Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, we are looking closer at the Decalogue, the Ten Words, the Ten Commandments.

Covenant Document

This is a covenant document and it has the structure of a covenant structure with a format that would have been familiar with those in ancient times.

We’ve looked at the structure before.

It starts with the parties being introduced and we see this in verse 6a:

‘I am the Lord your God...

This is an essential part of the Ten Commandments which are normally forgotten when reciting.

The structure then has an historical introduction:

...who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Normally the suzerain has defeated his subject in battle but with this treaty covenant it is different:

The Lord did not become Israel’s suzerain, sovereign, Lord, by beating Israel in battle.

No, the Lord became Israel’s suzerain, sovereign, Lord, by beating Israel’s enemy and liberating them from slavery.

This is gospel, and it’s important to remember that this historical prologue is a fundamental part of the document.

If you take this part off, you are in a world of legalism, but recognizing it here, we notice that the ten commands that follow become not preconditions to salvation, but responses to salvation already received.

Notice the past tense of the verb: “who brought you out of Egypt.”

God does not come to the Israelites in Egypt and say, “All right, here are the ten commands.

As soon as you can keep all of these, I’ll get you out of here.

I’ll rescue you.”

No, that would be merited salvation.

This is unmerited.

God rescues Israel from Egypt without qualification or condition, and actually, there is a sermon here, isn’t there?

Salvation is always by grace alone, through faith alone, in the Lord alone.

This was salvation by grace.

The Lord is Israel’s gracious redeemer.

Then in the structure we have the stipulations:

Casuistic Law and Apodictic Law

We call them casuistic laws and apodictic laws.

Casuistic laws are usually conditional.

They begin with an “if” statement, whereas unconditional laws are simply imperatives usually expressed in the negative.

Casuistic Laws

A conditional statement would be like we find in [Exod 21:28]: “If an ox gores a man [or someone else] to death, then the ox shall surely be put to death.”

Here you have an “if-then” statement.

Or Exodus 22:26–27: “If you ever take your neighbor’s property as a pledge, you are to return it.”

There you have an “if-then” statement.

The Exodus [Decalogue] statements are quite different; there are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” here, simply Exod 20:3: “You shall have no other gods besides me,” or [Exod 20:16]: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

That’s what we find in the Decalogue.

We can summarize the differences as in a chart like this.

Casuistic laws are typically conditional.

They begin with “if” or “when.”

They are in the declarative mood.

They usually are in the third person.

They are specific, based on special cases, actual cases, and usually positive in form.

Apodictic Laws

Whereas unconditional, apodictic laws, like we find in the Decalogue, are unconditional: “Honor your father and your mother.”

It does not say, “If your father and mother are good parents, honor them.”

No, it’s without condition.

They begin with a verb in the imperative.

They always are in the second person: “you shall do this,” or “you shall not do this.”

They are usually very general without qualification or exception—“Honor your father and your mother,” “You shall not kill,” “You shall not steal,” very general terms—and they are often negative in form.

Who is the Decalogue for?

Now we have to ask is: to whom is the Decalogue addressed?

Most people will say ‘everybody’.

in Christian circles, we will often hear it said that the Decalogue is a statement of eternal truth, eternal ethics, universal principles, in contrast to the rest of the laws given at Sinai, which are local and parochial.

who is the “you”?

Obviously, the “you” isn’t anybody.

The “you” here is an adult male

this person owns fields and houses; he owns oxen and donkeys; he has adult children and servants; he is tempted to commit adultery with his neighbor’s wife.

Who is the “you”?

And of course, the conclusion is the adult male head of a household.

But whose interests are being served by this covenant document?

Although some people say this is to protect the interests of the head of the household, it actually does the opposite.

The point of the text is to protect families and neighbors from an adult male head of a household who is tempted to abuse his power in self-interest and to run roughshod over other people.

The document begins with “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and it ends with “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.”

It is here to

guarantee that the head of the household will always work and live and serve in the interests of the other person.

Ten but how?

But then how do we number the Decalogue?

This is actually a big discussion for there are two traditions: There is the reformed and baptist tradition that numbers as two commands:

the prohibition on other gods (“You shall have no other gods besides me”) and the prohibition of images

And then one command on coveting, at the end.

The other tradition with Roman Catholics and Lutherans follow:

the prohibition on other gods and the prohibition of images are a single command.

This is one command.

To achieve a total of ten, then the command on coveting at the end is split into two.

You might think that I would give more credence to the Reformed and Baptist tradition but I am not.

There are many more reasons than what I am going to give now but here are three straight forward ones:

The change of language from I and Me, 1st person, (6-10) to 3rd person in verse 11ff.

6-10 is one paragraph and therefore one command.

The second starts in verse 11.

We find how the commands are put: you shall not can be seen clearly, though more so in the Exodus version: “You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not covet … and you shall not desire.”

These are all separate commands.

Jewish Tradition.

In all the older versions of the Decalogue and including the Dead Sea Scrolls how we as Baptists number the commands as two they treat as one.

It is not overly important but much has been made about this in the past especially in relation to icons and images in the Catholic Church.

This is because of the way the ten are taught rather than in full in the Bible.

In fact, the Catholic way is likely the way we should number them, if only to say the whole thing accurately.

The Decalogue Itself - First 2 commands

We are going to have a quick run through the commands but a reminder that this was written to the male head of the house and to rein in his power:

1

The Lord has the right to exclusive allegiance.

The head of the household is not to make another god to worship it in the place of, or alongside of, God.

2. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,” except that’s not what the Hebrew says.

We usually interpret the second command as a command against profanity or using God’s name in oaths or in curses.

Actually, that may be involved, but it is not the primary sense as I understand it.

Literally, the text says, “You shall not carry/bear/wear the name of the LORD your God in vain.”

This text assumes that every true Israelite is stamped with the name of the Lord, branded by God.

Isaiah 44:5–6: he talks about people having written on their hands “belonging to Yahweh.”