New City Catechism XII
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As we come to the ninth and tenth commandments today, I wonder how the last three talks have spoken to you?
Hopefully you have found this opportunity to look at the ten commandments, as a helpful way of getting to know the character of God.
The commandments given at Mount Sinai, to a fledgling nation, spoke to them as it speaks to us, of the God who rescues his people.
From the forced construction of buildings, Israel is liberated for the purposes of constructing a building for God - first in the building of the tabernacle,
but ultimately in the building of a nation, that would be a witness to the people groups that surrounded them.
So what might the ninth and tenth commandments say to us this morning?
Why should we take note of what they tell us about God and how they call us to be God’s people in God’s place, under His rule and blessing?
As time is limited we’ll reflect briefly the ninth commandment, but spend most of our time thinking around the tenth.
False Testimony
False Testimony
It’s helpful to remember here that the immediate context of this ninth commandment is a court of law. It governs the legal testimony that a witness gives in a public trial before a jury.
To understand the weight of the command, we need to understand the justice system of the ancient world. Those charged with a crime had little protection and were presumed guilty until proven innocent.
In many contemporary nations, conviction could result on the strength of a single witness and often the outcome was death. The words of a false witness then could be fatal.
Into this context then God speaks the ninth commandment.
Other provisions of the full expanse of the Law given via Moses would insist on crimes being judged by a jury of elders, the need for two witnesses and a rather interesting twist of insisting that those bearing witness throw the first stone of execution.
The intentions of these provisions were to protect the innocent and were revolutionary compared to other systems in place at that time.
So what ultimately does the ninth commandment tell us about God? Well, that he hates falsehood.
Over and over again in the scriptures the matter of truth is expressed.
4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
And what response does this commandment call us to?
Well, if you are thinking “I’ll keep it in mind next time I am involved in a criminal case” think again.
A closer look at Deuteronomy and Leviticus expands the general principle of this commandment to include many different kinds of falsehood and dishonesty that impact negatively upon others.
The New Testament also has much to say on the issue. The Apostle Paul writes:
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body.
At the root of all the commandments given by God through Moses to the people of Israel, that would guide and direct their behaviour and relationships with others, is the call of God at
1 The Lord said to Moses,
2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
In other words - you must be what you must be, because I am what I am.
We serve a God who cannot lie,
2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
George Orwell has been quoted as saying:
“In a time of universal deceipt, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” - George Orwell
I wonder - with all the lies and false expressions of what being a follower of Jesus looks like, is it any wonder that fewer than half of young Christians today believe there is an objective standard of truth.
Of course, this commandment is focused on what we say - but I couldn’t help reflect on the implications of saying nothing.
William Barclay writes:
“It is an important principle that a cowardly or careless and irresponsible silence can be as senseless a crime as false and lying speech. The sin of silence is as real as the sin of speech.”
I’ll leave that one with you to ponder on later.
And what about our tenth commandment?
Covetousness
Covetousness
I wonder, does it strike you as odd that this commandment was chosen for the last?
One commentator confesses:
It has occured to me that whoever approved the final order of these commandments didn’t have much of a a sense of suspense or climax.
Well, I want to suggest that this commandment is at just the right place and is just as important as all the others - we minimse it at our peril.
Why?
Well, let’s not forget that Jesus lists it right up there with theft, murder and adultery at
21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
The NIV here translating it as GREED.
And the Apostle Paul claims that people who covet will not inherit the kingdom of God at
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Again the word in the NIV is translated greedy.
So why so serious and why place this at the end of the list?
Perhaps, because it goes to the very heart of the matter.
Notice that this commandment is not so much concerned with what we physically do - at least not in the first instance.
This commandment is concerned with what we WANT to do.
The tenth commandment makes explicit what the other commandments only imply -
namely, that God requires inward as well as outward obedience.
You see, the God who demands our loyalty to him as the only true God, is ultimately concerned with our hearts.
