As the story goes, God produced miracles of ten plagues in Egypt due to the stubbornness of the

Pharaoh. The plagues came one after another which caused harm and even death. Pharaoh was not
easily convinced until the tenth plague. Even before the ten plagues, Moses and his brother Aaron,
performed a miracle in front of the Pharaoh but he was not impressed since his magicians could produce
the same trick. With that, the plagues had to start. Let us review the series of the Ten Plagues.  

AARON’S WALKING STICK (EXODUS 7:8-13)

“If the king demands that you prove yourselves by performing a miracle. Tell Aaron to take his walking
stick and throw it down in front of the king, and his officers, and it turned into a snake. Then the king
called for his wise men and magicians, and but their magic they did the same thing. But Aaron’s stick
swallowed theirs. The king however, remained stubborn and, just as the Lord had said the king would
not listen to Moses and Aaron.

Disasters strike Egypt (the 10 plagues)

1. Blood- then say to the king, “The Lord, God of the Hebrews, sent me to tell you to let his people
go, so that they can worship him in the desert. Look, I am going to strike the surface of the river
with this stick, and the water will be turned into blood. The fish will die and the river will stink so
much that the Egyptians will not be able to drink from it. There was blood everywhere in Egypt,
then the king’s magicians did the same thing by mean of their magic, and the king was stubborn
as ever.
2. Frog- “ go to the king and tell him that the Lord says, ‘ let my people go, so that they can
worship me. If you refuse, I will punish you country by covering it with frog. They will jump up
on you, your people and all your officials.” so Aaron held it out over all the water, and the frogs
came up on the land. The Moses and Aaron left the king, and Moses prayed to the lord to take
away the frogs which he had brought on the king. When the king saw that the frogs were dead,
he became stubborn again.
3. Gnats- so Aaron struck the ground with his stick and all the dust in Egypt was turned into gnats,
which covered the people and the animals. The magicians tried to used their magicians and said
to the king “God has done this!” but the king was stubborn and just as the lord has said, the king
would not listen to Moses and Aaron.
4. Flies- tell him that the lord says, ‘let my people go, so that they can worship me. I warn you that
if you refuse, I will punish you my sending flies on you, your officials and your people” the lord
sent great swarms of flies into the king’s place and the houses of his officials the whole land of
Egypt was brought to ruin by the flies. The king said “I will let you go to sacrifice to the lord, your
god, in the desert if you do not go very far. Pray for me” Moses left the king, his officials, and his
people; not one fly remained. Bu even this time, the king became stubborn, and he would not
let the people go.
5. Death of the animals/pestilence- go to the king and tell him that the lord, god of the Hebrews
says, ‘let my people go, so that they may worship me, if you again refuse to let them go, I will
 punish you by sending a terrible disease on all you animals. The next day, the lord did as what he
said and all the animals of the Egyptians died, but not of the animals of the Israelites died. The
king asked what had happened ad was told that non of the animals of the Israelites had died.
But he was stubborn and would not let the people go.
6. Hail- the lord the god of the Hebrews says, ‘let my people go, so that they may worship me. This
time I will punish you not only your people, but I will punish you as well, so that you may know
that there is no one like me in all the world. Tomorrow I will cause a heavy hailstorm, such as
Egypt has never known in all its history. Hail will fall on the people and animals left outside
unprotected and they will all die. The king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, this time I have
sinned; the lord is in the right and my people and I are in the wrong. Pray to the lord! We have
had enough of this thunder and hail! I promise to let you go, you don’t have to stay here any
longer. When the king saw what had happen, he sinned again. He and his officials remained as
stubborn as ever and just as the lord had foretold through Moses, the king would not let the
Israelites go.
7. Boils- so they go some ashes and stood before the king; Moses threw them into the air, and
they produced bois that became open sores on the people and the animals. The magicians were
not able yo appear before Moses, because they were covered with boils, like all the other
Egyptians. But the lord and had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.
8. Locusts- then the lord said to Moses “raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring the locusts.
They will come and eat everything that grows, everything that has survived the hail. By morning
it had brought the locusts. They came in swarms and settled over the whole country. it was the
largest of locusts that had ever been seen or that ever would be seen again. Then the king
hurried called Moses and Aaron and said “ I have sinned against the lord your god and against
you.. pray to the lord your god to take away this fatal punishment from me. Moses left the king
and prayed to the lord. And the lord changed the east wind into a very strong west wind, which
picked up the locusts and blew them into the gulf and suez. Not one locust was left in all of
Egypt. But the lord made the king stubborn, and he did not let the Israelites go.
9. Darkness- Moses raised his hand toward the sky, and there was total darkness throughout Egypt
for three days. The Egyptians could not see each other and no one left his house during that
time. But the Israelites had light where they were living. The king called Moses and said “you
may go and worship the lord; even you woman and children may go with you. The lord ade the
king stubborn and he would not let them go.

