Today’s author is Prince of Peace member Scott Tunseth.
Almost every image we have of Moses and the Ten Commandments is of him holding or receiving tablets of stone. Curiously, the stone tablets aren’t mentioned when God gives the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. It’s not until Exodus 31:18 that the tablets are mentioned: “When God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written in the finger of God.”
Of course, that first set of stone tablets didn’t last long. By the time Moses came down the mountain, the people had already broken the first command (“You shall have no other gods”), having built a golden calf to worship, just in case Moses didn’t come back from cloud-shrouded mountain. When Moses does come back and sees the people worshiping the calf, he tosses the tablets, breaking them into pieces, and then God punishes the people with a plague. Fortunately, Moses intercedes for the people, and God provides a second set of stone tablets.
Though the commandments were literally written in stone, Martin Luther does not see them as static and fixed. He makes it clear in his treatment of the Ten Commandments in his Small Catechism that they are living and vital. They are more than ten simple commands or prohibitions. They fully define our relationship with God and with our neighbors. This becomes clear in Luther’s explanation of each commandment. For example, commandment seven says “You shall not steal.” Then comes Luther’s question (What is this? or What does this mean?) and his explanation: “We are to fear, love and trust God, so that we neither take our neighbor’s money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income.”
Do you see how Luther points to the dynamic part of the commandment? It’s not simply about “not” doing something; it’s about doing things that improve or protect the lives of our neighbors, to build relationships in which all can thrive. You know, as in “love your neighbor as yourself.” And it’s about doing things to improve our relationship with God. You know, as in trusting God above all else, keeping God’s name holy, and gladly hearing God’s Word, to name just a few.
So, ten commands become thousands of possibilities. How can we show love for God? Make a list and marvel at the options. And how can we show love for our neighbors? Start listing things, and I imagine you will run out of time before you run out of possibilities. The Ten Commandments were written on stone, but are they set in stone? No way!
Gracious God, we thank you for your commandments and pray that you will help us to keep them well for your sake, for our sake, and for the sake of our neighbors. Amen.