A New Way to Be Human
I just began reading Rob Bell's new book "Jesus Wants To Save Christians." It's a pretty good read so far and I'm sure that I'll be commenting further as I get deeper into the book. But I wanted to mention something astounding that I discovered yesterday.
The book is a study on Exodus and the authors plunge in right away and give an eagle eye view of the events as they are unfolding, specifically identifying the slave mentality that was probably present in the Hebrew's minds. They were oppressed, enslaved people, working at that whim of the greatest Empire of the day (Egypt).
When God brings them out into the wilderness and appears to them, giving them commandments for worship and community behavior, He's not just claiming them for His own- He's also teaching them how to regain their humanity again. These 10 commandments are a way for these former slaves to engage with each others as humans. They need to learn these things, or they'll quickly return to slavery again.
1. Don't have any other gods before God- after all, God has proved to be the rescuer, the redeemer. Honoring someone else would be enslaving yourselves to oppressive authorities.
2. Don't make any images of God- after all, God has called this nation to be a priesthood, a holy and separate people who are to reflect His essence to the world. Creating a wooden or stone formation would take that ability from the people themselves.
3. Take a off one day from work each week- after all, you were used to slavery. You were used to being used and abused. Take one day off to remember that you aren't a slave any longer- that you are redeemed from that bondage.
ect. (4-10)
I think this brings a lot of meaning to the ten commandments and I look forward to exploring this theme further in the future.
The book is a study on Exodus and the authors plunge in right away and give an eagle eye view of the events as they are unfolding, specifically identifying the slave mentality that was probably present in the Hebrew's minds. They were oppressed, enslaved people, working at that whim of the greatest Empire of the day (Egypt).
When God brings them out into the wilderness and appears to them, giving them commandments for worship and community behavior, He's not just claiming them for His own- He's also teaching them how to regain their humanity again. These 10 commandments are a way for these former slaves to engage with each others as humans. They need to learn these things, or they'll quickly return to slavery again.
1. Don't have any other gods before God- after all, God has proved to be the rescuer, the redeemer. Honoring someone else would be enslaving yourselves to oppressive authorities.
2. Don't make any images of God- after all, God has called this nation to be a priesthood, a holy and separate people who are to reflect His essence to the world. Creating a wooden or stone formation would take that ability from the people themselves.
3. Take a off one day from work each week- after all, you were used to slavery. You were used to being used and abused. Take one day off to remember that you aren't a slave any longer- that you are redeemed from that bondage.
ect. (4-10)
I think this brings a lot of meaning to the ten commandments and I look forward to exploring this theme further in the future.