CHAPTER 18
1. Now Yithro, the priest of Midyan [and] Moshe's in-law, heard of all that Elohim had done for Moshe and for His people Israel--how YHWH had brought Israel out from Egypt.
In-law: anyone contracted through marriage. It is possible that Yithro and Re’uel (and possibly Hovav of Judges 4:11) are different titles or names for the same man, because of how reverentially Moshe treated him (v. 7). The historian Josephus agreed with this view. Yithro means “his excellency” or “his superior”, and Moshe constantly reaffirms this relationship throughout the chapter. He was a Midyanite (from a people that had already brought Israel much trouble), but he greatly respects him. He was like a father to Moshe; we never hear anything about his actual father except his name. He may have been off at forced labor when Moshe was being weaned by his mother. But Yithro had given him as much of a home as he would ever have.
2. So Yithro, Moshe's in-law, fetched Tzipporah, Moshe's wife, after he had sent her back
3. along with her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom--because he had said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land”,
Gershom means “an exile there”. Moshe never got to set foot in his ancestral homeland, so he was an exile all his life, in a sense.
4. and one was named Eliezer--"because the El of my father has been my help, and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."
El …has been my help: the meaning of Eliezer’s name. Aramaic, "supported me". Pharaoh’s sword: the first time he left Egypt, after he had killed an Egyptian, and also at the Reed Sea, where Pharaoh might have decided to kill Moshe and take the rest of Israel back as slaves.
5. Then Yithro, Moshe's in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moshe in the desert where he had camped at the mountain of Elohim.
Moshe had originally brought his family to Egypt (4:20), but probably sent them back (v. 2) because of the pressure of his duties, in order to give all his energy to carrying out his mission (Hirsch), or due to the sheer danger he was often in when he confronted Pharaoh and brought the plagues on Egypt. But now he is camped back where he had originally encountered YHWH—an easy journey for Yithro and Moshe’s family, who were certainly eager to hear firsthand the truth about what YHWH had done, as there must have been many embellishments as the news spread throughout the region. When Moshe saw the burning bush here, he was tending Yithro’s flock; now he has returned to the same place with YHWH’s flock.
6. And he said to Moshe, "I, your in-law Yithro, have come to you along with your wife and both of her sons with her."
This probably sounds so formal because it was a message he sent to Moshe from outside the camp, probably through a messenger sent ahead to announce his arrival, especially since someone of such standing would probably have at least some armed men with him, and he did not want the guards of the camp to think he was coming to attack Israel:
7. And Moshe went out to meet his [father]-in-law, and he bowed and kissed him. And each asked his fellow about his welfare, and they came into his tent,
Went out to meet: an example of nomadic hospitality preserved to this day. One does not wait until his guest arrives to greet him. Moshe goes out to personally escort him. Certainly he wanted to see his wife and sons as well, but Moshe sees Yithro as his superior—a father and teacher. Even with the burning bush and all the signs YHWH gave him, Moshe had still asked Yithro for permission to go to Egypt. Moshe submitted to his authority, and honors the one who had taught him how to shepherd flocks, a skill he needed in his work of leading Israel to the Promised Land. Moshe in turn taught us to respect the grey-headed. (Lev. 19:32)
8. and Moshe told his in-law all that YHWH had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel's sake, and the trouble which they had encountered on the way and [how] YHWH had delivered them.
He has heard all of this before (v. 1), but it is important to give firsthand testimony of what YHWH has done. Hearsay is only gossip until a true eyewitness is heard from.
9. So Yithro rejoiced about all the benefit that YHWH had accomplished for Israel, whom He had delivered from the hand of Egypt.
He is neither apathetic about what YHWH has done for Moshe nor jealous that he has gone far beyond his teacher in many areas.
10. Then Yithro said, "Blessed [be] YHWH, who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh--who has snatched the people out from under the hand of Egypt!
11. "Now I know that YHWH is greater than all the gods, because in the things about which they acted boastfully, He outdid them!"
Now I know: Though tradition says he was ostracized by his own people because he returned to the ways of Shem, until now this may have been a matter of faith for him. Now he has proof that YHWH is greater than all the idols his people worshipped. It is no longer a distant memory or a doctrinal stance; he has now seen evidence that YHWH is alive. By tradition, Yithro was a genuine seeker of truth, who had participated in every kind of idolatry to test them all, and now he had come to his conclusion. This alone was worth all the "trouble" (v. 8). Israel is meant to be a light to all nations, and their physical experience of YHWH confirmed his belief.
12. Then Yithro, Moshe's in-law, brought an ascending offering and slaughtered [offerings] to Elohim, and Aharon and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread before Elohim with Moshe's in-law.
He restored the knowledge of types of offering that might not have been done by the Israelites since Yosef brought his family to Egypt, judging by how many instructions had to be given just about the Passover lamb. They have not been shepherds, but bricklayers. Aharon (who would soon be the officiator over such offerings) was watching, assumedly learning his technique. They all accepted this foreigner and made a covenant with him, because he was Moshe’s teacher.
13. Now the event of the next day was that Moshe sat down to judge the people, and the people stood by Moshe from the morning until the evening.
They have been slaves; they are used to being told what to do rather than making decisions for themselves, having not had the freedom to internalize many principles of how to behave.
14. And Moshe's in-law saw all that he was doing to the people, and he said, "What is this that you are doing to the people? Why are you alone sitting down, and all the people standing by you from morning until evening?"
He is not asking why Moshe gets to relax while no one else does. Rising in the presence of a judge (to show him honor) is a practice that has continued to our own day, as has standing for the reading of the verdict. What he is asking is why no one else is doing some of the judging. This is not something he could handle all by himself. Only Moshe has been learning the underlying principles; the rest only received rulings for particular occasions rather than the ideas behind them, which tied them all together.
15. And Moshe said to his in-law, "[It is] because the people come to me to enquire of Elohim.
16. "When they have a case [to be judged], they come to me, and I judge between a man and his fellow, and I reveal the decrees of Elohim, and His instructions."
The Torah is like the trunk of a tree, which does not sway in the wind, while the decrees are like the more flexible upper branches, for they can flesh out the Torah in different ways at different times. Moshe has not yet received the Torah on the mountain (19:19), but he has learned much from Yithro himself,from his experiences as a shepherd, and from seeing YHWH work.
17. And Moshe's in-law told him, "You are not doing this the right [way].
18. "You'll wear out for sure--both you and this [group of] people that is with you, because the matter is [too] heavy for you; you aren't strong enough to do it all by yourself.
Wear out: shrivel up, wither (i.e., grow old faster) or become senseless—i.e., "lose your mind" because of being over-tired, and the people too would become exhausted from standing all day, and would get none of their work done while they waited in line. It was inefficient. Too heavy for you: Some of his opponents would later quote this back to Moshe to try to gain power for themselves. But his recent experience with the help he received when his arms were heavy (17:12) led him to recognize that Yithro was right.
19. "Now pay attention to my voice: I'll give you some advice, and may Elohim be with you. You be a representative of the people toward Elohim, and carry the cases to Him,
Avraham had given gifts to his concubines' children, one of whom was Midyan, though we are told that he gave everything he had to Yitzhaq. (Gen. 25:2) Here we see some of Midyan's gift--in this case, wisdom--being given back to Yitzhaq's descendants.
20. "then you enlighten them [concerning] prescribed limits and instructions, and make known to them the way in which they must walk and the deeds that they must do.
Yithro was the "priest of Midyan", but in Hebrew, "priest” is not strictly a religious term; it simply means "officiator", and comes from a root word meaning to judge, which stems from a word meaning “to row a straight course”. One needs to have equal strength in both arms; otherwise he will row in circles. A judge must show both strength and mercy, or he will be unbalanced and the course of the nation will be crooked. Midyan means "strife", specifically in a legal context, so the one whose title declares that he is the "officiator of strife" is the one YHWH sent to correct the way Moshe was handling court cases, by his expertise in the area of “crowd control”. Yithro was capable of properly judging a situation and knew how to bring order. As YHWH dealt with the disorder (Gen. 1:2) by bringing light, then dividing the darkness out of the light, the officiator is to remove the darkness from the Torah by bringing clarity as to the specifics of how it is to be carried out. This way they would not be asking Moshe for things they should be able to search out for themselves, taking the responsibility for petty decisions off him. The term for “walk” here is not the one that simply means to ambulate; it also connotes carrying a burden or leading a person or animal along with one as one walks. I.e., he is walking for someone else, which is the very thing the leaders of Israel must learn to do. If he makes them participate, they will learn new capabilities and become responsible for one another, and he will not be overworked.
21. "And you [should carefully] search out capable men from among all the people, who hold Elohim in reverence--reliable men who are haters of unjust gain, and set [these] over them [as] wardens of thousands, wardens of hundreds, wardens of fifties, and wardens of tens.
Search out: by asking for character witness. They would have already proven themselves haters of unjust gain by their actions. There were people like this among the whiners; they were just outweighed by the more vocal majority. Capable men: not just experienced, but "forceful", "strong", "full of resolve" , not “pushovers”, and able to resist the temptation of bribery and handle the criticism that would inevitably come with the job of being a judge, since people resent being ruled over, even benevolently. A judge of Israel must be sturdy and resilient, for the restraint he brings saves the nation. The term can also mean “wealthy”; if they were already wealthy, they would be less tempted to accept bribes. Hold Elohim in reverence: if they had a strong awareness that they were answering to a still-higher judge, they would not be likely to abuse their power. Until this point there was no consistent organizational structure in Israel except the tribe, clan, and family. Yithro is showing them the type of structure that controls strife and contention: make them responsible for one another and make everyone accountable to someone close to him. “Tens” would refer to families and households, more likely ten men with their families than ten individuals cut across natural family lines. The "small claims judges" who presided over only ten men would know them much more intimately (as those of each tribe were related to each other), knowing each one’s tendencies, and thus be able to recognize much more quickly when they were "bluffing" or whether an allegation was out of character for the accused. Moshe probably only directly trained the leaders of 1,000, then let them teach the rest. These may have been the ones who later constituted the seventy elders who accompanied him up the mountain. Under each ruler of a thousand, there would be 130 other rulers.
