DELIVERY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE FACTUAL HISTORY OF THE DELIVERY OF THE DECOLOUGE

(Ten Commandments).

Let us examine our Lord’s Aseret ha’dervarim (the ten words or ten declarations) or Decalogue (ten statements) to His people, The Ten "Commandments", the very base of the foundation’s of our Nation's Laws to this day. The Decalogue may be seen as a condensed version of the Torah given to the children of Israel 50 days following the Exodus from bondage of Egypt and 6 days following the establishment of the camp at the base of Mt. Sinai where the Tabernacle of worship was established (which would be later be moved to Shiloh following the conquest of Canaan). Moshe would then receive the First of two sets of tablets in the early morning of the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, known commonly as Shavu’ot or Pentateuch)… This day would be declared the day of the giving of The Law at Mt Sinai (The Mount is now believed to be Mt Horeb (in present day Saudi Arabia); also known as Jebel Musa or Mount of Moshe (Moses) Josephus places Mount Sinai between Egypt and Arabia reflecting the standard rabbinical belief which must have been even more ancient.

Elohim would first whispered the Decalogue to Moshe (Moses) during Moshe's first audience with The Most Holy during (at the end of his ascension to the Holy place... Moshe would climb this mountain not once, but in eight separate ascensions of the Holy Mount. On the 17th of the Hebrew month Tammuz., the first set of tablets dictated by Elohim to the scribing Moshe which would soon be were broken when Moshe descended the Mount to find the chaotic scene surrounding the molten calve; after the first 40 days of exile, the Golden Calf was destroyed on the 18th.

As read in the Torah, at first Elohim Himself delivered the Law orally, after the sounding of the ram's horn which boomingly declared by Elohim to all the people of Israel gathered at Mount Sinai amongst a midst of spectacular demonstrations of visual atmospheric events His presence, Elohim announced the law to Moshe and boldly and with an incredible booming force did speak before the Israelites, as Elohim often did (throughout Bereishit/Exodus). The reverberations of this communication went much further than the Sinai. The earth itself trembled as Elohim communicated in His presence before the Israelites. The Law was provided to Moshe upon his final ascension and the final and lasting tablets of the Covenant which was was carved in gold into the Sapphire Stone with the finger of Elohim on the 15th day of Nisan in the (Hebrew) Year 1675 (13th day of March, 1446 B.C., a Hebrew Leap Year) The event is known as the Giving of the Torah (or Law), also known as Shavu'ot or Pentateuch 'the birth of the law’; the birth of Mosaic Covenant. This is also identified as "Z’man Mattan Torateinu" (the time of the giving of the Torah).

From the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), in the Book of D'varim (Deuteronomy) 4:10 the Israelites were instructed to gather… “The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, “Gather the people to Me that I may let them hear My words, in order that they may learn to revere Me as long as they live on earth, and may so teach their children.”

We read in the Book of D'varim (Deuteronomy) that we are instructed to keep Shavu'ot (5th day of Sivan) in remembrance “Know therefore this day and keep in mind that יהוה alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other. observe God’s laws and commandments, which I enjoin upon you this day, that it may go well with you and your children after you, and that you may long remain in the land that your God יהוה is assigning to you for all time.” – {D'varim 4:3940/Deuteronomy 4:39-40}

While Moshe was ‘in conference’ with Elohim Marom (The G-d of Heights) during his second ascension of the Mount, the Israelites had talked Aaron into creating the molten calf of gold (egal maseikhah) which they worshiped. When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that man Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt- we do not know what has happened to him.” - {Shemot 32:1/Exodus 32:1} Aaron said to them, "Remove the golden earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them [those earrings] to me." And all the people stripped themselves of the golden earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron." - {Shemot 32:2/Exodus 32:2}

Elohei Marom (the G-d of heights) tells Moshe about their idolatry in his absence; "And the Lord said to Moses: "Go, descend, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.” - {Shemot 32:7/Exodus 32:7}

Elohei Mishpat (the G-d of Justice) then threatens to destroy the Israelites, “Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation.” {Shemot/Exodus 32:10}, "Moses pleaded before the Lord, his God, and said: "Why, O Lord, should Your anger be kindled against Your people whom You have brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say: 'He brought them out with evil [intent] to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the earth'? Retreat from the heat of our anger and reconsider the evil [intended] for Your people." – {Shemot/Exodus 32:11-12}

As Moshe descended the mountain he witnessed their idolatry and in his distressed anger the tablets became heavy and were smashed to the ground; “As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.” – {Shemot 32:19/Exodus 32:19} This day of anger was the 17th day of the Hebrew Month of Tammuz, ‘The day of National Tragedy’, known as Shivah Asar B’Tammuz (the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz), which commemorates the beginning of a three week mourning period actually commemorating five great Israelite tragedies including the broken Tablets.)

Moshe then destroyed the molten calf and the Levites tended the offenders in slaying 3,000 of instigators of the unrighteous rebellion. The Levites were the only Tribe not to contribute gold towards the calf’s creation. Moses was told to prepare a new set of Tablets again of sapphire, and once again ascended the Mount the 1st day of the month of Elul (Rosh Chodesh or New Moon) and descended on the 10th day of Tishri (the end of Yom Kippur, Teshuva or day of repentance).

