Moshe went up to the mountain several times to talk with God. As believers, we must constantly go up to the mountain to read the instructions of God. We need to visit that place throughout the entire day seeking instruction and talking about his Word. Why? Because God does not download all of it at once, because we would probably be like the children of Israel who were afraid to hear His voice. Continually seeking Him, we can clearly hear his voice audibly and in our minds through Yeshua.
We read in Exodus that God Himself spoke to Israel:
וַיְדַבֵּר spoke
Exodus 20:1-2 (CJB) “Then God said all these words: 2 ‘I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.’”
In Exodus 34, we notice that God refers to these commandments as Ten Words and these represent all the commandments as an outline. Each one of them is like a title for a section of a book with instructions and guidelines. All the other instructions fall under these principle ten words.
Exodus 34:28 (CJB) “28 Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.”
Why should we listen?
1: It is a covenant.
Exodus 34:10 (CJB) “10 He said, ‘Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work of Adonai. What I am going to do through you will be awesome!’”
These instructions are not to hurt us but for us to have an abundant life. They tell us about how we should behave morally, physically, and spiritually. This is the very cornerstone for our daily living. As we read the other commands or teachings and instructions they all fall into one of these Ten Words.
When Yeshua came to fulfill all things of the Torah, He condensed them to two. All regulations, instructions, and teachings fall under these two:
Matthew 22:36-40 (CJB) “36 “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?” 37 He told him,
a: “‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it,
b: ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”
When we look at the commands from Exodus 20, 34, and Deuteronomy 5, we would think that they are all different; however, they all fall under the Ten- or Two-Word outline. When you write a paper, we have an outline; when you write a book, there is an outline that is written down for people to read and used as a guide.
When Yeshua left us with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), there were also written guidelines for us to follow. These guidelines are the same guidelines given before; however, they will be written in our hearts. The Ruach is the comforting consular, i.e., when we read the scriptures, we can understand all about Yeshua and the power, benefits, and life we have in Him.
The Ruach as Yeshua is the very finger of God: the same finger that wrote down the instructions; the same finger that came as flesh to fulfill all things; the same finger that reveals sin, righteousness, and judgment, and the same finger that gives us spiritual gifts and help us grow by producing the fruit of love, patience, gentleness, kindness, joy, self-control, goodness, peace, and faithfulness.
Exodus 31:18 (CJB) “18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Adonai gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.”
Deuteronomy 9:9 (CJB) “9 I had gone up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets on which was written the covenant ADONAI had made with you. I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights without eating food or drinking water.”
Exodus 8:19 (CJB) “19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh was made hardhearted, so that he didn’t listen to them, just as Adonai had said would happen.”
2: The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).
Luke 11:20 (CJB) “20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you!”
John 16:8-11 (CJB) “8 When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment — 9 about sin, in that people don’t put their trust in me; 10 about righteousness, in that I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 about judgment, in that the ruler of this world has been judged.”
John 16:13 (CJB) “13 However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears.”
Who is the Spirit of Truth?
Yeshua-
John 14:6 (CJB) “6 Yeshua said, ‘I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.’”
The Word
For us to be successful, we need to know His Word just as Yeshua knew the Word.
Matthew 4:4 (CJB) “4 But he answered, ‘The Tanakh says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of Adonai””
Yeshua as the Word
John 12:49-50 (CJB) “49 For I have not spoken on my own initiative, but the Father who sent me has given me a command, namely, what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know that his command is eternal life. So, what I say is simply what the Father has told me to say.”
God took the time to write down His words for us to learn and to live by them. If Yeshua took the time to speak His Word to fulfill them and explain them, and if the disciples took the time to write down all that Yeshua did and said while He was with them, shouldn’t we also do the same? We should also commit in reading and hearing His Word and write down His Word for others to come to a deeper understanding of who God is and for those to understand their purpose in life.
Love God – No Idols – Respect Him – Do what He says – Love your neighbor as yourself.
When we read Exodus, Chapter 34 (CJB), it seems like there are more than 10 teachings but they all fall under the outline of 10 words.
“17 ‘Do not cast metal gods for yourselves. TaAse in Hebrew
“18 Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.
“19 Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won’t redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.
“21 Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest — even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.
“22 Observe the festival of Shavu‘ot with the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai, the God of Isra’el. 24 For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times a year. 25 You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast of Pesach is not to be left until morning. 26 You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
(vii) “27 Adonai said to Moshe, ‘Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.’ 28 Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.”
Deuteronomy 5 (CJB)
And He said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
8 “You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline – 9 you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, ADONAI your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.
11 “‘You are not to misuse the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name.
12 “‘Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as ADONAI your God ordered you to do. 13 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for ADONAI your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work – not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property – so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do. 15 You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and ADONAI your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore ADONAI your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat.
16 “‘Honor your father and mother, as ADONAI your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land ADONAI your God is giving you.
17 “‘Do not murder.
18 “‘Do not commit adultery.
19 “‘Do not steal.
20 “‘Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.
21 “‘Do not covet your neighbor’s wife; do not covet your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’
22 “These words ADONAI spoke to your entire gathering at the mountain from fire, cloud and thick mist, in a loud voice; then it ceased. But he wrote them on two stone tablets, which he gave to me.”
Exodus 20 (CJB)
3 “You are to have no other gods before me. 4 You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline. 5 You are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.
7 “You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.
8 “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.
12 “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which Adonai your God is giving you.
13 “Do not murder.
14 “Do not commit adultery.
15 “Do not steal.
16 “Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.
17 “Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:22-23 (CJB) “22 Adonai said to Moshe, ‘Here is what you are to say to the people of Isra’el: “You yourselves have seen that I spoke with you from heaven. 23 You are not to make with me gods of silver, nor are you to make gods of gold for yourselves.””
Having God’s Word every day is like taking a stroll with Him, a continual conversation learning more about Him and more about ourselves. He talks to us slowly, downloading the information one stage at a time.
Sometimes, what we discover about ourselves might not be pleasant and requires change; however, other times it takes you to that place that only you and God know about where you know you are loved, where you know you are safe.
As we read His word, we discover new frontiers that are of the physical and spiritual, frontiers of the present and the future, frontiers of the meaning to our lives, discoveries that are never-ending.
What about you, today? Get His Word and start experiencing new frontiers that will change your life forever one stage at a time.