22. "And let them decide between the people on all occasions, except that every matter of great difficulty they will bring to you, but every minor situation they can judge for themselves. Lighten the load that is on yourself; they can sustain [the burden] along with you.
Not that the small matters were unimportant, but if he trained the others to judge the more common problems by teaching them to understand human nature, he could delegate 99% of the work to them. So his main job was to be a teacher (v. 20) more than a judge. This way his wisdom would also outlast him. The higher-ranking judges are not there for a defendant to appeal his case, as much as for the lower judges to consult if they were not able to, with the skills they had, determine how to rule in a particularly complex case, or possibly if he is too close to the accused or accuser and cannot be objective.
23. "If you do this, and Elohim ordains [it for] you, then you will be able to hold up, and this [entire] people will arrive at their [own] place in one piece."
Elohim ordains it: As good as any advice sounded, he would still have to make sure that this was consistent with what YHWH had taught him at other times. In one piece: Heb., "in shalom"--soundness, wholeness, well-being, and safety. Now the answer to the question asked years earlier (“Who made you our judge?”) is “Yithro!” But only because YHWH did in fact approve of this.
24. So Moshe listened to his in-law's voice, and did all that he had said:
Though Yithro had told him to check with YHWH as to whether this was appropriate advice (v. 23), Moshe immediately recognizes it as YHWH’s provision. He did not have to “pray about it”. Taking responsibility for one another is what works best for Israel, and Moshe accepts his advice. Moshe, the head of an entire nation, who had just conquered the most powerful nation of their day, did not let that go to his head. He listened to this desert shepherd with so little power that he could not even stop other shepherds from hassling his daughters. But he understood organization, and Moshe valued his experience. Moshe can tell us what to do because he knows how to listen. Aristotle also said, “He who never learned to obey can never be an appropriate commander.” (Compare Mat. 8:8-9)
25. that is, Moshe chose able men from among all Israel and made them heads over the people--wardens [by the] thousands, wardens by hundreds, wardens by fifties, and wardens by tens.
The first criteria for who should be heads is that they act in accordance with Moshe, not who had the seminary degree or who the board of directors thought best. Israel had to establish order before they entered the Promised Land, for we dare not have chaos there. We must start by holding one another responsible, but the very first step is self-examination. (Mat. 7:3-5)
26. And they decided between the people on all occasions; the difficult cases they brought to Moshe, but every minor matter they handled themselves.
He did not just give them rulings, but taught them how to discern for themselves (see v. 16). Yes, do them, because YHWH said so. But then let them teach you broader principles. Learn the patterns they exemplify. They are just examples of a whole frame of mind with which all of our actions must be consistent. Yeshua's "sermon on the mount" (Matthew 5-7) did the same. He said, "Don't imagine that I have come to abolish the [existing] Torah, but to set it on a firmer foundation", then gave examples of how the relatively easy-to-follow commandments really require a heart attitude behind them.
27. Then Moshe gave his in-law a sendoff, and he departed for his own land.
Sendoff: a customary finale for one’s hospitality. He escorted him back to the edge of his place of jurisdiction. It does not say that he took Moshe's wife and sons back with him. Now that the congregation was out of danger, they could stay together as a family again. To go back with Yithro to the simpler life he had had in Midyan was probably a real temptation for Moshe with the constant complaints of these people. Some of Yithro’s descendants did later rejoin Israel. (Judges 4:11)
CHAPTER 19
1. In the third month of the descendants of Israel's departure from the land of Egypt, on this [very] day they arrived at the uncultivated area of Sinai.
This very day: If it was the new moon, this would be 45 days since they left Egypt. By tradition the events for which they came there occurred on Shavuoth, which can be anywhere from the 50th to 57th day after Passover. So they have a few days to settle into the new campsite first.
2. When they had pulled up [stakes] from R’fidim they came to the uncultivated area of Sinai, and camped in the uncultivated area—that is, Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
We, too, as returning Israel today, have left Egypt, but are not yet in the Promised Land, so this passage is instructive. They were learning to be true Hebrews and go with the flow. But that does not mean to become slack. R’fidim means slackness, the very thing they were leaving behind to come to Sinai. Often YHWH develops a theme in us, which we learn in depth until we are ready to “break camp” and start walking it out. Feed it and give it priority until it becomes a habit. Otherwise, we will all end up back in the same camp again, and then we are making no progress. The first use of the word “camped” is plural, but the second is singular, for they were acting as one, yet each individual was involved. After Moshe did what YHWH told him to, he received the sign that YHWH had promised to give him that it was really Him speaking to him—that he would bring Israel to serve Him at this mountain. (3:12) The task had to be completed to this point before he received reassurance, but by now YHWH knew that he needed confirmation because of all the people’s grumbling against him.
3. Then Moshe ascended toward Elohim, and YHWH called to him from the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the House of Yaaqov, and declare [boldly] to the sons of Israel:
Moshe went up seeking judgment (the emphasis in the title Elohim), so YHWH met him as a merciful provider. When we properly judge ourselves and submit to Him, He will provide for us as well. The only previous time we were called the House of Yaaqov was when the whole household had arrived in Egypt and was accounted for. (Gen. 46:27) Now they are again together as a complete family—one with whom YHWH has covenant; He has preserved them and kept His promises thus far. Being all together and in the right place in the right season is a large part of being prepared to hear from YHWH.
4. "‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on the wings of eagles, and gathered you to Myself.
Isn’t YHWH everywhere? Yes, yet there are places where He especially allows Himself to be met. Sinai has the same numeric value as "sullam", the Hebrew word for "stairway" like the one Yaaqov saw in his dream and deduced was an entrance to the heavenlies. The Temple later built there, with staircases of its own, and Sinai were portals to places of His special hospitality. You have seen: They had no excuse not to trust Him. Another key to being ready to receive YHWH’s instruction is to have the right mindset. They need to remember and ponder what YHWH has already done for them, so that when they are again in dark places, they will trust Him. Their own experience will be a witness to them that YHWH knows what He is doing, even when things appear otherwise. But His emphasis here in their remembering that He is the one who rescued them is to establish His “right” to ask some things of them in return:
5. "‘So now, as you hear, if you will [really] listen within My voice, and guard My covenant, you will become to Me a uniquely-valued [and guarded] treasure above all of the [other] peoples--because though all of the earth is Mine,
Listen within: or " listen into"--hear the depths of what I am saying behind the words, the spirit that lies behind the letter. Rashi said this means that if we hear and obey once, we will be able to keep hearing and improve in our obedience. If a child will not obey his parent, how can he ever obey the Torah? If a student will not listen to his teacher, how will he ever hear YHWH’s voice? A uniquely-valued treasure: literally, sealed up and hidden away. Others may see us as imprisoned in His box, “having to” do things not required of them, losing our rights, or being “under” the Law. But it implies being guarded to the degree that Fort Knox or a top-secret military installation is. When everything else gets stolen (and it will), Israel will not, because it is locked away in His “harem” (which in Semitic languages really has a positive meaning of being specially set apart)—on the condition that we put into the relationship what we are supposed to; it is not a one-sided promise.
6. "‘you shall become for Me a kingdom of priests, a separated nation.' These are the words which you must speak to the descendants of Israel.”
A separated nation: in a class of its own. The very idea calls for judgment, because to separate we must discriminate between different things. (Lev. 20:25) This is not popular today, but we must become comfortable with it by practicing it. To be ready to hear from YHWH, we must set things apart in our minds as well. Those who refuse to judge or be judged can by definition never be set apart. As He prepares to bring Israel into the covenant of betrothal at Sinai, He wants her to have no doubt that He loves her. He came to Egypt to get her, but did not stay; there were other elohim in place there. He fought them for her, but has now carried her to His own home. Priests: to help others approach YHWH. Israel had its own priests, but as YHWH's firstborn, the entire people is called to be a light to the nations.
7. Then Moshe came and summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which YHWH had commanded him.
8. And all the people answered together and said, "Everything that YHWH has said, we will do." And Moshe brought the words of the people back to YHWH.
Answered: the term has the sense of a melodious, antiphonal response. This had the potential to be awesome; they all gave the right answer! But they have arrived at the place they have heard so much about and it is easy to make great promises. Will they keep them when the emotional high wears off and no one is watching? After all, they have not yet even heard what the contract entails. Every teacher lives for the few who actually do what he teaches.
9. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Behold, I am coming to you in the thick [dark] mass of a cloud, so that the people may hear Me speaking with you, and always trust you." And Moshe relayed the words of the people to YHWH.
Thick cloud: Compare Psalm 18:11. It was an impressive sight with sounds that they would not easily forget, but the main point is that He clearly demonstrated His choice of a leader, whom they were to respect as they respected YHWH, for they had His very clear endorsement of Moshe. Compare Mat. 3:17; 17:5.
10. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Go to the people and set them apart [as dedicated] today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes
Logistically in this desert place it probably took both days for everyone there to have a turn at washing their clothes, though there is some evidence that the water that gushed from the rock was enough to form a lake, at least temporarily. But He wants us to do something physical to show outwardly that we are enthusiastic about the encounter with Him and to demonstrate that we were aware that something very special was about to take place and we want to be part of it. Clean garments are always a symbol of readiness to stand before YHWH in the righteousness that He provides. (See v. 8.) The garments also tie in with the impending wedding, as seen in Yeshua’s parable about the man who did not wear proper apparel to a wedding feast. (Mat. 22:11-12) He was there not to pay respect to the bride and groom, but only for the food. They also might not have had occasion to wash their clothes since they left Egypt. YHWH wanted the smell of Egypt washed off them so no traces of the one who tried to seduce them would remain on His bride. We need to clean ourselves up to eat at His table. In ancient times, they would wash clothing in a river, so in the process of cleaning one’s clothes, one would become clean himself as well—a picture of washing away our bad attitudes. This is the first instance of what would become an elaborate practice of washings of both body and clothing which was ritual, but often actually hygienic as well, and the two need not be separated. Arthur Custance writes that “a feeling of defilement underlies the concept of guilt and…washing of the body underlies the concept of spiritual purification. The association between moral cleansing of guilt and physical purification from defilement, seems to be reflected by the many occasions upon which ritual washing is prescribed in the Bible for those engaged in the service of the Lord. (Exodus 30:17—21; Leviticus 8:6; Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6: 11; Hebrews 10:22; Ezekiel 36:25; Zechariah 13:1; John 13:10) It may be argued that cleansing of the body without cleansing the spirit is ineffective, except for social reasons… But by the same token, it may well be that cleansing the spirit without cleansing the body would seem to be equally ineffective. The highly spiritual individual who doesn't care for the cleanliness of his person can only be half-highly spiritual!... This twofold cleanliness of both spirit and body seems to be required for a fully mature faith.”
