“A Piece of My Mind”

January 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”

– Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter teaching his Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia

The Ten Commandments
An Introduction
By Donald P. Shoemaker

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

— “Ancient Words” by Lynn Deshazo (Hosanna! 2001)

This is the oldest existing manuscript containing the Ten Commandments.
It dates back to the 1st Century BC. The scroll contains the commandments as found in Deuteronomy 5. It is part of the 1952 “Dead Sea Scrolls” discovery.

#1 – Where do we find the Ten Commandments?
a) Exodus 20:1-17 (chapters 19-20 provide the wider context)
b) Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (chapters 5-6 provide the wider context)

#2 – Are there exactly ten? And are they all “Commandments”?
The Bible itself does indeed speak of ten.

Exodus 34:28 – So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Deuteronomy 4:13 – And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deuteronomy 10:4 – And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.

But are they all “commandments”? Dennis Prager* carefully notes that they are actually “Ten Statements” (aseret hadevarim). We commonly use the word “DECALOGUE” as our name for the ten [“deca” = 10; “logue” = words, “logos” being the Greek term for “word” – note John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the word” [logos]). Hence, they may be called the “Ten Words.’

* Dennis Prager is the author of five volumes on the Five Books of Moses. The set is titled The Rational Bible and it is certainly his magnum opus. Prager is a master communicator with a strong grasp of the Hebrew language of scripture. Leviticus has not been published yet. I will be studying his teachings in Exodus and Deuteronomy for this series.

Prager has been away from his M-F radio talk show since November 13, when he suffered severe injuries in a fall, and he has been hospitalized since. My wife and I make his recovery a regular item of prayer.

#3 – Listings of the Ten Commandments (Words)
Note: these are abbreviated statements in most cases, as we will see. As summary statements they are easy for reading, learning and memorization. The extended statements need to be part of our more in-depth study.

The Ten Commandments in Judaism
1. You shall have no other gods besides me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness.
3. You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not commit murder.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Prager and a few others see the phrase “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2) as the “First Word.” It confesses strict monotheism and puts that confession at the head of the list. Verses 3-6 then become the “Second Word” (prohibiting idolatry).

The Ten Commandments – Roman Catholic and Lutheran
1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Some Protestants accuse Catholics by saying that the Catholic list deliberately takes out the prohibition against graven images in order to allow such images in churches. This is both unfair and inaccurate. The Catholic expanded first commandment contains the prohibition of graven images.

The Ten Commandments – Most Protestants and Eastern Orthodox
1. You shall have no other gods but me.
2. You shall not make unto you any graven images.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honor your mother and father.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This list follows the numbering of Origin in the 3rd century, whereas the Catholic and Lutheran list follows Augustine in the 5th century. No sinister notions are intended. “This is simply a matter of evolved practice. All the commandments are there in both; we just number them differently” (“In the Know with Father Joe [Black],” Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland).

My childhood Lutheran pastor was asked, “Which way should we learn the Ten Commandments?” His reply: “Just learn them.” Good advice still.

#4 – What about posting the Ten Commandments in public schools?
Louisiana law now requires posting the Ten Commandments in the public schools. The law specifies the language of the King James Version—hence, a Protestant list. What if parents in a district want the Catholic list? As of November, a court has placed a “hold” on this law. I expect the courts will void any “stand alone” displays of the Ten Commandments. We’ll see. . .

#5 – The way to salvation? Or because we have salvation?
The setting of the Ten Commandments in Exodus makes clear that these commandments are given to a people who have already experienced deliverance from bondage by God (“salvation”).

The first words are, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Even more forcefully, God directed Moses to say this to the Israelites: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4). God then calls the people to obey him and keep his covenant.

Obedience to God’s commands testifies to a salvation already theirs. The Apostle Paul affirms the same. By grace through faith we are saved, not by our works. But then, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

#6 – Are the Ten Commandments for “believers” only or are they standards for all people to follow?
To list the commandments stripped of their gracious setting seems to break their intended purpose. Still, we can’t avoid seeing that most of the commands are reflected in the social values and even laws of a decent society.

