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Smoke on the Mountain: An Interpretation of the Ten Commandments

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Joy Davidman was a communist and an atheist before she met God - or, God met her. In this book, she comments upon the ten commandments as they stood out for a 20th Century, American Jew believing in Jesus as the Messiah. The foreword by C. S. Lewis, whom she married later, probably enhances the interest for this book, as does the book and movie Shadowlands (on their life together). But once opened, it needs no further help. Her outlook is sharp and perceptive. The examples are, admittedly, not as up to date as they were fifty years ago, but nor are they dated. The gist of the book is that the commandments are relevant and good in modern life, and that holds true still.

I had to come down off of the mountain after reading this book! The spiritual high that it produced was nothing shy of immaculate. I was so impressed with this woman's perspective on the Christian life, especially coming from the Atheistic background that she did. One would not expect such enlightened 'Christian' thoughts from a woman who at one time, hated all things religious. This book changed my outlook on a number of issues and really touched me. I recommend it to anyone who wants a fresh new look at the 10 Commandments. Beautiful, bold, and truly as classic as anything her husband, C.S. Lewis wrote.

Joy Davidman was an American born poet critic, novelist and Christian writer who later married Christian apologist C. S. Lewis. She was born Jewish, spent some time in the Communist party and later accepted Christianity. This book, written in the 50's, was written about the implications of the Ten Commandments for contemporary society -- and in my opinion, it is as up to date now as when it was written.

Each commandment is explained in the way that only a person of Jewish background can do. She often compares and contrasts our society today with the time in which the commandments were originally given. This helps the reader to understand them in more detail.

The only way I could list everything that has helped me from this book would be to rewrite the book here -- which, of course, would be impractical.

Where would I start?

Each chapter is full of insights that will make you stop -- many times -- and think and reflect. In her chapter "Day of Rejoicing" which deals with keeping the Sabbath, she points out how people through the history of Judaism and Christianity have taken the Sabbath and made it into a chore as opposed to the day of rejoicing and celebration that it was supposed to be. (It made me remember my own religious upbringing where I was surrounded by a big list of things that I was NOT supposed to do on Sunday.) She ends the chapter with a question and answer:

Q. How do you keep a day holy?

A. By seeing that it is holy already and behaving accordingly.

In her chapter about adultery, she is even bold enough to say, ". . . true and Christian remedy . . . is to hold the men to as high a standard as women."

On the subject of guilt she says, "For the only way to get rid of a sin is to admit it . . . the Christian is the only man who does NOT go around all the time feeling guilty. For him, sin is a burden he can lay down,. . . It is the unfortunate creature who denies the existence of sin in general or his own in particular who must go on carrying it forever."

It is rich with biblical and historical information and guaranteed to build your faith.

You'll love it!

Joy Davidman, aurthor, thinker, ex-atheists turn Chrsitian, wrote this book as an examination, not only on the Ten Comamndments, but as C.S. Lewis wrote, "The Flaw in us."

Her insight is only matched by her style. This book is easy to read and, quite frankly, a page turner. Her theological, yet literaturily approach, places many deeply thoughful ideas into a richly receptive form. The insights exposes God's wonderful wisdom and our sins, yet, we are challenged to accept this answer and move on in the journey to living holy lives.

She skillfully uses information from Moses' area, as well as the days of Christ, and the 20th century which aids the reader to understand the applicability of these treasured laws.

This book is so skillfully developed, my only question is "Why she did not write mor in the realm of religion?" (Joy was an accomplished auther and poet). The forward is by then friend C.S. Lewis (they married a few years later). A great book!

This book is unusual because it is so unique. Davidman writes about the the ten commandments in a way like no other traditional Christian or Jewish author. She combines her wit and wisdom in this invaluable little book. Her transparent style makes it easy to read. Crisp, clear contemplations on the Jewish-Christian life.

This book is packed with wonderful stories and illustrations, a great resource for sermons and Bible studies. Though Joy Davidman wrote it over half a century ago, it is absolutely relevant today. When she critiques our society 'today' (in the '50's), she conjures up our culture in the 21st century as well. Particularly strong is her chapter on stealing. Here we see how righteous indignation over our trying to 'get something for nothing' led her to communism and finally to Christ.

There is very little I can add to what other reviewers have said. When I read this gem of a book, I realized the attraction between C.S. Lewis and Ms. Gresham. Her perspective on the 10 Commandments is unique and fresh and as relevant now, 50 years after the book's publication, as it was back then. This is one of those books which will remain in my library and will be reread once a year or so just for the wisdom contained within its pages.

I read this book with great pleasure and if you are looking for a unique perspective on the Ten-Commandments then this is the book to read.

