, Jesus used all its symbols to point to what He would do for us. Now He offers His Body and Blood to us with bread and wine, bringing with it freedom from slavery to sin and the power of the devil.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Moses, Pharaoh and the Plagues

[Seventeenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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The Pharaohs of Egypt thought of themselves as gods, the sons of Osiris. They were supposed to be the intermediaries between the gods and people. The people would turn to them for rain and floods that caused crops to grow, for fertility and other good things. They would, in turn, approach the gods for these things. To free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the true God would do battle with the gods of the superpower of the ancient world.

Having been raised in Pharaoh’s household, Moses was familiar with this. Moses and Aaron would function like the pharaoh of the God of Israel in the view of the Egyptians. Moses confronted Pharaoh and demanded that Pharaoh release the Israelites to worship him. When Pharaoh did not comply, God used disasters or plagues to demonstrate that He is more powerful than the gods of Egypt.

The serpent represented the god of wisdom, fertility, and healing to the Egyptians. When Moses’ snake swallowed the magicians’ snakes, God demonstrated His superiority over them. The Nile River fed Egypt and the ancient world. The Lord showed power over the god that controlled it by turning it into blood. The Egyptians saw frogs as symbols of the goddess of childbirth. They also worshipped flies and beetles. The earlier plagues showed Yahweh’s power over them.

The rest of the plagues attacked the food supply that the gods were supposed to supply through Pharaoh. While they convinced many Egyptians that the God of the Hebrews was almighty, Pharaoh did not, since it did not affect him personally. He was trying to haggle with God to get the best possible deal for himself and his people. When God took the pressure off, he backed down. Eventually, the plagues reached the point where even Pharaoh’s advisors urged him to relent. Pharaoh did not let them go. This led to God unleashing the Angel of Death, the last and greatest plague of all.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Moses and the Burning Bush

[Sixteenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Just like David, whom God chose to be king, Moses served many years as a shepherd before God called him to lead His people to freedom. Even though Moses did not think so, he was perfectly suited for the task at hand. Raised by his mother in the household of Pharaoh, Moses was fluent in both Hebrew and Egyptian and possessed the best education available in his time. He was humbled by years as a shepherd and fully familiar with living in the desert of Sinai. He was the son-in-law of a tribal chief and therefore had resources available to him during the forty years of desert travel that lay ahead. Not confident in himself, Moses could trust God, who alone could free the people from slavery. In the end, it is not Moses who saves Israel, but God.

Moses had left his old life behind. One day, while he was leading his flock near Mount Sinai, he saw a strange sight — a bush was on fire but not burning up. When he went to take a closer look, he saw the Angel of the Lord, the Son of God, before he became a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Angel (the word means Messenger) appeared to him in the burning bush. He identified himself as the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and told him to take off his sandals and not come closer. Abraham was afraid to look at the Angel, but he need not have been. The Son of God is the person of the Trinity that can be seen by mortals, and the mortals will not die.

God told Moses that he had heard the cries of his people and would send Moses to free them from slavery and bring them to the Holy Land, which God would give them. Moses was not at all comfortable with the task and so tried to stall and make excuses. Each time, God had mercy on him and provided for him. God revealed his personal name, Yahweh. He gave Moses two miraculous signs — turning his staff into a snake and his hand leprous and healthy — so they would believe Moses. He provided Aaron as his spokesman. Finally, God promised to go with Moses, and he did.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Baby Moses Adopted by Pharaoh’s Daughter

[Fifteenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

After Joseph died, the descendants of Israel remained in Egypt and prospered. They eventually grew into a small nation, large enough to seem to threaten the Pharaoh. The Egyptian king enslaved them, hoping hard work would reduce their numbers. It did not. So he tried to get midwives to kill any male child born. They did not. So he commanded everyone to kill them anyway. This was especially cruel, given the way both Jews and Egyptians felt about children.

Family and children were important to both the Egyptians and the Hebrews. Egyptians were especially fond of their children. If a couple couldn’t have a baby, they would often adopt children, frequently from among their slaves. The adopted child was treated exactly the same as if he or she had been born into the family. The upper classes of Egypt often used nurses who would move in with the adoptive family. The custom of leaving unwanted children in places where someone would find them was common everywhere, except in Egypt.

Moses’ mother cleverly left Moses where the princess bathed, counting on her horror and pity to give Moses a chance. It worked. Through these events, God prepared Moses to be at home with both Egyptians and Hebrews, making him, his brother, and his sister prepared to lead God’s people.

The Scriptures view the rescue of Moses from the reeds as a theme that began with the flood. God had Noah build an ark in which he saved Noah, his family, and the animal species in creation. Moses’ mother put him in an ark made of reeds, which kept him safe until he was delivered by Pharaoh’s daughter. Later, God would use Moses to part the Red Sea, thereby saving the people of Israel.

St. Paul points out that we are God’s adopted children, treated the same way as if we had been born into His family. So we own everything in the universe with Jesus. (Ephesians. 1:3-6, Romans 8:15-17) In Holy Baptism, God also carries us to safety, through death to life eternal.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Joseph Forgives His Brothers

[Fourteenth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Joseph, as viceroy of Egypt, wasted no time in preparing the land for famine. He stored grain and enacted other measures to prepare the people. When famine struck, the Egyptians were not only able to feed their people but also to sell grain to neighboring peoples. Among these were Joseph’s brothers.

Joseph arranged for a series of tests to see if his brothers had learned from their sin over the years. The final test, when Joseph demanded his brother Benjamin as a slave as punishment for the crimes he had trumped up against them, Judah offered himself in Benjamin’s place. Since Joseph now knew his brothers were truly repentant for what they had done to him, he revealed himself to them.

Joseph forgave his brothers. He realized that what they “intended for evil, God meant for good, to save many lives.” He provided for them from his own wealth and settled them, Israel and his whole household, in Egypt. It took some convincing, but Joseph repeatedly reminded them that he was not in God’s place. As God had provided for him and showed him mercy, so he would provide for them the rest of his days.

The Greek word for forgiveness literally means “to let go” or “to release.” When God forgives us, He lets go of our sins and holds them against us no more. He does this because his Son, Jesus, paid the price for our sins. His sufferings and death satisfied God’s justice and canceled the charges against us in God’s court. God ordered us to be released because our sentence was completed.

Jesus wants us to release our neighbors from the evil they have done against us. This is not always easy to do, because we remember the pain and betrayal we feel when others hurt us, not only when they hurt us physically, but also when they hurt us emotionally and spiritually. The problem is that often the bitter feelings that we nurse when we hold on to them can ruin our lives more than the evil itself. When we let go of these sins against us, we can live in peace. This is why God offers us help to forgive others. The next time you pray the Lord’s Prayer, ask God to help you forgive others and receive the forgiveness He offers you

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Hymn on Forgiveness: “Remember Christ our Savior”