There’s something about us—as human beings—that cause us to really not like rules! Isn’t that true … with most of us? When you’re late for an appointment, and you’re slamming down on the accelerator to get to that appointment quickly, that stop sign seems almost optional, doesn’t it? It’s almost an annoyance! And … if no other cars are coming, it feels like another ‘silly rule’…
However, if you move into that intersection and spot another car coming at you, ignoring the sign—well, then the rules look a lot better! At that moment, you appreciate stop signs, and you understand that they were placed there for your protection!
Well, folks, God’s given us rules—like The Ten Commandments—that are stop signs at the prime intersections of life. They were given to us by a God who loves us and want his very best for us! Do you believe that? Listen to what Moses said about God’s rules in our scripture for today…
“This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death: 2 ‘The LORD came from Mount Sinai and dawned upon us from Mount Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran and came from Meribah-kadesh with flaming fire at his right hand. 3 Indeed, he loves his people; all his holy ones are in his hands. They follow in his steps and accept his teaching.’” – Deuteronomy 33:1-3 (NLT)
In his book The Lost Message of Jesus, Steve Chalke discusses the common misconception that these rules are simply ‘restrictive hoops’ God expects us to jump through. People get the idea, he explains, that the commandments are requirements for a demanding God’s approval. But the Bible says nothing of the kind! The Ten Commandments were given, Chalke reminds us, to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness where God had already demonstrated his love and acceptance for them. … God took Moses and the Hebrew people to Mt. Sinai to make a statement like this: “Now that you trust me, I want to help you with your life. Do as I say, and you’ll find happiness; and the world will see and know you are my people.”
And many others have recognized the same regarding the 10 Commandments—including
Jesus. He made this clear in Matthew 5:17 (NIV): “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.” So, Jesus upheld the Law, too, as an act of love; he knew that they’d be a way for us to experience God’s very best in our lives…
Today, I want us to take a very brief, but fresh, walk through the 10 Commandments! Are they truly acts of love? What do they mean for us now? Folks, I can assure you that we’re going to find the LOVE OF GOD again and again in the Word of a Father eager to protect his children—a God who carved his LOVE in stone! Let’s get started with…
COMMANDMENT #1: The Fundamental Rule. In Exodus 20:3 (NLT), we see God reminding the Hebrew people of his great love for them in the past & his careful watch over their lives in the present. Then he says to them: “You must not have any other god but me.” Folks, this first commandment is like the hub of a wheel; all of the other ‘spokes’ or commandments will come out of this one (fundamental)…
If they were truly going to be God’s people, they had to learn to put God first! The Israelites had been around cultures of false gods … that distracted them. But, God now insists on an exclusive relationship. There are no others like him, and they must not wander after the false hopes of pagan gods … which would only bring them pain!
I believe God starts the list this way for the same reason we take a vow before God and witnesses—to love & cherish only one spouse. Few of us would marry someone whose vows read like this: “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward … until the next cute person catches my eye.” Do you think for a moment that my ‘Jane’ would have accepted that kind of deal? No way…
It’s like God is saying, “If you will have no other gods—no distractions in life, it is only then that you can have ME!” There is no middle ground; the Lord God will not be one of many … and that still holds true today! Keeping our focus on him will let us know God and his incredible love for us! Speaking of ‘focus’…
COMMANDMENT #2: The Focus Rule. Verses 4-5 of Exodus 20 tell us: “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. … for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the 3rd and 4th generations of those who reject me.” If the 1st Commandment is about whom we worship, the 2nd is about how; we must worship the right God, and we must worship him in the right way—by hearing, not by seeing…
Here, God is telling the Hebrew people that nothing must be used to attract the eyes and thus distract the soul from him! Jerry Vines explains this: “An image of God is limited. God is unlimited. An image of God is temporal. God is eternal. An image of God is material. God is spiritual. When you make an image … it distorts God.”
This commandment is like when my high school swing choir director got tired of klutzes like me
tripping over my own feet (or those of someone else) and he was always saying to us, “Focus, people, focus!” My eyes were never where they were supposed to be (which may have had something to do with the girl standing next to me … maybe); suffice it to say … our eyes can get us into trouble!
This explains why God provides no image of himself; we’re never to gaze upon God, but we are to listen to God. If we gaze upon idols, not only will we suffer, but the generations to come, too. God doesn’t want us to wake up one day only to discover that our loved ones are making the same mistakes we have! Verse 6 is the happy alternative: “But I lavish unfailing love [italics mine] for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” It’s all about God’s Love…
COMMANDMENT #3: The Frivolous Rule. Verse 7 says, “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” People often read this commandment as a rule against profanity … which it is, but that’s not all; it goes far deeper than vulgar language…
Perhaps the closest parallel to the intent of Commandment #3 is found in the courtroom. A witness places their hand on the Bible and swears to tell the truth ‘so help me God.’ If the witness commits perjury, they’ve used God’s name in vain. The oath they took was empty, meaningless, and frivolous…
So, what is God saying here? “Don’t use me as your backup—as your collateral—in an oath you have no intention of keeping! Don’t involve me in a lying scheme that will defame or dishonor who I AM!”