THE PASSOVER MEAL

Before the 10th plague which is the death of all the first born of the Egyptians whether persons or
animals, God instructed the Israelites to make the Pass Over Meal. The lamb offering which they
usually burn on top of an altar as a sacrifice also called burnt offering to the Lord will no longer
be done as such. Instead, they will take the blood of the lamb offering and put it at their
doorposts and lintel of their houses and they will eat the roasted lamb with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs. They will eat it in a hurried manner as if they were ready for a journey. After eating
the Pass Over Meal, they eill enter their house since during the night, God will strike the
Egyptians with the 10th plague. The blood on their door posts and their lintel of their houses will
be the sign that will save them from the plague so that it will only strike the Egyptians.

SACRIFICE/BURNT OFFERING

After the Pass Over Meal and the Israelites entered their houses and locked their doors, then the
10th plague came.

10. Death of the new first- At midnight the Lord killed all the first-born sons in Egypt and all the
first-born of their animals. There was loud crying throughout the Egypt , because there was not
one at home in which there was not a dead son. That same night, the king sent for Moses and
Aaron and said, “Get out, you and your Israelites! Leave my country, go and worship the Lord, as
you asked. Take your sheep, goats, cattle and leave. Also pray for a blessing. The Egyptians
urged the people to hurry and leave the country; they said, “We will be all dead if you don’t
leave. So people filled their baking pans with the unleavened dough, wrap them in clothing, and
carried them on their shoulder. The Israelites had done as Moses had said, and had asked the
Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes. The Lord made the Egyptians respect the
people and give them what they asked for. In this way, the Israelites carried away the wealth of
the Egyptians.
If you recall the name of the Pharoah during the time of Moses was Rameses. This name has its
meaning. “Ra” means son, and “Ses” means sun. Therefore, for them, the pharaoh is the son of
the god of the sun. For the Pharoah. It was so difficult to accept that there is another God. So,
who is really the true God? The problem with him was his stubbornness despite all the signs that
the God YHWH was giving. So, the plague was imminent.
After the 10th plague, the Pharoah conceded and allowed the Israelites to go. Finally, the
Israelites had their exodus from Egypt. The exodus of the Israelites will be culminated by their
crossing of the red/reed sea since the Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them with his
soldiers who were all drawn when they also tries to cross the red sea. This is where the Iraelites
saw and experienced that it was really God/YHWH who freed them from Egypt and protected
them along the way from the Egyptian soldiers who were pursuing them.

