Exodus 20:17

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Like with most laws, we seek an escape clause to justify ourselves. I've heard many people scoff this command, saying things like, I've never violated this command. It's been a long time since I've coveted my neighbor's donkey, man servant or ox. However, you cannot claim it as archaic when you notice it says: or anything that belongs to your neighbor. So, "plan b" forces us to claim, But who is my neighbor? Unfortunately, Jesus completely closed this loophole for us as well.

We're left with only one conclusion...to never covet anything that anyone else has. Or to put it another way:

I can do all things through Him who stengthens me.

That's right. Check out the context of that familiar verse. Paul speaks that he has learned to be content in whatever circumstances he is in.

At times, I can think I'm honoring god simply by not coveting my neighbor's car. However, I can watch a commercial with one of these, and my mind starts to race. It's not coveting if no one else owns it, right? I tell myself.

Entitlement is a fruit of the fall. Ironically, we sin against God, deserving eternal condemnation, yet our darkened hearts tell us we deserve even more favor than we have received. Every moment of God's gracious favor becomes just an opportunity for the sinner to crave more. Instead of delighting in Him, we shake our fists, wanting more. But joy is found in discovering what we do deserve, yet seeing the God who treats us otherwise. By fleeing coveteousness and pursuing contentment, we grow closer to our gracious God. For Paul said:

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Exodus 20:16

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

We all strive to be that person who can say, My word is my bond. However, we also tend to approach issues of honesty from a relative perspective. If I am more honest than others, then I am a man of integrity. I've actually heard people back away from this commandment by claiming that it's formal language suggests only court proceedings. As long as I have not committed perjury, then I cannot be found guilty of false witness?

Often, we allow our tongue to back us into a corner, and then we are left with only a couple of options. We can claim our words were not binding, but were actually meant in jest (A practice the Proverbs condemn.) Or, we can claim that we meant our promise, but circumstances have changed, excusing us from our pledge (Which is a great plan, except Ecclesiastes shoots that one down.) In Matthew 5, Jesus states we should simply say, "yes, yes" and "no, no." While I do believe the person of integrity will be able to make statements without having to take it to the level of an oath, I do not believe that was Jesus' central point. (I'm flying over Matthew 5, not because it isn't pertinent, but because I plan to do another series soon on this beautiful chapter. Can't give too much away too early!) Consider the words of James:

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Without a doubt, a statement intended to deceive another violates God's standards. But a committment I make, without consideration of circumstances or abilities (for instance, even my ability to remember making the committment) also reveals an improper heart condition. I've been guilty of this far too often; believing I have everything under control.

As believers, our concern should not be simply to keep our word as much as we can. Our desire should be to not give our word at all. In these moments of conversation, we have an opportunity to glorify God in just one way He trandscends us. I can not really give my word, for so little is actually in my control. He however, can fully give His word, and we can rest upon it, for He is in absolute control.

Paradoxically, a chapter some misunderstand to say God does not keep His promises, gives us some of the greatest words as to God's sovereignty:

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

People will either think God is in control or that I am. They will not think both. It's my responsibility to give the true testimony as to Who is in control.

Exodus 20:15

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not steal.

Most people typically deny that they have stolen anything. However, after a few questions, they confess that they either stole something when they were young, or have taken something of very small value. (With anyone under 30 who claims to never have stolen, I simply ask them if they have paid for all their music. Typically, the person will then confess to theft.) I've also find people get philosophical, asking questions like, But if you've stolen from a corporation and not a person, is that really stealing? or If you steal so that your family could eat, is that really wrong? However, as God instucts Moses He gives no escape clause based upon value of the object, personal wealth, or even time expired. Simply put, don't steal. Paul says:

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

To glorify God, Paul does not simply call the Ephesians to stop stealing. There is a higher standard that must be understood. Paul explains that the person must also labor, and that his labor should be productive. It's important to remember that in a perfect world, God gave Adam work and called him to be productive. Even in a paradise without sin, God did not intend for anyone to freeload. (This is also why a Biblical view of eternity shows us we will not be sitting on clouds playing harps, but will actually have work to do. Work which will glorify God.)

