Page 1858 - 1970S

mother ..." (Exodus 20: 12). The
Genesis record reveals that this
command was also already in effect!
In the days of Noab after the de–
luge, Noah made a mistake. He be–
carne drunk and fell asleep in a
drunken stupor, naked, in his tent
(Genesis 9:20-21). Canaan, his
grandson, saw him in this state and
showed disrespect - contempl - for
his grandfather (verse 24). When
Noah discovered what he had done,
he cursed him. God inspired him to
pronounce a divine, propbetic curse
lhat Canaan and his descendants
would be servants (verses 25-27).
Honoring one's parenls may seem
old-fashioned to many, but that
doesn'l make it archaic. This com–
mandment is widely flouted and dis–
regarded by youths in Western
nations.
What about the following, or
sixth, commandment, "Thou shalt
not kill [murder]" (Exodus 20: 13)?
This law has been in effect from the
very beginning of human existence.
Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and
Eve, was jealous of his brother Abel.
He found him alone in the field and
killed him (Genesis 4:8). God bim–
se!f confronted Cain witb hís evil
deed and put a curse upon him.
Cain was banished for tbe sin of
breaking the commandment against
murder (verses 9-16).
The command "Thou shalt not
commit adultery" (Exodus 20: 14)
was also a law prior to Moses' time.
Joseph, the grandson of Abraham,
lived almost two hundred years be–
fore Moses. When he was in Egypt
serving Potipbar, Potiphar's wife
tried to seduce him. Joseph was a
handsome, competen! young man
who was very desirable in her eyes
(Genesis 39:5-6).
Burning with illicit sexual desire,
she ftaunted herself before Joseph,
enticing him to commit adultery
with her. She found him alone one
day, and said, " Lie with me" (verse
7).
But Joseph, a roan of character
32
and moral integrity, instantly de–
clined her offer, saying, "How then
can l do this great wickedness, and
sin against God?" (Verse 9.)
The Remaining
Commandments
The commandment "Thou shalt
not steal" (Exodus 20: 15) was also a
law prior to Moses. Jacob, working
for bis fatber-in-law, Laban, agreed
that bis wages should be all tbe
speckled and spotted cattle and
goats that would be born (Genesis
30:28-32). Said Jacob, " ... every
one that is not speckled and spotted
among the goats, and brown among
the sheep, that shall be counted sto–
len witb me" (verse 33). So stealing
was wrong before Moses' time.
How about lying? "Thou shalt not
bear false witness ..." states one of
the Ten (Exodus 20: 16). The patri–
arch Abraham stopped over in a
town called Gerar when he was
traveling through the country of
southern Palestine. Afraid that the
local men would kill him and seize
his beautiful wife Sarah, Abraham
lied and said, "She is my sister"
(Genesis 20:2). This little white Lie
(actually, she was bis half-sister- in
those days il was not wrong for
people to marry those who were
closely related) was to have disas–
trous consequences.
Thinking Sarah was avai lable, the
local polentate took her to be one of
his wives. At night, God spoke to
the king, whose name was Abime–
Jech, and warned him not to toucb
Sarah. Horrified, Abimelech quickly
returned Sarah to Abraham and re–
buked him, saying, "Wbat hast thou
done unto us? ... that thou hast
brought on me and on my kingdom
a great sin? Thou hast done deeds
unto me that ought not to be done"
(verse 9).
Just what bad Abraham done? He
bad lied. He had broken this com–
mandment over 400 years before
Moses and the Israelites reached
Mount Sinai!
The final commandment, forbid–
ding coveting, was also in effect
prior to Moses' time. The first
human act of covetousness occurred
as early as the time of Adam and
Eve. When they partook of the fruit
of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil (Genesis 3:5-7), they broke
severa! of God's commandments.
Eve, thinking the fruit would make
her as wise as a god, coveted the
fruit. Then, even though it didn't
belong to her, she stole it and gave it
lo Adam as well. In eating the for–
bidden fruit, both of them dísbon–
ored their maker and parent - God.
Also, they took God's name in vain.
Since they belonged to him and
were hís created son and daughter,
they brought reproach upon his
name by their disobedience. Finally,
they committed the sin of idolatry,
breaking the first commandment -
because, in effect, they worshipped
the devil and obeyed him, rather
than God; and they symbolically
bowed down before the image of a
snake, instead of obeying God
(Genesis 3: 1-5, 13).
Salan the devil, in the guise of a
literal serpent , of course, had bro–
ken another commandment. He lied
lo them about the supposed "inher–
ent powers" of the fruit to make
them as God, promising them im–
mortal life (Genesis 3:4-5).
What Happened at Sinai?
Since each of the Ten Command–
ments was in force long before the
time of Moses, what really bap–
pened at Mount Sinai when tbe
people of Israel were camped al the
fool of the mountain?
The answer is that God did not
give the people a new Jaw of ethics
and morality, especially designed
for them. Rather, He reiterated to
them the ten basic spiritual prin–
cipies - the Ten Commandments –
which have been in force since cre–
ation! During the sojoum of the
Israelites in Egypt and their sub–
sequent oppression and enslave-
PLAIN TRUTH June 1973