11. "and be firmly prepared for the third day, because on the third day YHWH will descend for the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai.
On the third day: The third letter, gimel, is from a word meaning one that is weaned, fully dealt with, or mature—when everything is coming together, as here.
12. "And you must set up boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not go up onto the mountain or touch its edge. Everyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.'
Moshe was responsible for setting the boundaries. Through his Torah he continues to set parameters for how we are to understand any other part of Scripture. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 8:20) Be put to death: This is the first time YHWH threatened Israel with the same end that He had brought upon Egypt. But if we act like Egypt instead of Israel, we bring that sentence upon ourselves. Moshe was not the one to execute them; removing the evil from our midst is Israel’s job. (Deut. 17:12) We are told he set up twelve pillars (24:4), possibly to string cables between, for that is what the word here for boundary means in the most literal sense. (See photo.) But they are not mentioned here, for a physical boundary should not be needed (unless for the animals, v. 13); his orders should be enough.
13. "‘Not a hand may touch him, because he is to be stoned or shot through; [no matter] whether [it is] an animal or human, he shall not [be allowed to] survive.' When the [trumpet] blast summons, that's when they may go up onto the mountain."
To cross the boundary meant they were moving across a symbolic line to a place with a higher level of holiness. At the right time, the boundary would be removed, but until then it is a sin to cross. We must act “in season”. One can only move to the next level after he has submitted to the fences that tutor him in how to behave in the presence of real holiness. Until then, it would only burn us up. Indeed, this was a dangerous time to cross the boundary (see note on v. 17), but the main issue was whether they would obey, not knowing this. This allegory had to be preserved at all costs. While the mountain arose to allow them to move under it (Deut. 4:11), one who entered that zone was likely to die anyway, but if one deliberately flouts an instruction given for everyone’s safety, he is by definition a rebel—one who just wants to be his own boss--which Shmu’el said is tantamount to witchcraft (1 Shm. 15:23), and should therefore be executed, not just left to suffer the natural consequences of his error, for he is also encouraging others to reject authority. Blast: Heb., yovel, the word transliterated “jubilee”, which is the release from debt and restoration of ancient inheritances every 50 years. It is generally associated with a silver trumpet, but the term itself is for a particular long, drawn-out blast. Here it would mean they were “at liberty” to cross the line. The root meaning of yovel is "to go home". This sound elicits a response from the depths of our being, and is meant to awaken one from spiritual slumber and be ready for whatever is about to occur. In. v. 16 the shofar sound is connected with YHWH's voice, and one day it will again call us home to the Promised Land!
14. Then Moshe came down from the mountain to the people, and he set the people apart [as holy], and they washed their clothes.
15. And he told the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not approach a woman."
YHWH had only said to get ready; Moshe set the first boundary (as he was commanded to do in v. 12) and defined what “ready” was to mean. As soon as the words that YHWH would speak were accepted by the people, it would be a law that anyone engaging in sexual intercourse, or even having a seminal emission, was disqualified from entering a place designated as holy for an entire day. Going near a woman, of course, would not have this effect in itself, but Moshe built another "fence" and said, in effect, "Don't even put yourself in the position of the possibility of still being unclean whenever the blast might occur on the third day.” One’s wife brings him back “down to earth” from his reveries to the practical needs of daily life. Moshe was also therefore saying, “Now that we have finally reached this place, let’s focus all our energy on receiving from YHWH, without the mundane distractions that keep us from hearing.” This is one reason we are to stop most other activity on the Sabbath.
16. On the third day, indeed, when it was morning, there were [thunderous] noises and flashes, and a heavy cloud upon the mountain, and the sound of the shofar was extremely sharp, so that the whole people in the camp was shaking [with fear].
Shofar: ram's horn used as a trumpet. But a man was not sounding this one! This phenomenon (see notes on v. 17, 18) resembled this sound. Noise, flashing lights, and a “siren” are the most effective ways to get someone’s attention! And no one could approach this fearsome site casually.
17. Then Moshe brought the people out from the camp to encounter Elohim, and they stationed themselves at the base of the mountain.
At some point they actually came UNDER the mountain (Deut. 4:11). This was not until after Moshe and Aharon ascended it, apparently. This is probably the context for Yeshua's comment that if one has faith he can tell "this mountain" to be removed. He was referring to the potential curse in the Torah which they were accepting upon themselves here. By trust in YHWH, it becomes not a threat hanging over their heads, but a wedding canopy for the betrothal ceremony between YHWH and Israel. Moshe, here, is the “friend of the Bride” (one of two witnesses), who leads her to her Husband. Velikovsky's theory that the earth was passing through the tail of a comet during the exodus could explain the massive force that it would take to lift the mountain off the ground. The head of the comet (others say it was a passby of Mars when it had a different orbit before 701 B.C.E.) would have a strong enough gravitational pull (such as stood the water up into walls when they passed through the Reed Sea.) The "flashes" (v. 16) may have been the exchange of electrical discharges between the comet or planet and the earth, in a much more violent phenomenon than we usually imagine, to the point that Psalms 18, 29, and 46 could be taken literally. Psalm 77 actually says "the world [itself] shook". Psalm 68 says "Sinai itself was moved". Psalm 97 says the "mountains melted like wax." Obviously there is something cataclysmic going on, not just an isolated east wind; that only accomplished the rapid drying of the land between the waters for them to cross the sea, and the freezing of the waters in place (15:8) after the extreme tidal force had already lifted them up.
18. The whole of Mount Sinai was smoking from before the face as YHWH descended upon it in fire. Then its smoke ascended like the smoke of a smelting forge, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
The people were not the only ones shaking anymore! A smelting furnace separates what is useful from the useless, burning away the dross and purifying the metal. Mt. Sinai is probably not the traditional site in the Sinai Peninsula (a misnomer based on this error), being too far from Midyan for Moshe to have been pasturing his in-laws' sheep there. Also, no artifacts of any sort from the Israelites' 40-year sojourn have been found in the area now called Sinai. Rather, it is more likely Jabal al-Lawz, the highest mountain just east of Midyan, along the northeastern coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia (which agrees with Galatians 4:25). This mountain still has remains of 12 pillars around it (see v. 12) and the top is blackened as by fire, though it is not a volcanic mountain. Extensive archaeological research has not been permitted by the Saudi government.
19. Then what took place [was that] as the sound of the shofar became progressively very strong, Moshe spoke, and Elohim responded as a witness through a voice.
Elohim responded: To validate Moshe’s leadership so they would trust him (v. 9). This trumpet-like sound was also, according to Hebrew tradition, the words of the Torah going out in all 70 languages to the 70 nations besides Israel, but only Israel chose to receive them. In Acts 2, traditionally on the anniversary of this date, the covenant was renewed again (as Abraham's covenant was renewed here with adaptations for the size of the nation now) with words in many languages and tongues of fire. (See 20:18) A Midrash says the Israelites were unable to see the sun during the entire time of wandering because of the thick clouds this catastrophe produced, and were thus unable to orient themselves. Velikovsky writes, "Earthquakes are often accompanied by a roaring noise that comes from the bowels of the earth...The eruptions of volcanoes are also accompanied by loud noises... The approach of two large globes [earth and the comet] toward each other could also produce trumpetlike sounds, varying as the distance between them increased or lessened... According to Midrashic literature, the trumpet sounding at Mount Sinai had seven different pitches, and the rabbinical literature speaks of ‘the heavenly music' heard at the revelation... The din caused by the groaning earth repeated itself again and again, but not so loud, as subterranean strata readjusted themselves after being dislocated...The papyrus Ipuwer calls these [the] ‘years of noise...There is no end to noise.'" (Worlds in Collision) He even documents peoples as far away as China hearing a sound remarkably like the pronunciation of YHWH’s Name. Though the sound was becoming louder, the Hebrew word for “responded” is smaller than the rest in the Masoretic text, possibly to suggest that YHWH had to diminish His intensity so they would not be “blown away” by His voice.
20. Then YHWH came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and YHWH called Moshe to the top of the mountain, so Moshe went up.
21. (Now YHWH had told Moshe, "Go down [and] solemnly warn the people [repeatedly] so that they won't break through to YHWH in order to look [at Him], and many of them fall.
In order to look: we want to get up close to see things, but this was not a tourist attraction.
22. "Even the officiators who [do] approach close to YHWH, must sanctify themselves to avoid having YHWH burst out [violently] against them.")
This is a foreshadowing of all the meticulous rituals the high priest had to go through on the Day of Coverings before entering the holiest place. The officials had a different boundary than the rest of the people, but still had limits. They could go where no one else in Israel could, but still could not just “waltz” into the Holy of Holies. Even Aharon’s sons learned the hard way what comes of thinking we have rights that YHWH has not expressly granted.
23. Then Moshe said to YHWH, "The people cannot ascend to Mount Sinai, because You sternly warned us to set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart [as holy ground]."
24. So YHWH told him, "Go on down, then come back up with Aharon accompanying you, but don't let the priests or the people break through to ascend to YHWH, so He will not burst out [violently] among them."
25. So Moshe went down to the people and told them.
CHAPTER 20
1. And Elohim spoke all these words:
2. "I [Myself] am YHWH your Elohim, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt--out from the house of subjugation."