Folks, GOD LOVES US and knows we can’t experience his love when we devalue the name by which we intimately know him! The names of your spouse, your parents, and your children are all special to you; you wouldn’t be happy about hearing them abused, would you? It’s the same with God; the name of God must be kept holy—to nurture the love we share together… Now, here’s…
COMMANDMENT #4: The Frailty Rule. In verses 8-11, God reminds us to “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. …” The Pharisees were experts on this, or so they thought; they actually came up with 1,521 things you couldn’t do on the Sabbath (i.e. no rescuing drowning people, no wearing of false teeth, no looking in the mirror, etc.)…
The Pharisees made a bureaucratic nightmare out of ‘Sabbath-keeping,’ but it wasn’t what God had intended at all. This commandment actually shows a deep affection for us! The word sabbath means “rest.” God knows that we grow weary in the cycle of work, so he established a day for us to regularly disengage from work and refresh ourselves. In other words, GOD LOVES US; God cares about our labor and our leisure—knowing the importance of both…
The Sabbath was a day to turn from the material to the spiritual, too—to connect with God in a deeper way; it is all about God’s love for us … and his concern for our well-being. GOD LOVES US even in our frailty! Then we have…
COMMANDMENT #5: The Family Rule. Verse 12 points this one out: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” This 5th Commandment is a transitional one; like the first 4, it deals with authority and respect (Loving God); like the final 5, it deals with human relationships (Loving People)…
Commandment #5 is pretty straight forward, but like the others it has a deeper level; this is the only commandment with a promise attached… Honor your parents = longer life? Yes, because (a couple things):
Respectful people live longer…
People who walk better paths have longer journeys…
So, why is this commandment loving? First, God’s concerned about longevity of life—our lives. But, God also wants us free from harboring any negative feelings toward those who raised us—that would shorten our lives! This is the Family Rule … and it’s all about GOD’S LOVE for us!
And, this is the point where I say … ETC. You know the rest…
#6: The Felony Rule (v.13) – “You must not murder.”
#7: The Fidelity Rule (v.14) – “You must not commit adultery.”
#8: The Fraud Rule (v. 15) – “You must not steal.”
#9: The False-Witness Rule (v.16) – “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” In other words, DON’T LIE…
#10: The Final Rule (v.17) – “You must not covet your neighbor’s house [or wife, servants, ox or donkey, etc.] ….” In other words, DON’T BE GREEDY!
Writer Dorothy Sayers was a Christian. She’d figured out there were two kinds of laws: the law of the stop sign and the law of the fire:
The law of the stop sign is upheld by community and enforced with fines. Those rules are up to the city council, etc.…
The law of the fire is a different story. It says, “Touch me and you’ll be burned!” All the city councils in the world could get together and draft a new law that says ‘fire will no longer burn’ and the whole world could vote on it. But the first person who puts their hand to fire after that … would still get burned…
God’ laws are like the law of fire; it doesn’t matter whether you voted or not. It doesn’t matter who’s watching. You won’t break God’s laws, but they can break you! God is not saying ‘Here’s a list of rules and if you break ‘em, I’m going to punish you.” What God is saying is: “Let Me tell you how the world works, since I designed it myself. I made it to be beautiful, and give you joy. But there are dangers you must avoid. If you ignore my design, you’ll basically be punishing yourself.”
It’s like the story told up in the State of Maine: A woman ascends along a pathway leading up to the home of a retired sea captain named Elijah Tilley. On the way, the woman notices a number of wooden stakes randomly scattered about the property, with no discernible order. Each is painted white and trimmed in yellow, like the captain’s house. Curious, she asks Captain Tilley what they mean. When he first plowed the ground, he says, his plow snagged on many large rocks just beneath the surface. So, he set out stakes where the rocks lay in order to avoid them in the future…
In a sense, this is what God has done for us, by giving us his rules for life. He’s said: “There are trouble spots in life. Avoid these, and you won’t snag your plow…”
Folks, it’s as if God’s given us the answers to the test before we take it! And this is how the law of God … reveals the love of God! GOD LOVES YOU so much … that he wants only his best for you; that’s why he gave the tablets to Moses! GOD LOVES YOU. He always has … and he always will!