THE PASSOVER as the most Important Feast of the Israelites

Passover and Exodus are the two events which are closely related with each other. The Passover meal
always reminds the Israelites on the day that God freed them from their slavery in Egypt. Exodus means
departure; that after the Pharoah conceded, the Israelites started their departure/exodus drom Egypt
going to the land that God promised to their forefathers. The Israelites celebrates the feast of the
Passover every year. It is their “Independence Day” with the help of the God YHWH. Later, when they
will settle in the promised land, they will celebrate this in the temple in Jerusalem with the rituals oof
slaughtering a paschal (Passover) lamb in the temple; and the consumption of its meat in a domestic
meal. This feast is called “Pesah” in their language which is Hebrew.
First three commandments call us to RIGHT RELATION WITH GOD

The first three of the ten commandments point to the primacy of God in our lives, summed up by jesus
as he quotes the central teaching of the Hebrew scripture, “you shall love the lord your god with all you
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”

Since god the father created and sustains us, jesus saves and forgives us, and the holy spirit is dwelling
within us, our love relation with the lord is our origin, our purpose and our destiny. God has an absolute
claim on us as his adopted children and we will only discover joy, peace, love and eternal life in union
with him

Throughout the history of Israel the people periodically abandoned god-YHWH and turned to idols the
clearest example of this occurred in exodus chapter 32 when Moses was on mount Sinai, speaking to the
lord and receiving the ten commandments the people below became impatient waiting for moses and
under Aaron’s leadership, they made and worshipped a golden calf, created from their own jewelry.
With god’s plan of molding them as his people whom he will also use in starting to carry out his plan of
salvation of humanity. He will give the ten commandments as their fundamental norms or rules for their
lives

Moses received the ten commandments

After leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the Sinai desert. They spend two days preparing to meet god
at the mount of god

On the third day Moses receives the ten commandments at mt. Sinai (near to where God appeared to
Moses in the burning bus- see Exodus 3:1)

The first commandment

The first commandment is “I am the lord your god: you shall not have other gods beside me.” God’s
covenant with the Israelites is clearly implied in the first commandment, that it is no longer between
him and Abraham or with the patriarchs but now it is a covenant with the Israelites as his chosen
people.

For the first commandment, there is an additional warning which says “you shall not carve idols for
yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the
earth. You shall not bow down before them and worship them.”

 Idolatry- worshipping someone else or something other than God

 Divination and magic- putting our faith and in trust in spiritual power that do not belong to god.
This include putting faith in fortune-tellers or others who claim to have special magic powers
 Tempting god- putting god’s goodness and power to the test
 Simony- buying or selling the things that god offers
 Sacrilege- the act of treating holy objects/places with disrespect
 Aetheism- refusing to believe in god
  Agnosticism- not sure about god or indifferent to god
 Syncretism- the act of treating holy objects/places with disrespect
 Heresy- is a belief or action at odds with what is accepted, especially when the behavior is
contrary to religious doctrine or belief. For example, a catholic who says god does not exist.

Clarification on the meaning of the world idols, and the difference between worship and veneration

Idols that god prohibits in the context of the first commandment refers to anything like image/statue or
even animals, person or object which people worship as a god. Worship is adoring or praising. The
catholic practice of respecting sacred/holy place, sacred things like the bible or sacred images/statue is
called veneration

The ark of the covenant( which housed the ten commandments is guarded by two images (statues of
angels)

Commands: adoration prayer, sacrifice, honoring promises, vows

Practices: regular prayer time, offering day to god, inviting god to work in our lives, being faithful to our
vows and promises to god, helping our faith to grow by practicing in the Eucharistic and other
sacraments, reading, guarding religious liberty in civil law.

The second commandment (you shall not take the name of the lord, your
god in vain)
 Blasphemy- speech, thought or action that shows disrespect to God, the Church, or persons
dedicated to God
 Profanity/cursing- uttering offensive words in anger or annoyance especially when using God’s
name.
 Perjury- lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth and even using God as a witness”
(promise to God”) but we do not fulfill it then that is perjury

The third commandment

REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY. Six days you may labor and do all your work but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the lord your god. No work may be done then either by you or your son or
daughter or your male or female slave, or your beast or by the alien who lives with you.. on the seventh
day God rested.. and blessed it and made it holy (exodus 20: 8-11)
VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE THRID COMMANDMENT