We must not simply ask quesitons about our job, whether it is productive and beneficial to others. We also must ask other questions about our lives. Regarding finances: Am I using my income to meet the needs of others and not only my own? Regarding my church: Am I attending simply for my own benefit, or am I looking for ways to encourage others and build up the Body? Regarding relationships: Am I seeking to share my faith, or simply see relationships for what I can get and not give?

To glorify God, we should seek to act like Him. He works, acts, gives and sacrifices. As we delight in His work, we should be motivated to work as well.

Exodus 20:14

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not commit adultery.

Of the people I surveyed, most initially denied adultery, yet were quick to agree with Jesus' words that lust is adultery of the heart. Typically, they follow up with a comment that lust happens to all of us and that it is inescapable. Our flesh allows us to confess sin, see that it significantly violates the standards of God, and then immediately dismiss it as no big deal.

But is a faithful marriage defined as a marriage that avoids adultery and lust? Have we completely pleased the Lord as long as we flee from youthful lusts? Many in the church have redefined a successful marriage simply as a marriage that doesn't end in divorce. But a quick glance at Ephesians 5:22-33 reveals the standard for a God honoring marriage is higher than mere survival. In I Corinthians, Paul speaks that a person can handle sex with their spouse in an unfaithful way:

The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

These words of Paul sound repulsive to many. In a society that celebrates a woman's control of her body, even to the harm of another life within her, how can Paul have the nerve to claim we should consider our spouses even in regard to our bodies? Paul explains just a few verses later why this is true:

But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

When God joins two together as one flesh, each member is then called to consider the needs of their spouse. Joining with another person then violates that union God has made. Jesus explained that entertaining thoughts about another violates the union God has made. Paul then challenges that considering self before your spouse also violates the union.

And unfaithfulness to one's spouse is an act of unfaithfulness toward God.

Exodus 20:13

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not murder.

While surveying, most people really did not have a hard time seeing that an angry heart toward another is truly a muderer's heart. To picture your hands around someone's neck really isn't that far from strangling them. Very early in Scripture we see the deep depravity caused by uncontrolled anger. This frightening glimpse motivates us to deal with our anger. However, is "venting" the way to control anger?

But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

When we're told to punch a pillow and pretend it is someone's face, something within tells us that cannot be godly counsel. Yet, somehow we think that angry words spoken about/toward someone are not sinful. Yet, just like Saul's spear, our words can contain poison. Like the severity of attempted murder, we must see that our words, whether they reach the "victim" or not, can be a capital crime.

Exodus 20:12

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

We typically do not hear people segregate the commandments for different people. In fact, I rarely even hear the objection from some that the commands were only intended for Jews. We read the commands as God's moral law, despite the person's condition. However, we can tend to look at the 5th commandment as if it only pertains to children. Was God speaking to the entire nation, only to pause for a second to speak to children, then turn His attention back to all the people? Jesus doesn't believe so:

"For God said, `HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, `HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' "But you say, `Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: `THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' "

In other places, Jesus is very clear that our love for our parents must never get in the way of our love for the Lord. In fact, it is the son who follows the Lord who fills a father with real joy. But we do know that Jesus was speaking to grown men, yet He considered them still responsible to show honor to their parents. Perhaps Paul helps us see why:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

The context is critical (when isn't it?). In this series of relationships, Paul explains that each relationship is to be handled in a way that models our relationship to Christ. Not surprisingly then, each of these relationships require elements of submission and obediance. Why respect your mother and father? Because you respect your Heavenly Father.

Regardless of your history, regardless of if you are married, regardless of the kind of parents you had, God calls for us to not only obey them, but to respect and honor them as well. It's a way we show Him honor.

Exodus 20:8-11

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; {in it} you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

When the sabbath is mentioned, most people immediately ask the question, "Saturday or Sunday?" While some are legitimately confused by this issue (nothing a little understanding of the apostles actions can't cure, but I digress), others ask this question to deflect attention from their conscience (similar to John 4:19-21). But just how Jesus points the woman to God the Father, this command points us directly to God as well. He rested on the seventh day, therefore we should honor the sabbath.

Jesus explained that the sabbath was created for man, not the other way around. This explains that God did not need to rest, but rather He chose to rest so that it would teach us. But what was the lesson God desired to teach us?