G.K. Chesterton once described with mirth the experience of imagining Churches turned upside down, their spires pointing into the ground. The effect for him was of seeing something in an entirely new way, a twisting or tuning of reality that made something assumed appear in a fresh light. It is an effect that Chesterton frequently practiced in his writing, because he knew well that the mundane can easily be marvelous again with merely a change in perspective. This twisting, perspective-changing characteristic is the great strength of Joy Davidman's take on the Ten Commandments, Smoke on the Mountain. From it, I have come away with a renewed perspective, a challenged and changed view of the assumed and sometimes mundane Ten Commandments.

Davidman was the wife of C.S. Lewis and a fascinating character in her own right. She was Jewish, a former Communist, an American, and these characteristics are reflected in her book. As Lewis says in the introduction to the book, "every story of conversion is the story of a blessed defeat" (7), and in submitting to Christ all of Davidman's diverse history is brought into the service of her faith, providing the unique lens through which she views the Ten Commandments. (Incidentally, if you're interested in reading about her life, I highly recommend Lyle Dorsett's A Love Observed.)

As I've hinted already, Davidman's strength is in her ability to take the familiar words of the commandments and tune them in such a way that you hear them in fresh and challenging ways. In her discussion of the second command, to make no idols, Davidman says the following: "The essence of idolatry is its attempt to control and enslave the deity" (33). Here she cuts to the quick of the matter, and shows that idolatry is not a matter chiefly of gold or silver, but of the heart of man and his attempt to create gods that he can control rather than submitting to the God he cannot control.

Or take the third commandment (against taking God's name in vain). Challenging our assumptions, Davidman dismisses the simple interpretation which likens this commandment to a kind of cursing, observing that "Profanity does not insult God--a man cannot insult God; but it does cripple man" (44). Instead, according to Davidman, "what was prohibited was the misuse of power" (44). Not leaving us to simply meditate upon this truism, Davidman takes it a step further and shows how we've taken God's name in vain by applying to our own personal causes the name of the deity.

"If we object to meat-eating, we declare that God is vegetarian; if we abhor war, we proclaim a pacifist Deity. He who turned water into wine to gladden a wedding is now accused by many of favoring that abominable fluid grape juice" (46).

And of course she is right, because the real danger in taking the Lord's name in vain is applying to our own preferences a kind of divine approval. And thus she brings these observations even closer to home:

"There can hardly be a more evil way of taking God's name in vain that this way of presuming to speak in it. For here is spiritual pride, the ultimate sin, in action--the sin of believing in one's own righteousness. The true prophet says humbly, 'To me, a sinful man, God spoke.' But the scribes and Pharisees declare, 'When we speak, God agrees.' They feel no need of special revelation, for they are always, in their own view, infallible. It is this self-righteousness of the pious that most breeds atheism, by inspiring in all decent ordinary men with a loathing of the enormous lie" (46).

Of course, the book has its share of issues as well. The individual chapters feel a little formulaic (story, debunking of assumptions, re-telling of commandment), and some of the examples are locked into 1950s America. What is more, on several occasions Davidman's interpretations are not always on target. She relies a little too heavily on some common, anthropological theories about the development of both man and religion (theories which were presumed facts in the decade of this book's writing) and neglects some of the bible's own witness. For example, in her discussion of the command against adultery she identifies the impetus of the injunction as a protection of property, and while property rights are surely a portion of the seventh commandment, she misses the broader and more important element of covenant breaking which stands at the biblical heart of the commandment. These kinds of oversights serve to remind the reader that one is reading a reflection and meditation on the commandments and not a proper commentary. On the whole, however, the experience of reading Smoke on the Mountain was rewarding and enriched my understanding of the Ten Commandments.

Who Should Read This Book:

Anyone looking for a fresh devotional meditation on the Ten Commandments, but perhaps especially a minister preparing to preach on one or all of the commandments.

Other Memorable Quotes:

126 - "We sometimes come to God, not because we love him best, but because we love our possessions best; we ask Christ to 'save Western civilization,' without asking ourselves whether it is entirely a civilization that a Christian could want to save. We pray, too often, not to do God's will, but to enlist God's assistance in maintaining our 'continually increasing consumption.'"

135 - "It is a poor sort of faith that imagines Christ defeated by anything men can do."

For C. S. Lewis fans, this book written by his wife is a must read. She presents a clear and scholarly explanation of the Ten Commandments from the background of her Jewish heritage. Impressive that she, too, was an atheist before accepting Jesus as Savior. Just like Jack.Smoke on the Mountain: An Interpretation of the Ten Commandments