The teachings of jesus Christ are clear such that anything that does not amount to honoring god
and not giving ourselves and others a time to rest is a direct of violation to his commandment. Anything
that does not glorify god and respect the dignity of others must be avoided.
 THE SHIFT OF THE SABABATH DAY FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY

The Israelites observed the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), which marked the
completion of God’s creation of the world. For us, Christians we celebrate the lord’s day on Sunday, the
first day of the week since it was on that day jesus rose from the dead. This is why we call it the lord’s
day. It reminds us of his resurrection, and how he created the whole world new! This practice of
worshipping on the first day of the week was started by the Apostles (act 20:7) which we followed. This
is why, one of the names/titles of our church is Apostolic. Another implication of this is, we also give God
the first day of our week. For the Israelites symbolism, seven (7) is a perfect number, that is why they
give it to God.

COMMANDS: observing Sunday as a day set aside for God, as a day of rest, day of prayer, mass on
Sunday and holy days of obligation

PRACTICES: attending mass on Sunday, spending time with family, in reading, prayer or works of charity.

In the first three commandments, we received the gifts of God’s self-revelation to humanity. We also
learn what constitutes a proper responses to this self-revelation and thereby a proper relationship with
God. The final seven commandments are gifts that primarily reveal God’s will for us in our relationship
with each other.
After the first three commandments prescribing our duties toward god comes even others laying down
our obligations toward ourselves and our fellow human beings. There is first a special commandment
regarding the important duties of children toward their parents, and of parents toward their children.
This is the fourth of the ten commandments. In a general way, commandments 5 th, 6th, 7th are concerned
with action, 8th is concerned with words and 9th and 10th are with our desires.

4th commandment (honor your father and your mother, that your days
may be long in the land which the lord your god gives you)
The fourth commandment open the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God
has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on
to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom god, for our good, has
vested with his authority.

The fourth commandment is addressed specifically to children in their relationship their father and
mother, because this relationship is the most foundation. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship
between members of the extended family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elder and
ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils to teachers, employees to employees, subordinates
to leader, citizen to their country and to those who administer or govern it. Also this commandment
includes and presupposes the duties of parents instructors, teachers, leaders, and magistrates, those
who govern, and all who exercise authority over others or over a community of person.
DUTY OF CHILDER

- Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their
love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in
stature, wisdom and grace. “with all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth
bangs of your mother. remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give
back to them that equals their gift to you?
- As long as a children lives at home with his/her parents, the child should obey his/her parent in
all that they ask of her/him when it is for her/his good or that of the family. “children obey your
parents in everything, for this pleases the lord.” Children should also obey the reasonable
directions of their teachers and all to whom their parents have entrusted the, but if a child is
convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, she/he must
not do so.

HERE ARE SOME MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIALLY AGAINST THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT:

 Serious failure to care for aged parents/failure to carry out the last will of the deceased
parent- the commandment is very clear that we are to honor our parents. That would
include taking care of them in their time of need. Our parents nurtures us during our
childhood and possibly even up to our college years as well. It makes sense for us to take
care of them, and as long as their last will is not immoral, to follow that up to them.
 Serious disrespect for or disobedience to parents, superiors or authorities- we are not to
wish death or evil n anybody, but most importantly to our parents
 Wishing death or evil on parents- we are not to wish death or evil on anybody, but mostly
important to our parents.
 Abuse or serious neglect of children- this is where some people will think it goes little
different. Yes, we are to honor our parents, but parents must also take care of their
children. It is a mortal sin for parents to abuse or seriously neglect their children since they
are individuals that god has given them to take care of. They do not belong to them forever,
nor are their property. Some abuses would be beating their own children especially treating
as if they already adult ones, starving their children for lengthy period of time, serious
neglects would also include abandonment, failure to take acre of their children and other
such parenting failures.

