9.3 The Decalogue before Mount Sinai
by Hubert F. Sturges, www.everlatingcovenant.com, April 22, 2010
Topics:
Ten Commandments Given by God at Mount Sinai
Pre-Sinai Evidence for the Ten Commandments
Job is not even in the Covenant Line
The Law of God is "holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12). This law describes the character of God, in the image of which man was created. It was given at Sinai as the Ten Commandments, often called the Decalogue. As the Law of God, it is eternal and the guide of life for all created beings.
Ten Commandments given by God at Mount Sinai
God spoke the Ten Commandment law to Israel from Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17). Then while Moses was in the mount, God gave him two tables of stone with the law written by His own finger (Exodus 31:18; 32:15,16). Thus the law was spoken to all the people by God to give it authority; and written on stone to emphasize its permanence. Was this the first time that the Ten Commandment law existed? NO! There is evidence beginning in Eden that God had a law to guide the actions of people.
The Ten Commandments are short, yet fully understood, influence all aspects of human life. The Decalogue has exerted more influence on ethics and law than any other part of Scripture—or any document outside of Scripture. Legal codes of the Middle Ages were often prefaced with the Ten Commandments. Many commentaries have been written about the Decalogue by both Christian and Jewish authors.
The Law of God is quoted by almost every biblical writer following the Exodus, including the psalmists, the prophets, and the historians. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself refers to the Ten Commandments and affirms their exalted nature. The Apostle Paul likewise speaks of the far-reaching claims of God’s law, often quoting it in his epistles. The great apostle’s cross-cultural ministry finds him instructing new Christians on how the Law’s boundaries extend deeply into human thought. And the biblical canon closes with the Book of Revelation and its pointed reference to those "who keep the commandments of God" (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).
Adam and Eve in sinless perfection were given only one restriction to test their obedience. They were commanded by God not to eat from a certain tree. "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (Genesis 2:16, 17). This command was to protect them from the tragic consequences of sin. By avoiding the tree they would know nothing about sin and would be protected from its effects.
The divine command begins with a positive statement. Adam and Eve could eat freely from all other trees (2). While the prohibition in Genesis 2 applied to only a single issue, the command in Genesis 2:17, "you shall not" closely resembled the initial words of eight Decalogue precepts.
16 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17, KJV).
The Ten Commandments also began with a positive statement: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2). Only after this positive statement are the prohibitions given. Even then, the commands are not "it is forbidden" but the more benign "thou shalt not" which are also read as promises through the preamble of grace.
From the very beginning human beings had the power of choice. They were free to make genuine decisions. The divine command to them was to assist them in making the right choice, but the choice was theirs. After the Fall, in the Genesis narratives, God continues giving commandments to humans. To Noah it was recorded twice (Exodus 6:22, 7:5). The patriarchs were commended for obeying God’s commands (Exodus 18:19; 21:4; 22:18; 26:5).
Pre-Sinai Evidence for the Ten Commandments
The law given at Mount Sinai can be seen less as a new law than as an authoritative expression of an already existing system of morality. The above references to the law given to the patriarchs "show that the Sinai law basically conformed to already existing law (3)." The Genesis narratives show that the 10 precepts of the Decalogue were already recognized in human society.
? Creation / Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3). The Sabbath appears in a number of Old Testament texts. It is first found in Genesis 2:1, "the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." God then "rested" on "the seventh day (Genesis 2:2,3)." The seventh day is mentioned three times, marking its importance over the previous six days.
The ‘seventh day’ sabbath is ‘blessed’ as no other day and made ‘holy’ by separating it from all other days. God and His creation, including Adam rested from the work that God had already done. Man, created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) patterned his life on what he saw of God. Whatever God did, was a command for him to do likewise to the extent of his ability (4). And why choose the seventh-day? God could have chosen any other day, or left the choice up to man. But He specifically chose one day, the seventh day, set it a part and made it holy. It is a day of 24 hours, and is just like any other day in every respect -- except that it was specially blessed by God. There would then be only one reason for men to keep this day -- because God made it holy. To keep the seventh-day would be to accept the will of God as superior to his own.
The six days of Creation followed by the seventh day Sabbath is the basis for the weekly cycle which is used world-wide to this day. During the Flood narrative several events were tied to seven day periods (Genesis 7:10; 8:10,12).
There are Sabbath events in the wilderness wanderings before Sinai making it clear that it was not introduced as something new at Sinai (Exodus 16:28).
