The Commandments in the Old Testament and Their Meaning to Modern Societies

According to Aristotle, "Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered." The same approach applies to ancient laws, like those presented in the Old Testament's Exodus, for the meanings of such commandment must not remain unaltered for thousands of years. The laws set forth in the Bible through the prophet Moses, who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, represent a set of foundations for both a complete and righteous human being and the establishment of a strong and united nation. While the story of the Jews' victory over the evils of Egypt's pharaoh and their spiritual triumphs with a monotheistic God unfolds in the forefront as the main show, intermittent breaks in the background outline laws and regulations with significant detail pertaining to economics, government structure, national identity, and social relations. The laws of the Bible, although written thousands of years ago, ought not remain as pieces of a divine and mysterious religious text but examined for their true purposes for ancient societies and evaluated for their meaning to the people of today.

The commandments laid out in the Old Testament as the supposed word of God can be divided into two categories of laws according to their purpose to readers; one such category represents social foundation, while the other includes community infrastructure. The first set of guidelines, which stand for social structure, aim to set its reader on a righteous, respectful path in a life guided by devotion to a higher divine power. Whether the story of the Bible is taken literally, metaphorically, or allegorically, the morals and messages derived from social-foundation laws are universal and direct readers onto a better life for themselves and respect for the God who allowed for their existence. For example, the ten commandments, a monumental influence and pillar throughout the Bible, represents morals, ideals, and values that are meant to be instilled into members of a society which can base its structure on biblical laws. No matter what type of government is established in any area, a united population of sensible, morally-driven citizens is needed to create a "society."

Moses' commandments to "honor [the] father and mother," and not "murder. . . commit adultery. . . steal. . . [or] bear false witness" all represent foundations for an orderly society that can thrive and develop without constant fear of potential chaos arising from crime. With human beings being the most social animals to ever walk the Earth, ethical standards like those expressed in the Bible are fundamental to the emergence of a principled, working society that can attain resources and prosper mutually. These ethical outlines and moral structure are carried like seeds within stories of magnificent "plagues" and divine intervention on Mount Sinai. Ancient readers, lacking modern knowledge of science, medicine, astronomy, and physics, would have metaphorically "swallowed" these moral seeds which would later germinate and give rise to a conscience and inherent fear of wrong-doing lest God may punish. The laws that pertain to the way that a person should act toward himself, his family, and his neighbors seem to come from God in order to emphasize the fact that every action one takes is seen by the eyes of God and cannot be disguised; the threat of such a presence helps build dignity and honor, allowing for groups of people to live side-by-side in respect of each others' life and property.

Such guidelines through life are meant to be taken literally, since the way that people interact within a society and the ethical problems encountered have remained similar in basis for thousands of years. Jealousy, crime, passions, sins, and morals have been preserved since the beginnings of society and have simply taken on new appearances throughout the generations. The stories of the Bible stand separate from the laws that the text presents to its readers, for the latter give guidance in readers' lives and represent a gift of immense value. The moral laws and ethical foundations of the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments of Moses, and the almost Socratic emphasis on living a full and proper life apply themselves to any individual at any time in history, for an internally whole and prosperous life is pursued by believers, non-believers, religious individuals, and atheists alike.

On the other hand, biblical instructions and guidelines pertaining to matters like slavery, property, and national holidays and festivals have been questioned in meaning and at times deemed useless to modern readers. However, these directives serve as key foundations for a successful ancient economy, government, and national identity. To begin, dictatorships and monarchies represent the most common form of government adopted throughout the world over thousands of years. The Israelites represented no exception, as seen by Moses' position as the sole leader of the people and the setting of a dictatorial precedent followed by Joshua, Solomon, David, and other countless biblical leaders. With a preliminary government structure in place, an economic system and national identity represent the missing ingredients for a working and prospering nation.

The Bible outlines an economic system involving slaves, property rights, and the Shekel currency. The portions discussing debt, sales, and property in incredible detail about every possible scenario regarding material goods cannot be realistically interpreted in any way besides the literal, since a divine moral or message behind such pieces of the text would not be convincing; however, since these parts were not included simply to extend the Bible's length, their mission appears to be the establishment of definitions and regulations pertaining to an ancient economy.

