Chapter 20
Does anyone remember the line, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall; who’s the fairest of them all?” If you guessed Snow White, you’re right! The original phrase, “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” was first found in the 1812 edition of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, in a story called Snow White. Later, in 1937, it became iconic in Disney’s animated movie of the same name. Can you imagine owning such a mirror?
Now, let’s look at one of the most famous chapters in the Bible: The Ten Commandments. I’ll share my notes on each commandment to clarify, but honestly, the best explanation comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapter 5) and other teachings. As with any scripture, the best way to interpret the Bible is with the Bible itself.
As I reflect on this chapter, I’m drawn to the people’s reaction after being in God’s presence. They asked Moses to deliver God’s word to them, rather than having God speak directly to them. The ultimate “Mirror” was right in front of them, but they struggled with what it revealed— their true selves.
Have you ever sat in your living room on a bright day? When the sunlight pours in just right, you suddenly see all sorts of microscopic things floating in the air—dust particles you never noticed before. On regular days, when the light isn’t so bright, the air looks clean.
That’s what happened to Israel. Still wandering in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, God came close to them. As His presence grew nearer, the light grew brighter, and the “mirror” started revealing the true state of their hearts.
I’ve experienced this many times in my walk with Jesus. The closer I get to Him, the more I see how unclean I really am. But thanks to His amazing grace, I don’t have to beg Him to leave me. I can choose to face the mirror, see my flaws, and bow in humility. Through the forgiveness, grace, and mercy of the cross, I get a fresh start. A relationship with God means that, no matter how we feel, we can run to Him instead of away from Him. We always have the choice: to live in deceptive darkness or to grow in the Light.
The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD (literal: Jehovah) your God (literal: Elohim), who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. [This implies NO gods, before or after Him. We don’t just add Jesus to our life, we yield our life to Him.]
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [Implies more than just carved gods, but anything that we might worship or adore as much or more than our relationship with God. Money, power, fame, self, nationality, culture, other people. All of these can be common idols.] 5 You shall not bow down to them [yield reverence to their influence in your heart] or worship [serve as subjects, to become subjective to] them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, [in the sense that God is not jealous OF you, but FOR you.] punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. [This is not ONLY about Profanity, but also Frivolity – using God’s name superficially for selfish gain, as well as Hypocrisy – claiming God’s name but purposely living contrary to Him. “Giving God a bad name” without caring. These are all way to take the Lord’s name in vain.]
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. [This is a highly misunderstood commandment that led to religious works. Jesus, in his gospels remind us that the Sabbath was made for man – the time of rest and reflection with God, not vice versa. Whether it be on Saturday, Sunday, or any other day of the week, we need to have time set aside to rest and reflect with God. Afterall, we are after relationship not religion. Any good relationship require honest time investment.
12 “Honor [to make heavy, as in something of great value and worth] your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder. [intentionally, willfully, knowingly. See what Jesus says about this in Matthew 5 before you get too comfortable with this “easy” commandment.]
14 “You shall not commit adultery. [same suggestion!]
15 “You shall not steal. [Not just the obvious material things, but spiritual items as well, mercy, grace, goodness, compassion, joy, love. God calls us all to share this with others. When we withhold them we are stealing the blessing God wants them to have through you, his vessel.]
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. [many think of this as just lying, but it also includes gossip, slander, and making a promise you have no intention to keep. It can even include inappropriate silence when we hold truth back for the wrong motive!]
17 “You shall not covet [literal: “to pant after”] your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” [All of this means: “stuff.” It speaks of the dissatisfaction that we have now, and the jealousy toward those who have something better.]
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” [The test revealed what kind of God they serve; what God’s expectations were; and their own weakness in the sight of those first 2 tests.]
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. [Here is the choice I spoke about earlier. Do you draw away from the Father when he is revealed, or draw closer? One action is by fear, one is by grace.]
Idols and Altars
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. [After this tremendous event, let’s see how long this instruction is obeyed.]
24 ” ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’
