Make SnyderTalk® Your “Go To” Place and Consider Making It Your Homepage
____________________
“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”
Thomas Jefferson
____________________
Facebook Group His Name is Yahweh
I use the Facebook group His Name is Yahweh to notify people when a new SnyderTalk has been posted. If you are not already a fan, you should consider signing up. Click here to visit the site. Eventually, this may be unnecessary, but for the time being it seems to be an effective way to distribute information.
____________________
For Your Information and Enjoyment
Business: Charles Schwab, Fidelity Funds, Google Finance, Precious Metals Prices, Vanguard Funds, Yahoo Finance
Debt Clock: The Debt Clock
Email: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail
Entertainment: TV Guide, Yahoo Movies
Israel: About Israel, The Israel Project, Tourist Information, the Holocaust, Israel map, Israel’s War of Independence, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, Arab-Israel conflict, and anti-Semitism
Maps: Google Maps, MapQuest
Networking: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube
Shopping: Amazon, BizRate, Google Product Search, Yahoo Shopping
Sports: College Football Polls, ESPN, Yahoo Sports
Weather: The Weather Channel, Yahoo Weather
____________________
Today’s Feature
Exodus Chapter 20
- Then God spoke all these words. He said,
- ‘I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you lived as slaves.
- ‘You shall have no other gods to rival me.
- ‘You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth.
- ‘You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punish a parent’s fault in the children, the grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren among those who hate me;
- but I act with faithful love towards thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- ‘You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name.
- ‘Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
- For six days you shall labour and do all your work,
- but the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. You shall do no work that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals nor the alien living with you.
- For in six days Yahweh made the heavens, earth and sea and all that these contain, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the Sabbath day and made it sacred.
- ‘Honour your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.
- ‘You shall not kill.
- ‘You shall not commit adultery.
- ‘You shall not steal.
- ‘You shall not give false evidence against your neighbour.
- ‘You shall not set your heart on your neighbour’s house. You shall not set your heart on your neighbour’s spouse, or servant, man or woman, or ox, or donkey, or any of your neighbour’s possessions.’
- Seeing the thunder pealing, the lightning flashing, the trumpet blasting and the mountain smoking, the people were all terrified and kept their distance.
- ‘Speak to us yourself,’ they said to Moses, ‘and we will obey; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die.’
- Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; God has come to test you, so that your fear of him, being always in your mind, may keep you from sinning.’
- So the people kept their distance while Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
- Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites this, “You have seen for yourselves how I have spoken to you from heaven.
- You must not make gods of silver to rival me, nor must you make yourselves gods of gold.
- “You must make me an altar of earth on which to sacrifice your burnt offerings and communion sacrifices, your sheep and cattle. Wherever I choose to have my name remembered, I shall come to you and bless you.
- If you make me an altar of stone, do not build it of dressed stones; for if you use a chisel on it, you will profane it.
- You must not go up to my altar by steps, in case you expose your nakedness on them.”‘
____________________
SnyderTalk® Commentary
The Ten Commandments
From the cloud Yahweh summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses climbed up to meet with Him. After Yahweh finished speaking with Moses, He told him to go back down and warn the people not to come near the mountain lest they die. When Moses got to the bottom of Mount Sinai, God proclaimed the Ten Commandments.
Jewish tradition tells us that everything was silent when Yahweh declared His Law. This is the description of that moment in the rabbinic writings:
“When the Holy One, Blessed is He, presented the Torah at Sinai, not a bird chirped, not a fowl flew, not an ox lowed, not an angel ascended, not a seraph proclaimed, Holy. The sea did not roll and no creature made a sound. All the vast universe was silent and mute. It was then that the Voice went forth and proclaimed, I am HASHEM, your God!” (Shemos Rabbah 29: 9)
In fact, Yahweh did not say, “I am HASHEM.” Literally, HASHEM means The Name. We know that Yahweh did not refer to Himself as “The Name.” Yahweh didn’t refer to Himself as “Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey” either. That’s the Hebrew spelling of Yahweh’s Name. For some reason, a few people today insist on substituting the Hebrew letters for the Name “Yahweh” in conversation. That’s the same as me introducing myself by pronouncing the letters of my name: N-E-I-L. That’s absurd. I would never do that; neither would you; and Yahweh didn’t do it either.
I want to be perfectly clear. The Bible tells us that Yahweh said, “I am Yahweh, your God!” (Exodus 20: 2) What came next may be the most powerful statements ever made, and they came directly from the mouth of Yahweh in the hearing of all the people who were gathered at the bottom of Mount Sinai.
The only statements that even compare with the Ten Commandments are the ones Yahweh made when He created the universe. His Voice echoed through the air while the people listened in fear and awe.
