Did they just shrug it off? Were they curious? Intrigued? According to the Legends of the Jews, they had some pretty strong opinions, actually.
Let's dive in.
So, the story goes that when they heard the first commandment – "I am the Lord your God" – the other nations were like, "Okay, makes sense." The Legends of the Jews tells us that they figured every king wants to be recognized, right? So, naturally, God wants his people to pledge allegiance to Him. Seemed pretty straightforward.
Then came the second commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me." Now, things got a little spicier. These nations, according to the legend, were like, "Hold on a minute. No king wants a rival." This, they interpreted, was God staking his claim as the only sovereign. Makes sense, right?
The third commandment – "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" – drew a similar reaction. "What king wants people swearing falsely in his name?" they supposedly asked, according to the narrative in Legends of the Jews. Again, they saw it as a reflection of earthly power dynamics.
And the fourth commandment, about keeping the Sabbath holy? Well, they apparently thought, "Every king enjoys celebrating his birthday, so God is the same!" Makes a certain kind of logical sense, doesn't it? They were seeing echoes of human leadership in divine law.
But then… then came the fifth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother." And this is where things took a sharp turn.
According to the story, the nations were completely floored. They said, "Our laws state that if a man enlists himself as a servant of the king, he disowns his parents!" Think about that for a second. Allegiance to the earthly king superseded even familial bonds.
But here was God, commanding honor for both father and mother. The Legends of the Jews emphasizes that the other nations saw this as something truly different. "Truly," they said, "this is honor due to Him!"
Why such a different reaction to this one? Perhaps they recognized a deeper truth: that honoring one's parents is, in a way, honoring the source of life itself, the very foundation upon which society is built. And perhaps, by extension, honoring God, the ultimate source.
It's a powerful idea, isn't it? That even in the seemingly simple act of honoring our parents, we are acknowledging something profound about the nature of creation and our place within it. It makes you wonder, what other hidden depths might be lurking within these ancient commandments, waiting to be uncovered?