Are We There Yet?

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." Exodus 20:20 KJV

After God had listed what has become known as the Ten Commandments, the people of Israel were a bit intimidated. So much so that they told Moses that they would gladly listen to him if he would talk with God on their behalf. Like too many people today, they misunderstood what was going on and thought God was setting up a list of rules. Moses had to set them straight.

More often than not, people see the commandments as an opportunity to fail. The commandments are read as a list of rules; shoulds and oughts. Contrary to common practice, "shall" does not equal "should," "shall" equals "will." Thus, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" actually reads, "You will have no other gods before me."

The difference is between an imperative statement and a declarative statement; what ought to be, and what is. God was not giving a list of rules, but instead describing how His people would behave. God wasn't out to intimidate, but to inspire.

It is unfortunate that we too often see a test as an opportunity to fail, rather than an opportunity to excel. We think of tests as tools to uncover what we lack, rather than demonstrate what we have. As a result of this habit, we have come to fear tests and back away from trials. We become timid and wait for someone to tell us what to do rather than confidently moving forward.

Moses said, "God is come to prove you." If we think back to our geometry lessons, we'll remember that a proof demonstrated what something was, not what it ought to be. We did proofs to identify specific qualities that made the object what it was.

The Ten Commandments are a goal. This list gives us a picture of the type of people that God wants us to be. Additionally, if God wants us to be like Him, then this list also gives us a picture of who God is.

The Ten Commandments are a picture of the final product, not unlike the box of a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the box tells us what things will look like when we're done. It is not a set of instructions or rules. Understand, that there are instructions and rules implied in the picture, but that is not the purpose of the picture. The picture lets us know when we're done, when we've reached our objective.

For those looking for instructions, you'll need to back up a bit in Exodus. God's command is in the following passage.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Exodus 19:5-6 KJV

The commandment is obvious, "Obey My voice and keep My covenant" and then you will be the people described in the Ten Commandments. The commandments do not set out what ought to be, but will be.