And God spoke all these words: - Exodus 20:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2021): Exodus 20

Hammurabi was the sixth King of the First Babylonian dynasty. He reigned over Babylon during the first half of the eighteenth century B.C.E. But Hammurabi is best remembered for the code of law that bears his name, the Code of Hammurabi. Through the centuries since the Code of Hammurabi and the Mosaic Laws were delivered to their respective population groups, historians have noticed similarities between the two codes of law.

But what might be most important is one way in which these codes differ. The Code of Hammurabi is said to have been delivered to Hammurabi by Shamash, the Babylonian god of Justice. The Mosaic Law was given to Moses by the God of Abraham. And while that might sound like a similarity, it is actually a difference. Shamash might have given the Code of Hammurabi to the Babylonian King, but the actual code begins with multiple pages that extol the praises of Hammurabi, declaring how worthy the King is to receive the code. When we read the Code of Hammurabi, it becomes clear that it belongs to Hammurabi, with only passing reference to the god Shamash.

With the Mosaic Law, the law begins with the comment, "And God spoke all these words." There is no mention of how worthy Moses was to receive the law, and even when there is a "Story of Moses" inserted into the law; it gives both the positives and the weaknesses of Moses's leadership. Hammurabi, being the King, likely considered the law to be something that dealt with the actions of his people; the King was above his law. The law didn't apply to him. But no one is above the law that was spoken to Moses, not even Moses.

The Mosaic Law is a genuinely God-based moral code. It is the word of God, spoken by God on his Holy Mountain. It doesn't leave morality up to us and what we might think is right. It also isn't voluntary, and there is no indication that we can substitute our rules for the Commandments that we don't like because the Commandments are not of human origin. They begin with four commandments that mandate how we treat God and then six commandments that govern how we treat each other.

Jesus argued that if we love God with everything that we are, and if we love each other as we would love ourselves, then we have kept all of the law and the prophets because it is that love that sits at the center of the commands that God spoke to the people. And any time that we do not react in love, we are not following the morality that God spoke to Moses and instructed that Israel, and all humanity, should follow.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 21