I suppose for many, the only exposure to the 10 Commandments has come from movies and television shows. I was surprised to find that there have been at least seven motion pictures produced since 1923—the first being a silent film. Gone are the days of the classic Charlton Heston version. Now, there are documentaries, animations, online videos, and mini-series’ of the infamous story.
The biblical account of the 10 Commandments, however, paints a much deeper picture of the miraculous events surrounding Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers record, in detail, the 11-month period that the Hebrew nation camped at the foot of the mountain and were tested by God.
If you’ve never done an in-depth study of these Old Testament books, I encourage you to take some time to study them closely. I was blessed to discover some interesting things I didn’t know before. Here are 10 things you might not know about the 10 Commandments.
1. They were spoken to Moses three months after he led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Slide 1 of 10
We can only imagine what the Israelites were going through, three months after they’d been led out of Egypt. Six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, had witnessed their miraculous deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh. Yet, within a few weeks, the people began complaining about water to drink, (Exodus 15:22-27), and bread to eat. (Exodus 16:2-5)
God’s timing in waiting until the third month to give the commandments was no coincidence. He had already proven Himself as their Deliverer and Provider and it was time to test their faith and reveal His divine standards for them.
“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:4-5)
The third month also parallels the New Testament Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the first church in Acts 2. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, and by setting forth His commandments, He was declaring an everlasting covenant with them that would later be fulfilled in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
2. The commandments were written by God, not Moses.
Slide 2 of 10
“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.” (Exodus 32:15-16 NKJV)
It is often assumed that when God spoke the commandments in Exodus chapter 20, it was Moses who wrote them down. But the tablets were inscribed by the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18)
There have been skeptics who claim that Moses copied the commandments from an ancient Babylonian text called the Code of Hammurabi. While Hammurabi did record 282 civil and criminal laws, 300 years before Moses, any similarities between the two sets have remained just that—similarities. Hammurabi’s laws were based on civil actions and harsh punishments. The 10 Commandments were based on God’s deep and unconditional love for His people.
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