The Ten Commandments

I dropped off my Mom at the beauty salon to get her hair fixed on Friday. I ran to do some errands while she was there. I thought I would be back before she was finished, but before too long, Mom called me, but I was unable to reach the phone in time.

So I immediately returned her call. I received a message that said, “The person you are calling is not available.” I hung up and called the number again. This time I heard, “All circuits are busy.” Again I hung up and called a third time. The message I heard on my third attempt was, “The number you are calling is no longer in service.”

At that point, I gave up and went to the beauty salon to pick her up.

I don’t know about you, but I dislike getting the runaround. If you don’t have an answer for me, please do not make one up just to make yourself look good or because you can. Tell me the truth.

I think that is part of the reason I love God’s Word. God is so straight forward with all of it. He doesn’t run around the circle a few times before saying, “and by the way, you need to…”

It doesn’t get any more straightforward than the Ten Commandments. So let’s see what God has to say and how we are to live our lives.

Commandment One

“You shall no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 – NIV)

Commandment Two

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I am, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6 – NIV)

Commandment Three

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20: 7 – NIV)

Commandment Four

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neighbor you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11 – NIV)

Commandment Five

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 – NIV)

Commandment Six

“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13 – NIV)

Commandment Seven

“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14 – NIV)

Commandment Eight

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15 – NIV)

Commandment Nine

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16 – NIV)

Commandment Ten

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 – NIV)

There are plenty of other commands that God has place within the pages of His Book, but these were the first ten. And these are mentioned in the New Testament as well. By looking at these New Testament passages, you’ll find some common language from God’s original, straightforward language.

Command One

Matthew 4:10 and Matthew 22:37-38

Command Two

Acts 17:29, 1 Corinthians 10:7 and 1 John 5:21

Command Three

Mathew 15:17-20 and 1 Timothy 6:1

Command Four

Matthew 24:20; Mark 2:27-28; and Hebrews 4:1-13

Command Five

Matthew 19:19; Matthew 19:18-19; and Ephesians 6:1-3

Command Six

Matthew 15:17-20; Matthew 19:18-19; and Romans 13:9

Command Seven

Matthew 15:17-20; Matthew 19:18-19; and Romans 13:9

Command Eight

Matthew 15:17-20; Matthew 19:18-19; and Romans 13:9

Command Nine

Matthew 15:17-20; Matthew 19:18-19; Romans 13:9 and Ephesians 4:25

Command Ten

Romans 7:7; Romans 13:9 and James 1:14-15

I believe Romans 13:10 (NIV) is a great summary for this blog post. “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Because of love, we have no desire to mistreat our God or our neighbor.

And we know love because we know God. 1 John 5:2-3 says that when we love God, we love His commands and His people.

God’s straightforward language should be our language. It should be the way we live our lives. I pray on this day that you will allow God’s Words to penetrate your heart. That His love would draw you to Him. You really cannot misunderstand His message.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna