Exodus 20:1-26  The Ten Commandments

[Study Aired August 8, 2022]

Exo 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying, 
Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 
Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 
Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 
Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 
Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 
Exo 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exo 20:13  Thou shalt not kill. 
Exo 20:14  Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
Exo 20:15  Thou shalt not steal. 
Exo 20:16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 
Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. 
Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 
Exo 20:20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 
Exo 20:21  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Exo 20:22  And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 
Exo 20:23  Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 
Exo 20:24  An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 
Exo 20:25  And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 
Exo 20:26  Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

This session deals with the ten commandments given by the Lord to Moses and guidelines for building an altar to the Lord. As we have indicated in the previous study, the coming to Mount Sinai by the people of Israel was for the express purpose of meeting the Lord. Meeting the Lord means coming to know Him. In this dispensation, it is through His words that we come to know Him. The ten commandments, therefore, show us the very character and personality of God. The function of the ten commandments is the same as the purpose for which the tree of good and evil was planted in the middle of the garden of Eden – to come to know what sin is.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Knowing sin is an integral part of the process of knowing Christ. Thus, the law of Moses, represented here by the ten commandments, is still applicable to us until we come to know that we are sinful. Once we come to know that we are the beast or sinful and cannot help ourselves, then the law has accomplished its work in us, and therefore we are no longer under the law as we begin to walk by faith. The law therefore become abolished for those in Christ who walk by faith. This is how Paul puts it:

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Rom 3:19  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 
Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

In Romans 3:19, we are told that it is through the law that the world will be condemned before God. The ten commandments, which symbolize the law of Moses, is regarded as the ministration of death. This is because merely obeying the letter of the law of God does not lead to salvation. Anything that does not lead to salvation brings death.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 
2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

Today’s study focuses on the spiritual interpretation of the ten commandments which was what our Lord Jesus was doing during the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 when he raised the bar spiritually to bring us the law of Christ. In His role in bringing the law of Christ, Jesus Christ was a reformer.

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The question that comes to mind is: “Did Jesus come to fulfil the law of Moses?” As we are aware, Jesus Christ intentionally broke some of the laws to show us the way to the new law of Christ which He brings. This means that He did not come to fulfill the letter of the law.  Our Lord Jesus came to fulfill the law of Christ, which is far superior to the law of Moses. His righteousness therefore is based on the law of Christ but not on the letter of the law of Moses.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Exo 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying, 
Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

The Lord always wants us to know the role He is playing in our lives. He is the one who is taking us out of bondage to sin to come and serve Him acceptably. Verse 2 affirms to us that everything is done by the Lord and that we do not contribute anything to our salvation. It is when we come to know this that we find rest in Christ.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 
Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Here we are introduced to the first three of the ten commandments which concern our relationship with God. As Jesus stated, the whole of the laws and the prophets hinge on two commandments – loving the Lord with all thy hearts, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. If we are given to love the Lord, then we shall not have other gods before him, make any graven image or take the name of the Lord in vain.

Essentially, an idol can be anything that takes the place of God as the most important focus and priority in our life. In other words, anything that engages our focus more than our allegiance to God amounts to having other gods or creating a graven image. Whatever we treasure more than God, whatever drives our thoughts and actions, becomes an idol, and these idols dull our spiritual hearing and harden our hearts to things of God.

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 
Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 
Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

We must remember that during Jesus’ days on earth, He, together with His disciples, broke the law of the sabbath. This is what He said regarding the sabbath day:

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 
Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 
Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 
Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

These verses therefore demonstrate that Jesus did not come to keep the letter of the law. Again, Jesus raised the bar spiritually to the law of Christ, by focusing on rest in God as He ceased from His own works. This is Jesus’ experience of observing the spiritual sabbath or resting in God:

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

We also come to rest in Christ when we cease from our own works. This means that we come to see that it is the Lord who does the work in us, and therefore, we come to believe in Him that what He has started in us, He will bring to completion. That is how we are able to work the work of God while at the same time, we are resting in Him.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 
Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 
Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Exo 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Spiritually, our father here is Jesus Christ, and our mother is the church of the firstborn. We cannot honor Christ by disregarding the church of the elect, since the church is His body.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

This commandment of honoring our father and mother shows us the way to fulfill the law of Christ. To honor Christ means to give Him the regard, respect, reverence, admiration, adoration, awe, praise, submission, and obedience which are due to Him. The essence of what it means to honor God is revealed to us in what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Honoring our mother means loving the brethren, and loving the brethren means obeying Christ.

1Jn 4:12  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Exo 20:13  Thou shalt not kill.
Exo 20:14  Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
Exo 20:15  Thou shalt not steal. 
Exo 20:16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 
Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

As Jesus stated, the law of Moses hinges on two fundamental commandments – to love the Lord with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 
Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Verses 14 to 17 relate to loving our neighbor as ourselves. They show us how we are to deal with people. If we love our neighbor as ourselves, we shall not commit murder, commit adultery with our neighbor’s wife or husband, steal, bear false witness against our neighbor and covet our neighbor’s property. Now, what is insightful about these laws is that when Jesus came as a reformer, he changed these laws under the new priesthood after the order of Melchisedek. For example, regarding the law on murder in verse 13, Jesus changed the law as follows:

Mat 5:21  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 
Mat 5:23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 
Mat 5:24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 
Mat 5:25  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Mat 5:26  Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Apostle John affirmed Jesus’ changing of the law by saying the following:

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 
1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

What this means is that we have all been guilty of murder at a certain point in our lives as we hated our brothers and sisters. However, as John said, we have passed from death to life and therefore we show love instead of hate.