The fifth commandment (“thou shall not kill”)

The fifth word of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us the sacredness of all human life. The human
person is made in the image of and likeness of God and therefore, has an inalienable dignity and worth.
However, this sacredness rests fundamentally on the fact that every human person is freely created by
god out of love in order to share eternal life in communion with god. In other words, the human person
is sacred because the human person is both mad by god and made for god.
The fifth commandment prohibition against killing clearly forbits direct and intentional killing. Murder is
always gravely sinful, regardless of the form it takes. In a similar way, indirectly bringing about a
person’s death when done intentionally, is also a clear violation of the commandment.

HERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC CASES OF MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIALLY AGAINST THE FIFTH
COMMANDMNET:

 Homicide- the crime of killing another person or human

 Murder- the same with homicide but with intentions(pre-planned)
 Infanticide- the crime of killing a child within a year of birth
 Fratricide- killing of one’s brother or sister.
 Suicide- it is the act of taking one’s own life may it be voluntarily or intentionally.
 Parricide- the killing of a parent or close relative
 Self-defense- what shall we say about death that occurs when an individual is protecting him or
herself from an attack? In this case we need to consider what the church’s moral theologians
name the principle of double effect. St. Thomas Aquinas explains this very simply when he
writes, “the act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one’s own life; and
the killing. The one is intended, the one is intended, the other is not”.
 Euthanasia- it’s the act of killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful. Euthanasia
is sinful: it violes the rights of an individual. On its surface, euthanasia may seem quite attractive,
as it offers a solution to end human suffering, bu our catechism observes it as a murder gravely
contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, our
Creator.
 Abortion- an abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove
the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT (THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY)

ADULTERY is when a person gives to another the love that belongs to a husband and wife. This is
forbidden by the 6th commandment. But implicit in the commandment is any form of undue sexual
activity that leads oneself or another into sin. So, it covers a wide variety of subjects. Our bodies are
temples of the holy spirit and we should therefore respect them and cover them modestly. We must
also respect those of the opposite sex. The 6 th commandment forbids all impurity and immodesty in
words, looks and actions whether alone or with others. example of this would: touching one’s own body
or that of another without necessity simple to satisfy sinful curiosity, impure conversations ,dirty jokes,
looking at bad pictures and undue familiarity with the opposite sex.
The sixth commandment summons spouses to practice permanent and exclusive fidelity to one another.
Emotional and sexual fidelity are essential to the commitment mad by the spouses at their wedding to
be faithful to one another forever should witness the very covenant god has made with us.
 ADULTERY- a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed by a wife to a married
man and should be charged together.
 Concubinage- is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which
the couple does not want to a full marriage or cannot enter into a full marriage.
 Fornication- coluntary sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.
  Bigamy- the act of going through a marriage ceremony while already married to another person
 Polygamy- state of marriage to many spouses
 Sex patterns- is against god’s will as will. It demeans the sex act which reflects god’s love and
the fact that we are temples of the holy spirit.
 Homosexuality- two men/women having sex is immoral in god’s eyes.

The Seventh and Eighth commandments are concerned primarily with our
duties toward two possessions of our neighbor - their material goods and
their good reputation. Since human beings have the tendency to be selfish
and neglectful of the rights of others, God considered it necessary to lay
down the explicit commands: "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not
bear false witness against thy neighbor". Like the other commandments,
these two commandments prescribe more obligations than those which
they explicitly assert. The seventh commandment forbids not only stealing
but every type of dishonest dealing; the eighth forbids not only falsehood
but also many other sins of the tongue such as gossiping, the unlawful
revelation of secrets, and the likes.

The Ninth and Tenth commandments are closely related with the Sixth and
Seventh. The Ninth forbidding interior sins regarding matters of purity, while
the Sixth forbids external acts; the Tenth forbidding those internal sins the
external performance of which is forbidden by the Seventh commandment.

The seventh commandment (thou shall not steal.)

