ipl-logo

God's Research Paper: The Decalogue Today

1781 Words8 Pages

GOD’S STORY RESEARCH PAPER: THE DECALOGUE

JAMES A. BYER
AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

Abstract

When deciding what topic to pick for this research paper, the Decalogue stood out to me first, especially with all the unfortunate events we have seen happening around us lately in our society, the lack of love we have for ourselves and others is disheartening. Although the Ten Commandments were created as a way for the Israelites to conform to God’s way of life during a certain timeframe and culture, they are still applicable to our society and culture today.

The Significance of the Decalogue:

After the people of Israel reached the wilderness of Sinai, three months following their exodus from …show more content…

There are three versions of the Decalogue mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament, they are Exodus 20:2-17, Exodus 34:12-26, and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, with the version in Exodus 20 being the most commonly cited. In further research, attempts to remove 10 Commandment Statues, it is important to understand that the Ten Commandments were created within an entirely different culture with very different expectations of its citizens. It was an ancient Hebrew theocracy, in which church and state were blended and everyone was expected to follow state religion. During this time those choosing a different faith could find themselves sentenced to death, unlike today where we now have religious freedom and religious tolerance with the United States being the most religiously diverse country in the world. (religioustolerance.org). This realization makes a big difference when reading the story of Moses and when trying to understand the Ten Commandments and their meaning, especially as the Israelites were chosen "to be God's own treasured possession" as a result from God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 15 & 17), and even during this timeframe, the laws God gives for the Israelites emulates all that is needed to be the people he desired them to be as they were already used to laws as slaves of Egypt, God was not …show more content…

64). When the Lord called onto Moses from the mountain, saying, “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples (Exodus 19:5-6). As we know, God gave Moses on Mount Sinai the Decalogue, inscribed on stone tablets, which was intended for the obedience of the Israelites in order to demonstrate their love and faith in God. Bartholomew, explains that Israel has been called by God for a special purpose, one much more important than any could imagine as the end result is that of God living among us, his people. They are chosen to be God’s own treasured possession, for service, for the sake of the nations. If they live under his reign, they will be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation”. (Exodus 19:6). He further states that, "As the Israelites obey God, they will demonstrate what life under God’s reign looks like. The Ten Commandments the “Ten Statements” Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are the general stipulations for Israel in covenant relationship with God, the instructions that follow the Ten Words thus articulate the core principles that God intends and are to shape the lives of his people so that their lives will reflect his character." (Bartholomew, pg. 65) In order for the Israelites to

Show More
Related

Similarities Between Hammurabi And Hebrew Laws

466 Words | 2 Pages

The Ten Commandments are the

Read More

Compare And Contrast Mesopotamians And Israelites

142 Words | 1 Pages

Although, the Israelites laws were established by the Commandments. Also,

Read More

Guadalupan Covenant

642 Words | 3 Pages

God makes a covenant with Moses called the Mosaic covenant, which is the covenant between God and the nation of Israel. The covenant was made at Mount Sinai, where God makes Moses the leader of Israel. This covenant is conditional because its organized in the form of blessings and curses. God states “I will set my Dwelling among you, and will not disdain you.

Read More

Ap Human Geography Chapter 2 Essay

753 Words | 4 Pages

Centralization of Worship - This as meant to bring control of the people and ensure only Yahwe was worshipped. It had to be issued to prevent people from worshiping other gods. b) Theme of the land – This is where the Israelites were instructed by God that if they obey his laws he will bless them with land c) Warning – The warning issued are that God can destroy the Israelites if they don’t obey him. d) Exhortations – The people of Israel are encouraged to Obey God,They are promised with children, food and land. e) Sermonic Style – While writing the book, Moses adopted a sermonic style as a way of persuading and encouraging the Israelites to obey the law.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Deuteronomy 6: 1-12

1179 Words | 5 Pages

The structure of these twelve verses can be split up into four groups of three verses, each taking on a different resemblance to a student’s classroom presentation of his persuasive paper. The first three verses serve as the introduction to the author’s “paper” in which he sets up why his audience should pay attention to his persuasion. The next three verses take on the “thesis” of Moses’ pedagogy, and the following three verses provide instructions for how to carry out this thesis. To put it simply, this thesis is that each generation of Israelites should never cease to educate the next generation to remember the Lord their God through the way that they love Him. Although the rest of chapter six goes on with more rhetoric, verses ten through twelve can conclude the first twelve verses into a comprehensive unit by looking to the future of what will happen as this thesis is being carried out.

Read More

Susan Ackerman's View Of Love In Deuteronomistic History

1273 Words | 6 Pages

As soon after god delivered his people, the Israelites, out Egypt by crossing the Red Sea, the great people of Israel traveled throughout the desert to eventually camp at Mount Sinai which is a very important sacred space. McBride describes the context of when Moses took account of the Sinai account which God gave Moses the commandments,“In spite of narrative disjunctions, the Sinai account also makes a reasonably clear connection between the divine proposal of a conditional covenant (Exod 19:3-6), whose principal "words" the people are perhaps too quick to accept when Moses first reports them (19:7-8), and the proclamation of the Decalogue (20:1-17). These are, presumably, the same obligatory "words" to which the people subscribe in the rites

Read More

Egyptian Civilization Dbq

1470 Words | 6 Pages

Hebrew civilization began in 1792 B.C when a mass of Hebrews departed from Egypt. Hebrews held major religious and moral contributions to future civilizations. Whereas many earlier religions were polytheistic, Hebrew religion was define by monotheism as supported by the third commandment in The Ten Commandments that states “You shall have no other gods before me.” In addition, The Ten Commandments are very different from Hammurabi’s Code in the fact that it did not focus on punishment. It emphasized justice and fairness as displayed in commandments 13-17 declaring “You shall not kill.

