The Nebulous Law of Moses

The 10 Commandments are routinely raised as the ultimate ethical standard for our nation. Various groups, under the guise of promoting Christian virtues, suggest or even demand that these rules be enshrined as part of our governmental principles.

This infatuation with what was a part of the Jewish Law of Moses is strange and incongruous on several levels. First and foremost is the biblically verifiable fact that these commandments were never given to those outside the lineage of Jacob/Israel. The law of Moses in all its particulars was a Jewish only directive and obligation. Along with the Old Testament Scriptures in general, it was directed exclusively to a select, divinely chosen people, as the Apostle Paul noted in Romans 3:2. Outsiders may have had some similar ethical rules; but there is no evidence that such rules resulted from the Law of Moses, per se. Circumcision, Sabbath Day rest, and careful use of the divine name were unique to the Jews.