The seventh word of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us that god wants us
to act justly and with charity in our relationships with one another. In this
way, we are able to live in communion with God, who is just and loving.
Specifically, the seventh commandment “commands justice and charity in
the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor.” If forbids the unjust
taking or keeping of goods belonging to one’s neighbor and the wronging of
another as regards his/her goods.
 The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of
one’s neighbor and wronging him/her in any way with respect for the
universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property.
Christian life strives to order this world’s goods to Gos and to fraternal
charity (CC,2401)

JUSTICE AND CHARITY

 Justice is the moral virtue that “consists in the constant and firm will to
give what is due to God and neighbor.”
 Charity is the theological virtue by “which we love God above all things
for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.”

Remember:
Christ's warning on the danger of riches. Anyone who desires to be
rich, that is, to have more material possessions than what he needs
will find it hard to respect the property of their neighbor. And the
more we love the things of this earth, the harder we shall find it to
love God.
                                
HERE ARE SOME OF THE SINS AGAINST THE SEVENTH
COMMANDMENT:
The Seventh Commandment expressly
forbids: Theft, robbery, cheating, usury, injuring the property of
another, detention of goods that have been found or lent, and the non-
payment of debts.

THE EIGHT COMMANDMENTS (THOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS

AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR)

JESUS & US: REFLECTION OF THRUTH

Through the gospel, the evangelists portray Jesus as the embodiment of
God’s truth. He himself says “I am the wy, the truth and the life” and this
truth sheds God’s light upon the world and provides the example for all our
actions. If we consider the matter, this is no more than we should expect of
beings created in God’s image: if we look like God, we ought to act like God.
Mark Twain, somewhat cynically observed. “if you tell the truth you don’t
have to remember anything” in his sermon on the mount, jesus expresses
the notion somewhat more nobly when he teaches, “let what you say be
simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’; anything more comes from evil.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH:

Lies- lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with
purpose of deceiving someone.
Perjury- perjury is lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth
but then we lie, we are telling God that we want him to lie for us. God
is always true to his promises and never lies! For this reasons, false
oaths and perjury seriously offended God.
Other lies:
- Rash, judgement, which assumes- without proof- someone has
done wrong
- Detraction- which is telling the faults of another to those who
have no reason to know the information
- Calumnu- which is lying about another, and causing others to
form false negative opinions of the individuals. The making of
false and defamatory statements about someone in order to
damage their reputation.
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT(THOU SHALL NOT COVET THY
NEIGHBOR’S WIFE)
The ninth and tenth commandments sound so similar- “thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor’s wife. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods” –
we ,ay wonder what distinguishes them. Our teology teaches that
concupiscence is the distinguishing characteris.
By the 9th commandment we are commanded to be pure in thought
and desire. Mere thoughts about impure things are not always sinful in
themselves, but such thinks odf am unchaste act (thoughts of sex)
and deliberately takes pleasure in so thinking, or when unchaste
desire or passion is aroused and consent is given to it.
The 9th commandment forbids all thoughts and desires contrary to
chastity. That is to say, it forbids all willful thoughts. We know that no
thought can be a sin unless it is willful. A willful thought is one we
want, one we take deliberate pleasure in and do not try to put out of
our minds.
CONCUPISCENCE- in latin the word “concupiscence” means “to
desire strongly” and our catechism defines concupiscence as “ any
intense from the human desire. Christen theology has gven it a
particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to
the operation of human reason”
Concupiscence is one of the results of original sin. It is not sinful in
itself, but its presence within us can incline us to make poor mortal
choices when faced with certain attractive options. Concupiscence is
what St. Paul has in mind when he employs the very apt image of the
flesh rebelling against the spirit.