? Cain and Abel / Worship of God (Genesis 4:3,4). Cain and Abel "in process of time (at the end of days)" present their sacrifices before God (Genesis 4:3). This showed an established worship pattern (sacrifices) at a specific time. "The end of days" in Genesis 4:3 implies the end of the week, the only time frame given so far in Genesis. Men were restricted from Eden, but God kept in contact with them (5).
? Cain / Murder and Lying (Genesis 4:3-16). Long before the commandment against murder was proclaimed from Mount Sinai, Cain killed his brother Abel. This horrifying deed is stressed, for the word brother is repeated over and over in the passage. When God addressed Cain, He cited this relationship three times in three verses alone (vss. 9-11). Within Genesis 4:1-17, "Abel" and "brother" occur seven times. These repetitions jar the reader’s attention to the heinous nature of the crime: the murder of one’s own family.
As a result of this grievous murder, Cain (like the serpent in Genesis 3) "is placed under a curse. This is the first occasion in Scripture where a human is cursed, indicating the gravity of his crime against God and creation? (6) There is a close parallel between the story of the fall of man in Genesis 3 and the story of Cain and Abel (7).
At this time there was no written law against murder. In Genesis 4, however, God confronts Cain as a prosecutor and makes serious accusation: Cain is liable for shedding blood. A person cannot take another’s life with impunity. Cain himself is aware that murder is wrong. In addition to murdering his brother, Cain lies.
Retributive justice did not originate in the Covenant at Sinai. It was already well known at the time of this first tragic murder. Cain himself acknowledged his guilt and did not complain that God was too harsh toward him. He was only worried that other people might treat him unfairly.
Cain’s murder of his brother shows the sacredness of human life in God’s eyes. It is this same affirmation of life that is shown in the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, which forbids murder. Moreover, the great anger of Cain in Genesis 4:5 is an advance presentation of the murder inherent in anger which Jesus spoke of in His Sermon on the Mount.
? Lamech / Bigamy and Murder (Genesis 4:19-24). In taking two wives (vs.19), Lamech diverts from the divine ideal for marriage in Genesis 2:24. The eighth commandment of the Decalogue forbidding adultery implies this same sacred view of monogamous marriage. The children born of these wives appeared to be talented, materialistic and did not "call on the name of the Lord."
Lamech also bragged of his murdering a person for wounding him, blatantly referring to Cain’s murder of Abel and his subsequent divine sentencing (Genesis 4:23). Lamech’s gloating over a reputation more ruthless than Cain’s showed the cheapening of human life fostered by Cain’s murder of Abel,
The genealogy of Cain through Lamech, is compared with the genealogy of Adam/Seth through righteous Enoch, who was translated without seeing death (Genesis 4:16-24,26). This showed the degradation caused by sin all the more glaring.
? Descendants of Seth / God’s Name (Genesis 4:26). Long before Mount Sinai’s command to honor God’s name, Seth and his descendants "began to call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). The command to honor God’s sacred name will later be enshrined in the third of the Ten Commandments. All through Scripture, the name of God is declared holy: "The Lord reigns;... Let them praise Your great and awesome name -- He is holy" (Psalms 99:1-3).
? Antediluvians / Morality (Genesis 6:5,11-13). As time went on "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Human evil is here presented with biting force through the inclusive words "every. . . only. continually" (Genesis 6:5).
After the Flood, God again commanded: "Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man" (Genesis 9:6). This statement of God signifies the sacredness of life with grave consequences for its wanton destruction. Destroying human life is an offense against the Creator. Created in the very image of God, the value of human life is still acknowledged by God.
Twice it is mentioned in just two verses that God demands recompense for murder. This divine statement (Genesis 9:5, 6) is addressed to humanity long before the people of Israel were in existence. Retributive justice began long before Sinai, and is found in the divine covenant with Noah, already recognized since the first murder in Genesis 4.
? Noah and His Sons / Filial Irreverence and Sexual Perversion (Genesis 9:20-27). Noah became drunk and was naked in his tent. Ham saw him in this condition. Apparently the story is not describing an innocent or accidental action. Scholars agree that sexual perversion is apparent, as is filial irreverence. Shem and Japheth went "backwards," and covered and did not see "their father’s nakedness." The fifth commandment of honoring a parent was expected, and Canaan was cursed because of his impropriety.
? Tower of Babel / Making a "Name" (Genesis 11:1-9). The people got together with a plan to build a tower to "make a name" (Genesis 11:4) lest they be scattered. This was in direction opposition to the command of God to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1). The motive of the Babel builders was to achieve independence from God. They deliberately disregarded the "name of God" later upheld in the third commandment of the Decalogue.
