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.
8. “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
Steal (Hebrew ganab. To take away by stealth or to deceive the heart or mind of any one). This is not just the physical taking of someone else’s property (surely, I do not have to explain why this is bad) but stealing also involves emotional and spiritual harm through deceit.
Have you ever known a person who was very innocent and trusting? If you act badly and the other person loses their innocence, it can be said that you stole their innocence. They will never be able to get it back.
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6 But whoso shall offend [be a stumbling block / impede] one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.(Matthew 18:2, 5–6)
We can steal someone’s reputation (their good name) through libel, slander, gossip, or humiliation – it is a particularly destructive form of theft. Unlike money or property, once a person’s good name has been stolen, it can almost never be fully restored. [Dennis Prager]
Raymond Donovan was Secretary of Labor in the administration of Ronald Reagan. He (and other executives of Schiavone Construction) was accused of defrauding the NYC Transit Authority on work done on the NYC subway. Donovan resigned his cabinet position and faced criminal charges lasting over two years – he was not only found not guilty by a jury, but the jurors gave him a standing ovation at the trial. Donovan famously remarked, “Which office do I go to get my reputation back?”
Governmental corruption is legalized theft, but it is still theft. The obvious example involves officials taking bribes to pass favorable legislation or grant exclusive privileges, but less obvious theft undermines stability and trust. Officials awarding costly grants to entities that then reward the officials with kickbacks or gifts are stealing from taxpayers to enrich the officials and their friends. Spending more than is reasonably budgeted is theft through inflation – devaluing the currency steals purchasing power from the taxpayers who find that the higher, inflated prices mean their dollars do not buy as much as the previous year.
Since jails were not as plentiful as they are today, one convicted of theft often became an indentured servant (slave) of the victim until they paid off the debt (Exodus 22:3). The victim (unlike today’s victims) was not required to suffer loss and to also pay for the room and board of the thief while they loitered in prison.
We can even steal from Yahweh:
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you”
(Deuteronomy 4:2)
The traditions of men steal from the integrity of the Word. Taking away (purposely ignoring) from Yahweh’s commandments is stealing the truth.
That is exactly what the devil tries to do to us: “The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10).
[continue to the 9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]
[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]