The Ten Commandments are not just suggestions. They are, in fact, commandments. The words themselves and the Voice of Yahweh annunciating them made that clear to everyone. Yahweh commanded us to obey His Law, and the Ten Commandments are the foundation of that Law. They are much more than edicts to be followed. The Ten Commandments tell us about God’s character and His holiness, and they are the stipulations of the covenant Yahweh made with us at Mount Sinai. He said, “If you will indeed obey My Voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19: 5)
The second half of the book of Exodus (chapters 19 through 40) tells about Yahweh revealing Himself and His Law to His people. It explains what it means to be Yahweh’s people. Yahweh is holy, and if we are going to be His people and have a personal relationship with Him, then we too must be holy.
The book of Leviticus expands on Yahweh’s Law and explains in great detail what we must do if we violate any portion of it. This is a critical point. If we transgress even the smallest stipulation in the Law, then we cease to be holy, and we need a redeemer. At the end of the day, our holiness depends absolutely and entirely on Yahweh, because no one except Yahweh can remain steadfast to His Law and keep the stipulations in the covenant. We need a redeemer, and only Yahweh is qualified to be our Redeemer.
The Ten Commandments, along with Yahweh’s introductory declaration, are presented below. Read them carefully and understand that it is impossible for you or anyone else to obey them—any of them:
“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of slavery.
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the Name of Yahweh your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.”
(Exodus 20: 2-17. Exodus 20: 2-14 in the Tanach. I have numbered the Ten Commandments to make it easy for readers to identify them, but they are not numbered in the Bible.)
The first five commandments focus on our relationship with Yahweh, and they conclude with the commandment to honor our father and mother. Clearly, Yahweh places great weight on honoring our parents, and without a doubt every one of us is guilty of breaking this command. But we are also guilty of worshiping other gods. You may be thinking, “I have never done that,” but let me assure you that you have.
Consider this. When we get caught up in earning a living and making money, it is very easy to let our desire to create wealth become our idol. Today, many people who are facing retirement spend more time tracking their net worth than they spend with Yahweh. When this happens, money becomes our idol, and we are guilty of violating a commandment. Money cannot save us. Only Yahweh can do that. The assets we possess can depreciate to virtually nothing in a single day. The lessons of 2008 and early 2009 taught us that. Thus, we must place our faith in Yahweh and trust Him to take care of all our needs. Yahweh is our God and our Provider.
Think about this. In the last few years, scientific studies have revealed that about 75 percent of the people in the United States are overweight and about 40 percent are obese. When our craving for food consumes our thoughts and actions, then food becomes our idol. How many people living in the United States today spend more time thinking about their next meal or snack than they spend thinking about Yahweh? These statistics suggest that the number is very large, and food has become an idol for many Americans. But anything can become an idol. The clothes we wear or our desire to be popular can consume our thoughts and energy just as easily as money and food. Yes, every one of us has worshiped other gods, and we need a redeemer.
The fourth commandment deals with the Sabbath, or Shabbat in Hebrew, and we are told to remember it and to keep it holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy means to consecrate it or to treat it as sacred. No one in the United States needs to be told that the Sabbath is not consecrated or treated as sacred by the vast majority of our citizens. In fact, it is treated the same as any other day in most communities, and life goes on as usual.
In plain English, we violate the Sabbath routinely, and we do not give it a second thought. Be sure of this. Yahweh gives it His attention, and He included this commandment for a reason. Wanton violation of the fourth commandment is a personal affront to Yahweh, and one day He will make this point clearly so that everyone understands.
The last five commandments focus on our relationship with each other. Looking at them, it is easy to conclude, for example, that I have not murdered, so I am all right on that one. But Yahweh did not mean just the act of murder. He included our thoughts and attitudes as well. “Do not murder” includes anger. If you are angry with someone, you are just one step away from committing the act of murder, so an angry thought makes you guilty of murder. (See Matthew 5, 6, and 7 for details.)
Similarly, slander is a form of stealing. When you commit slander, you are taking one of the most precious possessions a person has—a good name. If you follow this logic and carry it through the prohibitions against adultery and coveting, for example, you will see that every one of us has broken every commandment. Yes, each of us needs a redeemer, and Yahweh is our only hope. He is the only one who has never violated any stipulation in His covenant with us, and He is the only one qualified to be our Redeemer.
____________________
News Items of Interest
- Whiter American Jewry?
- Travesty in New York
- Churches gone wild
- 6 powers urge Iran to consider nuclear deal
- Israel warship to join NATO anti-terror force
- IDF arrests 5 Palestinian intelligence officers
- The Netanyahu paradox: all-powerful except in one area
- Abbas prods Brazil to help end Iran support for Hamas
- What does Israel have against a Palestinian stadium?
- Jerusalem stabbing of Arab nationalistically motivated
- Fatah officials warn of third Palestinian Intifada
- Rabin-Clinton deal makes East Jerusalem settlement freeze possible
____________________
His Name is Yahweh
There is a wealth of material available for free download on www.hisnameisyahweh.org including the book His Name is Yahweh. His Name is Yahweh is also available at Amazon on Kindle for just $5. If you haven’t read His Name is Yahweh, you should. The importance of Yahweh’s Name is becoming more apparent with each passing day.
Available on Amazon Kindle and it can be downloaded at www.hisnameisyahweh.org