To put it another way, a secular society wouldn’t be a good place to live if it didn’t honor the role of good parents and the bond of marriage and have laws against murder, theft and perjury. Secular society can also uphold religious liberty so those who wish to worship God according to these commandments can do so without fear of punishment or coercion.

Wayne Grudem speaks of the value the Ten Commandments have outside the covenant community:

. . . the New Testament authors, guided by the teachings of Jesus and by the further leading of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’s ascension into heaven, understood that God, in his wisdom, placed within the Ten Commandments some broad principles that would not only teach the people of Israel what kind of conduct is pleasing or displeasing to him, but would also be useful for teaching others outside of Israel, and throughout all history, about such conduct. In short, the Ten Commandments radiate God’s wisdom for all of human history. [Wayne Grudem, “How and Where the NT Authors Reaffirm the Ten Commandments (Except One), Christian Ethics, pp. 241-42.]

#7 – What makes the Ten Commandments so unique?
1. The Ten Commandments are the first and only example of a covenantal relationship between a deity and an entire people. In them God reveals his will to an entire people who are then answerable to its terms.

2. Unlike other ancient treaties between a ruler and his people, the Ten Commandments focus not only on the people’s relationship with the ruler, but also on each individual’s behavior toward every other individual.

3. The Ten Commandments treat both religious and social obligations as expressions of divine will. In doing so, the religious conscience is expanded to include matters of interpersonal morality. Thus, one who is unethical cannot at the same time be religious.

4. Unlike other legal codes, the Ten Commandments are laws that are simple, absolute, and devoid of qualification.

* Summary of points from Prager’s Exodus, pages 219-220. Bold type mine.

#8 – The Ten Commandments and The Love Commandments
It’s easy to find versions of ethics that tell people to simply live by the promptings of “love.”

What the world needs now is love, sweet love.
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. – Burt Bacharach

The big problem is, love can motivate but it doesn’t educate. The world has too little love but it also keeps too few commandments.

Jesus taught that loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the two commandments on which all the Law “hangs” (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus’ words keep us from neglecting the law (“love without law”), but also keep us from cold, formal, legalist law-keeping that freezes out love in how we serve God and people (“law without love”).

#9 – Are Christians today supposed to “keep the law”?
Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two greatest reformers, both taught the abiding, continuing value of the commandments.

The Apostle Paul’s word, “You are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14-15) doesn’t mean we are not under the law’s moral standards. We can’t “love our neighbor as ourselves” apart from commandments like “you shall not commit adultery or kill or steal or bear false witness or covet” (Romans 13:8-10).

The New Testament, in one way or other, often reflects and affirms the Ten Commandments (see 1 Timothy 1:8-10).

There is one noticeable exception: the command to keep the Sabbath. But even in this case most Christians debate how to fulfill it, even if they practice how to avoid it. We’ll wrestle with this problem when we consider the 4th Commandment on how to keep the Sabbath.

#10 – Finally, what about those “two tablets”?
Moses brought two tablets containing the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai. He lost his temper a bit and broke them the first time, but God replaced them. What were they?

They were not:
• One tablet listing our duties to God, the other tablet listing our duties to one another.
• Numbered with Roman numerals.
• Written only on one side.
Most likely the tablets were small enough to carry in one’s hands. They were two copies of the commandments, written on both sides, resembling ancient treaty documents.

I look forward to examining the Ten Commandments one-by-one. We’ll be using the common Protestant listing of the commands.

