Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Ten Commandments
How long has it been since you took a look at The Ten Commandments? Do you even know where to find them? This blog begins a study on The Ten Commandments. Let your friends know! Invite your family to be a part of the study! Let's revisit The Ten Commandments together as we grow.
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I learned The Ten Commandments MANY years ago in the King James Version, copied for you below:
ReplyDeleteExodus 20:3-17 (King James Version)
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4Thou 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.
5Thou 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;
6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7Thou 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.
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10But 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:
11For 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.
12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13Thou shalt not kill.
14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15Thou shalt not steal.
16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17Thou 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.
Over the next several weeks we're going to begin to look at The Ten Commandments through new eyes, with a heart for study and growth.
Praying for everyone who will join in!
Lee Ann
(Oh, my, but Satan does NOT want this study to continue! I'd had my whole study of the First Commandment completed, and the post failed! Pray with me that Satan is foiled with this second attempt at posting!)
ReplyDeleteLord, as we begin this study, we ask that You bless our desire to grow with continuing desire, that You bless our understanding in new ways, and that everything we learn becomes a reflection of You to all those we encounter. Amen.
The First Commandment in the NIV (New International Version) says, "You shall have no other gods before me." The AMP (Amplified Version) says, "You shall have no other gods before or besides me."
Now, as believers, this commandment seems rather simple. Of COURSE there is no other god besides God! Geesh!
Let's look first at who God claimed then to be, and is even still. God said, "I AM the I AM." He is THE God. The ONLY God. There is no other more powerful, bigger, more omnipotent, more omnipresent. He is the El Elohim, God Almighty, God of all Creation, LORD of lords, the One and Only God. That helps to make it clear the only God we're to worship.
Let's look at the gods who existed then to better help us understand which gods were not to be put before Him or instead of Him. There was Marduk, the chief god, who battled Tiamat who was the goddess of the sea and consort to Apsu. Tiamat was the mother of the gods, and Apsu the father. Marduk and Tiamat battled, and he won, separating the heavens from the earth. He was considered the god who brought order to chaos. Taimat continued her troublemaking by trying to deny the coming of spring or the rains necessary to help things to grow. It was during this time that humans were created so that the gods would no longer have to labor.
Baal came about as the sun god, helping to assure that the crops would grow and the herds and flocks would be abundant and healthy. He enlisted the assistance of Ashteroth, the goddess of fertility and rain. The sacrifices to Baal and Ashteroth were largely sexual in nature, including and involving immoral acts of depravity.
So. The 'gods' in the commandment are appeased only by constant labor, with sexual and immoral depravity, ensuring by your labor and immorality that you would eat, that your crops would be good and your livestock healthy and abundant, with wells that didn't run dry.
Easier now to understand how one could have gotten caught up in the worshipping of other gods before the One and Only True God!
While we know that the heavens and the earth were created by God, and we know that He provides the rains and the sun, and the abundance that we have come to know comes from Him, I wonder? Do we have other gods which we put before Him, or worship besides Him?
Do you serve the god of power? The god of wealth? The god of fame? The god of social standing? The god of appearance and influence in your community? The god of stuff and material possessions? The god of distraction where anything and everything take your focus off of your service to Him (things like your kids' sports' schedules, your job, your house, your vacation and leisure time activities, your social standing in the community, and more!)? Have you put other gods before Him? Do you worship other gods besides Him?
Commandment #1: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Wow. Bigger than it seems. Harder than we initially thought when we examine those gods in our own life which tend to come before Him, even pushing Him out of the way.
Thank you, LORD, for making clear to us that You alone are the One and Only True God. Amen.
Amen, indeed!
Lee Ann
WOW! When I first read the question "Do we have other gods which we put before Him, or worship besides Him?", my answer was "of course not!". However, after I read the next paragraph realizing that my appearance, my social standing, my house, etc, etc, is taking away time from worshiping the One True God, I'm ashamed to say that my answer to this question now is "yes". Boy do I need to work on putting nothing before my God! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, Alice! I think it's something we all need to work on. I know I sure do! It's soooooo easy to get wrapped up in the busyness and business of life that we forget to put God first in all things.
ReplyDeleteI'm especially remembering today to put into practice 1 Thessalonians 5:16, "Rejoice always." No greater praise than to rejoice in the God who made us!