Human desire to be autonomous is as ancient as human civilization. The Babel builders were successful in making a name for themselves. The term Babel is still synonymous with confusion.
? Lot and His Daughters / sexual Deviancy (Genesis 19:1 -38). The depth of vice in Sodom is indicated by "young men and old" showing up at Lot’s house, revealing inter-generational corruption. Societies will not become depraved if there are enough righteous men to oppose their wickedness. It is only when righteous men are too few or too quiet that wickedness will prevail and the city becomes ripe for destruction (Genesis 19:7, NIV).
The last picture of Lot, nephew of noble Abraham, is that of incest. His legacy, Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:37), were destined to provide the worst carnal seduction in the history of Israel (that of Baal-Peor, Numbers 25) and the cruelest religious perversion (that of Molech, Leviticus 18:21). So much stemmed from a self-regarding choice (Genesis 13:l0) and persistence in it (Genesis 9,10)."
? Abraham / Divine Worship (Genesis 22:5; 24:26, 48, 52). Though surrounded by pagan polytheistic nations, Abraham’s godly influence spread throughout his household. On his journey to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s trusted servant prayed for guidance: "I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son" (Genesis 24:48).
? Abimelech, Pharaoh, Abraham, and Isaac / Adultery and Lying (Genesis 12; 20; 26). The three "adultery narratives" of Genesis 12; 20; 26 involve three different places and rulers. In Genesis 20, King Abimelech finds out about Abraham and Sarah’s marriage from a dream. He pleads his innocence to God because he was unaware of any existing marital relation between Abraham and Sarah. This ruler displays a moral conscience superior to Abraham’s.
Isaac also lied regarding Rebekah. The pagan king scolded Isaac for his lie. Though not of the covenant line, Abimelech recognized that adultery was wrong. He insists, "Quite obviously, she is your wife" (Genesis 26:9).
Abimelech then administers a well-deserved rebuke to Isaac: "You would have brought guilt on us" (Genesis 26:10). In attempting to spare his own life through deception, Isaac was risking the lives of everyone else. Abimelech clearly understands that it is not only the immoral behavior that concerns him, but also the consequences of that behavior.
Strikingly, "outsiders" of the Covenant line in Genesis (Egyptians, Canaanites, Aramaeans) are sensitive to precepts of the Sinai Decalogue. Throughout Genesis 12-50 are indications that men had an organic [or creational] ethic woven into the foundations of their human experience.
? Rebekah’s Deception and Jacob’s Lies (Genesis 27)! Laban’s Lies (Genesis 29:21-26). Initially, Jacob objects that his mother’s plan would be a deception: "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him" (Genesis 27:11,12).
In the presence of Isaac, Jacob utters two lies. First, he claims to be Esau, and for good measure he adds ‘your firstborn.’ This phrase will remind Isaac why father and son are getting together on this occasion. Second, he claims to have captured the game and now wants to share that with Isaac. He also reminds his father that he is there for his father’s blessing, not just for some food and a chat.
The low point in Jacob’s conversation with his father is his statement that he is back so quickly because God just put the game in front of him. Here is an appeal to deity in order to cover up duplicity: (12)"
When Esau learns what has happened, he expresses how he regards Jacob’s prevarication: "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" (Genesis 27:36). His anger is so great that he plans a revenge murder of his brother (Genesis 27:41).
Later, Laban exercises treachery on Jacob, dealing fraudulently with his daughter Rachel promised to Jacob after seven years of service (Genesis 29:1-28). Jacob demands an answer from Laban: "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?" (Genesis 29:25).
? Rachel’s Stealing (Genesis 31). "Rachel stole her father’s household gods" when Jacob left Laban’s employment (Genesis 31:19, NIV). When Laban caught up with Jacob he asks: "Why did you steal my gods?" (Genesis 31:30). "Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods" (Genesis 31:32, NIV). He defends his innocence, which implies that he knew stealing was wrong. Rachel’s act of stealing is shown as wrongful. The eighth commandment was yet to be proclaimed from Sinai.
? Shechem, Hamor, Simeon, and Levi / Coveting, Rape, Murder, Lying (Genesis 34). Shechem, a determined young man, abducts Dinah (Genesis 34:2, 26). The verb sequence "saw. . . took" used of Shechem’s treatment of Dinah is the same sequence used for the sexually unrestrained in Genesis 6:2, which then leads directly to the Flood narrative.
Dinah’s brothers are furious, insisting that "such a thing ought not to be done" (Genesis 31:7, NASB) suggesting that inviolable norms had been breached.
