“The Ten Commandments: Some Points and Observations,” by Andrew J. Schatkin
“The Ten Commandments: Some Points and Observations,” by Andrew J. Schatkin
The Ten Commandments, or the Decalogue, represent extremely advanced ethical and moral thinking. The first Commandment forbids the worship of any other gods other than the Jewish God, Jehovah or Yahweh. It is clear that this commandment involves, suggests, and virtually commands monotheism, since other gods are out of the question. There is only one god who has created everything and who is the source of all justice and power. This commandment set apart the Hebrew nation and their concept of god and is in opposition to any sort of polytheism.
The Second Commandment forbids the making and worship of a graven image or, more exactly, a carved image of wood or stone. The Jewish god is a spiritual being and cannot be represented by anything material. Like the First Commandment, which is monotheistic in its command, the Second Commandment is equally advanced its concept of God as a Spirit. The nations surrounding the Jewish nation embraced idolatry on a grand scale and, as I said, were largely polytheistic in their orientation. This commandment again focuses on the Jewish Nation’s difference.
The Third Commandment prohibits any misuse of God’s name in perjury or making vows and not keeping them. Again, this commandment is extremely intellectually- and spiritually- advanced since it is directed to intellectual and spoken word misuse.
The Fourth Commandment enjoins the keeping of the seventh day as a holy day of sacrifice and festival.
The Fifth Commandment speaks of the respect and obligations due to parents by their children. This commandment is not only addressed to young children honoring their parents, but to those of any age of who have parents. In particular, this commandment concerns children caring for and respecting old and weak parents. Again, this is an extremely advanced ethic. The use of the word ‘honor’ is particularly compelling and involves a deep-seated intellectual, if not spiritual, obligation on the part of children to their parents (see Deut 20; and Exodus 21).
The Seventh commandment refers to adultery within marriage with another man’s wife (Lev 18.20; 20.10; Deut 22.22).
The Eighth Commandment prohibits stealing and is quite clear.
The Ninth Commandment apparently prohibits perjury in the law courts but might be interpreted as a reference to simply injuring a person’s good name by making false statement about him (see Deut. 19.16-21). Once again, this commandment is about speaking falsely in general about someone else with the intent to injure their reputation represents an extreme advance in ethical and moral thinking.
The Tenth Commandment is a most significant moral advance in thinking since it attacks a thought pattern of envy which is a weakness that all men and women share. The commandment seems to concern itself with our innermost thoughts and desires.
The Decalogue is unique in the advanced thinking it represents. In its time, it was unique and remains so to this day. Jesus many times extended the Decalogue in his interpretation of it. For example, in Matt 5:21-23, Jesus says that the commandment not to kill is extended to the point that everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to council; and whoever says “You Fool” shall be liable to the hellfire. Jesus says in Matthew 5:27 in extension of the commandment not to commit adultery that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. In Matt 5:31-32 Jesus states that everyone who divorces his wife except on the ground of unchastity makes her an adulteress and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. These statements of Jesus are in relation to the older rule stated in verse 31 that whoever divorces his wife should give her a certificate of divorce. Jesus says in Matt 5:33 with respect to the statement not to swear falsely, not to swear at all but simply to say yes or no. In Matt 5:38, Jesus’s comment on the rule eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth says we should not resist evil but if someone strikes us on the right cheek, we should turn to him the other. Finally in Matt 5:43-44, Jesus says of the rule that we should love our neighbor and hate our enemies that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. For more on Jesus’s extension of the Decalogue, see Matt18:21; Matt 19:16-22; Mark 7-14; Mark 9:42-48; and Mark10:1-9.
What I have analyzed here and spoken about represent my thoughts first on the extremely advanced thinking reflected in the Decalogue. Second, I also commented on Jesus’s extremely advanced extension of these moral rules to the point of making them almost impossible. It is hoped that this discussion of the Decalogue, its interpretation, and Jesus’s extension of it is related in turn to the extremely advanced commandments and the thinking reflected in these commandments. In the Parables, we have Jesus advanced thinking beyond the Decalogue, and in the following essay I will discuss that topic.