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

In this passage (Actually, context is critical, and these are two really cool chapters.), the author explains that "the rest" not only speaks of God's rest from creation, nor the "land of rest" they enter. David himself, experiencing both the day of rest and living comfortably in the land of rest, begs the people not to harden their hearts and to enjoy the rest from God. So what is that rest?

The author says that entering His rest also means resting from our work. Sadly, most see the sabbath command as antiquated. Rarely do we mention it, nor treat it with any relevance. However, on the seventh day of earth's history, God gave a 24 hour lesson that our relationship with Him is not of works, but of rest. God gave Adam life, a wife, a perfect earth and work. Adam earned none of those, but they were given to him. Man's sin does not change the character of God. Therefore, after Adam's sin, God gave them garments, a type of the sacrifice of Christ. The sabbath flies right in the face of open theists, again proving God's plan was established before the foundation of the world.

Therefore, rest is worship. Even our sleep can be worship to God. It reminds us of two things:

We are not like God. We must rest. He trandscends us.

Rest is a mirror of the gospel. We can not strive our way to salvation. We must repent and trust Christ's work to enter His rest.

Therefore, a sabbath is not about taking one day off a week, but more about our heart. Why do we work? Do we see that we work because it has been given to us, or do we work believing we are earning something? Do we come to Christ with a heart of rest?

Most see the Law as work, rules we must keep to obtain favor. Yet, right in the heart of these "rules" God demands that we rest...and in sin, we continue to strive.

Exodus 20:7

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

Many people mock God's standard regarding blasphemy. They try to paint a picture of a weak, hyper-sensitive God who gets His feelings hurt by mean words. But within this command, God reminds us He will not leave a blasphemer unpunished. Perhaps no other commandment reveals the extreme depravity of man. God gives us life, breath, relationships, and the offer of His Son, and we respond using His name as an expletive. This sin that so many want to dismiss is one of the clearest exposures of our sinful hearts. Once this depravity is exposed, we should take great effort to only use divine names with a desire to glorify God. (We should also rid ourselves of names that come close.) Jesus says

Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.

What does this have to do with blasphemy? Consider the phrase "in My name." To speak in a person's name means we speak with their authority. His name is not a postage stamp. I can not just paste it onto the end of my prayer to ensure that it arrives to God. To do anything (pray, witness, act, speak) in His name means that I am doing it in His authority. How can I, a sinful, ignorant man, do anything with the authority of Chirst? The context reveals how. If I speak the words of Christ, in a manner consistent with Christ, I am speaking with His authority. Any business person has seen this played out. If management informs us that "corporate" is issuing a new policy, it comes with the authority of the corporation, even though it wasn't delivered by the president. Why? Because we understand that it was corporates words, presented to us in a consistent fashion, and that our obedience is now required. For me to speak, I may not claim the authority of Christ unless I am speaking His words, in the way He desires. That's the only reason a church even has the authority to discipline. The church has no authority except that which has come from Christ.

In one way, this is why I get very nervous when I hear people claim a revelation from God outside of His Word. If they are wrong, they are attributing something to God that is not His (thus using His name in vain). That was the great sin of the false prophet. It wasn't that they made a bad prediction, it is that they credited God with their "vision" and are therefore using God's name where it doesn't belong. But even for us cessationists, blasphemy can be a real possibility. Do we enforce standards that the Scriptures do not? Do we endorse actions that the Scriptures forbid? Do we do either with an attitude contray to that which honors Christ? Perhaps, this is why James says:

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

Every word that comes from our mouth is capable of blasphemy, not just our expletives.

Exodus 20:4-6

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Isaiah 44:9-20 exposes the folly of created gods. Those who are created, fashion a god, and then begin to worship that which they made. They have no hands. They can not move. They must be nailed down to keep from falling over. You must carry it to another room if you want to move its prescence. Yet, we pay homage to it. With half the wood, we make a fire to burn our food over and keep warm. With the other half, we form an idol and begin to worship. Silly middle eastern ancients. We'd never do something that foolish.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Jesus said we must worship in spirit and truth. He reminds us where we can turn to find the truth about God; His Word. The truth is, we are lazy. The Israelites were tempted to craft their own gods, not because it took more effort, but because it was easier to craft a god in their minds and form a statue to represent it. Things have not changed in a few thousand years. God has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself in the Word, yet we would rather craft Him out of our imaginations. Have a difficult time understanding tragedy? Craft a god who doesn't see the into the future, one who is surprised by the events. Do you struggle with a God who would create hell as a place of punishment? Craft a god who loves everyone and will pardon all. Do you battle the concept of a God who desires His glory above all? Place yourself at the center of the universe!

God transcends us. There will be things we will not be able to comprehend. With our sin-filled hearts, we will naturally craft characteristics of God that are not accurate. There is only one way to keep from crafting our own image. We must dive into His Word. We must work. We must be His craftmanship, not vice versa. We will find ourselves not ashamed, provided we are accurately handling the Word of God. Anytime I begin to craft a perspective of God outside of His revealed Word, I might as well get out a chisel and form an image from the dead tree in my back yard.

And as we rightly present Him, the world rightly sees Him.

Exodus 20:3

As a child, I thought the 10 Commandments were simply a set of rules to follow. Then, I discovered I couldn't keep the rules, leading me to Christ for my righteousness. Then, the 10 Commandments no longer condemn, but show us the character of God. As a believer, I can look to these laws to see how to please the Father. For if Christ never once violated these laws, and my desire is to look more like Him, then these laws help me know Him.

You shall have no other gods before me.

I've had a few atheists suggest to me that this is the problem with the Bible. They claim that in the first commandment, God admits that there are other gods. They paint God as a attention craving being Who must get all the recognition. In effect, they want to claim there must be either no god or many different options. If the problem was God, then they'd be right. But, Isaiah 44 show us the problem is man. We take that which should not be considered a god, and elevate it as an item of worship. It is not actually a diety, but we treat it as if it is. That is why, God says, "You shall not have" instead of "You shall not recognize" or "accept." It truly is not divine, but we worship and obey it over God.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

We naturally set ourselves up to worship and serve. In our fallen state, we quickly place ourselves under the wrong authority. We may not prostrate ourselves to a wallet or to dollar bills, but we can easily find ourselves serving the wrong master. Jesus makes it clear that a split allegience will not work. There is only room in each life for one master. Paul says,

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

Our American ideal of complete freedom and independence is flawed. We are not capable of living our lives freed from all authority and rule. Instead, real joy and freedom is found in being a servant to the right authority. After being freed from the bondage of sin, the believer should not seek to be completely autonomous. Instead, the believer should understand that their freedom comes by living under the authority of obedience to Christ. In reality, there is no sin that can be committed that is not a violation of the first commandment.

For to worship God is to worship God alone.

Psalm 119:18

Lost in the disturbing graphic (I got several emails of complaint) was the verse:

Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.--Psalm 119:18

Is it really possible to delight in the law? Can that which we've seen as a set of rules, restricting us from the "fun" we've craved really be delightful? It may be easy to consider this just an Old Testament type of thing. However, the Law should do the following in our lives:

Convict of Sin We know what sin is because of the Law. If I am honest, I no longer can consider myself good, for I see how many ways I have made myself guilty.

Expose Grace Next time you go swimming, I challenge you to grab a relaxed swimmer around the neck and drag them out of the water. If they ask what you were doing, simply tell them you were saving them. This is the same response you get from a person who has not confronted God's Law. Tell them they need salvation and they have no idea why. But study the Law until you feel like you are drowning in your guilt, then you praise God for His gracious gift of His Son!

See Righteousness While we all violate God's Law, we should all be aiming for it. The person who knows Christ as Savior should be careful with his words (as one example) knowing that his lips should speak truth and avoid blasphemy. We see the things that please God, and if they please Him, we should strive for them.

See God What is God's Law? Is it a set of rules arbitrarily made up by God just to keep order? Did lying become sin only after God decided it was bad and then made a rule against it? Or, is God's Law an expression of His character and nature? It is wrong to lie, because God is trustworthy. Therefore, anything counter to the character and nature of God, is sin. When we look at the Law, we understand Who God is. What could be more wonderful than that?

You may not find this picture delightful...(Sorry, couldn't resist grossing you out one more time!)...but we should find delight in His Law.