Sometimes we read Scripture and think that these are a collection of stories that have some common themes but are not interrelated to one another. Our story this week is one that shouts out this connection and demands to be heard through the centuries. There is the announcement by God that He has a purpose ... "to bring you to myself [Exodus 19]." Then God offers the gift of the 10 Commandments that are rules for living in harmony with God and community. Deuteronomy affirms this in the one rule that all Hebrews are to learn and teach, the Shema, "The Lord your God is one God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength! [Deut. 6:4-5]." Jesus repeats this as the commandment (the Great Commandment) that will enable you to keep all the commandments in Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-28. He includes the command to love your neighbor as yourself. Do you see this connection of the dots from the first giving of the law to Jesus re-giving the law as a hard-and-fast principle? God is serious about these rules for living in harmony with Him and His people.
Here is where our problems begin. First ... we do not seem to like all of these commandments. The "do not kill or steal" we are pretty good with. We understand that these cause immediate and permanent disorder whenever they occur. But the first four commandments ... does God really want to be first in our lives? As we live out our lives before God we seem to say ... "take a number and get in line!" Do we live our lives in a way that trivializes God? And does God really want us to worship Him on His terms ... not in our convenience? I mean "I got things to do, places to go, people to see!" That adultery command seems to be prudish in a society that is oversexed and under-principled. So what if I want the things my neighbor has? And honor my parents? They are out of touch and if you knew the mistakes they made you wouldn't have any reason to honor them. And lastly, we love to gossip ... why can't I take a few liberties with talking about my neighbor ... you should see the things that go on over there!
For all of the societal discussion about the 10 commandments what I (and I think God) would like to see most is to have us live them out. They need to be displayed prominently in our hearts and in our lives ... then they would be displayed in a way that honored God. After all ... God wants to bring us to Himself!
Those are my thoughts. What about yours?
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