Herbrew God

I am Adonai Your God.

N

Hebraic Insight...

Many of the Jewish sages taught that the greatest of all the mitzvot (commandments) is the
very first commandment, "I am the LORD your God" (Ex. 20:2a).

Why is that? Well, until we are really willing to accept Adonai as our God, the rest of the
commandments are not likely to be obeyed. The God of Israel is calling us to obey the
glorious truth that He is our God.

Are we willing to obey?

Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

 Hebraic Insight...

The second of the ten mitzvot (commandments) is, "Thou

shalt have no other gods before Me." Why does Adonai
command us not to have other gods before Him? Well,
first because He is a "jealous God" (see Ex. 34:14; Deut.
4:24), which suggests that He watches us lovingly and
closely, like a faithful and passionate bridegroom watches
over his betrothed.

God loves us and has given Himself to us passionately; He is entirely committed to

our relationship with Him. Are we putting other desires, affections, or interests
ahead of God's love?

You shall not take the Name of Adonai Your God in vain.

Hebraic Insight...

Many of the Jewish sages taught that the word translated "Name" (shem) powerfully refers to
the character or reputation of the one who bears it. The revealed name of the LORD
thus can be understood as the invocation for the very presence of God Himself.

The word translated "in vain" probably comes from another word that pictures a rushing and
destructive storm (shoah). One way to understand this mitzvah, then, is that we should never
invoke Adonai's name in a thoughtless, careless, or "stormy" manner (for this reason,
Orthodox Jews never pronounce the literal name, but substitute the word "Adonai" or
"HaShem" instead).

When we call upon the LORD, we are actually invoking the one true God of the universe to
manifest Himself to us. Since God is faithful and will be true to His name, He will really be
present whenever He is called. This is serious business. We should never take it lightly.
 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it separate.

Hebraic Insight...

The word translated "remember" (zakhor) means more than merely recalling something past,
but suggests actively focusing the mind upon something in the present. But what are we to
"remember"?

In Genesis 2:3 we are told that Adonai rested from His creative activity and set apart the
seventh day as the memorial of the work of His hands. Adonai called the seventh day "holy"
(kadosh), which means set apart as sacred, as exalted, as honored.

Just as Adonai set apart a time to focus on and honor the marvelous works of His hands, so
we are commanded to regularly set apart a time to focus on and honor our own creative life
in God. Notice that both Adonai and man are to set apart the Sabbath and share in the glory
of this shared creative life.

Are we regularly setting apart a time to remember the sacred work of God in our lives?

Honor your father and your mother.

Hebraic Insight...

The fifth mitzvah marks a transition from the first four (which have to do with our vertical
relationship with Adonai) to the following five (which have to do with our horizontal
relationship with others). In this pivotal commandment, the word translated "honor" (kabed)
derives from a root word meaning "weighty," in terms of impressiveness or importance. The
same word is also used to refer to our heartfelt attitude toward Adonai.
Adonai intended that the mishpakhah (family) would picture His relationship with us. Just as
Adonai created both man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:27), so children are to regard
their parents as divinely ordained and truly significant.

The first four mitzvot tell us about God; and it is only through obedience to these
commandments that we are able to really understand our own identity-as well as the
identity of others in our family, our community, and our world.

You shall not murder.

Hebraic Insight...

The Jewish sages note that the word retsach applies only to illegal killing (e.g., premeditated
murder or manslaughter) - and is never used in the administration of justice or for killing in
war. Hence the KJV translation as "thou shalt not kill" is too broad.

Since man is made in the image of God, his life is infinitely precious-only God Himself has
the right to give and take life. In the Mishnah it is written, "Why was only one man (i.e.,
Adam) created by God? - to teach that whoever takes a single life destroys thereby a whole
world."

But murder can be figurative as well as literal. The Talmud notes that shaming another
publicly is like murder, since the shame causes the blood to leave the face. Moreover, gossip
or slander are considered murderous to the dignity of man. The Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the
Fathers) states, "The evil tongue slays three persons: the utterer of the evil, the listener, and
the one spoken about" The Lord Jesus also linked the ideas of our words and attitudes with
murder (see Matt. 15:19).

You shall not commit adultery.

Hebraic Insight...

Adultery refers to sexual union between a married person and someone other than his or her
spouse. The penalty for adultery was severe (see Deut. 22:22, Lev. 20:10).

From the verse, "The adulterer waits for twilight saying, No eye shall see me" (Job 24:15),
the Talmud identifies the adulterer as a practical atheist, since he does not say, No man shall
see me, but no eye - neither the eye of one below nor the eye of Him above.

The Lord Jesus identified the root condition of adultery as a problem with the heart: "For out
of the heart proceedadulteries." The heart's true affections are evidenced by the use of one's
eyes (see Matt. 5:27-28).

Adultery is a grave sacrilege, since it not only violates the sworn promise of parties to a sacred
covenant, but perverts the picture of our union with God Himself. As Paul wrote to the Kehillah
(assembly or "church") at Ephesus, "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his
wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Messiah
and the church" (Eph. 5:30-32).

You shall not steal.

Hebraic Insight...

Stealing, in the sense of the Hebrew word ganav, refers to both the act of carrying off by
stealth that which is not one's own (i.e., theft), but also to the deceptive inner disposition
that accompanies the action. And ultimately that deceptive inner disposition is a form of self-
deception.

None of us really "owns" anything at all, since God alone is the Creator and Giver of all of life.
Stealing arrogantly (and vainly) attempts to seize some "thing" and to claim it for oneself -
blindly disregarding the fact that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

At bottom, stealing is an act based on fear, since the attitude behind the action evidences a
lack of trust that God will meet all our needs.
 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Hebraic Insight...

The ninth commandment prohibits swearing falsely against your neighbor in matters of law
and civil proceedings, but, on a deeper level, it implicitly indicates the responsibility to be a
witness of the truth at all times. Note that the Hebrew word for "truth" (emet) is composed
from the first, the middle, and the last letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, thus indicating that it
encompasses the first things, the last things, and everything in between. Thus, in relation to
our neighbor (who is really everyone), we are to be truthful and bear witness to the truth in
all our moments of life.

By lying, by bearing false testimony, we effectively deny the relationship to the One who said,
"I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).

You shall not covet...

Hebraic Insight...

The word translated covet usually refers to selfish desire or lust (e.g., "Lust not after her
beauty in thine heart..." Prov. 6:25), and thus speaks directly to the heart's innermost
intention, which, even if unacknowledged by ourselves, is always revealed before God: "Your
Father who sees in secret" (Mt. 6:6). On the other hand, selfish desire can - if we are willing to
be honest with ourselves - reveal to ourselves the condition of our hearts and thus mark our
need for deliverance from the power of sin. As Sha'ul (Paul) wrote to the kehillah
(congregation) in Rome: "I had not known sin ...except the law had said, 'Thou shalt not
covet'" (Rom. 7:7).
Now here is a paradox: How can we refrain from desiring that which we, in fact, do desire?
How can we be made free from the endless cycle of desire-sin/desire-sin?

By walking in the power of the Ruach Hakkodesh (Holy Spirit) by the grace of God through
Yeshua the Messiah: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:24,
KJV).

May God help you walk in His Ruach always....