FORBIDDEN ACT BY THE NINTH COMMANDMENT:

Act of lasciviousness
 - It is an act of making a physical contact with the body of another
person for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification other tha,
or without intention of sexual intercourse.
- Having impute thoughts and desires
The tenth commandment
“you shall not cobet your neighbor’s good, his land and his slaves, his
animals or anything else that he owns”
The Tenth commandment unfolds and completes the Ninth,
which is concerned with concupiscence of the flesh. It forbids coveting
the goods of another, as the root of theft, robbery, and fraud, which
the Seventh commandment forbids. "Lust of the eyes" leads to the
violence and injustice forbidden by the Fifth commandment.  Avarice,
like fornication, originates in the idolatry prohibited by the first three
prescriptions of the Law.
SPECIFIC SIN THAT GO AGAINST TO THE 10th COMMANDMENT:
AVARICE- extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

Conclusion to the Ten Commandments

 
The 10 commandments reflect the Love of God and the Love of Neighbor
 
           Our Gospel reading last October 25, 2020 found in Matthew 22: 34-40 is the
perfect summary of the 10 Commandments. In response to the question of the
pharisees on which is the greatest commandment of the Law?  Jesus said …, 'You
must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You
must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole
Law, and the Prophets too.'
           The Ten Commandments were given in a treaty format since they are the basis
for our right relationship with God, and with others. Others includes our environment
and many other things around us which we should take care.
The 10 commandments are not prohibitions and limitations of our freedom as
some would see it but rather on the proper perspective, these are the means for us to
achieve total freedom. These serve as guiding paths for us to experience real and total
freedom and healthy lifestyle where there are no crimes, no hatred, no enemies and
most importantly no war among different nations and different sectors.
 
Review of Some symbolic Numbers in the Bible
You might have personally read Biblical passages such as “Jesus fasted for 40
days”, “Moses stayed on the mountain for 40 days”, God rested on the Sabbath/seventh
day, Jesus resurrected on the 3rd day, David had 700 wives and 300 concubines, “will I
forgive him 7 times” etc.  The numbers 3, 7, 40 when used in the Old Testament are not
literal or actual as others would understand it but symbolic. 7 symbolizes perfection, that
is why they always give it to God like the Sabbath/seventh day. 3 stands for few if they
refer to numbers and short span of time if about duration. So, king Solomon did not
really have 700 hundred wives since nobody made a research about it, but it simply
means he had numerous wives and he still had few concubines. 40 stands for long span
of time and time for purification. The Israelites did not literally stay for forty years in the
desert but simply means that they stayed there for a long period of time. Another
example is “40 days of the dead person”, means you pray for her/his soul to be purified
so that on the 40th day he/she should be freed from his/her sins; and it is not just about
eating.
 

ISRAELITES IN THE DESERT

 
           After their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites first settled in the desert for “forty”
years;  “40” years of wandering as part of their journey to the Promised Land. They
experienced a lot of struggles such as shortage of food and water and other basic
needs. This was where God had to give them manna bread from heaven and water.
There were even times that they complained to God and they repented after they were
punished. “40” years in the desert means they stayed there for a long period of time
since it was their time for purification as God was molding them as His chosen people to
start His salvific plan for all people.
 
 

Introduction:
The Story of Joshua: Entry to the Promised Land (Canaan)
 
The book of Joshua speaks about the conquest and settlement of the household
of God/Israelites in the Promise Land. God through the leadership of Joshua will now
finally let His people settle in the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This
is the “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 13:5), in other words, a very fertile
land.
 
          After Moses had died, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun: “My servant
Moses is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan here, with all the people into the
land I will give the Israelites. As I promised, I will deliver to you every place where
you set foot. Your domain is to be all the land of the Hittites, from the desert and
from Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea. No
one can withstand you while you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses: I will
not leave you nor forsake you. Be firm and steadfast, so that you may give this
people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers I would give
them. Above all, be firm and steadfast, taking care to observe the entire law which
my servant Moses enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to
the left, which you may succeed wherever you go. Keep this book of the law on
your lips. Recite it, by day and by night that you may observe carefully all that is
written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal. I command you: be firm
and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you
wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9)
 

            From the desert, the Israelites need to cross the Jordan River for them to
enter Canaan (Promised Land). How did they do this? They crossed it with the
Ark of the Covenant carried by the priests. When the soles of the feet of the
priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touched the
water of the Jordan, it ceased flowing until all Israelites crossed over on dry
ground. (Joshua 3:5-17)
 
