God had gone out of his way to impress the people with the
seriousness of a covenant with him. The
people had said they wanted such a covenant, so with the so called Ten
Commandments, he gave them a brief outline of what their responsibilities would
be. Later, he would flesh out this
outline in greater detail before it was finally approved, much like
establishing a contract between two people or businesses. They start by outlining what is desired, and
once an agreement is reached, a final contract with all the details is written
and signed by both parties.
The first part of the Ten Commandments outlines the attitude
they were to have toward God. Exodus
20:1-6 said they were not to worship any other Gods. “And
God spake all these words, saying, 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. 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 showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
God was the one who had delivered them from Egypt, sending
the plagues and destroying the Egyptian army, and clearly showing he was more
powerful than anything the Egyptians might worship. When he said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” the combination of words
translated before means literally they were not to set anything alongside of or
equal to God. They were not to worship,
to in any way credit anything with having power similar to God’s. They were not to bow to other religions gods
, or even the rulers of other countries.
God is a jealous God, not willing to share his position as God with
others, just as a husband should not be willing to share his position as
husband with others. He promised to
reward those who followed his commands and to punish those who would not.
God demanded total respect.
Exodus 20:7 commands, “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.”
They were not to treat his name lightly or disrespectfully. To do so would be treated as disrespecting
God, and those who made fun of him or otherwise disrespected him would be held
accountable for what they had done.
Exodus 20:8-11 set the Sabbath day apart as an holy
day. “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.”
Resting on the Sabbath was a mark of respect for God and
creation, because it marked the completion of creation. In Mark 2:27, Jesus said, “…The sabbath was made for man, and not man
for the Sabbath.” Both humans and
animals need rest, and by taking a day off, we demonstrate respect for the
things God created, and by obeying him in doing so we demonstrate our respect
for him.
This emphasis on respect carries over in the rest of the
commandments. Exodus 20:12 commands, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy
days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Because
they have more experience, learning to pay attention to what our parents tell
us can literally save our lives and avoid a lot of suffering.
Exodus 20:13 commands, “Thou
shalt not kill.” The word kill used
here means to kill a person and refers specifically to murder. It is based again on respect for God and the
things he has created. Genesis 9:5-6
states, “And surely your blood of your lives will I
require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man;
at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his
blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Taking a person’s life disrespects that
person as well as the God who created him.
Exodus 20:14 commands, “Thou
shalt not commit adultery.” Sexual
sin has a similar implication of disrespect for both God and other people. Genesis 2:24 tells us, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Taking another person’s wife or husband is
the emotional equivalent of chopping off their arm or leg, and shows a complete
lack of regard for them and for God’s command.
Taking their belongings or destroying
their reputation are other ways of showing disrespect. Exodus 20:15-16 commands, “Thou shalt not steal. Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Jesus said all the law could be summed up in Loving God and Loving
man, in Matthew 22:37-40. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” When we respect and love God or other
people, we do not wish to hurt them.
When we begin to focus on what others have there is danger
we may begin to try to take it for ourselves.
Exodus 20:17 warns against allowing that attitude in our lives. “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.” If
we are not careful, having those things will become more important than God to
us. Ephesians 5:3-5 warns Christians to
be careful about our attitudes and behavior.
“But fornication, and all
uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in
the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
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