God’s people are parked at the base of Mt. Sinai. After coming through the Red Sea, they have been adjusting to life in the wilderness for three months. It hasn’t been easy. As we observed last week, they’ve had a lot of trouble trusting God. So far there’s been a lot of grumbling and complaining and not much growing.Nevertheless, God has called them to Mt. Sinai for a meeting. They don’t know what’s going to happen. They only know that God has pulled out all the stops. There’s lightening, and thunder, smoke, and fire; the earth quaking beneath their feet.

At this point, Moses, looking a lot like Charlton Heston, goes up the mountain and God etches on two tablets of stone what we call, “The Ten Commandments.”

You might not know this, but what we call “The Ten Commandments” are never called that in the Bible. That doesn’t mean they’re “ten suggestions.” It just means that’s not what they’re called. They’re called the, “Ten Words.” That’s where we get the term “Decalogue.”

Here’s something else a lot of people don’t know: the ten commandments. Hardly anyone can name more than a few. Not only do most folks not know the ten commandments, even fewer know what they’re about. Most think they’re about ten rules for moral behavior. The truth is, all ten have to do with something else. It may not be obvious at first but once you see it you can’t miss it. See you on Sunday.