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Welcome to Torah Means Teacher! Thankfully I pressed “record” this time in class so this is a more normative recording.  We covered Exodus chapter 20 verses 5, 6, and 7.

Exodus 20 (NIV):

5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

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This TMT episode is just me, you, and a microphone.  Sorry, you won’t hear any class participation in this one.

Why?  Well, I did not hit “record” when the class was originally held.  It was my fault and I apologize.

So, what you are going to be listening to is just me in my studio with some books… and a microphone and recorder.

Good news… This is a much shorter class.

The verses covered are as follows:

Exodus 20 (NIV):

2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3“You shall have no other gods before^a me.

4“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

We recap some of these subjects in the following class.

Thanks for listening!

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This week we cover Exodus ch. 20 verses one and two… Yes, I know we are moving at blazing speed.  But I think you might be surprised by the subjects that come up in this class.  Below are the verses:

Exodus 20 (NIV):

1And God spoke all these words:

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FYI: This is NOT what the “tablets” looked like. Probably not what Moses looked like either…

Being such an important subject, I dedicated a lot of time to trying to bring clarity and understanding regarding the Ten Commandments.

Many people have preconceived notions regarding these important words.  Unfortunately, many mock or simply dismiss the Ten Commandments and their significance.

So in this class we review some of what was covered last weeks introduction to Exodus Ch. 20, and then I talk about the 10 Commandments specifically.

We discuss several questions regarding the 10 commandments:

• Why 10?
• Are there really only TEN?
• How are they numbered?
• Are they all “commandments”?
• Who wrote them?
• How where they written?
• Where were they written?
• How many times were they written?
• What were they written on?
• What did the “tablets” look like?
• Why are they significant?
• Where are they?
• and more…

For answers to these question and more stay tuned to Torah Means Teacher episode 37!

Below are the ten commandments and the beginning of Exodus Chapter 20.

Exodus Ch. 20:

1And God spoke all these words:

From Wikipedia:

Traditions for numbering

Different religious traditions divide the seventeen verses of Exodus 20:1–17 and their parallels at Deuteronomy 5:4–21 into ten “commandments” or “sayings” in slightly different ways, shown in the table below. The number ten seems to be a choice to aid memorization rather than a matter of theology.^[15][16]

Traditions:

• All scripture quotes above are from the English Standard Version. Click on verses at top of columns for other versions.

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Attribution: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing

Hello class and thank you for listening!

This week we finish Exodus ch. 19, and then I do an introduction about chapter 20.

Exodus 19 NIV:

7So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

9The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

10And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

14After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

16On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain^b trembled violently. 19As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.^c

20The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21and the Lordsaid to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. 22Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”

23Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”

24The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”

25So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Attribution: Epictatus at en.wikipedia

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Well I really get bogged down in this one.  We discuss many topics because of the important ideas brought up in these otherwise simple lines:

Exodus 19:

5Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6you^a will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

As is often the case in Torah study, simple does not mean simplistic or easy… or lacking in depth and meaning.  So please enjoy the class and if after listening you have any questions or comments please post your thoughts below.

Also, while making this class podcastable (yes I can make up words), I was inspired to do dedicate a whole hour on my Ultimate Issues podcast to the subject of exceptionalism. You can check it out here.

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Jethro and Moses, as in Exodus 18, watercolor by James Tissot via Wikimedia Commons

Hello class!  We pick up at Exodus chapter 18.  Below you will find the verses (NIV) covered in class.  Thank you for listening and as always you are welcome to comment, ask questions, and/or challenge my statements and ideas.

Exodus Ch. 18 (NIV)

13The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

17Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

24Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

27Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

 Chapter 19

1On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

3Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,

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By Gerard Jollain, via Wikimedia Commons

Happy New Year! May the new fiscal year of 2014 be joyful and prosperous for you and yours.

In this weeks show, the class picks up at Exodus 17:14 and goes to 18:12.  While I did not necessarily intend the class to go somewhat “comparative religion”, alas we did toward the end.  If you have your own opinions you’d like to share, please do so below in the comment box.

Thank you…

Exodus 17 (NIV):

14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

15Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16He said, “Because hands were lifted up against^c the throne of theLord,^d the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Exodus 18 (NIV):

1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3and her two sons. One son was named Gershom,^a for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4and the other was named Eliezer,^b for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

7So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.8Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

9Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.10He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

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Victory O Lord, by John Everett Millais, the Amalekites defeated, as in Exodus 17:8-16, 1871 oil on canvas, at the Manchester City Galleries courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Hello Listeners!  First to all my Christian listeners, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. (In the case of the likely event in which you read or hear this at another time… The publishing date today is 12/24/13.)  I truly appreciate you listening to Torah Means Teacher and your help in promoting the podcast.

Okay, so this week we are reading from Exodus Chapter 17 verse 1 through 14.  Just follow along and if you have any questions or thoughts please share below in the comment area. Thanks again and have a Merry Christmas!

Exodus 17 (NIV)

1The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

3But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the place Massah^a and Meribah^b because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

8The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

10So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”