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No.41.
The Covenant of Sinai (Part 2)
pp. 34 - 37
We continue our examination of the Covenant of Sinai with the consideration of the
laws given on the second table of stone.
(6) Thou shalt not kill. Although the name of God is not mentioned in the second
table, it becomes abundantly clear upon examination that a right conduct towards our
neighbour is governed by, and is a reflection of, our conduct towards the Lord. "Thou
shalt not kill" takes our mind back to Gen. 9: 6, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man
shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made He man". Murder aims at the heart
of the purpose of creation, the destruction of the image of God on earth. Murder links
man with Satan, who was a murderer from the beginning (John 8: 44), and with Cain,
who was of that wicked one (I John 3: 12).
(7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. If murder aims at destroying the image of God,
adultery is calculated to corrupt the seed:
"Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which He loved, and hath married the
daughter of a strange god. The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this . . . . . The Lord
hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt
treacherously, yet she is thy consort, and the wife of thy covenant. Truly did He not
make (the twain) one (flesh)? Yet he had the residue of the Spirit (and so could have
made more than one wife for Adam). And wherefore one (emphatic)? Because He
desired a SEED OF GOD" (Mal. 2: 2-15).
The discerning reader will perceive the teaching of Gen. 3: and 4: in a clearer light
by remembering this comment of Malachi. The universal association between
immorality and idolatry throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, the story
of Gen. 6:, the two attacks upon Sarah before Isaac's birth, the downfall of Solomon,
the vehement protests of Nehemiah, these and similar examples reveal the place that
adultery takes in the attack upon the purpose of the ages.
So vital is the marriage relationship that the Lord uses it as the most fitting figure of
His covenant relationship with Israel. Their very land is to be called Beulah or `married',
and the climax of revelation, apart from the Mystery, is `the marriage of the Lamb', with
its Satanic counterpart, `the whore' of Rev. 17: and 18: Even the members of the
church of the One Body may manifest the love of Christ for the church in their own
married relationship (Eph. 5:). Idolatry and adultery are convertible terms in the
Scriptures.
If holiness is involved in the sin of adultery, righteousness is involved in the sin of
stealing.
(8) Thou shalt not steal. Satan was a murderer from the beginning and has sought
down the ages to corrupt the seed. He entered into Judas, who betrayed his Lord, and