In Hebrew tradition, THIS is the first "commandment" (the second, then, is everything from verses 3-6), because these ten are not called "commandments" in Scripture, but "words" or "matters". The implicit "command" is to simply recognize this fact. “Acknowledge Him in all your ways.” This is the key to understanding the words that follow, because they tell us who He is. It is only through obeying these commands that we can truly know what He is like. YHWH is the name that emphasizes that He is our provider. Elohim emphasizes the fact that He is our judge, not just one who gives us anything we want. “Your” and “you” are singular here, emphasizing that He wants to be Father, King, and Husband to each of us, but also that the whole nation of Israel must relate to Him together as one unit for these relationships to come to their fullness.
3. "For you there will not be any other elohim in My presence.
Other elohim: There may in one sense be "gods" in the world--powerful spiritual rulers placed over certain regions (Daniel 10:13ff), which, as long as they do not interfere with His purposes for Israel, have a rightful place in keeping order among men. But for Israel there is a direct relationship. We are not to consider anything mighty to exist in relation to ourselves, except Him. What is a major threat to others (such as the Reed Sea) is not a problem for Him, and is not to be feared. In My presence: literally, against My face. I.e., “Get them out of My face!” This does not mean we may have lesser elohim elsewhere, hidden from Him! Provision comes with a test: we must recognize that it is all from YHWH, no matter how many intermediaries He may use. Nothing is to be between us and His face, blocking it. This is a betrothal contract, of which human vows to “forsake all others” are a picture. This is the preamble to the covenant, in which the generalities are presented first, then the specifics. Israel is His property, for He redeemed her from Pharaoh. (v. 2) Through Yeshua, He has paid for the Northern Kingdom again, so how much more are we His property to command as He wishes? If He has rendered judgment on something, we must not go looking for other opinions.
4. "You must not make for yourself a carved image or any resemblance of what is in the skies from above, or what is on the earth from beneath, or what is in the waters [that are] lower than the earth;
Carved: or "engraved" or "hewn into shape”. This connotes a three-dimensional image formed out of something else. This does not mean we may not paint pictures or have baby dolls, but we must not worship them. Resemblance: or "representation". This is the next logical step in idolatry, followed by the third in v. 5. (Hirsch) We rarely see literal idols used today, except in Buddhist or Hindu settings, but we do worship things that our own hands have shaped if we put too high a priority on any of them, especially things that crowd YHWH out of our lives. We worship even what our minds carve out—things that often do not really even exist (such as scenarios we worry about), giving importance to what has none.
5. "you must not bow down to them, nor may you serve them, because I Myself am YHWH your Elohim--a jealous Elohim, laying the punishment of fathers on [their] children, even [to] the third and fourth [generation] for those who hate Me,
This term for "jealous" means He wants to be the one we desire. Hirsch renders it "demanding His exclusive rights". In Hebrew, jealousy is always a positive term, connoting the guarding of something that one rightfully owns; it is not to be confused with envy, as in common parlance. On their children: the Aramaic has "rebellious children, when the children follow their fathers in sinning", to avoid the idea that a son or daughter who repented of his parents' ways would still be punished. This agrees with Yirmeyahu 31:29ff, though sometimes our ancestors’ choices still affect us; many of us are still in exile. Holding us guilty until something is done to rectify it is a blessing since He does not let anyone go on thinking they got away with doing wrong without consequences. Third or fourth: The things we give most attention to will filter down to our children. What we fear is what they will learn to fear, until this cycle is broken. Who hate Me: You might think this does not apply to you because you love YHWH, but the test of whether we actually do love YHWH is whether we keep His commandments (v. 6; compare Yochanan 14:15; 15:7-10). In Hebrew, hate does not always mean we feel malice; it has to do with our actions: do we actually walk in our own priorities rather than His? It refers to the thing we did not choose when we had to decide between two. And if we make idols with our hands or minds, we hate Him, whether we also praise YHWH or not. Any sin is missing the target, but this is not even noticing or giving weight to the fact that there is a target at all. The preventive medicine is to “hide His word in our hearts” (Psalm 119:11).
6. "but doing [deeds of] lovingkindness to thousands for those who love Me and who guard My commandments.
YHWH prefers to be merciful, but we must make this possible for Him through building a hedge around His commandments instead of seeing how close we can get to the edge without actually crossing the lines. If we do not create a receptacle with which to channel His mercy, it will leak away. Torah is the “sandbags”.
7. "You will not carry the Name of YHWH your Elohim in a wasteful manner, because YHWH will not hold the one who carries his Name wastefully [as] guiltless.
Carry the Name: or "take the Name upon yourself”, yet fail to believe that He is always watching over us and permits everything that may befall us. A bride takes her husband’s name. If we are going to say we are YHWH’s wife, we must act like it. In a wasteful manner: in vain, treating it as useless or empty of real power. This means so much more than just using it as a profane epithet. It is acting as if His existence makes no difference in our plans, decisions, or expectations. When we worry, we are doing just that. It can also mean “bringing His Name to nothing”, which includes replacing it with other, lesser names, especially those of pagan origin. While we endeavor to hold His Name in the highest reverence, He does not want us to stop using it altogether, carrying a healthy fear too far. Rather, we are not to use it lightly or irresponsibly, and not apply it to things that He does not approve of (as defined by the Torah). Guiltless: exempt from punishment.
8. "Remember the Sabbath day in order to preserve its set-apart [status].
Remember: recall, recognize --because it is not a new command; this one has been around since creation. Remembering assumes we keep track of which day it is. A parallel passage, Deut. 5:12, says “guard” where this one says “remember”. The term for “guard” means to fence off—i.e., look for ways to ensure that you stay away from your own pursuits or other people’s attempts to lay claim to you at that time. Turning off our phones and meeting together to study helps us keep those things off our minds and guarantees that we are unavailable elsewhere. Set-apart: in a category of its own. If we do as many things as possible differently on the Sabbath, nothing about will be ordinary or mundane. YHWH created the distinction between the Sabbath and the ordinary days. This is the one commandment He repeated after all the words Moshe brought down from the mountain (31:13-17), probably because He knew it would be the one most frequently susceptible to mis-obedience by otherwise-righteous people.
9. "Six days you will labor in service and do all your work,
Work: here, occupation for the sake of remuneration or the continuation of creation by altering the nature or form of anything. Notice that even on the six ordinary days, service (labor of love) takes priority over employment.
10. "but the seventh day is a sabbath devoted to YHWH your Elohim; you shall not carry out any employment--neither you nor your son, your daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the foreign guest who is within your gates,
The seventh day: of the week, not just “one day in seven”. Sabbath: time of ceasing and desisting. Employment: the same word as “work” above; it connotes acting as the representative of another. We do this for six days, but only this is excluded on the Sabbath; the "labor of service" in verse 9 (for which we expect no reward in return and through which others benefit and are moved to bless YHWH) is not prohibited, so we do that type of work seven days a week, not just on the Sabbath when we stop working for our own gain. Service to one another is not forbidden on the Sabbath; indeed, on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple doubled their work of bringing offerings. What is forbidden is creating, making things, or lucrative activity, since it is a reminder that YHWH, not Mammon, has the final word and ultimate ownership of our lives. (Deeds necessary to preserve life—like running a hospital or even fighting a defensive war--are exempted from this prohibition, though some who must do so choose not to earn anything by doing so, or give away what they are paid.) The main point here is to also let others rest, and even our animals have a day to be themselves, and not "ours". Even a guest who is passing through is responsible to know the rules of what may or may not be done on the Sabbath. Rashi comments that we should enter into the Sabbath with the same ease we would feel if all our other work was actually completed, just as YHWH did after creation—for it is a time to enjoy the fruit of our labors as well.
11. "because in six days YHWH set in order the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He desisted on the seventh day. On account of this YHWH blessed the seventh day and set it apart [as holy].
The Sabbath is the only day in creation on which we can participate in what YHWH is doing and thereby be united with Him. We cannot participate in making the moon or stars, but we can rest when He rests. Thus those who participate in the day He blessed are blessed as well. YHWH gave much more weight and detail to this command than any other, showing how important it is to Him. He leaves no room for misinterpretation. No one may be forced to work on this day. The first three commands pertain specifically to our relationship with YHWH, and twice as many--six-- pertain to our relationship with our fellow men. But the hinge on which the gateway between them swings is this fourth command. It ties the two great commands together, and the Sabbath gives us an occasion to express our love for YHWH better when together with others who love Him. “The Sabbath is made for man”, but that means it is a gift, and we must appreciate it and find its proper use, not throw it away or let it sit unused. It is a special gift we can give to one another as well—a break!
12. "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which YHWH your Elohim is giving to you.
This commandment has a benefit attached to it. (Cf. Ephesians 6:2). It does not mean that, as adults, we must obey our parents in everything (though children must while under their tutelage as long as it agrees with YHWH's other commands, and no Israelite parent should be teaching his children to do anything wrong), but rather to literally "treat them as important", "give weight to" their teachings. I.e., do not take them lightly, considering how much time and energy they have invested in us. Of course we should not follow them into any lawlessness. The greatest honor that we can give our parents is to insist on YHWH’s standards, even if they do not, for we will have proven that they have raised worthy children insofar as they were able to bring us before we transferred that obedience directly to Him. Of course, if we expect our children to honor us, we must show them how by ourselves honoring those who are in authority over us—an honor inherent to their position no matter how well they always live up to it. In ancient times, one’s “father” could be one who had taken him into his household. In this case, Moshe was the father to all of Israel. Yeshua put this command in perspective by saying that if we are not willing to forsake even our physical parents for the sake of the Kingdom, we are not worthy of it. (Luke 8:20) On a deeper level, YHWH is our Father and, though Israel’s tribes had four mothers, the Torah is the “mother” we all now have in common. But also, “father” and “mother” are singular here, so it points us to the parents that we all have in common. "Consider Adam and Chavvah—do not take their story lightly, for their days were shortened and they were expelled from the best land.
13. "You must not commit murder."