Love and prayers,
Lee Ann
The second commandment encompasses verses 4-6, 4Thou 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. 5Thou 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; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (KJV) Let's take a look at those verses in first the NIV, and second, the AMP versions:
ReplyDeleteNIV: 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
AMP: 4You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, 6But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Commandment #1 told us not to put any gods before God, or to worship any god besides God. Commandment #2 says that we ought not to make images of those gods we think we ought to serve and think that somehow those images, those idols, those representations of those false gods are somehow things of an omnipotent nature.
Can't help but think of the number of idols and altars put up to those false gods...the huge towers, the super-sized statues, the golden calves...those things put up as a place where people would go to worship and make sacrifices.
And the hand-held versions that traveled well...things that could be taken along, carried easily in a pouch.
The verses that accompany the command clearly tell us the consequences for our choices! If you choose to worship created images and idols of your own choosing, God's jealous reaction is not going to be good, and the results of those choices will be felt by your family for three to four generations. If you choose to worship the One and Only God, He loves with an unending love and unconditional mercy for a thousand generations!
Now we think, again, this is an easy one. We don't have any altars or statues of Ashteroth in our front yard. We don't make sacrifices to Baal. We don't bow to a Sun God or worship a god other than God.
(Continued in next post)
(continued from the previous post)
ReplyDeleteBut, as I prayed about my false idols, I wondered what form they may take. God opened my eyes to my perfectly matched sweatsuit with the brand name clearly plastered all over it...and to the team blanket that was next to the team pillow which was next to the team tee-shirt which was by the team water bottle which was in the team tote bag...Could these things be a form of idol worship?
I think there is a measure of self-discipline and self-control when it comes to things that may indeed seem to take the form of an idol. When they take the place of God, when they become more important than God, when they become the all-consuming focus of my existence, then they have clearly become idols of worship.
I once owned more than 300 teapots. I have since given many away, knowing that the teapots themselves are not the ministry to which I have been called by God, but rather an instrument that I can use to convey His Truth. A healthier balance I think, and a clear understanding that the teapots themselves could have become idols when the real focus needs to be on the ministry that they help to share.
Commandment #2: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
Praying today that I can keep God as my focus without being blinded by the many outside things in my life which could easily become idols of worship,
Lee Ann
Commandment #3: Though shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain.
ReplyDeleteOkay. Don't swear. That seems the simple response to this one. Don't use God's Name as profanity.
Let's look at the rest of the verse that accompanies this commandment..."for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain." There will be a consequence should you choose to blaspheme the Name of God. Should you choose to misuse the very Name of the LORD, He will take notice!
As I prayed about this commandment, I got to thinking if there aren't ways we do take His Name in vain, without even a thought! Statements like, "Oh, my God! (OMG)" Or, "So help me God!" And, "For the love of God!" And there is, "For God's sake!" And the one we see on all coins and currency, "In God we trust." (Just for your information, the bill was introduced in 1955 and became law to put the statement, "In God we trust" on all coins and currency of the United States. It has been challenged legally, but upheld.)
The very latest example set by our Congress where trust seemed to be necessarily misplaced in them to keep our country from shutting down...well, this to me seems in direct violation of trusting in God, as all our coins and currency say!
Commandment #3: Though shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain.
Praying today that I don't unconsciously blaspheme God. (blaspheme means to speak the Name of God in an irreverent manner) Praying too that our country remembers, "In God we trust."
Praying for you as you study and grow!
Lee Ann
Commandment #4 says that we're to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. It reminds us that God created the world in six days, and set apart the Sabbath day as a hallowed day of rest.
ReplyDeleteHoly means set apart, sacred, spiritually whole and sound. Several synonyms for holy and hallowed: Consecrated...Sacred...Sanctified...Blessed...Dedicated...Revered...Honored...
I don't know about you, but Sunday tends to be another day to get things done. You know, the busyness of life and the things that seem to never be finished. I seldom stop, resting in the holiness of the day, reflecting on the Creator God who asked for just one day to be set aside as somehow different than every other day of the busy week. We're under the impression that the time spent in church is the time we've spent in fellowship with God, only to head back home to rake the yard, do the rest of the laundry, or to catch up on a thousand things that seem to need doing.
God has asked me...He's asked you...to set aside one whole day to rest in Him. He's asked for but one day to rest in Him, reflect on His Creation, setting apart this one day as different from the rest of our week.
I'm convicted as I study this commandment. I don't spend time in rest and fellowship and communion with God on this one day that He's asked us to set apart as holy.
Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Pray for me? That I can put aside the busyness of the every day and remember that God asks for all of me to rest in Him, reflecting on His Creation. LORD, help me to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Amen.
Lee Ann
I'm looking at Commandment #5 today, about honoring our father and our mother. The second part of this scripture says that by honoring them, our days will then be long in the land which God has promised us.
ReplyDeleteTo honor means to hold in high regard, to give heightened respect to, to revere. Now, I don't know about you, but I'ma wonderin' if any of us as teenagers remembered or adhered to this commandment in the least!!! Seems that's the time, especially, in our lives when the last people on earth that we respect or honor are our parents!
Funny to me as we get old how much easier it seems to get to respect them, to honor them, to revere their wisdom, to hold them in high esteem. Funny too how when we lose them we seem to forget the things we should and only hang onto the wise things we learned from them.
I sometimes feel as if I must be in a perpetual state of teenaged-dom with regard to this commandment and God, our Father. So often He's the last one I turn to, the last one I think to call on, the furthest from my line of vision or course of action. Kind of like when we're teens with our own dads and moms.
I am praying as I apply and try to live by this commandment that I include not just my earthly mom and dad, but my spiritual Father, too.
Commandment #5: Honour thy father and thy mother.
Lord, Help me to honor and revere my parents for who they are and what they've lived. Help me to grow from their wisdom, to learn from their experiences, and to respect their years on this earth. Help me too to remember You, the Father and God of all Creation. Amen.
Lee Ann
Not sure why it won't let me post as me, and instead I am "Anonymous." ??? Who knows! Satan I imagine. He won't win. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCommandment #6: Thou shalt not kill. Another commandment that seems very short, to the point, black and white. Goes without saying! I'm not about to go out and take another person's life. GEESH!
ReplyDeleteHave you considered this?
Have you 'killed' another person's dreams with critical or belittling words? Have you 'fatally wounded' a person's heart with words shouted in anger? Have you 'permanently derailed' someone's God-train with ridicule? Have you 'mortally destroyed' someone as they take steps in their faith journey with comments on their lack of knowledge or wisdom of scripture?
As I prayed about this commandment, God revealed to me there was more than one way to kill. Ending someone's physical life is an easy one to understand. Ending someone's faith walk, or their calling, or their service to Him? Crushing someone's dreams, their self-worth, their very heart? That's killing of a different sort all together.
I am praying today as I speak, as I think, and as I encounter others that I remember killing takes on many forms.
Lord, help me today to speak in love, think as You would guide my thoughts, and that every encounter brings the light and life of Jesus in my very reflection. Amen
(Please accept my apologies! An errant e-mail was sent regarding Commandment #6 which was for some reason actually Commandment #4, and already shared! Who knows?! Computers still boggle my mind.)
ReplyDeleteCommandment #6 from the King James Version says: Thou shalt not commit adultery. As so many of the other commandments, this seems pretty straightforward. Don't cheat on your spouse. Be true to your marriage vows.
ReplyDeleteBut have you thought deeper into this commandment? We are each the bride of Christ. He is our bridegroom to whom we have made a promise and entered into a covenant relationship.
Are you true to that vow of "I do?" Have you stepped outside of your promised relationship with Christ? Have a thousand other things in life gotten in the way of your promised relationship with Jesus?
I am praying today for a re-focused attention to "I do." I am praying for a renewed faith relationship. I am praying for a rededicated commitment to the promise I made to forsake all others and cling only unto Him.
Praying for you too as you renew your vows.
Lee Ann
This is actually commandment #7. Typo undiscovered--sorry!
DeleteCommandment #8 says Thou shalt not steal. As with all the other commandments, this seems pretty clear. Don't take things that aren't yours. But as I pray about this commandment, can't that take on a deeper meaning too? For example, don't steal someone's spirit with constant belittling talk. Don't take someone's innocence as they begin their faith journey by putting down their lack of knowledge. Don't destroy someone's desire to grow by steering their course away from Him.
ReplyDeleteStealing someone's stuff is easy enough to understand. Don't take things that aren't yours. But yet, Lord, as I pray to understand Your direction to me in this commandment, I understand too I cannot take away someone's spirit, someone's light, someone's faith with selfish actions or words on my part and heart. Thank You for teaching me to be mindful of what I might steal if I am not constantly in Your Spirit. Amen
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