The Ten Commandments (Part 2)

Negative commandments allow for everything except. Positive commandments

Simon says. The good news about God’s word is that the commands contained in it don’t have any sort of tricks or code words that dictate whether or not we should adhere to the commandments.

Last week when we began looking at the ten words or the ten commandments, I utilized three questions to discuss these commandments. The first one, which I want to briefly revisit, is

Who are the Ten Commandments For?

These commandments were given to the people of God who were delivered from the land of Egypt. They are not for us but the spirit in which they were given most certainly applies to each person who is here that has been delivered from sin because of a belief in Christ Jesus. After all, Jesus said in Matthew 5:17.

Matthew 5:17 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He gave a 1a and 1b. We must first love the Lord our God with everything that is in us. When we do that, we will desire all the more to love our neighbor as ourselves, the second commandment, which is like the first.

The questions I want to frame the remaining six commandments in this morning are: “what does it mean?” and “how does it lead us?”. We begin with the fifth commandment,

V. Honor Father and Mother

One of two positive commandments (remember the sabbath), this command follows directly after the first four commands that are directly related to our love of God. The father and mother are representations of God to their children. While this is a command for children, it is important to remind parents that you are the first and most prominent figure of the Lord to your children. Not as perfect, but as His image bearers and servants.

That said, this command includes obedience to the upbringing of parents as well as caring for parents in their old age as well as adhering to the expectations of inheritance.

We should notice that the promise that is made if this commandment is a promise of living long in the promised land. This is not for the individual but rather for the protection of God’s people as a whole if they keep His covenant.

Finally, this is a picture of the family unit as God intended it. A father, a mother, and children.

It leads us by keeping the structure that God has put in place in mind. When we consider honoring father and mother, it is not just obeying them, but it is respecting them even after they have gone on to be with the Lord.

To the sixth commandment,

VI. You must not murder

There is a bit of nuance here. The word for murder is not simply to kill. Instead, it is “to put to death improperly, for selfish reasons.” The idea here is that there is no authorization from God for it to take place. God’s people were not to kill unless certain offenses had been committed.

With this understanding, no unauthorized person or group has the right to end human life. This would give authority to the judges and courts of the land when the death penalty is in mind. I would also say that in extreme circumstances where self-preservation is involved that it would be permitted. The reason that the death penalty would be allowed here is because of what we read in Romans 13:1.

Romans 13:1 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

When we observe this commandment, we recognize the value of human life and place an emphasis on authority when it has been rightfully given.

Next,

VII. You must not commit adultery.

When we boil down this commandment, the emphasis is on marriage and how foundational it is to the created order and human society.. No married person is allowed to have sex with any person but their spouse and no one is to have sex with a married person except their spouse.

This commandment prohibits all variations of sex outside of a marriage. Jesus even goes as far as linking adultery to the heart when lust is concerned.

When we observe the seventh commandment, we observe the biblical view of marriage. Our homes are better when marriage vows are upheld. Our churches are better when marriages are strong. Even our communities thrive when there are good, Godly marriages in it.

VIII. You must not steal

This is taking something that does not belong to you without permission. Theft is something that we have all experienced at some point in life. With ownership comes responsibility but there is also a respect that is implied to other people.

To steal is to threaten the social order and cause harm to those who possess. A thief of food causes hunger for others. A thief of money causes poverty. A kidnapper damages the family.

If we love our neighbor, then we will put their needs above our own. We will respect what it is that they possess and allow it to remain in their hands. The prohibition against theft is necessary in a community of people. The OT speaks often of stealing but does not stop there. Often, there are steps for the offender to take in order for restoration to take place.

If we keep the eighth commandment, we will contribute in a better way in the community. We will love one another well and have greater respect for our neighbor.

We continue thinking about the neighbor and right treatment of them with

IX. You must not give false testimony.

This commandment is most directly in reference to words spoken by a witness or defendant in a court setting. However, this doesn’t take away from the call for honesty. A court system relies on truthfulness of those in a community, as does any sort of relationship. Other places in the Old Testament expound on the concept of false testimony like in Leviticus 5:1.

Leviticus 5:1 ESV

“If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity;

Here, it is also if there is any pertinent information withheld in the court of law. Once again, this points to being honest in all ways.

This is the first use of neighbor in the commandments. When used in a legal context, neighbor does not refer to a person by proximity but rather any person that you have an interaction with. But it is necessary that I point out that honesty should be followed in all settings, not just a court setting.

When we adhere to the ninth commandment, we will see honesty as a thing worthy of pursuing.

Finally, the tenth commandment is,

X. You must not covet another’s possessions

To covet is to desire or crave. This commandment is not simply that we must not covet but rather it is specific to the possessions of another. In scripture, we see positive examples of desiring things. For instance, Isaiah 53:1-2, regarding the Messiah.

Isaiah 53:1–2 ESV

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

When we read the word house, we need to understand this as a household as well as all who are in it and the property. To covet is to begin to go down the road that leads to violation of the seventh and eighth commandments of adultery and stealing. There ought to be no desire for what belongs rightfully to another person.

If we keep this commandment, we will be careful to remain content with what God has given us. While this commandment is mostly horizontal, focused on love of neighbor, I think that there is an aspect of honoring the Lord with appreciating and stewarding what He has given us.

Conclusion

As we reflect on these commandments, I am certain that at least one of these has struck a cord with you in some way. It might be an outright violation, and thus sin against the Lord. At the same time, there may be areas where you see the need for improvement. It’s my prayer that we would keep these things and love one another well.