The term means to uselessly kill for no reason—selfishly or outside the proper context; this verb is never used of legal execution. It applies to killing animals for mere sport, and in a wider sense, it means, "Do not destroy anything that is still useful" and do not even shame a man who does not deserve it. Killing men in war is permitted, yet there is still a tainting of one's life and a dulling of one's spirit in this. The half-sheqel Temple tax was provided as a covering for this type of evil that is sometimes necessary because of others’ sin.
14. "You must not commit adultery."
The physical act also represents idolatry, which is spiritual adultery, for the emphasis as these laws were given was that Israel is YHWH’s wife and can belong to no one else. Indeed, pagan worship often included sexual relations with priests and temple prostitutes. The term does not specifically apply if the woman involved is not already married or betrothed, though there are plenty of other restrictions in the Torah about whom one may or may not relate to sexually, and wisdom tells us that a married man who takes another woman, even if she is unmarried, will have many problems! The Torah allows for divorce because of the hardness of men's hearts. The letter leaves room for men's weakness; the spirit--the picture it intends to get across--does not. If you can stand the full weight of a command, by all means opt for that interpretation.
15. "You must not steal."
This applies to anything that is not rightfully one's own, but especially carries the connotation of kidnapping fellow human beings. We can also steal people's joy or their reputation—even their words if we represent them as our own and do not give proper credit. The other ways we can steal are included in the commands not to murder, commit adultery, bear false witness, or desire what is not ours. And we steal from YHWH by having rivals to His position.
16. "You must not bear false testimony against your fellow [as an] injurious witness.
Fellow: literally, one from the same flock, led to the same pasture by the same shepherd: friend, companion, or "brother". The command here is not about lying in general, but about saying (or even letting another tell us) something untrue about a comrade--or telling the truth in a way designed to injure his reputation. This does not specifically apply to all of one's fellow humans, except in a general sense. In the Renewed Covenant we are only told not to lie to one another because we belong to the truth; it is now our nature. This does not preclude misleading an enemy during his acts of hostility against you,which we could call bearing false witness on behalf of our neighbor instead. Injurious: We could be a false witness simply by rolling our eyes in suggestion that someone has done wrong, if it leads others to believe he did. The word "witness" is related to the word for "continuity", indicating that retaining the matter in our minds endows the witnessed event or outburst with a permanence it might not have otherwise had. (Hirsch) "Bear" actually means to "uphold" gossip by listening to it or heeding it, not just passing it on; a true neighbor will at least give the benefit of the doubt to one who is being accused by an outsider.
17. "You must not [even] desire your fellow's house; you may not wish for your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which belongs to your fellow."
This is a further refining of—or a fence built around—the command not to steal or commit adultery. It places it one step further from us, not even allowing us to think about stealing! YHWH has a right even to tell us not only what not to do, but how to feel about not doing it! Wish for: or, crave. Do not even give such feelings an audience; train yourself not to have opinions contrary to YHWH’s. We must take control of what we delight in and what we despise. In addition to keeping our mouths shut we must also discipline ourselves not to have the thoughts that might lead us to speak evil of our neighbor. Coveting led Izavel (Jezebel) to bear false witness in the process of her stealing. It does not mean one may not desire a similar possession if it is granted to be within his power to obtain, but this emphasizes that we are each given a different calling, and what one needs is not necessarily what another should have. All are to work together as a body, but with different functions. We need to trust YHWH's judgment, that He has indeed distributed each commodity to those who are best suited to handle it for the benefit of the whole community. Men can forbid crimes; only YHWH can legislate against the thoughts and intents of the heart. Y’shua only intensified our understanding of the tenth commandment in the "Sermon on the Mount" by pointing out how keeping every external command does not guarantee that our hearts are right. Rabbi Avraham Joshua Heschel says that a sin of the mind is greater than one carried out physically, because at present our mind is the only way of perceiving and communing with YHWH, who is not physical. How does this apply to those who are not our neighbors? Even when YHWH wanted Israel to plunder the Egyptians, He did not tell them to steal from them, but to ask and borrow from them, and then He Himself engineered a way to end their obligation to return them. Entering into the habit of stealing or murdering is generally destructive to our own souls, and we are likely to be needlessly killed by outsiders if we do these things, so there is rarely profit in not carrying over the same principles to those beyond Israel, but the weight to be given to both entities is best expressed by Galatians 6:10: "As we have occasion, let us do what is beneficial to everyone, [but] especially those who are of the household of faith".
18. And all the people observed the noises and the burning torches and the sound of the shofar and the smoking mountain. When the people looked, they shook [from fear] and stood at a distance.
They were seeing what they had always heard that Avraham saw, and right before their eyes the covenant made with him was indeed being renewed with the whole community of his descendents. They were “not just hearers of the Word.” These ten flesh out the two great commands to love YHWH and our neighbor, but summarize all of His commands that are yet to come. The fine points elucidated later may require more expertise to clarify, but they are for the most part only examples of these over-arching commands; those that follow explain and build on these.
19. Then they said to Moshe, "You [be the one to] speak to us, and we will listen, but don't let us converse [directly] with Elohim, or we'll die!"
How tragic that we were not interested in becoming more intimate with YHWH. Yes, it is dangerous to come close; it will kill us--but the part of us it kills deserves to die anyway. Circumcision of the heart is never easy, but always necessary if we are to bear pure fruit. Becoming a single, unselfish entity terrifies us. On the other hand, we accepted the option of having a mediator, yet many now demand a personal relationship that ignores the national relationship of Israel to YHWH. And Moshe is the one we accepted as our intermediary, which means we must take what he says as from YHWH, who later also agreed to this arrangement. So how can anyone who wants a relationship with YHWH say Moshe’s words are no longer binding?
20. So Moshe told the people, "Don't be afraid, because it is as a means of proving you that Elohim has come upon [you], and so that awe of Him may be on your faces, so that you will not go wrong.”
"Proving": from a word meaning "to elevate", but related to the testing and tempering of a precious metal that comes only through heat and pressure. Yeshua quoted Psalm 82: "You [judges of the earth] are elohim, yet you will die like men" because you do not do justice. There is a "spark" of YHWH’s image in each of us, yet it requires the smelting-furnace of the Torah to purge it of what will condemn us to perish like animals if we do not allow it to do its work. “Be afraid” and “awe” are the same word in Hebrew, so He is just showing us what we should fear and what we should not fear--not circumstances but only the One who controls them.
21. So the people stood at a distance, but Moshe approached close to the thick, heavy cloudiness where Elohim was.
Heavy: not the usual word for weighty, but dense in the sense of being ready to drop its contents.
22. Then YHWH told Moshe, "You shall say this to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have observed that I have spoken with you from the heavens.
They therefore know that He is real, whereas they have never seen any of the idols they fashioned with their own hands do anything like this! He is still speaking, long after those at Bavel failed to reach the heavens, as Moshe now did, since the heavens came down to him. And this time we could understand Him, because He kept speaking Hebrew! If we accept His terms rather than trying to approach on our own, the damage done at Bavel can be repaired.
23. "‘You shall not fashion deities made out of silver alongside Me, or gods of gold for yourselves.
The golden images of kh’ruvim that He expressly commanded were meant to engender human traits, not depict divine ones (Hirsch); mankind is the only legitimate "image" of YHWH. Alongside Me: competing with Me in your minds and hearts. He reiterates the prohibition of idols, but this time specifies two materials (silver and gold) which, unlike wood and stone out of which other idols might have been fashioned, have taken on a life of their own as idols in themselves because of the meaning they have been given by men. They are hard-to-get materials, so our natural inclination is to want to try. They have become a way to store what we cannot eat today so we have something for tomorrow—i.e., a way to trade what we have that is more than we need for a sense of security. So silver and gold are singled out as not to be considered mighty. He did not even allow money to be brought into His Temple itself; it had to be exchanged outside for offerings. He does not want us to “marry Him for His money”; He would rather we keep the place of ascending to Him simple and unpretentious:
24. "‘[Instead, what] you must [do is] make a slaughter-altar for Me out of earth, and you shall slaughter your ascending offerings and your peace offerings on it--your flocks and your herds. In every place in which I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Dirt—the building material—is contrasted with the gold and silver of the previous verse. It is more connected with what is alive, and that is what He wants to be associated with, and though He is high and exalted, He feels most at home with the lowly. (Yeshayahu 57:15) The other side of this coin is that He does not want us to try to bring heavenly things down to earth, but rather, elevate earthly things to His service, thus making them holy as well. (Hirsch)
25. "‘And if you fashion an altar made of stone for Me, you shall not build them of cut stones, because if you wield your cutting-tool on it, you profane it.
"Build them": the plural is in the original. "Build" is related to the word for “son". This gives us a clue as to what the altar stones (also a term related to “build” and “son”) are really a picture of. Profane: to pollute, violate, defile, desecrate, prostitute, or treat as common (and thus no longer useful to YHWH). Each "living stone" is shaped to fill a particular place in the living Temple, the body of the Second Adam-- a “spiritual house” (1 Keyfa/Peter 2:5). The judge is not meant to be chipped into a man of mercy; they will all balance each other out, but each has an intense message to emphasize and this will be lost if we are homogenized. We are not to shape these stones according to our desire, even if rounded stones would fall off one another. Since the New Testament misapplied is often the tool used to shape us into what men want us to be, we have to spend more time in the pure, undefiled Torah so that we can again become a people who are concerned with drawing near in the way YHWH really wants. The water of the Torah makes the sand of the descendants of Avraham (spiritual and physical) into the mortar of a love that will firmly establish us as one building, as we share our strengths and gifts among the whole community. The Temple was made of cut stones, though not cut on-site, but the altar, in every instance, is built prior to the Temple. It is built not of all the common people, but of leaders with vision, who have not been chopped by society to fits its. Or, if they have, they have had to be taken out of that other "building" and placed back in the rushing river-water of YHWH’s word to be reshaped before being used.
26. "‘And you shall not ascend to my altar by way of steps, since your nakedness may not be uncovered on it.'"
