As a student of the Bible, I have found it is better for me to study the word of God within a narrative framework. In my twenties, I was very serious about learning the truth of Scripture and would study constantly. Over time, I found it difficult to remember all the “proof texts” I felt I needed to know to convert someone to “the truth1.” So, instead of trying to remember a series of specific verses proving a distinct doctrine, I simply began to view the Bible as a grand story of God’s love for and dealings with his people. It has its beginnings in a newly created earth. The story ends with a new heaven and earth
Most of you have heard a sermon on this topic entitled, Landmarks Of The Bible. By taking a big picture of the entire Bible, I find it is easier to navigate the Scriptures if I have familiar points to orient myself. It also helps to understand the order in which certain key figures occur in Scripture. For instance, Noah, Moses, and Abraham. Who came first (Noah), second (Abraham), and third (Moses). I little more on this in a moment.
My initial list and teaching on the subject includes: Creation (Genesis 1-3), the call of Abraham (Genesis 12), the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), a prophecy of Jesus (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53), the Sermon On The Mount (Matthew 5-7). and the first day salvation is preached in Jesus name (Pentecost/Acts 2). If I know where those things are, I can easily tell you where Noah appears. With Creation in chapters 1-3 and Abraham receiving the promises in Genesis 12, that puts Noah between 4 and 11. Sure enough, Noah and the flood story are detailed in Genesis 6-9.
When I put the list together initially, there was no doubt Exodus chapter 20 would be in the first sermon. The Ten Commandments are recognized to this day as the standard for all moral teaching on the planet. No human being can declare what is right or wrong in this world. But a God who created the very earth and everything that lives on it does.
Jehovah God literally speaks to the people of Israel and they hear his voice. His first words, “I am the LORD your God.”-v2 are the truth statement that binds heaven, earth, time, and space. There is a God and his name is Jehovah. He has authority to bind right and wrong, faith and worship. We must never put any person, place, or thing between God and the throne of our lives.
The Ten Commandments contain four concerning our love for the Lord, and six describing love for our neighbor. As Jesus said, the greatest command is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”-Matthew 22:37-40.
The people of Israel had been slaves for 400-years when God brought them out of Egypt. The had no government, court system, and no standard of truth. The Ten Commandments are the foundation on which the entire Law of Moses rests. God did not leave his children without guidance. He described what it means to have a god and how to live in a way that reflects his holy nature.
Why is Exodus chapter 20 (also found in Deuteronomy 5), such a big deal? Because God literally spoke to man on that day. His voice produced awe and fear, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”-v19, they begged of Moses. From that moment on, there is never an argument about basic morality. Stealing? Sin. Lying? Sin. Bowing to other gods? Sin. Loving God? Virtue. Caring for our parents? Virtue. It has always been so and always will be. It is a wonderful thing to be able to read to someone from the Bible. It stands in Exodus chapter 20.
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