Good Reading on the Ten Commandments:

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book 2, Chapter 8), “Explanation of the Moral Law (The Ten Commandments).”
* Kevin DeYoung, The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them. [192 pages, with simple and practical explanations of the commandments]
* Wayne Grudem, Christian Ethics. [Approx. 1200 pages of in-depth explanations and applications of the Commandments and related issues such as how to use the Old Testament for ethical guidance]
Michael S. Horton, The Law of Perfect Freedom (Relating to God and others through the Ten Commandments).
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, “The Ten Commandments.”
Gilbert Meilaender, Thy Will Be Done—The Ten Commandments
and the Christian Life.
* J. I. Packer, Keeping the 10 Commandments. [Brief and practical]
Dennis Prager, Deuteronomy, pp. 67-110.
Dennis Prager, Exodus, pp. 219-77.

* Recommended

Good Guidance for
Setting Our Priorities in The New Year
By Harry Saltzgaver

“I remember that I’m not the one in charge — the ‘Big Amigo in the Sky,’ as one of my friends calls God, handles those duties. My job is to do the best I can to make the world around me a better place.

“That starts with family, and quickly moves to my various communities — church, charities, Long Beach, the job. I am truly blessed to have them all, and I’ll try to remember that in the coming year.”

—Harry Saltzgaver, columnist for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Grunion Gazette; a dedicated member of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California.

2024 – Hanukkah and Christmas Converge

A rare convergence of these two special observances just occurred. December 25 was the start of Hanukkah, the 8-day Festival of Lights that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness.

The festival takes us back to the Second Century BC, when the Syrian-Greek Seleucid Empire conquered Israel. When Antiochus Epiphanes came to the throne a time of tyranny fell on Israel. Her ancient Jewish faith and its traditions were suppressed. The Jewish temple was turned over to the worship of Zeus and desecrated.

This led to what is known as the Maccabean Revolt. When it succeeded, the Temple was cleansed of pagan statuary and its worship was restored, including lighting the menorah candles which symbolized God’s presence.

The Christmas story tells of the visit of the Magi who travelled to Judea to worship the Christ Child. King Herod would tolerate no competition and eventually slew the young male children in Bethlehem. But Jesus and his family had already escaped to Egypt (read the entire account in Matthew 2).

Both traditions celebrate the triumph of good over evil and underscore the importance of religious freedom that is protected from the excesses and opposition of secular governments. When the state forgets its limited role it often assumes the characteristics of a religion and oppresses all contrary voices.

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

“Don’t Steal in Seal” – a city’s warning

Pro-active no-nonsense work by the Seal Beach (CA) Police Department stopped three thieves in their tracks in December after they walked out of stores with stolen items. Police car and body cameras show officers chasing the thieves and arresting them. The arrests drew national attention.

This action was greatly helped by voters who, in November, passed Proposition 36, which undid damage from earlier propositions that hindered good law enforcement. Prior to Prop 36, shoplifting of items valued at less than $950 was considered a misdemeanor. Worse in Los Angeles County, the District Attorney wouldn’t prosecute misdemeanors. So “Steal? Why worry?”

No longer. Such theft can be considered a felony if one has prior convictions. And hitting multiple merchants or doing it in concert with others (conspiring) also enhance the charges. Citizens should support the police on these points.

Two of the arrestees were recorded by video as they sat cuffed in the back seat of a police vehicle. “It’s a felony?” “Bitch new laws. Stealing is a felony.” “And this is Orange County. They don’t play.”

Lessons: “Don’t do retail theft crimes, and certainly don’t do them in Orange County and especially not in Seal Beach. California law won’t let you off so easy any more!”

Kudos to SBPD! I’m honored to have served this agency.

“Back the Badge” is an occasional essay written by Donald Shoemaker, a police chaplain (now retired) with Master Certification and 24 years of experience, and an ordained minister with over 55 years of experience.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He has served as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001-2024). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from Grace Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in Christian ethics, and a Doctor of Ministry from American Baptist Seminary of the West (now Berkeley School of Theology) with a concentration on the Charismatic Movement. His law school studies included a course on the First Amendment.

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California after living 54 years in Long Beach.

© 2024 Donald Shoemaker