Since most people wore essentially what we would call “skirts”, walking up steps would tend to expose their private areas. The altar had a ramp built up to it instead. There is a proper time for “nakedness”--honesty about who we are and what we lack--but it is not before the whole congregation when it is focused on something that applies to the whole community and not the individual as such. Nakedness is linked with shame (Yeshayahu 47:3) because of the filth and stench that come from within us but is unfit for His camp (Num. 5:2-3; Deut. 23:12-14), reminding us that we are fallen and defiled. But white raiment, which those who ascended the altar wore, is a picture of righteousness, with which we now have to be covered. Our “flesh” (in its present corrupt form) is not fit to be exposed directly to His holiness. But YHWH's business is salvaging and repairing the ruined things of the world and making them holy again, and that is what the priesthood was about. The priests were commanded to wear short trousers under their garments as an added preventive.
TORAH PORTION
Yithro
(Exodus 18-20)
INTRODUCTION: We return as a whole nation to the place where YHWH first called out to Moshe from within a flame, but before the flame can grow large enough to engulf the whole mountaintop, the camp needs to be set in order—not just arranged neatly by tribe, but also in readiness to function as a “well-oiled” unit. A bottleneck is developing in the “courtroom”, and someone Moshe respects who is experienced in control of hostile crowds shows up at just the right time, showing him how to make the process more efficient and more reasonable for everyone involved. There should not be only one man who knows the principles behind good judgment, so the workload could be spread to the point that everyone’s burdens were light.
One of Israel’s uniquenesses in the ancient world was that everyone was educated so that they could do the lion’s share of governing themselves and would not need intervention except when things became too complicated. This structure—call it multi-level intervention—forms the best environment in which the commands about to be received from Sinai can work. And it was already working; by the time YHWH forbade the people from touching the mountain before it got off the ground to become their wedding canopy, safeguards were in place and they had restrained themselves so that the warning was almost unnecessary.
The recounting of what they had just come through and how impossible it was—yet here they were—and His added promise to make us His special treasure had put the people into the frame of mind to be ready to do whatever this clearly-capable Redeemer might require of them, even before they knew what it was. If only that attitude could last… YHWH Himself expressed the same sympathies not long afterward.
But to be ready for other-worldly wisdom that nonetheless brings sufficient order to this world to let us not just ride out but redeem this fallen age, there also needs to be a cleansing of body and spirit—not just water and a change of what we are wearing, but a space of three days as a buffer from mundane life to calm minds and brace hearts for the intensity of what was coming. We needed a “pregnant pause” before the storm that would otherwise overwhelm us. And it nearly did; it was so fearful that they opted for a permanent buffer—a mediator who would “transform down” the high voltage so they could stand it. He recognized the value of this, and it set the stage for a special mediator—another like Moshe who shared our limitations in a way that the Infinite One could not quite experience, yet who this time had both feet on solid ground and could pull us out of the quagmire even more effectively and permanently.
But as Eliyahu would later learn—probably on this same mountain—YHWH was not in the storm, but in the voice; the show was just to be sure He had our attention, but the point was that He was about to give us an incomparable gift—a peek into the core principles that underpinned all the details that would follow in the ensuing years, and, for that matter, underpin the universe He created. He saved us centuries of trial and error that other nations had to go through to find what laws worked and what did not. These ten ideas changed the course of history and their repercussions are still growing today for those who recognize their immense value.
Reasons for Blessing,
Reasons for Drama,
Reasons for Fear
At the very beginning of this portion, we see samples of what YHWH meant when He told Israel we were to be a light to the nations. (Isaiah 49:6) In Yithro’s response to the report about the Exodus, we hear foreshadowings of Psalm 126, as one from the nations says, in effect, “YHWH has done great things for them!”
And it has the intended effect: “Now I know that YHWH is greater than all [other] Elohim!” Shades of Psalm 67: “May YHWH show us favor and bless us… so that your direction [or way] may be known on the earth--your deliverance among all nations!”
Then we settle into the nitty-gritty: Yithro, who has experience as a leader, notices that Moshe is going to drive himself “silly” (literally “foolish”!) by taking on more than he can carry alone. His gem of wisdom is to delegate and share the load, and this results in the organizing of Israel into manageable units—groups of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000—which remained the structure of the nation for ages to come.
Orderly conduct is a big part of the culture YHWH intended for Israel. But I think an even more basic, underlying wish He was expressing here in approving this method was to spread the knowledge, so that more people knew the Torah, not only so it would be more likely to be lived out, but also so that later leaders who were not as noble as Moshe would be less likely to get away with monopolies of power.
He let everyone in on the basic principles so we would be free to think for ourselves about how to apply the precedents He did give us to analogous dilemmas that aren’t addressed directly, and so that we would be able even to judge our leaders if that should ever become necessary, because He knew that, sadly, it sometimes would.
Israel was not meant to be a nation of secretive mysteries known only to a few, but to shine a light on the facts so that everyone could see them plainly and the right course of action would be obvious—that “light to the nations” again! And more immediately in this passage, “a kingdom of priests”—or more literally, officiators (Exodus 19:6), i.e., leaders who can show the rest of the world the most straightforward way to live and navigate the obstacles inherent in life on earth.
The rest of the portion takes on epic proportions—and there are clues in the text that this was deliberate. For some of us, things just aren’t memorable unless they are nearly melodramatic, and YHWH was aware of that, and He humored us. This way they would stick in our memory in a vivid way that would be hard to eclipse.
And I think He addressed another human tendency: to make exceptions to the rules. Skipping a day off now and then might not hurt us, but once we let one slip, it’s that much easier to carry it even further the next time. So He imbued the Sabbath with sanctity so that we would take seriously the need to let others—and ourselves—have the much-needed rest without which we will never function at our highest potential. And He wanted us to really be able to enjoy that rest without feeling guilty.
The scare factor had to be there to some extent, because even those of us who have the best of motives most of the time do not have the best motives all the time. We tend to laugh off whatever uncomfortable feelings we might encounter, but when we shrug off real guilt, somebody else always gets hurt. So by making them not just legal but “religious”, He made sure we would take these things seriously.
He states the purpose overtly in chapter 20, verse 20 (so that we might see with 20/20 vision?): The reason He wants “the fear of Himself” in our hearts is simply that we will not miss the target—whatever context that target may be in.
Then come the commandments from Sinai--might we even say that these “big ten” are umbrella principles under which every other law in the Torah can fall as an example or footnote? You decide, but I think that while there are infinite variations possible, He gave them all to us in a nutshell so that everyone could remember them in a manageable way, and even a fool who walks within those parameters would not get lost. (Isaiah 35:8)
Study questions:
1. When Yithro heard Moshe’s testimonial of what YHWH had done (Exodus 18:8), did Moshe have to press him to respond? (Ex. 18:9-12) What did the knowledge of YHWH’s great deliverance motivate him to do?
2. What might Moshe’s brother, Aharon, have learned from Yithro? (Ex. 18:12)
3. What can you learn about healthy work habits and organizational structure from Yithro’s advice? (Ex. 18:13-25) What other advantages can you see in following his advice?
4. What can you learn about how to give advice from Yithro’s way of doing so? (18:19, 23)
5. What can you learn about family relationships from the way Moshe treated his father-in-law? (18:7-8, 12, 24, 27)
6. Restate in your own words what YHWH is saying in 19:4-7.
7. What analogies can you draw from 19:9-15 about how to approach holy things?
8. How do verses 16-22 of chapter 19 make you feel about YHWH? Why?
9. Why so much emphasis on not making an image of what we worship or comparing YHWH to any particular shape (20:3-5)? Do you think this prohibits any kind of sculpture for other purposes? How can you prove your answer from Scripture?
10. What do you think verse 6 of chapter 20 means? Can you think of a secondary meaning it could have?
11. Which of the commandments deal with our relationship to YHWH? Which deal with our relationship with one another? Which one deals with both? How?
12. Which command is given the most “air time”? Why do you think that might be?
13. Do you think the promise in 20:11 is a reward for obedience, a natural result of obedience, or both? How or why?
14. Which command, if obeyed properly, would prevent us from breaking most of the other commands? How?
15. Why do you think Moshe’s approach to YHWH’s presentation of Himself was so different from the people’s (20:14-17)? What are the advantages and disadvantages of fearing Him, as seen in v. 16?
16. What reasons can you identify for the rules about how to make an altar in 20:20-22?
The Sidewalk
for Kids
Imagine for a minute that you had a really big job to do. Your pet had gotten loose in the living room and knocked over all your mother’s favorite lamps and vases, breaking some of them and spilling soil and water out of others, making a big mess on the furniture and new carpet. It had pulled down the curtains and knocked the pictures off the walls and their frames had come apart. It was just too much to do, but since it was your pet you felt like it was only right that you took responsibility to clean it all up.
But if five of your most loyal friends all decided to pitch in and help, it wouldn’t seem like such a big job, would it? You could actually get the job done in not very long at all.
That’s what Moshe found out in this Torah portion. He knew a lot about how to find solutions when one person had a complaint against another person. These people had animals, and some of them might have hurt someone else’s animals, or even hurt a person, and they wanted a fair payback to make up for it. And people—well, we have an animal side in us too, don’t we? Sometimes we want to scream and yell and throw things because we’re mad at somebody, and at that moment we just don’t care whose feelings—or whose heads—might get hurt. But later when we come back to our senses, we see what kind of damage we did, and we need to know what to do to fix it.
But with millions of people and animals doing things to each other, there was a very long line of people coming to Moshe so he could decide the right solution to their problems. They were having to stand in line all day and still not getting all the way to Moshe, and the line just kept getting longer.
Well, one of the relatives of Moshe’s wife who also knew a lot about solving problems noticed this and said, “Moshe, that’s too big a job for you! Why don’t you pick some people who you can teach to judge other people? Then they can solve the little problems, and you only have to deal with the most confusing cases.” So he did just that, and they shared his load, and it was no longer too big a job for any of them. They all got the work done before the day was over.
