“The Ten Commandments”

Sunday, March 17, 2024

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

(Luke 10.25-28)

Jesus affirmed that the Law of Moses could be summed up in these two commandments.  Both he and the lawyer were speaking about the Law of Moses in particular, but many of its same commandments are repeated in the New Testament, applied to Christians.  There is much to learn from the Israelites’ Law, and the easiest place to start is at the Ten Commandments—the first and most basic set of instructions God gave to his chosen people.

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

(Exodus 20.3)

This does not mean that a pantheon is acceptable, as long as the Lord God stands at its head.  God continually demands that his people worship him exclusively, as the next few verses bear out.  What kinds of idols cause Christians to stumble?

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…”

(Exodus 20.4-5)

The silly, uneducated people of the past bowed before images they’d created.  In contrast, the New Testament associates idolatry with less overt things—covetousness (Co 3.5) and distorted representations of Jesus (1Jn 5.20-21).  But it’s really both.  How many Christians today are slavishly devoted to the smartphones that hold their attention and blind them to God’s creation?

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

(Exodus 20.7)

This is often thought to mean, “don’t use God’s name as an expletive,” but while that’s certainly an application, it’s not really the point.  Genuine faith in God means putting him first in all things, and being conformed to his image.  How many today wear the name, “Christian,” as an empty label that does not affect their manner of life?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.”

(Exodus 20.8-10)

The New Testament assures us (e.g. Co 2.16) that Christians are not bound to observe the Sabbath day, but it still can teach us.  God told his people to observe a holy rest, in his honor, that would extend down even to the livestock.  This was a gift, not a curse!  Do you set aside time to enjoy God’s blessings, and to honor God himself?

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

(Exodus 20.12)

It is fitting to revere those who brought you into the world and supplied your needs when you were unable to care for yourself.  Do you also honor the Father who created you and gives blessings both physical and spiritual?

“You shall not murder.”

(Exodus 20.13)

All human life carries a spark of the divine (cf. Ge 1.27), and God is protective of his image.

“You shall not commit adultery.”

(Exodus 20.14)

Our culture has just about emptied this one of its meaning, by continually assaulting the divine institution of marriage.  Why does God care so much about it?  To answer that question, consider the following: on what relationship is marriage modeled?  See Ephesians 5.31-32 for the answer.

“You shall not steal.”

(Exodus 20.15)

Here’s another that is becoming less obvious to our culture.  But even when people create schemes to redistribute wealth in a way that sounds compassionate, it’s easy to see that it’s wrong.  Simply ask yourself, how do you like it, when someone waltzes up and takes away something you worked hard to acquire?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

(Exodus 20.16)

This has to do with deliberately distorting the truth, in order to harm someone—or even to help them, unjustly.  But “don’t tell lies” is a perfectly good generalization.  Like most of the others, this seems obvious; and yet, what are you tempted to do, when you’re in trouble and want the problem to go away?

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

(Exodus 20.17)

The others are external, but this one focuses on the heart.  It’s not just about desiring the things that you see—we all do that, to varying degrees (1Jn 2.16).  But when that desire is fanned into flame and coupled with malice, it transforms into a hideous spirit that, even if it can’t get you to steal, murder, or commit adultery, will still damage your soul and harm your relationship with God.  True obedience—to all of God’s commandments!—begins in the heart.

Jeremy Nettles

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