Hamor and Shechem both hope that a monetary payment may smooth over the situation. Hamor even tries to paint a picture of the advantages Jacob might accrue with intermarriage between their tribes.
However, Simeon and Levi ("Dinah’s full brothers," Genesis 31:25, NLT), recoil from the sexual disgrace of their sister. They suggest an alternative. The tribes cannot intermarry unless they are circumcised. The brothers then add deceit (involving the ninth commandment) to the complex situation. When the men are sore from the circumcision, Simeon and Levi murder them all, breaking the future proclaimed sixth commandment of the Ten Commandments. When defending their actions to Jacob, Simeon and Levi argue, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?" (Genesis 34:31).
Jacob on his deathbed: "[speaking of Simeon and Levi] ‘Cursed be their anger" (Genesis 49:7). Jacob links anger and murder ad Jesus does in the Sermon on the Mount. Genesis 34 paints a portrait of grim violence, including rape, deceit, and massacre resulting from covetousness.
? Jacob / Idols (Genesis 35:1-4). When Jacob hears God’s call to return to Bethel, he urges the family to put away their idols. Jacob’s response here is evidence of God’s command against idolatry, even before the law given on Sinai.
? Joseph and His Brothers / Threat of Murder and Lying (Genesis 39 - 50). When Joseph is sent and finds his brothers, they connive to murder him (Genesis 37:20). At Reuben’s insistence they instead sell him to the Ishmaelites, then lie to their father about what happened to him. The guilt they bear over this weighed heavily on them for years. This became evident later, when the brothers traveled to Egypt to buy corn. As they were tested by Joseph, they spoke of their guilt and sorrow (Genesis 42:21,22).
Judah, appealed to Joseph to allow Benjamin to return to his father: "Your servant my father said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, ‘Surely he is torn to pieces’; and I have not seen him since" (Genesis 44:27, 28), made their guilt worse.
Later, after Jacob died , Joseph’s brothers sent him a message: "saying, ‘I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you...." (Genesis 50:17). Joseph’s brothers here recognized that it was wrong to lie, hate, and murder.
? Potiphar’s Wife and Joseph / Adultery (Genesis 39). The command against adultery was already part of Joseph’s make-up before he was in Egypt. The faithless wife of Potiphar turns on Joseph because he refuses her improper advances. Joseph’s answer to Potiphar’s wife is specific: Potiphar, his master, has bestowed unlimited confidence on him. The baseness of betraying such trust would be wrong. And she is a married woman.
Most importantly, such an adulterous act would be a "great evil" and a "sin against God." Joseph’s detailed argument also implies that Potiphar’s wife can and should understand him. However, she was undeterred by any of Joseph’s considerations. "Day by day" (Genesis 39:10) she approached him.
One day Potiphar’s wife "caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled" (Genesis 39:12). To divert suspicion, Potiphar’s wife raised an outcry, protesting her innocence.
Her immoral passion for Joseph is now replaced with lying. She demands a swift redress from Potiphar, claiming that he has been betrayed by his servant." She cleverly attaches "secondary blame to her own husband. After all, it is Potiphar who brought Joseph into the household"(14)
And Job is not even of the Covenant Line.
Genesis does not record how human beings were provided with God’s "laws, commandments, and statutes." But they are specifically mentioned here (Genesis 26:5), implying that knowledge of them was in place. By these terms we know that the morality in the patriarchal period was governed by the same Law of God as proclaimed on Sinai.
Job is another witness during the pre-Mosaic patriarchal period. He repeatedly protests his innocence before his three friends. In this passage he becomes specific: "I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?... If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway," (Job 31:1, 9 NASB).
This passage yields a striking moral sensitivity. And if this is the oldest book in the Bible, the principles by which Job’s conscience operates reflects advanced knowledge of the Law of God.
A close reading of Genesis shows that the precepts of the Ten Commandments were the standard of human morality long before Sinai. The dramatic, overwhelming presentation of the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai, underscores the majestic emphasis God attached to the Moral Law, His eternal code of righteousness. Rather than granting Israel a new code of ethics, the Genesis narratives instead give evidence that the morality of the Decalogue predates Sinai. No wonder the psalmist was moved to chant:
"Forever, 0 Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
"Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.
"Oh, how I love Your law!" (Psalms 119:89, 142, 97).
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This article is adapted from the excellent article by:
Davidson, Jo Ann: The Decalogue Before Mount Sinai. Perspective Digest. 15(2010)1, 7-24
Jo Ann Davidson, Ph.D., teaches Systematic Theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Berrien Springs, Michigan, and is a Past President of the Adventist Theological Society.