But then YHWH gave us an even better solution. He gave Moshe the ten commandments to give to all the people, so they would know enough about what is right and what is wrong to be able to keep from having a lot of those problems in the first place. It was like He was building fences or giving us leashes to keep the animal part of ourselves under control so it would not even be able to do so much damage.
And when all of us are trying to do the right thing and be kind to one another, loving our neighbors just like we love ourselves, then we all share the load. Instead of making things harder for each other, we’ll be making it easier for each other to do the right thing, and then we won’t have any reason to fight with each other. If I see that your animal is about to get loose, I can tell you before it’s too late so you can do something about it and keep it from doing any damage.
The Torah seems like a lot of rules. How in the world will we remember them all, so we don’t accidentally do the wrong thing? But if we all learn them and keep reminding each other about them, and doing things to help make it easier for our friends and neighbors to keep the rules so they won’t get mad at you in the first place—then it doesn’t seem so impossible to do anymore. Then the Torah isn’t too big for any of us, because all of us are working together. None of us has to do all of it, but together we can make sure the whole thing gets done right.
The Renewal of YITHRO
It was the personal story Moshe told his father-in-law that finally convinced him that YHWH was superior to all the gods, having outdone them all in the areas they were most proud of. (Ex. 18:11) Yeshua, too, knew the power of stories, not just to teach, but to persuade, so he told those who were eyewitnesses of all he did, and especially of his resurrection, to spread the word about what he was now offering. It tapered off as the eyewitnesses died away, so it is important that we have a story of our own to tell about how YHWH has changed us and can change other people, because we are living proof.
“Aharon came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moshe's father-in-law before Elohim.” (Ex. 12:18) What a beautiful expression of honor for the one Moshe honored, and thankfulness to the One who brought them together as a family and created the wisdom that one passed on to the other.
That wisdom was to delegate judgment to people whom he could teach basic jurisprudence, reserving only the hardest matters for his own YHWH-informed wisdom to unravel. (Exodus 18:13-23)
When the Spirit of Holiness filled Yeshua’s envoys with special understanding to teach the Word of Elohim, then other pressing matters arose, demanding their attention, they learned from Yithro and delegated duties to those who were not as trained as they in teaching but who could certainly handle the responsibility of distributing food to needy widows so they could dedicate themselves to listening to YHWH in prayer and leading the whole called-out community based on what they heard. (Acts 6:1-4)
At least one of them (my own namesake, Stefanos) did turn out to be quite capable of teaching as well. Yes, he got a few details of our history mixed up (conflating the two patriarchal burial sites), but he waxed eloquent in a sanctified way, rising far above his station as a “server of tables”. (Acts 7) When accused of saying blasphemous things against the holy Temple, he reminded them that YHWH had downplayed any house made for Him with hands, implying that they were putting too much emphasis on the picture of the dwelling-place that YHWH now wanted to form out of living people acting together as one whole “building”. He referred to the Exodus and how Moshe was rejected by his people at first, but YHWH made him their ruler and judge, then they rejected him again, claiming to follow the Torah, but actually worshipping idols instead. He may have been implying that they were making the Temple itself into an idol.
They also claimed that he had told them Yeshua had said he would destroy it and change the customs (ethos) Moshe had handed down. His whole speech affirmed the customs that Moshe had given, but also reminded them that Moshe had promised that another like him would come, to whom they would also be responsible to listen, but, like Moshe, they turned against him when he came. They had received the Torah through the ones YHWH had sent, but had not followed it.
In the same way YHWH spoke to Moshe in the sight of the people from within a thick cloud so that people would believe what Moshe said (Ex. 19:9), likewise He overshadowed Yeshua with a cloud and brought two witnesses—Moshe and Eliyahu, representing the Torah and the prophets—and told the onlookers to listen to Yeshua (Mat. 17:5)—the very thing he had told Moshe they would be responsible to do when the prophet like him came along. (Deut. 18:18-19)
Yithro gave Moshe his advice, but, interestingly, added a very wise clause—“If you do this, and Elohim orders you, you will be able to get it done…” (12:23) He realizes his advice could be overruled by YHWH Himself, and humbly submits, admitting, in so many words, “I could be wrong.”
Within the same chapter, when Paul was giving advice about whether during an especially difficult time, (1 Cor. 7), he distinguished between what was his own opinion (v. 12) and what was not his opinion, but was YHWH’s actual command regarding the matter. (v. 10)
The rest of the portion discusses the receiving of the Torah, which by tradition occurred on Shavuoth. This is not Scripture, but adding up the days that are enumerated in the text does make this plausible, and it makes sense that YHWH would do something this momentous on a day He later commanded us to have a holy gathering. He validated this again by doing something huge on the Shavuoth right after Yeshua’s resurrection (Acts 2). It shows that YHWH keeps His appointments, and keeps doing the same kinds of things on the same schedule He told us to keep.
He also reversed a problem that took place in our current context—the loss of 3,000 people in penalty for their heinous sin (Ex. 32:28) just as Moshe was coming down from this mountain appointment. On that later Shavuoth, 3,000 people were reborn and added back into the holy community (Acts 2:41).
Stefanos, mentioned above, even used the same word for the congregation in the wilderness here at Sinai (Acts 7:38) which is used all throughout the Renewed Covenant to describe the community Yeshua is “calling back out” from among all nations.
This time He wrote the Torah in stone while there was fire at the top (Hebrew, “head”) of the mountain (Ex. 19:18, 20); on this later Shavuoth, He showed His presence by making fire appear above the heads of each of those on whose hearts He was writing His Torah—the hallmark of the renewal of the covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33), which was beginning to be manifested as a down-payment of what is yet to come in a still-fuller way.
May we “be ready for the third day” (Ex. 19:11, 15) when He chooses to take the next step in this fulfillment of His promises.
Do what I tell you
--if YHWH agrees
The one for whom this Torah portion is named, after seeing the methodology by which Moshe was holding court, wearing himself and the people out, told him, “I'll give you some advice, and may Elohim be with you…” (18:19) He knew the advice would not get the job done if YHWH was not in it. “Unless YHWH builds [this] house, they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1) So he repeated the sentiment: “If you do this, and Elohim ordains [it for] you, then you will be able to hold up, and this [entire] people will arrive at their [own] place in one piece.” (18:23) “Ordains” can literally be read, “commands”. I.e., “Don’t take my word for it; make sure this is really what YHWH wants.”
Moshe may have gotten a bit defensive when Yithro first questioned his modus operandi, but he realized he was right and did take his counsel to heart and implement his sugges-tions. We don’t see Elohim overtly command him to delegate leaders to help him with his work of judging, but later YHWH did acknow-ledge and work within the structure Moshe had set up. (Num. 10:4; 31:54, etc.) So we have to guess that, like Paul, Moshe thought that he (because of Yithro, of course) had the spirit of YHWH—that is, the same way of thinking as YHWH has. (See 1 Corinthians 7:40)
That may sound like an arrogant thing to say, but true humility assesses when the best evidence says one truly is right--and acts on it, even if the whole world opposes him. And if we are not pretty certain we have the mind of YHWH, we should not be proceeding with any plan that will affect other people—and what plan really does not?
As the one next in line for the throne of David (had it been intact) after Yeshua left, his brother Yaaqov (James) reprimanded those who would say things like, “We’re going to go here or there next year” when they did not even know what the next day would hold. “Instead, you should say, ‘If YHWH wills it, and we are still alive, we will do this or that.’” (Yaaqov/James 4:15)
Despite his occasional disagreements with Yaaqov, Paul made this his practice too, saying, “We will come to you soon, if YHWH is willing…” (1 Cor. 4:19) And Muslims are the unlikely ones who put Yeshua’s followers to shame by saying something like this constantly.
Paul commended those from the synagogue at Berea, who “were more noble than the Thessalonians, in that they received the message with all readiness of mind, but searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things [he said] were so.” (Acts 17:11) They didn’t just take the word of the one(s) who taught them things that may have seemed too good to be true. They proved they really were true.
One of those who influenced me most in my teenage years, the late Keith Green, wrote a song paraphrasing Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord wants it done, you’d better not work another day building anything that will stand in His way.” Then, possibly out of a sense of “That’s still not good enough”, the last time through, all he sang was “…building anything that will stand”. Right on target. Yeshua himself said he didn’t do anything he didn’t first see the Father doing. (Yochanan 5:19, 30) Our vision may not be as clear as his, but that is no excuse; we are provided with the “corrective lenses” of Torah, which gives authoritative examples of what YHWH wants, and He has provided us with ways to hone our way of thinking to prove what He specifically wants today. (Romans 12:2) So, yes, we can know if we are on the right track or not.
So, though he spoke thousands of years ago, let’s make sure Yithro’s point—that our advice must be checked against what YHWH wants--continues to be well taken.
The Seriousness of Drawing Near
In this portion what is usually highlighted is the Ten Commandments, and rightly so; they are the basis for the only kind of society where neighbors can “dwell trustingly beside” each other. (Proverbs 3:29) Their importance cannot be minimized.
But did you ever notice all the preliminaries YHWH put in place before He’d release this treasure, a fast track to stability, into human hands? Set yourselves apart, wash your clothes, abstain from sex, build barriers to touching the mountain, and add the ultimate penalty as an even stronger deterrent. (Ex. 19:10-15) This was not something to approach casually; He is holy!
Then what He reiterates after the Ten, once they are overwhelmed enough by His fearsome presence to be ready to listen to anything He might say, is: don’t make your own gods. (20:19) Again, holiness.
Why, then, did Israel, of all peoples, still have such a proclivity toward idol worship for the next thousand years? (Not until after the Babylonian captivity do we find overt idolatry gone from Judah, the only part of Israel that returned at that time. Ephraim, which remained exiled until our own day, continued in it much longer than that.)
In short, it’s because the pagan rituals practiced by the nations around them were, quite frankly, a lot more fun. The last verse in chapter 20 gives us a clue as to the nature of their attraction: “Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed thereon.” The way Gentiles worshipped involved sexual encounters with temple prostitutes (Num. 25:6), both male and female. (Deut. 23:18) If one was not more committed to truth than to fleshly gratification, you can see how easily he or she might be ensnared by this temptation.
