This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.
Enjoy!
The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)
And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)
Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).
The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.
This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.
7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
This one is especially hurtful to Yahweh, as well as to the cheaters and the cheaters’ spouses (and the children . . . and the relatives of the couple . . . and the friends of the couple – are you picking up on the far-reaching destructive nature of this sin?). This breaking of a solemn commitment is not necessarily sexual, though that is normally the manifestation of it and the easiest way for Satan to tempt people into ignoring an oath. Worship of Ba’al often included sex acts and temple prostitutes, so their services were much more “hip” than the rabbi reading from the Torah down at the local synagogue. Forgiveness of a genuinely contrite sinner is available, but it is not an easy thing and generally takes much time.
6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon
every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou
unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her
whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.(Jeremiah 3:6–9; emphasis added)
Yahweh equates adultery with idolatry (Commandment number 1), and the Israelites generally suffered catastrophic results by condoning adultery. King David was a “man after God’s own Heart,” yet he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he had her husband (Uriah) murdered to hide the adultery. The result was the death of their first child (the result of the adultery) and the prophecy that “the sword shall never depart from thine house” (2 Samuel 11–12). Violence was rampant among David’s children, even to the point where his son Absalom attempted to overthrow David’s kingdom – and he nearly succeeded.
The houses of Israel and of Judah were repeatedly warned of the consequences of idolatry and adultery, yet they continued to defy Yahweh. Even after the house of Israel was conquered and carried away into Assyria (which was prophesied), the house of Judah continued whoring after Ba’al until the Babylonians later conquered them and carried them away from the land and made them slaves for 70 years.
This is a bad one.
Yeshua confirmed that this sin is not just committed by a physical act:
“27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”
(Matthew 5:27–28).
Men are much more passionate than women and much more willing to act on that passion, but when they fail to observe restraint in inappropriate situations, it can be troublesome for their relationship with a wife and with the Father.
Proper sex evokes intimacy, not power or lewdness. Intimacy is what Yahweh desires to have with us and what we should strive to have with Him. Satan tries to corrupt men by making sex nothing more important than an urge that needs to be gratified or a tool to subordinate others.
The sex act should be an intimate display of the love the couple have for each other that has no equal among the couple’s many other relationships. Denigration of the act (e.g., adultery, incest, pedophilia) is not loving – it is not a legitimate display of our physical and emotional love that is to be reserved for only the one we have committed ourselves to.
Intimacy with Yahweh also demands that we do not degrade ourselves by giving ourselves to Him and to embracing other gods, doctrines, and/or rituals (see Chapter 7 of GRAFTED: Embracing Torah for more detail on adultery and idolatry). Because my revisions have not been completed by the publisher, I provide much of this information at my website in a blog entitled “Why Sex?“
In the new Covenant, the Law will be written in our hearts. It appears wickedness tries to take up residence there also. Avoid this one at all costs.
[continue to the 8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]
[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]
[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]
[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]
[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]
The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:
37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(Matthew 22:37–39)
[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]
[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]
[7th Commandment – No Adultery]
[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]