           After crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites camped in Gilgal on the
eastern limits of Jericho. At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones, saying to the
Israelites, “In the future, when the children among you ask their fathers what
these stones mean, you shall inform them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan with the
help of the Lord just as the Lord, your God, had 

done in the Red Sea, in order that all the peoples of the earth may learn that the
hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord, your God, forever.”
(Joshua 4:19-24)
 
           With the leadership of Joshua, God allowed the Israelites to conquer
Jericho and other cities in the Promised Land. When they conquered most part of
Canaan/promised land, Joshua divided the land among the twelve tribes of
Israel. The tribe of Levi was not given since it was dedicated to the
priesthood/priestly clan. This means that the people will take care of their priests.
Before his death, Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant with the Lord. He told the
 Israelites to remain faithful to the Lord/YHWH and keep His
statutes/Commandments or else they will perish. (Joshua 24)
 
          Since the Israelites are now settled in Canaan/promised Land, the only thing they
need to do was to remain faithful to the Lord/YHWH. If there are problems or disputes
among the tribes or if they are being attacked by their enemies and they cry out to the
Lord, leaders would come out to deliver them from these adversaries. With this situation,
leaders would only come out when needed; so, leaders just come and go. These
leaders will be called the Judges.
 
 

The Book of Judges

The Book of Judges tell the story of the Israelites after the death of Joshua of which the
pattern was, when they obeyed God's commands, they were victorious over their
enemies, but when they rebelled against Him, they were defeated and oppressed.
Judges was the title of the leaders of the Israelites during this time. They were the
transition leaders before the emergence of the kings. There were 12 judges in
all; Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon 
and Samson. Including Barak and Samuel in some category, there will be 14.
 
These Judges served as military leaders in times of crisis, rather than judges in
the legal sense of the world. The great lesson of these books is that Israel’s survival
depended on Fidelity/faithfulness to God, while unfaithfulness always leads to
disaster. But there was something more than this: even when the nation was unfaithful
to God and disaster came, God was always ready to save his people when they
repented and turned to him again.

  
Let us look on the different messages of the story of some of these Judges

1. DEBORAH – She is the only female judge, and a prophetess. Her name means “honey
                                bee,” Having a woman leader was contrary to most people’s thought that
only men should rule.  Deborah is the 
example that leadership can be exercised by both men and women. God can used anybody as His
instrument to accomplish His mission. Man and woman are equal in dignity.
 

2. GIDEON – was known to be one who came from a least tribe/clan, but God called him, and he
defeated the many enemies with only 300 soldiers. This means that God can choose the least to
cast down the powerful or to defeat a great enemy. Gideon earned the name—Jerubbaal—for
 destroying the altar of Baal who was the god of the Canaanites. Baal was a god of fertility for the
Canaanites.
 

3. SAMSON – is one of the most well-known among the Judges. This was because of his gift of
strength which he used to defeat the enemies of the Israelites or to create havoc among them.
Samson was a Nazarite which means a person“dedicated”/offered to God from the time he was
born. As part of his vows, he never cut his hair or not allowed to drink much wine. As commonly
known, he revealed his secret to an unworthy person which caused his downfall. The great lesson
here is, keep your secrets holy and be faithful to your vows.
 

4. SAMUEL – was the last Judge though he was more of a prophet. He answered God’s calling
when he was young, and He will be the one who will anoint King Saul and King David later
when he grew as a prophet. He was in a transition time between the Judges and the Kings. So,
God calls anyone whether young or old for the mission.
 
 
 

Pattern of Life of the Israelites during the Time of the Judges

 
The people are unfaithful to Yahweh, they will experience disaster such as falling into
the hands of their enemies; the people repent and entreat Yahweh for mercy, He saves
them by sending a leader (judge), and the judge delivers the Israelites from oppression
and they are back to God but later this pattern will be repeated.