But where it ultimately led was the depths of darkness—sacrificing one’s own firstborn child, ostensibly for continued fertility of land or womb—because, though idols can neither hear nor speak, what is actually behind them is demons that demand worship. (1 Corinthians 10:20) And they are bloodthirsty.
Some flippantly accuse YHWH of the same, especially when trying to contrast His requirements with modern religions that “don’t need” such messiness anymore. But most offerings (literally “drawings-near”) on His altar (Ex. 20:20-21) were barbecues—something very few critics have a problem with. The rest were special gifts to Him or, if for sins, to remind the offerer that the blood being shed should have been one’s own, but YHWH in His mercy allowed these as a stand-in until, over 1500 years later, the only human blood that could really pay that high cost was finally available. That’s the only way we could no longer need animal sacrifices, and a strong argument can be made that they will still be back and even offered up by that very same Messiah (Ezek. 45:22; 46:4), forcing us to rethink some of our assumptions.
If YHWH is more approachable in the Renewed Covenant (Hebrews 4:16), it is because this price has been paid, not because we are better, more evolved people! The very same letter (Heb. 10:26-31) still says, “If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no further sacrifice left for sins, but a fearful expectation of certain judgment and fiery punitive zeal… Anyone who disregarded Moshe’s law died with no pity…; how much worse a penalty…will he be deemed to deserve, who has spurningly trampled the Son of Elohim and considered the blood of the covenant, by which he was made holy, a profane thing…? [It is a] formidable thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohim!”
But why are cut stones not permitted on YHWH’s altar? (20:21) There is no prohibition on hewn stones for a private home. Again, holiness is the issue. Our homes are our property, and we choose what to do with them (though the Torah does require consideration for others’ safety in the way we construct them—Deut. 22:8.) But this altar is something fully dedicated to YHWH alone. He wants its components to be in the form that He made them, not the way we think they should look.
Same with living stones…
The Right Kinds of Leaders
Yithro gave Moshe good advice: share the workload; delegate so you don’t overstrain yourself. But not just anyone could do this work. They must be “capable men, such as fear Elohim, men of truth, hating unjust gain” if they are to be “placed over [the rest] as rulers…” (Ex. 18:21) Yithro said “Do this if Elohim so orders” (18:23), and Moshe did end up doing so. (18:24) So we can conclude that YHWH sanctioned these criteria.
It is crucial that Israel have leaders of integrity who are above board. The same holds true as Israel is called back out of exile. Paul elaborated on these qualifications for leaders of each gathering while they await their return:
“An overseer must be above reproach, a one-woman man, soberly vigilant, self-controlled, orderly, hospitable to outsiders, skilled at teaching, not given to wine, not a brawler, but reasonable, not argumentative, not greedy, taking the lead in his own household well, keeping his children obedient with all dignity… not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he might fall into the condemnation of the Accuser. ” (1 Tim. 3:2-6)
He told Titus (whose job was to appoint leaders) the same, and added: “Designate elders in every city…: If anyone is irreproachable, husband of one wife, having believing children not accused of wastefulness or insubordination, …blameless, as manager of Elohim’s household, not self-serving, not easily angered, …a lover of what is good, … equitable, devout, [and] disciplined, adhering to the faithful word…” (Titus 1:5-9)
They are not despots; the leadership is shared--much like parenting. There does have to be a final arbiter, one where “the buck stops” when someone has to take ultimate responsibility. But that is for the rare cases. (18:26) This is not tyranny; the whole nation is to become a “kingdom of priests”; all would be “set apart” in comparison to other peoples, even if some within it were even further set apart like this. (19:6) But initially, one forerunner alone could go up to meet YHWH until a certain set time; then and only then could the rest come along. (19:13)
The leaders’ job is still to facilitate the preparation for that time. Higher-profile people are put in their positions not to serve self but “for the complete equipping of those who are set apart for the task of the ministry—for the building up of the Messiah’s body until we all arrive at the unanimity of conviction and the correct understanding of the Son of Elohim.” The goal is for the whole nation to become one “complete man, attaining the measure of maturity that brings [the] Messiah to [his] fullness,…[so] may all grow up into him, who is the head.” (Eph. 4:12-13) THAT is when the restraints can be taken away and all of us be permitted to “come up to the mountain”.
First we had to be given a foundation: ten categorical principles. (20:1-13) The rest of the laws in the Torah are sub-points of these major headings. If the leaders grasp the main principles (18:20), they’ll be able to fill in any seeming gaps between the corollaries and apply them to any particular dispute that arises between neighbors.
Messiah, the forerunner Moshe foreshadowed (Heb. 6:20), came to “give [the Torah] its fullest meaning…” or “complete it.” (Mat. 5:17) How? He gave examples of what he meant in the very next things he said, showing that murder, adultery, or bearing false witness are not just outward acts, but start with heart attitudes, and that is the bud in which we must nip them.
The tenth commandment (20:13) is actually an example of just that: if you stop the ball rolling at covetousness, you won’t get to any of the other sins He orders us to avoid. So our very thoughts can also be “leaders that bring us to maturity”. So how do we re-educate our minds at that level? By “hiding” (storing up) YHWH’s “word(s) in our hearts, so that [we] may not sin against [Him]”. (Psalm 119:11)
To that end, David goes on to pray, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness.” (119:36) Yes! We have to ask YHWH to change our hearts to want to do what's right. (Ezekiel 36:26) That’s where we get the power to quench even the root sin. It leads David onward to where he can say, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are what I meditate on.” (119:99)
It all starts with these words on the mountain and their explanation by the first teachers—so we can all go on to teach the nations too.
Roundabout Solutions When the Straightforward is Compromised
I have in my back yard an oak tree that three years ago was only a stump that appeared dead, but another trunk grew from its roots, and now it is already again taller than I am! When Yehudah was disillusioned because of the death of Uzziyahu, an otherwise-great king who took his privileges too far, our haftarah’s prophet declared, “When YHWH has removed humans far away, and [the Land] is mostly abandoned, still there will be a tenth within it, and it will come back like… an oak that, when felled, still [has] a stump [with life left in it]. The holy seed is that stump.” (Isa. 6:12-13)
While “holy seed” may also refer to the entire Jewish population who remained in the Land after the Babylonians, and then again the Romans, scattered the majority, Paul reminds us that the term for Avraham’s “seed” (Gen. 12:7) is singular, not plural, and it is the same here. The haftarah stops at 7:6. If it continued through 7:14, we’d see how the stump would grow back. But it does skip to another verse about the same “holy seed” (9:5; 9:6 in English versions)
But first let’s examine how the stump grew back through the scion (a new offshoot) who was promised in Isaiah 11:1. The Hebrew term is netzer—a branch that grew out of Yishai’s (and thus David’s) roots. Netzer is based on natzar—to guard, watch carefully, or keep hidden. This is the root word from which Natzereth comes. Some of the line of David were kept hidden here—so well-hidden that Nathan’el thought nothing good could come from there! (John 1:46)--until one did come to light.
Another term for a branch raised up for David is tsemakh (Jer. 23:5; 33:15) Z’kharyah calls this branch a special servant of YHWH (3:8) and said the current high priest was a sign pointing to that. How? Later he says of him, “Behold the man whose name is the Tsemakh” and “he will [re]build YHWH’s temple”. (6:12) Why was this a sign? Because that high priest’s name was Y’hoshua, and Ezra and Nehemiah frequently call him by the shortened Aramaic version—Yeshua! So this was a prophecy of what the Messiah’s name would be.
You see, the line of David, from which the promised Messiah was to come, was a stump that had been cut off. YHWH was so displeased with Konyahu (also called Y’khoniyah) that He said, “Record this man [as] childless… because not one of his seed will succeed [him in] sitting on the throne of David or ever again reign in Yehudah.” (Jer. 22:30) Like a cut-down tree, it appeared the promised Messiah (Isa. 9:7) could no longer come. There seemed to be no “clear path forward”. But YHWH had a roundabout means to bring him. In Isaiah 49:2, he is called an arrow hidden in His quiver, which the enemy no longer suspected would ever come. He thought he had won at that point.
But YHWH outmaneuvered him, building into the Torah a rule for inheritance that could circumvent death. Levirate marriage lets a man raise up an heir for a brother who died childless. (Deut. 25:5-6) Dr. Arthur Custance shows that some seeming ends-of-the-line in the genealogies are solved through levirate marriage. He also explains a gap in Yeshua’s genealogy that resumes at this haftarah’s very own Uzziyahu.
But while Matthew’s genealogy (ch. 1) details the royal pedigree of Yosef (who, however, was descended from the cursed Y’khoniyah), Luke’s genealogy (ch. 3) appears to be of Miryam, Yeshua’s mother, to show her descent from David as well. The lines converge for a while at Zerubbavel, but the seed of the woman (promised back in Gen. 3:15) was passed on through Zerubbavel’s daughter, not his sons, who were therefore not the physical progenitors of Yeshua. He would nonetheless inherit the legal title to the throne through his adoptive father, his mother’s husband, who was from Y’khoniyah’s line.
Now back to Isaiah 9:5. One of the names given to the promised “child” and “son” there is, ironically, Avi ‘Ad—often rendered “everlasting father”, but an even better way to translate it is “father of continuity”, for as this hidden scion, he did bring back a continuity that had almost been lost, not just to the line of David but the line of Adam as well.
How does this relate to this Torah portion? Its highlight is the Ten Commandments--literally, “words” or “themes” around which all other commands are built as corollaries. But we almost didn’t get the rest, because, like Isaiah, after encountering the intensity of perfect holiness, the people were undone and did not think they could stand any more. (Ex. 20:18-21) But YHWH toned down many notches and communicated to us in a roundabout way—through Moshe, and later through the hidden arrow, the scion, who brought the ideal Torah more fully within reach through “grace and truth”—or “empowering and actual realization” (John 1:17)--in a far less-threatening but just as effective way.
