Who Is He? Definitions: Eikev: A Ten Commandments’ Moment

The Ten Commandments, being a contract, identifies the parties. In the Decalogue, “I am the Lord, your God” is the party of the first part, and the party of the second part are the individuals he brought out from the Land of Egypt. Exodus 20:2

Give this limited description of the part of the first part, a fair query is “who exactly is the Ten Commandment’s Lord, your God?” This question was answered by Moses in the Torah Portion Eikev.

Moses’ speech from Eikev goes beyond the Mt. Sinai’s stone tablets to enlighten his audience as to who is the Ten Commandment’s First Party. From a reader’s standpoint, Moses the re-telling of the Exodus comes across as a commentary of sorts to the Pentateuch’s earlier books.

Moses’ answer is controversial. He not only raises theological matters but also speaks of the Lord’s substance. In speaking of substance, Moses’ description leads one to ask “Why do the commandments imposed upon mirror the Lord’s passions?”

Moses’ Answer

In Eikev, Moses described to the Children of Israel who is their Lord. “…[T]he Lord is your God: He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who won’t be partial and won’t take a bribe, doing judgment for an orphan and a widow and loving an alien, to give him bread and a garment…” Deuteronomy 10:17-19.

This multi-layered description of their deity not only talks of the Lord’s standing on the Pantheon of Deities but it also describes the Lord’s nature by his actions and inclinations.

The first part of Moses’ description entails theology.

Monolatry

In antiquity, rival states, cities and empires had gods. Individuals aligned with their particular deities. The relationships- regardless of whether the god existed- were real. Temples were built; ceremonies were conducted.

Thus, the Children of Israel’s God was in competition. As much as the Children of Israel formed opinions of these other gods, outsiders were capable of exacting an opinion on the Deity of the Ten Commandments.

Moses’ assertions set the groundwork for what the Children of Israel could express when discussing their God to others. He was not only the top god, but he was also who was both fair and compassionate.

Beyond theology, the Lord’s beliefs and inclinations mattered to the populace.

Commandments

Despite being great, almighty and awesome, the Lord, having subjects, uses commandments to have his populace perform his interests. Through Commandments, he demands upon the Children of Israel to take care of various matters. In Exodus, they are told to not persecute the alien and to not degrade any widow or orphan. Exodus 22:20-22.

With respect to matters of jurisprudence, they are instructed that the judges put into office are to exact judgment with justice. They are not to bend in judgement, they are not to recognize a face, and they were not to take bribes. Deuteronomy 16:18-20.

Beyond the issuance of Commandments, scripture shows how the Lord has the Prophets to assist in addressing his concerns.

The Prophets

With the God-like obligations placed upon the populace, one can argue that the Prophet’s role, in part, was to not only remind them of their obligations but also to tell them of their failure to do so.

An example of this comes from Isaiah: “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:16-17

Conclusion

With the Torah Portion Eikev, Moses expands upon who exactly is the Lord of the Ten Commandments. His expanded definition raises matters dealing with aspects of theology that go beyond modern monotheism. Rather, during antiquity- monolatry was the belief system indicated as there were competing states, nations and cities which had their own gods.

Moses’ description of the Lord provides a connection to the Commandments. The Lord’s inclinations and activities are one upon he commanded the Children of Israel to perform. Likewise, his inclinations and activities are the one that Prophet implored the populace to engage in. Being fair, impartial and taking care of social needs of the orphan, widow and alien are God-like matters delegated onto his people. In essence, his nation were meant to serve as both delegates and agents of his interests.

Be well!!

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