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Chapter Four: The Naming of God and Ethics
Assignment 1A
What C.S. Lewis encountered was that of great bliss. He felt that he was given a choice, a choice that was presented as a duty. C.S. Lewis could only described what happened between him in God with images of stiffness and of closed doors, of being enclosed in body-armor or of being a snowman, that of which God loosens, opens up, unbuckles, and melts. In Moses case, he was God’s voice to the people of the Israelites. Moses mission was to speak. When Moses first spoke to the people they believed him at first, but when their workload increased the people began to doubt that God would be able to liberate then from the powerful Egyptians. That is when Moses told them that God would use a heavy hand on them, which is described in the Book of Exodus (5-12). After everything was resolved and the people were living in the land of opportunity, God told Moses to tell the people that they have to obey his commandments and the people responded.
These two responses are the same people they both had encounters with God, which were of great importance to them and Society. The two responses are different because C.S. Lewis had a great power over come him which mad him feel that he had free choice and in Moses case he was commanded by God to free “his” people from slavery and in that had more of a responsibility.
I have never personally had an experience with God that Moses of C.S. Lewis encountered, but I have received serenity with him. What I mean by this is that God answers my prayers and I believe that he answers my prayers because I believe in Him. When I encountered God I was alone and sad and that is the time that I need him that most because I don’t have anyone else with me there at the time, but I am not saying that I would pick others to talk to other than God.
Assignment 2A The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20.2-17
• I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
• You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord you God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the feathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
• You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
• Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath day to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
• Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
• You shall not kill.
• You shall not commit adultery.
• You shall not steal.
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
• You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbour’s.
Deuteronomy 5.6-21
• I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
• You shall have no other gods before me…
• You shall not take the name of the Lord and your God in vain…
• Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…
• Honour your father and your mother…
• You shall not kill.
• Neither shall you comment adultery.
• Neither shall you steal.
• Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbour.
• Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife…
You shall not desire…anything that is your neighbour’s.
A Traditional Catechetical Formula
1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
4. Honour your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
9. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods.
Assignment 2B
This list pretty much has the same ideas just with more detail in Exodus and Deuteronomy. The traditional catechetical formulas are the commandments that were taught to Catholic children that went to Catholic school which is well known around the world. The various churches on the other hand would most likely know the different versions of The Ten Commandments. I thought that the more detailed versions were surprising because it emphasizes God’s ideas of giving people a better understanding of what He wants. I did not quite agree with, “You shall have no other gods before me,” in the Exodus version of The Ten Commandments because why would God make people of other races when they believe in other gods. For example, Chinese people worship Buddha. It’s just unfair to those who can’t have God’s love when they worship other people. Even if they don’t believe in God, He should not bring them down for that.
Assignment 3A
1. At the core, what is Israel’s understanding of sin?
Israel’s understanding of sin is realizing, when standing before God - The Holy One - that our actions do not measure up. No one can be as holy as the Lord God is holy. Breaking the commandments is sinful because this breaks their covenant with God.
2. How is God’s action of sending prophets to point out Israel’s sin a loving and constructive thing to do?
If it had not been for the prophets, Israel might not have survived the crisis caused by the exile.
3. How do you think that sending prophets to the people is God’s way of keep the covenant relationship intact?
The covenant was what kept Israel together. The prophet’s were expressing God’s action to keep the covenant from totally unravelling.