The Ten Commandments can be found in Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus
And God spake all these words, saying
1. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2.Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shall not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Many Christians will say that the "You shall not's" are too negative and that we need to be more positive since the revelations and teachings of Jesus. These ten teachings are not the old clothes of Judaism, but have been relevant to human relationships throughout the ages.
1. The first Commandment forbids us to put anything before God. It applied to the Jewish people then as the gods of their neighbors often tempted them: The Baals and the Asherah poles. It applied to Germany sixty years ago where god was a god of racial purity. It applies to us in our modern world where acquisition is he god of the day.
Anything or anyone can be a god to you, your home, car, friends, money, sex or anything else.
God is demanding that first of all, we give Him prominence.
2. Commandment number two includes an explanation in the expanded version found in Exodus 20. It describes the types of images that might be made and…"you shall not bow down to them nor serve them." No image of God will ever be found in a Synagogue and the Romans were astonished to find no statues in the Holy of Holies when they destroyed the temple in 70AD. "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." The wholeness of God cannot be captured in a picture or statue. God will not tolerate images, which might replace Him as an object of worship.
3. What does it mean to take God's name in vain? It's an attitude problem. Many use God's name daily because they have a poor vocabulary. God's concern here is with respect for "the name". God's very name represents who he is; His power, nature and character. It is a powerful name and should be spoken with respect. To take God's name in vain is to discount His position and authority.
Everyone that goes around saying "O My God" all the time is taking God's name in vane and yes it is a sin.
4. The 4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
(Many believe this was changed when Jesus came to the earth and we no longer need to keep this commandment)
Maybe there is a natural rhythm to life where we need one day out of seven to recuperate and rest for the next six days, so we take Sunday off and spend it with the family or friends, go to Church have fun.
But remember this day should be about God, you should use it and honor him and worship him!
5. Honor your father and mother. This commandment has a promise attached. "…that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." Family is important. If we continue honoring our parents through our life, our children will see us and hopefully get the message. It is one key to an orderly society.
Remember you came from your parents, every time you dishonor them you dishonor yourself because no one is more then the sum of their parents.
Always remember your parents are older and wiser then you are, if you don't believe this that only proves how little you know.
6. Do not murder. Did God have to say it? Murder must refer to people taking the law into their own hands and killing. It cannot refer to war or capital punishment. These are dealt with elsewhere in the Bible. The Children of Israel waged great wars in God's name. This commandment refers to our personal responsibility for the death of others. It is a rule for the individual.
7. What does adultery mean? It means what it always meant; cheating on your spouse. Jesus carried it one step further when commenting on this commandment. He said, "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt.5: 28) In our age of easy access to sex, the commandment applies to much that goes for entertainment (TV) and also the way men look at women and the way women dress can be a sin as well.
8. Do not steal. We all know what that means and we don't rob the bank or the supermarket. Where most of us need help is in the "gray" areas like income tax returns, lotteries and expense accounts. Really you should never take anything that doesn't belong to you.
9. Perjury is usually translated as "false witness". When we're called to testify in court we are asked to swear on a Bible that we will be honest. What is the value when so many today do not even believe that the Bible is God's word? To be caught lying in court is perjury. The ancient Hebrews answered to judges and I expect that this injunction meant more then and helped the judges to administer justice. Gossip and slander must fall under this heading.
10. Do not covet anything that is your neighbors'. This is greed and envy, focusing on what others have and what we don't have. This is the one commandment that is hardest to obey. We see things every day that we want. It's the basis of our commercial society. "Create a need then fill it." is the lesson taught to new salespeople.
Jesus was called on by the Scribes to answer "Which is the first commandment of all?" (Mk.12: 28) He replied "The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mk.12: 29-31)
These words of Jesus do not cancel the commandments; they focus them and point to the purpose to which they all lead. The point of the Ten Commandments is this: I am God and these are the rules I want you to follow. They have not failed us in over 2,000 years.
Jesus added another rule that is known as the Golden Rule.
Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
That pretty much says it all
God Bless you all.
Rev. JR Seabolt
