Ten Words for Di Mountain

Thunder dey roll across di desert. Lightning dey tear one heavy cloud. Di whole mountain dey shake and smoke dey comot from am like furnace. And on top all of am, one trumpet sound dey grow louder, and louder, and louder.

Three months after dem comot from Egypt, di people of Israel reach di wilderness of Sinai and camp for di foot of di mountain. Na di very place where God first talk to Moses from di burning bush. Moses climb go up, and God give am message for di people. Una don see wetin I do to Egypt, and how I carry una on top eagle wings and bring una come meet me. Now, if una obey my voice and keep my covenant, una go be my own treasure. Kingdom of priests. Holy nation. Moses bring di words come down, and di people answer together. Everything wey di Lord don talk, we go do am.

God tell Moses make e prepare di people. For two days dem wash their clothes and prepare themselves. Moses put boundary round di bottom of di mountain. Nobody must climb or even touch im edge. Dis na holy ground. Everybody dey wait. How e go be when God come down? Then, for di morning of di third day, dem find out.

Thunder. Lightning. Thick cloud on top di mountain. Trumpet wey loud so tey everybody for di camp dey shake. Moses lead di people go out to meet God, and dem stand for di foot of Sinai. Di Lord come down on top di mountain inside fire. Smoke rise like smoke from furnace. Di whole mountain dey shake. Di trumpet sound dey grow louder and louder. Moses talk, and God answer am with voice like thunder. Dis no be God wey anybody fit control or manage. And yet e don come down to talk to dem.

And then God talk. E no start with rule, but with something to remind dem. I be di Lord your God, wey bring you comot from di land of Egypt, comot from di house of slavery. First e rescue dem. Now e dey show dem how people wey e don rescue suppose live. No get any other god before me. No make idol to bow down to. No use my name anyhow. Remember di Sabbath day and keep am holy. Honour your papa and your mama. No kill. No commit adultery. No steal. No lie against your neighbour. And no covet, no dey long to grab wetin belong to another person. Ten words. Some na about to love God. Di rest na about to love di people wey dey around you.

Di people see di thunder and di lightning, dem hear di trumpet, dem see di mountain wey dey smoke, and dem tremble. Dem step back and stand far. Na you go talk to us, dem beg Moses, and we go listen. But no let God talk to us, or we go die. And Moses give answer wey sound like riddle. No fear. God don come to test una, so that di fear of am go dey with una, and una no go sin. No fear, so that you go fear. No be di kind fear wey dey make person run from God. But deep respect wey go keep you close to am and far from harm. So di people stay far, and Moses waka go up enter di thick darkness where God dey.

For di Bible itself, dem no ever call dem di Ten Commandments. For Hebrew, na di ten words. Our word Decalogue come from di Greek wey mean exactly dat one. And see something wey go surprise you. Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Orthodox and most Protestants all agree say dem be ten, but dem dey divide dem small differently. Some dey count di first words, I be di Lord your God, as di first one. Others dey split di last command about to covet into two. Di words na di same. Na only di counting different.

Ten Words for di Mountain. You go find am for Exodus chapter nineteen and twenty. Before God give even one command, e remind im people say e don already set dem free. Di rules no be di way to earn im love. Na di shape of life with am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which of di ten words God dey invite you to live out dis week?