Since the ancients Israelites did not have a Federal Reserve Bank or panels of financial advisors to direct an economy, a practical solution may have been the inclusion of an economic manual into the bible that would set basic laws of commerce; slaves, property in the form of cattle, and the Shekel coin represented fundamental aspects of the Israelite economy and the daily lives of citizens. For example, Exodus 21 discusses "buy[ing] a male Hebrew slave," who can be "single, or married" or may have "sons or daughters," which would all affect his ability to "go out a free person, without debt, in the seventh" year of servitude; such specifics go far beyond a story regarding a slave system employed by Israelites and instead define slave-owner relationships in a set of regulations that may be ancestral to modern labor laws. Moreover, the passage of Exodus 22, immediately after the laws concerning slaves, outlines more than two dozen decrees regarding restitution in situations varying from "livestock let loose to graze in someone else's field," to "disputed ownership of clothing," to "borrowing an animal," and "lending money;" The overwhelming amount of detail that is provided with these decrees allows for a fully functional economy that relies on agriculture as a pillar for internal trade and mercantilism. Cattle, shekels "which are twenty gerahs", clothing, and slaves represent material goods that can be purchased and traded in the same way that the modern system of goods and services operates within the populace. The laws set forth in such passages and fail to refer to any divine being are meant to be taken literally; however, since the Bible was written to serve a practical use for the people of ancient times, the ancient meanings of slave, property, and currency laws serve no purpose in a modern society, instead serving as an everlasting proof of human advancement, development, and attainment of knowledge over thousands of generations.

Similarly to the way that slave and property-related laws have allowed for the construction of an economic system, the laws pertaining to festivals, traditions, and holidays create a national identity for the society. In order to construct a successful nation, the individuals composing its society must share common goals, traditions, or life aspects that would allow for unity. With the Bible defining every aspect of Judaism, the individuals following the text in their personal matters as outlined earlier would have been united with their neighbors under a common umbrella as "Jews" in their celebration, commemoration, and worship of the same God and the same history of salvation and prosperity. The "festivals for [God]" are meant to commemorate events like Passover, successful harvests, and the giving of the Ten Commandments and thereby unite the people by reminding them of their common roots, traditions, and identity.

The social foundation guidelines and the national structure laws set forth in the bible have survived thousands of years and remain a central pillar of modern society. However, only individuals are capable of changing throughout the generations, while a text like the Old Testament remains in its original form, still addressing the audience it was written for thousands of years ago. While the moral, allegorical, and social messages of the Bible are timeless and should be followed by those in pursuit of a wholesome life, the more practical foundations of the Bible as seen in discussions of economy and property have little place in the daily lives of modern people.

From personal experiences, Israel serves as a unique example of the application of ancient laws to a modern nation; despite the fact that the country was founded in 1948, the laws at its core are taken directly from the Old Testament. From the use of the shekel, to the absence of leavened bread from all supermarket shelves in the nation during Passover, to the festivals of harvest celebrated in tents, it becomes clear that Israel functions under the Biblical law. However, this application of ancient laws has become a nuisance for certain populations within the country, like the non-practicing Jews, the immigrant populations who are diverse in their religions, and atheists of all sorts. Although the commemoration of Passover and respect for the Old Testament is widespread, harvest-festivals taking place in skyscraper-cities like Tel Aviv and the banning of bread products for weeks during certain holidays are unnecessary and uncomfortable to many who simply do not wish to follow the Torah to such a detailed extent. The morals and lessons of the Torah should be instilled in all people because of the message of wholesomeness which they instill and the true character-building that they may advance, but the ancient views on economies based on Shekels and ownership of grazing animals should be omitted from the law books of a modern, industrialized nation to allow for the incorporation of the theories and lessons learned in the apparent 5,000 years that have passed since the "publication" of the Bible in ancient times.

The laws of Exodus pertaining to the development of the person and his place and responsibilities within a society are family can withstand centuries to come, for they represent pillars of human understanding, communal living, and social order and respect. However, the nation-building decrees remain frozen in their time since they only represented a path for ancient prosperity and power independent of modern world conflicts, international politics, and massive technological networks today. The Bible's laws for the mental and spiritual structure of man have no age, and it is man alone who commands the power to change the laws of the physical world around him.