As unique individuals, each of us hears the voice of God differently. That is a good thing because in a community the different parts can get closer to the whole.
Having spoken directly to the people of Israel from the mountain, God appears deliberately to have left them in a 40 day waiting period to see what they would do.
In parsha Mishpatim, God tells Israel in the strongest terms that they may not mistreat the stranger, the fatherless, the widow or the poor.
In Deuteronomy 11 Moses explains to Israel that their future is in their own hands. If they faithfully follow God's instructions, they will be blessed. If not, they will experience curses. In the same way, the meaning of the events in your life is yours to interpret and to act upon. You may choose to interpret unfavorable events as an indicator that you area victim or you may choose to overcome and plan a better future. You get to choose.
Some 3500 years ago, Israel encountered God at Mt Sinai. There He spoke to them, giving them a covenant and His laws. Are those laws still binding? If so, upon whom? What do they mean in the Christian context?
The first church lived communally, holding everything in common. This may have been done in anticipation of the quick return of Y'shua and the expectation that there was no need to save for the future. Peter and John's second arrest and appearance before the Temple authorities.
The events leading up to the giving of the Ten Commandments establish the principle of consent of the governed.
Contrary to popular opinion, laws are essential to liberty. An excess of laws, however, is destructive.
The Ten Commandments is often regarded as a list of *don'ts* A more healthy way to look at is as a description of the bride and groom in the marriage covenant between God and Israel.
In Deuteronomy God describes His covenant with Israel as one of love. He describes the statutes that He provides as being for the benefit of the beloved and says that Israel's faithfully following them will result in abundant blessing. Starting in the Garden, it has been Satan's goal to lead God's people away from God's way to life and blessing and into destruction and death. That nefarious goal is still in full effect today as we see nations being led into ruin.