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Were the Ten Commandments written just for the people of Israel, or for all of mankind?
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Hello dear Rogers. The truth is, the Law of God, including the Ten Commandments, were written for the entire human race – anyone who would choose to be saved and come into a covenant relationship with God. A. Let me start with Jesus Christ Deut 18:15 (KJV) ‘JEHOVAH thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken’ This ‘Prophet’ was Jesus Christ (John 7:40). He was promised to come after Moses. Now, is Jesus for the Yisraelites alone? Matt 15:24 (NIV) He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Again, is Jesus Christ for the Hebrews alone? Isa 49:6 (NIV) He says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." His primary mission was to the house of Yisrael, but he was also sent to the Gentiles. So, if Jesus Christ (by the way, he’s the One who accompanied the children of Yisrael, right from the burning bush to the cloud and pillar of fire, to the water from the rock), so, if Jesus is for the Hebrews alone, then yes, the Ten Commandments would be for the Hebrews alone. B. Yisrael as a ‘sample’. Gen 12:3 (NIV) “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This was the promise to Abraham. And God proceeded to nurture the Hebrew nation, so that in time, all peoples would learn from Yisrael and come into a covenant with the God of heaven. The Torah has always been applicable to anyone who chose to cling to God. Ex 12:49 (NIV) “ The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." Lev 24:22 (NIV) “ You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am JEHOVAH your God." Num 15:29 (NIV) ‘ One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.’ C. The law existed in heaven, before the Exodus, and the law is in heaven today, as we speak. Heb 8:5 (NIV) “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”" (See also Exodus 25:40; Exodus 25:9; Exodus 26:30) The ORIGINAL ark, complete with the Ten Commandments, are in heaven TODAY. Rev 11:19 (NIV) ‘Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, pearls of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.” (That is the ark) Rev 15:5 (NIV) “ After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.” (‘The Testimony’ are the ‘Ten Commandments’. Ex 31:18 When JEHOVAH finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.) These are in heaven today, and they are the standard of judgment against which all unbelievers shall be judged. D. The Ten Commandments are reflection of God’s character – which is LOVE. Hence the entire Torah can be summed up in two commandments, both about LOVE. God is LOVE. Hence His seat is the Ten Commandments. Exodus 25:22 and Exodus 30:6. And His Government shall forever be established on the same principle of Love, the Ten Commandments. They will never be repealed, for then, God will have to become anything else other than love. Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) “Love JEHOVAH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." The prophecy of Jesus Christ that in the end times, the love of many will grow cold, means directly that many will abandon the standard of love, the Torah. Hence ‘if ye love me, keep my commandments’. John 14:15 KJV I hope you are answered. Bless.
Yes, the Ten Commandments were given to Israel under the Old Covenant, which is now obsolete as we are now under the New Covenant, a better covenant. They were never given to us Gentiles! (Ephesians 2, Hebrews 8:13) Blessings! Closie
The 10 Commandments were given to Moses for the Israelites when they were wondering in the desert on their way to the promised land. It consisted of laws to live by to please God. The commands were dealt with the killing of animals for the atonement of the sins of the people. It also speaks of how strangers in their mist had to follow them too. So I would say that the Commandments were given fir all mankind. The people tried to keep the Commandments, but there were so many (The Torah shows about 613 commands) that it was hard to keep them all, but the Old Testament prophesied that a Messiah would come to deliver them of their sins. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ as a baby (as He Promised) to be a blood sacrifice for the atonement of the people for all time, as He replaced the Commandments. Jesus came to fulfill that law and not to replace it. Jesus is the Law. The focus went from the Law to Jesus Christ (Jesus coming was foretold in many places in the Old Testament). The Bible says the Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Way and the Life to eternal life. If you believe in Jesus Christ, repent of your sins (sins were told in the Commandments) and follow Him, then God will forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life. After Jesus ascended to Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to live in the believer of Jesus Christ and when He sees you, He sees His son in you and with the Holy Spirit teaching you all things of God, you are then truly a son/daughter of God with eternal life and will be used by God for His purpose. The Commandments were for all Humanity and are followed with your believe in Jesus Christ.
All of the Ten Commandments are quoted in the New Testament and are still in force for all people, except for the Fourth. The Sabbath was specifically given to the Jews and is not required for Christians. Col 2:16
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