Martin Luther said of this last commandment in his Catechism, that it is
“…addressed not to those whom the world considers wicked rogues, but precisely to the most upright - to people who wish to be commended as honest and virtuous because they have not offended against the preceding commandments.” - Martin Luther
Well you will find the bible is littered with the consequences and shipwrecked lives of those who covet - those who are not content with what they have:
Achan - treasure from Jericho
King David - Bathsheba
King Ahab - Naboth’s vineyard
Now we may not covet our neighbour’s wife, manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey - but notice the cover all -
“…or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”
I wonder if coveting is tenth because it is at the root of so many other sins?
It often leads people to break other commandments.
Like all the commandments, we could just read it and tick the box -
but this commandment calls us to question what our hearts desire
and to reflect on where our desires will often lead us in the end.
Of course, I should just clarify that not all desires are selfish.
God created us to be creatures of desire.
Our desire for food reminds us to eat. Our desire to do something useful motivates us to work. Our desire for friendship draws us into community and so forth.
But like many things that are good, our desires are often corrupted by sin.
We want the wrong things, in the wrong way, at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.
You may not want something someone has - but perhaps you want some aspect of their life, whether it be their lifestyle, what we perceive of their family life, spirituality or experiences.
Notice I say ‘perceive’…
Ever found yourself thinking - “If only this was true for me…or, if only that was to happen or disappear”. My life would be so much better…
can I suggest you prompt yourself to ask - am I coveting something that I do not have and what does that say about being content with what I do have?
rteally, apart from the command to honour your father and mother,
commandments 4 to 10 may express a command in the negative, but they also open up the opportunity for us to explore the positives.
For example - do not murder, whilst expressing what we should not do, invites us to consider how we might otherwise treat people in such a way that we give them life as opposed to robbing them of it.
You shall not commit adultery, is an invitation to develop faithful relationships.
Likewise, you shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour, is an invitation to seek contentment.
To be so satisfied with God that we are able to accept whatever he has or HAS NOT provided.
This is how the puritan Jeremiah Burroughs puts it in his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment:
Exodus—Saved for God's Glory The Secret of Being Content
we ought to say to ourselves whenever we are tempted to be discontent: “I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart, through the grace of Christ that is in me. Though I have not outward comforts and worldly conveniences to supply my necessities, yet I have a sufficient portion between Christ and my soul abundantly to satisfy me in every condition.”
The Apostle Paul had to learn this way of life.
He puts it this way in
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
He came to see that contentment is not circumstantial.
So what was his secret.
He goes on in
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Beyond the necessities of life - such as air to breathe and our daily bread - our scriptures suggest that God, our Creator and life giver is all we need and therefore all we ought to desire.
To be even more specific God did not come in the person of Jesus and offer up himself for us so that we can get more stuff.
He came so that we might receive forgiveness of sins through his death and resurrection.
The promise of eternal life with God.
The promise that he will never leave us or forsake us, that he will be our constant companion and strength through all the trials of life.
And for everything else God says
TRUST ME
TRUST ME
I wonder if at times you may be able to relate to this poem by Charles Swindoll:
Exodus—Saved for God's Glory If Only …
It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted:
The warm days and the great outdoors.
It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted:
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted:
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted:
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted:
The freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted:
To be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted:
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted:
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over,
and I never got what I wanted.
Friends, it is not poverty or wealth that leads us to contentment and trust in the Lord - but confidence.
Confidence that if He can provide so graciously all we need for our salvation - choosing, redeeming, calling, adopting, justifying, sending His Spirit to enable us to grow up into Christ’s likeness - then surely we can count on Him for everything else.
Jesus, as one would expect puts it beautifully and succinctly:
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Like me, having spent time going through the ten commandments, thinking about the God who spoke them and his call on my life to be holy as he is holy, you might be asking:
Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?
Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?
Well, make sure you come back next Sunday - because that is exactly the question we will consider together then.