Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 846 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Counting the Ten Commandments - Wisdom Wednesday


Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 846 of our Trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.  The past several months on Wednesday we have been focusing on interpreting current events through a Biblical Worldview.  To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is important that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.  Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.  In order help us all have a better understanding of Gods Word we are investing the next several months on Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser which he has compiled into a book titled  ’I Dare You Not to Bore Me With the Bible.’

We are broadcasting from our studio at ‘The Big House’ in Marietta, OH.  Our personal moral code and that of every country are based on a set of values.   In most western cultures this code is or was based on what we consider ‘The Ten Commandments.’   Most of the world’s modern cultures have a similar value system, even if it does not have the same base.   In today’s essay let’s look at some of the details and even the number of actual commandments which were given by God:
Counting the Ten Commandments
One of the most enduring elements of the Bible and the Judeo-Christian worldview within Western culture is the Decalogue, or what we refer to as the Ten Commandments. Even if you can't recite them all, most people have seen the fiery finger of God etch the commandments into two stone tablets as Moses, played by Charlton Hesston who watches in awe.

It seems to go without saying that the list of the Ten Commandments is something that Judaism and Christianity have always agreed upon. Well, that is not exactly true.  Historically speaking, Jews and Christians—and even denominations within Christianity—have disagreed on exactly how the Ten Commandments should be listed and expressed. In fact, how to precisely spell out the commandments was an issue of considerable importance during the Protestant Reformation. The difference concerns how many commands are to be found in the first six verses and last two verses of Exodus 20:2-17.  As I read the initial listing of the commandments received by Moses at Sinai, it may become evident why there were some confusion and disagreement.

Then God gave the people all these instructions:

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

“You must not have any other god but me.

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.