Read More

How Did Leo Tolstoy's Impact On Russia

1707 Words | 7 Pages

Article Two in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, adopted by Russia in 1993, states “Man, his rights and freedoms shall be the supreme value” (“Constitution”). In the 1800s, however, this statement would have only applied to noblemen and their superiors. Even those noblemen, however, served the Russian Emperor, an absolute ruler. What changed Russia’s administrative system, giving more power to the people in the 1990s than in previous years? Incredibly, Leo Tolstoy, one of Russia’s most famous writers, greatly impacted how Russians viewed government and life in general.

Read More

Moses In The Odyssey

705 Words | 3 Pages

(Exodus 3-4) Dealing with his pride, he went from privilege to poverty, to trailing about the dessert with grumbling people who took a long time to learn the lessons God was trying to teach them: humility, submission, and to be humble in the presence of the Lord. One of Moses’s major trials seems to have been the difference between what he thought his assets were, and what God thought his assets were. When he finally obeyed and fulfilled God’s will for him, Moses then had to bring law to the Israelites, and ultimately all Christians, while doing his best to keep them focused on the many blessings God had granted them. Moses brought the new covenant to the people.

Read More

Code Of Hammurabi Essay

1031 Words | 5 Pages

The kings or ruling order claimed to be those gods human representative on earth thus giving them their divine lead.[8] In Exodus and Deuteronomy, God gave us the Ten Commandments to live our lives in accordance.[9] Many of God’s commandment are realized in the man-made laws beginning with a structure of living a forth right existence and human goodness. All three laws deal with stealing, murder, adultery, and lies. They address responsivities to our fellow human beings as our selves and family members. One big difference is God states “You shall have no other gods before Me. ”[10] In this one law, we are to abide completely and with out reverence as it was God’s first law.

Read More

Israel's Influence In The Hebrew Bible

1381 Words | 6 Pages

As God’s chosen people, Israel follows the Lord’s instructions often without knowing God’s exact motives, paralleling to the Puritanical ‘city on a hill.’ Like the Puritans, the people of Israel trust that they are in the Lord’s favor over all othersthis is clear in the creation of the covenant God made for Abraham guaranteeing the proliferation of Israel and the blessing of all other nations through them (Genesis. 22.17-18). In the case of the Israelite exodus, God instructs Moses to get the Israelites to “turn back and camp…by the sea” (Exodus. 14.2). Not only is God making the Israelites a sitting target for approaching Egyptian forces, but he is also weakening them in the eyes of Pharaoh. Turning back makes the journey appear aimless, and resting by the sea presents the Israelites with only one escape route that can easily be cut off by the Egyptians (Exodus.

Read More

Jewish Religion Essay

955 Words | 4 Pages

This change came at a time when the Jews were the weakest; they were enslaved starving, and and felt as though they were being punished. But when the commandments came it signaled a change in God’s feeling toward them and brought forth the Jew’s exile. The exile was the Jew’s 40 years spent in the desert. This would seem a time of negative change in the people feelings toward, but instead this event magnified the Jew’s love in their God and created much positive change. The reason being is the Jews did not see this as a stagnant time of god ignoring them, on the contrary they saw it as God being able to keep them alive in his love and faith even when his people were living in a desolate environment.

Read More

Covenant In The Old Testament

1009 Words | 5 Pages

This covenant is found in Exodus 19-24 and Deuteronomy. These books are the structure for the Judicial law which the Israelites follow even to this day. In Exodus 20 is where we find the Ten Commandment. These are the basic few out of the 613 laws that God requires the Israelites to follow. I have a hard enough time remembering the Ten Commandments yet alone the 613 laws required to be holy before God.

Read More

Brief History Of Judaism Essay

721 Words | 3 Pages

God also gave a set of rules that they have to live by, the 613 Commandments. This covenant was made to all Jews as a whole, and all through Jewish history is their attempts to make the world a good and equal society. The second covenant was the beginning of Judaism as a structured religion. With the directing of God, Jewish became a powerful group with people like David and

Read More

Salvation In The Old Testament

1660 Words | 7 Pages

The regulations God provided in the Ten Commandments represented the covenant God made with the Israelites in relation to Salvation Grace. God presented the route his people would follow to attain Salvation through this commandments. Through the Covenants God made with Moses during the era, He provided the Ten Commandments to Israelites. Moses performed various sacrifices that would cleanse the people of Israel from their sins. However, observance of the law was not the way to salvation in the Old Testament.

Read More

More about God's Research Paper: The Decalogue Today

Related Topics

Open Document