YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

“The national project of placing the Ten Commandments in stone monuments was conceived in 1955 when Cecil Demille was in Israel filming the Ten Commandments Movie. Cecil Demille thought it would be a good idea to place the Ten Commandments in permanent markers across the United States. He called Judge E.J. Ruegemer, who was famous for placing Ten Commandments plaques in public places across the United States. Judge Ruegemer, working with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, had placed over 25,000 Ten Commandments plaques in courthouses, city halls, and where ever anyone would allow the Ten Commandments to be posted. Judge Ruegemer was honored in August 1952, as he gave a copy of the Ten Commandments to President Harry Truman." You can check this out at www.foe.com/tencommandments/demille ten commandments2.html.

Things have changed a lot since then. On November 14, 2003, workers removed the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of Alabama's judicial building by order of the Federal Court. The following is part of a poem written by
Judge Roy S. Moore that will help you understand the changes:

While truth and law were founded on the God of all Creation,
Man now, through law, denies the truth and calls it 'separation.'
No longer does man see a need for God when he's in full control,
For the only truth self-evident is in the latest poll.
But with man as his own master we fail to count the cost,
Our precious freedoms vanish and our liberty is lost.
Children are told they can't pray and they teach them evolution,
When will they learn the fear of God is the only true solution.
Our schools have become the battleground while all across the land,
Christians shrug their shoulders afraid to take a stand.
And from the grave their voices cry the victory has been won.
Just glorify the Father as did His only Son.
When your work on earth is done, and you've traveled where we've trod,
You'll leave the land we left to you, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!

Alexander de Tocqueville said: "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Does the removal of the Ten Commandments indicate that our nation, or at least our judicial system, wants no reminders of God in public life in the United States? The Israelites in captivity lost sight of the true God because they had no teaching, no reminders of Him. YEA seminars that follow will show you why America has been good and what will keep it good. It is through the teaching and keeping of the Ten Commandments that America is made good.

The current Iraqi Constitution was adopted in September 2005. It was written to codify their laws. The first constitution came into force in 1925, but war and regime change made it necessary to update the codification of laws so that everyone would understand their legal position in their nation - what is right and what is wrong.

As our next seminar will show, God will codify His law (we don't know if this is the first time or not) so not only the Israelites will fully understand what is right and what is wrong, everyone can know. Just as the Iraqis had laws before they completed the rewriting of their constitution, God had laws that were very much in effect. By that, I mean that if a person went contrary to those laws, they were guilty of sin. And sin carries a penalty (Romans 6:23).

Pentecost was approaching and God was getting ready to codify His perfect law of truth. This law would be a lamp shining on their path, and a light to their feet. It would be well worth meditating on, day and night. Those, who would live by it, would have a blessed life that would work.

"God said to Moses, 'Get ready, I'm about to come to you in a thick cloud so that the people can listen in and trust you completely when I speak with you.’ Again Moses reported the people's answer to GOD.

"God said to Moses, ‘Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy GOD. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they'll be fully prepared, because on the third day GOD will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the People. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, “Warning! Don't climb the mountain. Don't even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he's to be stoned. That's right - stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever - put to death.” A long blast from the horn will signal that it's safe to climb the mountain.’

"Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: 'Be ready in three days. Don't sleep with a woman.'

"On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear" ( Exodus 19:9-16, The Message). Moses was to go down one more time and warn the people not to break the barricades, not even the priests. Only Moses and Aaron could break through and go up to God. One of the most important things in all of history was about to happen. This was serious business.