“1  And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness [of any thing] that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, 6 and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

“12  Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.”

“18 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”

“22  And Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 Ye shall not make [other gods] with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you. 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in every place where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon.” (Exodus 20:1-26 ASV)

Exodus 20

Ancient Laws, Scripture and Modern Issues

The laws in the Bible reflect in large measure the way ancient societies were structured. God’s revelation speaks into that context. The laws in the Bible do not seek to restructure society, but to affect how people live and think in the societal structure that they have. The laws do not seek to transform a patriarchal society into an egalitarian one. They do not seek to abolish slavery. They do not promote a democratic society over a monarchy. They do not endorse clan solidarity over individualism. The laws of the Bible seek to transform how people live in whatever sort of society they find themselves. No societal structure is flawless; it is always subject to the nature of the people who are part of it.

Consequently, when we look at the laws of the Bible, we are not looking for the picture of a perfect society nor should we think that God is endorsing such a society. We will find that the shape of Israelite society is often very much like those of her neighbours, but we should be attentive to the ways that the Bible goes further to protect the rights and dignity of those who might be vulnerable. In this way the Bible can pioneer new moral ground even while being situated in the familiar social structures of the ancient world. Primarily, however, it is instructing Israel about what is required for them to preserve the sanctity of sacred space. When legal passages are considered, we should identify both their similarities and differences to the ancient Near Eastern world. Doing so demonstrates that while the Biblical laws describe a society very much rooted in the ancient world, God calls his people to higher standards. The areas of commonality do not suggest that the Bible has borrowed from the legal literature of the ancient world; only that God addressed their society as it was, but sought to show them a pathway to holy living within that framework.