As divinely instructed, Moshe constructed an alter of the Tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai to receive half the blood of sacrifice among a colonnade of 12 pillars, one representing each of the tribes of the Israelites upon which the sacrificial lambs blood offerings of gratitude to Elohei Avraham (The G-d of Abraham) followed by the reading of the Covenant. Moshe (Moses), being the mediator of the covenant, relayed all of the Mishpatim (18th weekly reading of the parashah (a section of biblical text of the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), commonly used to refer to “this week’s Torah portion”, think of it as the Jewish version of “this week’s Gospel”) after each week’s reading, the Israelites would respond congregationally “kol hadveraim asher diber adoni ne’eseh” or “all the words which the Lord has said we will do”; this would later become the Sefer Hanbirt or “words of the covenant" composed by Moshe (Moses).

“The God who cannot be seen, is seen, not only by Moshe and Yehoashua (Joshua), but also by Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel up upon Mount Sinai where they would eat a ‘covenant affirmation meal’ solidifying the covenant between Elohei Yisroel (The G-d of Israel) and the Israelites. There the elders beheld Elohei Tseva’ot (The G-d of Hosts) “and they perceived the God of Israel, and beneath His feet was like the forming of a sapphire brick and like the appearance of the heavens for clarity.” – {Shemot/Exodus 24:10)

We notice here Elohim’s path was marked by a path of sapphire, just as the tablets of the covenant were themselves of sapphire. Traditional knowledge informs us they were thick square blocks of (sapphire) stone, six handbreadths tall, six handbreadths wide, and three handbreadths deep. In modern measurements, that is about 18″ × 18″ × 9″. The sages of the Talmud demonstrate how tablets of this size fit neatly into the Ark of the Covenant that Moses made as described in Bereishit/Exodus.

The Decalogue or Ten Declarations, of course do not carry the entirety of HaShem’s (G-d’s) 613 instructions (Commandments) to His people, but rather they contain within them the kernel from which all commandments emerge. There are two versions of the Ten Commandments recorded in the Torah. First in Exodus 20, and once again in Deuteronomy 5. The two version are almost identical with slight variations. The record in Deuteronomy is somewhat more in-depth as this is the retelling of events by Moshe recalling the events 40 years earlier with additional insight and commentary.

The Tabernacle in the wilderness built to HaShem's specifications {Vayakhe/Exodus 25-26}

In a sober examination of our Lord’s 613 Declarations of Law contained within the Torah which were delivered in parcels upon Moshe's eight visits to the Holy Zenith, we come to understand with clarity not all 613 commandments necessarily apply to each and every Believer. To illustrate this there are certain commands of law which apply only to women. There are also the laws which apply solely to Temple rituals and are applicable solely to the Levites and not to the average man or woman. In any event, all 633 commandments or mitzvot, may in their essence be synopsized as the original Ten Commandments from which all other commandments (laws) stem. The violation of the laws of the covenant will find no freedom from consequences of violation of the law merely because we are in covenant.

The Israelites had been led from Egypt to Mount Sinai by Elohei Ma'uzzi (the G-d of my strength) Himself, who appeared by day as a whirling cloud and by night as fire (Bereishit/Exodus 13:21). At Elohim's summons, Moshe ascends the mountain, where he is instructed to offer a covenant to the Israelite people. In light of all he has done for them, Elohim invites the Israelites to be his treasured people forevermore, as long as they agree to obey his commands. The Israelites immediately accept the offer, though they have not yet heard the terms (Bereishit/Exodus 19:1–8).

In the observance of Halacha (Jewish law)... Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah is known as a joyous occasion; celebrations in relationship with the cycle of life. In the observance of the Law, even in times of difficulty, Simcha is found in constant dedication to Elohim in the keeping of the Covenant. In the observance of the Law, it is a Brucha or blessing to observe the Laws of the Covenant of Elohim entered into with the children of Israel that glorious day upon Mount Sinai well over 3,300 years ago.

Immoral choices made in are done so in free will though this will hold no escape from accountability from the violation of the covenant. It is of course only in Y’shua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus; our Messiah) through which redemption from our rebellious and self-serving acts may be found. While we are relieved of all sin (an ancient archery term meaning to ‘miss the mark’ or bulls eye… to be less than perfect) through the Baptismal Waters with declaration of commitment to and acceptance of, our Lord Y'shua. We must confess our sin to our Redeemer as we are born anew in the Baptismal Waters. In our Lord and Redeemer, we remain accountable always for all our behavior before Elohim Mishpat (The G-d of Justice). To assure adherence to the Covenant which Eloheynu (our G-d) has entered into with the chosen, the Israelites, we must remain n constant expression of unreserved, wholehearted commitment to our part in the maintenance of the grand Covenant. We shall later come to find eternal redemption through the teachings and sacrifices of Ben Elohim (the Son of G-d). Our continuous demonstration in faith and character are found in our actions as we remain gratefully humble and a living testament to the Word of Hashem (G-d), in one’s internal life and public persona to be the truest reflection of honoring Elohei Tehillati (The G-d of my praise).

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DELIVERY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ​

DELIVERY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS