10 Kingdom Commands

Exodus 20:1–17 (KJV 1900)

And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 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: 5 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; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 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. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 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: 11 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. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 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.

INTRO

Lent (Latin: Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, the night before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving, simple living and self-denial.[1] This season is observed in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Oriental Orthodox, Reformed (including Presbyterian and Congregationalist), United Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches.[2][3][4] Some Anabaptist, Baptist and nondenominational Christian churches also observe Lent.[5][6]

The last week of Lent is Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday. Following the New Testament story, Jesus' crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, and at the beginning of the next week the joyful celebration of Easter Sunday recalls the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting, as well as giving up certain luxuries in order to replicate the account of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ's journey into the desert for 40 days;[7][8][9] this is known as one's Lenten sacrifice.[10] Many Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily devotional or praying through a Lenten calendar, to draw themselves near to God.[11][12] The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his execution, are often observed. Many Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches remove flowers from their altars, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious symbols are often veiled in violet fabrics in solemn observance of the event. Throughout Christendom, some adherents mark the season with the traditional abstention from the consumption of meat, most notably among Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Anglicans.[13][14][15]

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan.[16][17] Depending on the Christian denomination and local custom, Lent ends either on the evening of Maundy Thursday,[18] or at sundown on Holy Saturday, when the Easter Vigil is celebrated.[19] Regardless, Lenten practices are properly maintained until the evening of Holy Saturday.

There are several holy days within the season of Lent:

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, such as the Lutheran Churches, Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, Methodist Churches, Reformed traditions, etc.In the Ambrosian Rite and the Mozarabic Rite, there is no Ash Wednesday: Lent begins on the first Sunday and the fast begins on the first Monday.The Sundays in Lent carry Latin names in German Lutheranism, derived from the beginning of the Sunday's introit. The first is called Invocabit, the second Reminiscere, the third Oculi, the fourth Laetare, the fifth Judica, the sixth Palm Sunday.The fourth Sunday in Lent, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, is referred to as Laetare Sunday by Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and many other Christians, because of the traditional Entrance Antiphon of the Mass. Due to the more "joyful" character of the day (since laetare in Latin means "rejoice"), the priest, deacon, and subdeacon have the option of wearing vestments of a rose colour (pink) instead of violet.Additionally, the fourth Lenten Sunday, Mothering Sunday, which has become known as Mother's Day in the United Kingdom and an occasion for honouring mothers of children, has its origin in a 16th-century celebration of the Mother Church.The fifth Sunday in Lent, also known in some denominations as Passion Sunday (and in some denominations also applies to Palm Sunday) marks the beginning of Passiontide.The sixth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter.Wednesday of Holy Week, Holy Wednesday (also sometimes known as Spy Wednesday) commemorates Judas Iscariot's bargain to betray Jesus.[104][105][106]Thursday of Holy Week is known as Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples.The next day is Good Friday, on which Christians remember Jesus' crucifixion, death, and burial.

These were the commands written on the stone tablets and stored in the ark of the covenant to be kept in the most holy part of the tabernacle. The importance of these commandments is further indicated by their repetition in Deut. 5:6-21 and elsewhere [Matt. 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20].

The first four commands focus on loyalty to the Lord, while the last six focus on dealings between humans.

We probably are all aware that the Ten Commandments were originally delineated to the Prophet Moses on Mount Sinai as part of the second Covenant between God and His chosen people. They depict and set out specific rules and laws, primarily intended as moral guidance for righteous living, that not only encompass the correct relationship with God, but also our relationship with others. It is believed that they were originally given to Moses orally and subsequently set into two tablets of stone for posterity. The Ark of the Covenant, reputed to be a gold-covered wooden chest, was then utilized for storage and protection.

We may think we know who we are, we may think we know everything about ourselves, but, in reality, we don't, we actually know very little. Life and our comprehension of it can be extremely deceptive in that we have much to learn about our individual coping strategies, perceptions, and the general make-up of our body. Every person in life is different from the next. We don't know precisely why this is so, or why we think in any given way. There has been much hypothesis and conjecture with a host of possibilities and conclusions that we can consider and surmise, dependent on our lifestyle, but are they the definitive consensus that explains all, or merely fallacy? There are many reasons why we respond to situations in dissimilar ways. Some will stem from previous incidents in our childhood or teenage years. If we have been overprotected, then we may often expect similar in adulthood, because we don't know any different. However, if we have had to learn self-control in the early years, then we will probably be much more resilient and able to cope more readily as each situation arises.

The reactions of others to events that happen in our lives often have a marked effect on the way we respond to incidents. If someone shows concern for what has happened to us, then we, in response, react accordingly and may seek sympathy. Why does a child feel the need to cry when he or she falls over, even if they are not hurt? The result depends largely on the response and reaction of the person who views the incident. If it is ignored and things progress as if nothing has happened, then the chances are that the event will be brushed aside by the victim as insignificant and life continues as normal.

If we delve further into the matter at hand, we could ask the questions: Why are some people good and others bad? What gives us the impulse to do wrong? What makes us decide on a particular course of action in our life? Why are some situations considered acceptable and well within our comfort zone? Whereas, others make us feel extremely uncomfortable and all we want to do is withdraw as rapidly as possible? Reactions to situations vary from person to person. In fact, individual autonomy that retains one’s own identity, but coheres to the symmetrical traits of goodness in human nature could be considered as the only solution to a satisfactory life.

CLOSINGS

If we acknowledge and respond to this positivity from others, it may ultimately lead us to a life of good morals which quintessentially relates to the essence of the Ten Commandments. These are considered by many to be the foundation stone or even the actual definition of morality. Romans 13:8-10 confirms: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Matthew 22:36–40 (KJV 1900)

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.