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"The Ten Commandments"

November 23, 2003
Greg Zehner

In Exodus 20:1-17, when Israel had its first chance to set up a nation, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments as rules for how individuals should behave and have a functioning society. These commandments are relevant to us today and revealing. Rules reveal something about the person giving the rules and about the person receiving the rules. God, the giver of the Commandments, loves us and we, as the receiver, need the commandments as moral absolutes against which to benchmark ourselves and society. We don't give rules to our children that they don't need. We give rules when there is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Society has a tendency to marginalize and chip away at the Commandments, especially the first four. Most people understand the last six; however, keeping 1 through 4 are the key to keeping the remaining 5 through 10. The first four commandments have to do with man's relationship with God and the last six have to do with man's relationship with man. The Commandments reveal that we have a sinful nature. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us that we are to keep the Commandments not just externally but internally as well.

Jesus made it clear that the Ten Commandments still apply and in Matthew 22:37, Jesus sums up the Commandments: "Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

How do we fulfill the Ten Commandments? The key is to focus on God; then they don't become a chore but rather something we want to do. If we keep the first commandment, the rest fall into place. The Commandments are not multiple choice. If you eliminate one, the others will start to chip away. The fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 are the positive aspects of the Ten Commandments. When we seek God through Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes upon us and gives us the power to follow the Commandments. These are ten simple rules by which we can benchmark ourselves and live in community with each other through Jesus.

(1) You shall have no other gods before me,

(2) You shall not make for yourself an idol,

(3) You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,

(4) Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,

(5) Honor your father and mother,

(6) You shall not murder,

(7) You shall not commit adultery,

(8) You shall not steal,

(9) You shall not give false testimony,

and (10)You shall not covet your neighbor.


Summary submitted by Karen Walsh