I said before that the Bible wasn’t just about morality. Even as a child the Ten Commandments did not set right with me, not just because they are hard to keep, but because the seemed weirdly simplistic and overly concerned about coveting. Walter Brueggemann’s lecture made this finally make more sense to me by showing that the point of the Commandments was to set up a society that reflected God and was not concerned with personal morality.
Let’s go back to Egypt, the bread basket of the ancient world. Remember that the Jews went and offered themselves as slaves because they were desperate. Egypt had food; they did not. Food becomes the weapon wielded to control others. I doubt the Jews grew up and said, “You know what I’ve always wanted to be? An Egyptian slave!” But they were left with few options. Pretty much starve or become a slave because Egypt was not running a food pantry. And it’s not like Egypt just naturally controlled the only food. They used the might of their empire to control resources.
People become anxious about not having enough. So we hustle to accumulate more and your neighbor becomes your competetor. In this race to get more, we lose our sense of compassion and justice. We are exhausted by our anxiety and can no longer have energy to worry about common good.
An empire is no different. It’s just a larger scale. Pharoah was fearful about scarcity as well. Which leads to the need to accumulate and control more and more. But the thing about the anxiety of scarcity is that the more you have, the more anxious you become. It does not really bring peace of mind. We have a greater fear of losing what we have and we never do feel like we have enough. This is the system the world offers us.
Like the Jews who had to journey through the anxiety and accept God’s plan, we too have to journey through the wilderness and trust God’s plan is greater than the need to accumulate. When we see the Commandments as our guide for a more just society we might be surprised to find the great abundance of God’s grace. Truly, it takes a great act of generosity to break the grip of anxiety.
The Commandments are not rules of morality, but rather guidelines for creating a viable and sustainable neighborhood in which people are fully engaged. A quick review:
I am the Lord your God, you will have no other gods
You should not make idols
You should not take the Lord’s name in vain.
Keep the Sabbath
Honor your mother and father.
Do not kill
Do not commit adultry.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor’s posessions or family.
So, here’s a different way to look at the Commandments. The 1st-3rd mean that we should not try to harness God to our pet projects. God is not “useful,” and we should not use God to make the world in our image or make God our partner. In particular makes more sense to view the 3rd commandment in this light. I don’t think God’s in the business of smiting people for swearing. I do think he is deeply disappointed when we claim our actions for personal gain are in his name.
The fourth is more important than we give credit for in modern times. Yes, we all need rest, but more than that the Sabbath applies to all because at rest everyone is equal. Because it is God’s command, you do not earn rest by being more productive, rest is granted because you are neighbor.
The 5th-9th Commandments remind us that neighbors (meaning all those with whom we live, society in general as Jesus himself defines neighbor) are Ends and Not Means, meaning they are to be honored and treated with respect. And not only that, but we are to protect one another.
The 10th commandment is really not about petty envy. It’s much more. It’s a curb against acquisitive economics and a hustle to accumulate more and more. And a curb against the aggressive actions we take to get more.
Pharoh’s system of scarcity and controlled scarcity is alive and well. Those at the top have more than enough, but yet they fear it will never be enough. So they offer a system in which we can give up more and more of what we have to try to buy some security. But this system never buys security. It is time to depart. As Christians we should be guiding people on the journey from Pharoh’s system to God’s system. We can be fed by the mystery of God’s abundance this Easter season.
Each Sunday, most of us going to church relive the great drama of abundance in the Eucharist. Just as Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, so God takes our life, blesses it, breaks it open and gives it back multiplied.
We do not need to fear leaving the system of scarcity. God is with us. The abundance he provides is enough for all. It should bind the community together rather than isolate us. The truth is we will never feel like we have enough and will forever want more. There is no obvious time where we will feel like we have enough and can break from the cycle. The invitation is to take the step we can, to keep taking the next step. God’s people in the Old Testament were willing to dispute with worldly powers and even God on behalf of the neighbor. We, the church, need more of this.
Let’s go back to Egypt, the bread basket of the ancient world. Remember that the Jews went and offered themselves as slaves because they were desperate. Egypt had food; they did not. Food becomes the weapon wielded to control others. I doubt the Jews grew up and said, “You know what I’ve always wanted to be? An Egyptian slave!” But they were left with few options. Pretty much starve or become a slave because Egypt was not running a food pantry. And it’s not like Egypt just naturally controlled the only food. They used the might of their empire to control resources.
People become anxious about not having enough. So we hustle to accumulate more and your neighbor becomes your competetor. In this race to get more, we lose our sense of compassion and justice. We are exhausted by our anxiety and can no longer have energy to worry about common good.
An empire is no different. It’s just a larger scale. Pharoah was fearful about scarcity as well. Which leads to the need to accumulate and control more and more. But the thing about the anxiety of scarcity is that the more you have, the more anxious you become. It does not really bring peace of mind. We have a greater fear of losing what we have and we never do feel like we have enough. This is the system the world offers us.
Like the Jews who had to journey through the anxiety and accept God’s plan, we too have to journey through the wilderness and trust God’s plan is greater than the need to accumulate. When we see the Commandments as our guide for a more just society we might be surprised to find the great abundance of God’s grace. Truly, it takes a great act of generosity to break the grip of anxiety.
The Commandments are not rules of morality, but rather guidelines for creating a viable and sustainable neighborhood in which people are fully engaged. A quick review:
I am the Lord your God, you will have no other gods
You should not make idols
You should not take the Lord’s name in vain.
Keep the Sabbath
Honor your mother and father.
Do not kill
Do not commit adultry.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor’s posessions or family.
So, here’s a different way to look at the Commandments. The 1st-3rd mean that we should not try to harness God to our pet projects. God is not “useful,” and we should not use God to make the world in our image or make God our partner. In particular makes more sense to view the 3rd commandment in this light. I don’t think God’s in the business of smiting people for swearing. I do think he is deeply disappointed when we claim our actions for personal gain are in his name.
The fourth is more important than we give credit for in modern times. Yes, we all need rest, but more than that the Sabbath applies to all because at rest everyone is equal. Because it is God’s command, you do not earn rest by being more productive, rest is granted because you are neighbor.
The 5th-9th Commandments remind us that neighbors (meaning all those with whom we live, society in general as Jesus himself defines neighbor) are Ends and Not Means, meaning they are to be honored and treated with respect. And not only that, but we are to protect one another.
The 10th commandment is really not about petty envy. It’s much more. It’s a curb against acquisitive economics and a hustle to accumulate more and more. And a curb against the aggressive actions we take to get more.
Pharoh’s system of scarcity and controlled scarcity is alive and well. Those at the top have more than enough, but yet they fear it will never be enough. So they offer a system in which we can give up more and more of what we have to try to buy some security. But this system never buys security. It is time to depart. As Christians we should be guiding people on the journey from Pharoh’s system to God’s system. We can be fed by the mystery of God’s abundance this Easter season.
Each Sunday, most of us going to church relive the great drama of abundance in the Eucharist. Just as Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, so God takes our life, blesses it, breaks it open and gives it back multiplied.
We do not need to fear leaving the system of scarcity. God is with us. The abundance he provides is enough for all. It should bind the community together rather than isolate us. The truth is we will never feel like we have enough and will forever want more. There is no obvious time where we will feel like we have enough and can break from the cycle. The invitation is to take the step we can, to keep taking the next step. God’s people in the Old Testament were willing to dispute with worldly powers and even God on behalf of the neighbor. We, the church, need more of this.
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