Regarding committing adultery in verse 14, Jesus shows us the changing of the law from the letter to the spirit of the New Covenant as He stated that to lust after a woman is the same as committing adultery with her. In other words, lusting after a woman has been raised to the level of adultery which we had all been guilty of until faith came.

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 
Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 
Mat 5:29  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

In a similar vein, stealing, bearing false witness against a neighbor and coveting what belongs to a neighbor have all been elevated to lying and having the desire to have what belongs to another. We must understand that just having a thought spring up in your mind of having what belongs to someone is not sin. The old man within us is always bringing up perverse thoughts in our daily walk with Christ. However, sin is conceived when these thoughts linger on persistently in our hearts and minds. That is when sin is conceived and gives birth to death.

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

What distinguishes between the Lord’s elect and the people of the world, including Babylon, is that the Lord’s elect are prepared to go through the fiery trials of life to possess the kingdom of God or to see the Lord. Our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the world at large are not prepared to go through any suffering. Our call to priesthood is from the furnace of His affliction.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

As we have indicated in the previous study, the thundering, the lightening, the noise of the trumpet and the mountain covered with smoke all signify the judgment of the Lord which is marked out for us.  However, many do not want to suffer for Christ’s sake as they have the mentality that Christ has already suffered for us and so life must be smooth and easy. As stated in verse 19, our suffering is what qualifies us to become a royal priesthood to God. The people talking to Moses to speak to them instead of the Lord shows how we have all in our time neglected our priesthood role until God in His mercy came to us.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

1Pe 2:7  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 
1Pe 2:8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 
1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

As indicated in verse 18, the voice of the trumpet is heard in the midst of the thundering, lightening and smoke. This voice of the trumpet is the voice of the Lord. What this means is that we are able to hear Him clearly as we go through His judgment.

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Exo 20:20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Our Lord’s coming to us is to prove us. In other words, His coming to us is to make us aware that there is nothing good in us and that of ourselves, we can do nothing. It is when we come to this realization and come to take hold of His salvation by resting in Him through His judgments that we come to know the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. This is what makes us righteous as we sin not.

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 
Psa 95:11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Exo 20:21  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

It is insightful to note that Moses went to where the Lord is, in the thick darkness. We have all failed the Lord at certain points of our walk when we doubted His presence with us when we went through the thick darkness of our lives. The truth of the word of the Lord is that both light and darkness are alike to Him. That is, He is with us in the difficult times of our lives and also in the sunshine part of our lives. This is what Paul means when he said that the Lord’s grace is sufficient for him. Since grace is Christ coming to us, His grace being sufficient means that Christ being with us is all that we need.

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Verse 21 also means that both good and evil accomplishes His purpose.

Psa 139:11  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 
Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Exo 20:22  And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 
Exo 20:23  Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

The Lord assuring Moses of His communication with him from heaven is to make us aware that with the elect, He speaks to us face to face. In other words, He speaks to us plainly without a parable.

Num 12:6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 
Num 12:7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Mat 13:10  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Mat 13:11  And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 

In verse 24, we are told that we are not to make gods of silver and gold. Gold and silver signify financial resources – money. From verses 23 and 24, we can deduce that we are to make access to the Lord unhindered by money and also avoid amassing wealth in the name of the Lord.

1Pe 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 

Exo 20:24  An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
Exo 20:25  And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 
Exo 20:26  Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

An altar is a raised area in the house of worship where people can honor God with offerings. It is prominent in the Bible as “God’s table”, a sacred place for sacrifices and gifts to God. The altar therefore represents our bodies which we are to offer as a sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. The fact that in verse 24, the altar is of the earth confirms our bodies as our altar.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In verse 25, we are told that offering our bodies as an altar of living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord is not the work of man as indicated by the admonition not to use any tool in its construction, so that it does not get polluted. It is the Lord alone that does the work of building our bodies as living sacrifices to God.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Grace here in Zechariah 4:7 is Christ coming with His judgment to do the work of building us as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

We are instructed in verse 26 that we should not raise the altar to a level where we will have to climb by steps as our nakedness will be exposed. Spiritually, we are being admonished not to be proud or exalted as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. This is because we bring nothing to the table and therefore, we have no basis to be proud. Being naked means being sinful. Thus, pride exposes the fact that our old man is still dominating us. This means that we are still struggling with sin.

Gal 6:3  if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 

Luk 14:11  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Pro 29:23  A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

May we be granted the grace to love the Lord with all our hearts, soul, and mind as we live in this earthly tent. Amen!!