prior to the deliverance of the ten commandments to the children of israel, there was a prior interaction between god and moses of import.
exodus 19:3 “moses ascended to god, and the lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “so shall you say to the house of jacob and tell the sons of israel,.” Exodus 19:4. ‘you have seen what I did to the egyptians, and [how] i bore you on eagles’ wings, and i brought you to me. exodus 19:4. “and now, if you obey me and keep my covenant, you shall be to me a treasure out of all peoples, for mine is the entire earth. exodus 19:5 “and you shall be to me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.’ these are the words that you shall speak to the children of israel.” [emphasis added]
this was the prelude to the ten commandments. part of the covenant and obeying god was the ten commandments. as noted, the act of obeying was part of the elevation of the people. the ten commandments were meant to be followed and to elevate, not an individual, but a group of people to a holy status. in other terms, a better society.
by holy, one can argue as apart from the nature of humanity that existed pre-covenant was only at a certain level. a lesser level of conduct which was deficient. post-covenant and ten commandments, there is now societies that can exist at a higher level. in sum, the code of conduct provided elevates humanity and raises the bar.
on a secular analysis, these people, at the time, and to the present, believed that these rules were meant to improve a society and make a better humanity. on a secular analysis, one should ask “do these rules actually improve a society?” not being secular, i defer to others to make fair comment. i invite others to do so. your input is invited.
again, in sum, the ten commandments and the practice of them were intended to improve society and elevate it. do they work to do so? let us know.
final question: on a secular level, if the ten commandments can improve our society, shouldn’t we use them?
The Ten Commandments Project 